Thinking of buying an isuzu MU

[WTF]

Hey all,

im looking at buying an Isuzu MU, ive always had a soft spot for them cos i think they look great.

i know there are different models with different sized engines, but the price varies so much, from around 4 to 12k.



im preferably after a wagon version with the 4 seats, and the larger engine.

im wondering if anyone can give me any ideas on how strong they are, whether they have inherant problems etc.

im goiung to be buying it in the next week and hopefully taking it to fraser island. im a little concerned about the ground clearance on them, can anyone tell me if theres any issues in this department?

ive seen several suzuki sierras on the island, which i would expect have worse suspension travel than the coil suspension on the MU, so... any input?

thanks heaps, im looking this week to chase one down...

im in bris, if anyone has one for sale... if anyone has things i should look out for that would be appreciated..

thanks,

mark.

[bluemq]

They are a good car although you are mistaken about coil suspension, they are IFS front & leaf rear.

They are fine for beach work, ground clearance isnt as bad as you think.

Get the 2.8L TD, it has more then enough grunt & is cheap to run and is near bulletproof motor.

In terms of problems, just make sure you check over it for oil leaks & any noises.

Mine has been mechanically A1, so I have been lucky - but I did get a mechanical inspection when I bought it to make sure.

[sudso]

Part Rodeo, part SWB Jackaroo in an MU skin.
Worst that can happen is if you need body panels, which aren't impossible to get though.

[jessie928]

body panels are no problem. THey are a holden frontera, sold locally.
I am pretty sure the frontera has rear coils ( i had one)
the 2 litre petrol is underpowerd, but they are an EXCELLENT vehicle.

all you would need is a turbo diesel MU motor or chuck in a 3.8 v6 or just turbo the 2l. the 2l has a week bottom end though, starvation issues.

[chimpboy]

I had one with the same body style as the one in your photo, with that pseudo "ute" back.

It was leaf rear and torsion bar IFS front.

It had a 2.6 litre petrol motor, same as a rodeo. Power and economy were okay; I'd probably look out for a bigger turbo diesel next time, but as Jessie928 says there are a few engine swaps that would be easy. What fits a rodeo should fit a MU.

I sold mine mainly because it only had two seats and the ute rear was not useable.

However... in retrospect, I should have just got the bits to convert it to four seats with a wagon back. They are not unfindable at wrecking yards, in fact.

Someone's going to tell you they are hopelessly shit off-road, which is not correct. You would definitely need at least a rear locker or LSD to get it performing reasonably though. A pair of open diffs was te main thing holding mine back.

32" muddies fitted no problems at all just winding up the front torsion bars and putting longer shackles on the rear leaves.

They are sold as Isuzu Amigos in the US and there is a lot of aftermarket stuff made for them over there, if your budget allows that. Read up on Amigos and you'll get more info than you can find here in Oz.

I kinda wish I'd kept mine, I'm sure the new owner was happy though.

Ground clearance is okay. Front suspension travel is going to limit you a lot if you get the wrong model - there was an upgrade at some point. Even with the later version it is not going to give travel like a zuk at the front, not even an IFS zuk. With either model, there's an aftermarket suspension upgrade from the US that will fix it - new A-arms and all kinds of stuff.

At the rear though, it's just a beam axle leaf spring setup and you know you can get plenty of travel from that.

Jason

[benhl]

i also had one of these as my 1st 4wd. Good little truck, i had the 2.8TD and it was great - the auto box was sluggish off the mark but great fuel economy and great extras like power everything and sunroof etc. Great beach car, clearance not too much of a problem. I did a 2 inch spring lift in the back and wound up the front torsion bars (btw it is leaf rear). Bigger tyres fit and make a big differnce to the look/ride height.

I only had one issue with it but it was a biggy, hence resulting in my offloading it. It would not start after sitting a little while (like overnight) it seemed to be a feul problem, but no-one, and i mean no-one could find the problem. Nearly the whole fuel system was check and replaced if marginlly needed. it seemed to drop pressure and you had to prime it everytime you started it! This was the bain of my existance and then a bearing noise/squealing began in the head area and i had had enough - bye bye MU. Lost a shit load on it as no-one would RWC it with the fuel problem so sold it unreg as is at a 40% loss of purchase price.

All in all though - great car, just make sure you know someone who is very confident and experienced (i cannot stress that enough) at working on them. Not someoone who has dropped the oil on 1 of them once before but someone who had intimate knowledge with working them.

Everyone says oh it's just a Frontera, with rodeo running gear and engine etc but there ARE subtle differences which WILL affect you. Be wary, but if you're confident about being able to source servicing/mechanical work they are bullet proof and fun!

PS - YOU WILL BE REAMED ON INSURANCE!!

[Vineboy]

Iv'e got one and it's great. Mine has the 3.1 turbo and 5sp manual. Pretty much as the other guys have said. IFS on the front and leaves on the back. Front half on mine is a mid nineties Rodeo and back half is MU/Frontera. I picked up mine for $8000 in Sydney with 150 on the clock. Prices can really veary some just get the best you can afford. Insurance is fine if you know where to look . I use DGA and costs me about $490 per year. Turbos on the 3.1 can be a bit of an issue and can't be rebuilt due to a ceramic bearing cage or something. Can be good off road as it is pretty toey and only SWB. does really well with a body lift and bigger tyres. Mine came standard with 16's. Try this link. I found it really usefull
http://clubisuzu.proboards29.com/

andrew

[dreamz]

I almost got one myself there a good looking car Ive heard they are a little weak driveline wise but it would be great if you could do the front ifs into a solid

[ISUZUROVER]

The 2.8TD (4JB1T) is a MUCH better engine than the later 3.1TD. Both engines were also fitted to rodeos and jackeroos so plenty of parts available.

[chimpboy]

Incidentally does anyone know what the wheelbase is on these? It's not a joke question

[mico]

I almost got one myself there a good looking car Ive heard they are a little weak driveline wise but it would be great if you could do the front ifs into a solid

The driveline in them is anything but weak remember that Isuzu build trucks and the MU's are build to the same specs on a smaller scale the driveline is very strong and reliable

[-Scott-]

Poor man's J-Top Pajero.

Just kidding.

Like any IFS 4by, it will never be the most capable off-road performer, but will surprise many with their capability. I can't comment on the MU's different engines, but my 3.0 V6 (in a shorty Paj) feels 33" tyres.

I believe there's a front locker available (more useful than a rear in an IFS 4by - in my opinion) and they're popular enough that suspension upgrades are readily available.

Research your options, find the vehicle you want, and go for it.

Good luck,

Scott

[WTF]

what would you guys suggest of a swb pajero versus the isuzu mu?

the pajeros come a bit cheaper...

[Beastmavster]

Front locker is available, and rear LSD.

If you need more than LSD+LOCKER you have the wrong car anyway.


Ok, I went out 4wding with Chimpboy a bit when he had the MU. His unlocked, no LSD, on 32" muddies didnt go everywhere, but it went pretty much where unlockered vehicles can go. Sure my vitara went further offroad, but with welded diff, +5" tyres, 3" suspension lift and 40mm body lift, you'd bloody well hope so.

Note that my vitara would also completely and totally obliterate my locked Maverick on 285's as well.... just in case someone says get a shorty patrol on 33"s....It was probably no worse offroad than his SWB Maverick with LSD was (on same 32" muddies). What the LSD gave, the extra weight took away.


It was also way way way more effective offroad than a LWB Frontera......as we saw back to back.



Did he push it hard? At occasion yes. He nearly rolled it at Narangba on one of the long hillclimbs

It was more comfortable than a shorty GQ, waaaay cheaper to run and a hell of a lot cooler to be seen in.

I agree though, the UTE is a useless idea and you want the 4 seater version.


If you do your research I think the 1991+ models have more front suspension travel, and the turbo diesels are definately the engine of choice in these. 2.6 Rodeos are rather thirst for their performance (well at least until you compare them to a 4.2 Patrol anyway).

[Jimmu]

I have owned one for 2 years now and to date it has been great.

I have the '93 2.8TD model.

The utes are all petrol and rather average engine wise. The wagons are all diesel and much stronger engine wise.

The major model differences are (In Wagons):

To '94 - 2.8L TD
Mid '94 - 3.1L TD
'96 - New much more modern dash was introduced

They are tough and reliable trucks, with few inherant problems. As previously said I think th 2.8 is the pick of the bunch as the engine is bulletproof. You can get over 100Hp at the wheels from this engine with some amazing torque figures (mine read 880lbs at the wheels in 4th on 31"). Keep in mind they are not big trucks so the power to weight is excellent. Economy is good. I regularlay get over 600klms out of 60l and I dont drive it slow. Some quote figures of 750k from the same but I am guessing they grandma it.

IFS is their biggest weakness if you want to go hardcore. General 4wding and beach work they are great.

Best upgrades are exhaust, dyno tuning, LSD and Lokka and of course a snorkle. A few inches of suspension and body lift dont go astray to fit 32-33" tires.

As said check out http://www.clubisuzu.com for some detailed information on the little beasties.

Jimmy

[Vineboy]

Incidentally does anyone know what the wheelbase is on these? It's not a joke question

Try this link. Good for all MU specs

http://www.cars-directory.net/specs/isu ... _12/13720/

[vSAHARAx]

My sister has a 94 2.8TD Auto, she bought it 4 yrs back. Odometer said 160K on the clock, its now says 210k and over the past 50k she has had to Replace Auto Trans ($3500), Replace Turbo ($1500), (The turbo is dead again) Injectors and Injector pump replaced, heaps of electrical problems, doesnt matter how many seals and gaskets you replace in the thing the motor still leaks oil. It couldnt pull the skin off a custard with a run up, Running on NO2, has that many clunks and bangs in the front end that no one can find. The front tailshaft split where the spline slides in. It has 10 different annoying squeeks in the cabin that you can hear at the same time.

Had the car to that many mechanics its not funny. She gets it serviced at Isuzu and they think the reason why its such a lemon is because it has done alot more km's than what the odometer says it has, they also informed her that they get alot of MU's like hers come in all the time.

Only reason she wont sell it is because she has had to out-lay too much money and she cant justify selling it now.

In saying all that they are a tough little truck, My uncle used to import vehicles from Japan and he owned a 3.1L Manual and had no dramas what so ever. I would be looking at a 3.1 Manual, do not get the Auto, 80% of engine power goes to noise, other 20% struggles to find itself at the wheels

Not trying to bad mouth them i think they are a hot little machine,
Good luck, and if you find one you like, seriously invest in an RACQ inspection!!!!!

Troy

[J Top]

The engine oil leaks are blow-by. In NZ any used Jap-import diesel car is suspect since as a rule they are not serviced well enough and the diesels suffer more from this.
The front diffs are weak, with 32s and a slightly heavy foot.
1 broke both back axles just taking off at the lights, so they are not bullet proof but are ok.
They lack in flex and it is a common joke that the reason Mus go so fast off road is because if they slow down they will cross up
The later ones, 96 on ? are coil rear and have the 3.2 V6 petrol option.
You can give them a ball joint flip for more front travel.
J Top