Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Hi there

I'm after your thoughts please. I'm looking at a 1995 2.5ltr diesel 4wd rodeo duel cab. It's going to be an offroad tourer/weekend greenlane warrior [no comps]

can you please let me know your thoughts on what the problem areas are on these vehicles?

Also how limiting is the front IFS? I'm used to solid axles front and rear.
Would you rate this vehicle as good on the articulation front as other front IFS/rear solid axle vehicles? From my point of view the most limitations are limited to dumb drivers rather than the vehicles. But nonetheless it's worth knowing what potential weak points there are on these vehicles.

thanks
Harv.

Isn't the 1995 Rodeo a 2.8 t/d? Unless you're in England (Greenlaning?)

I've got a 1997 Rodeo petrol and I would think that it is on par with any other torsion bar IFS / rear solid with leaf springs.
Although that means to me that they are all not good.

For a tourer though I have had no problems with it. Plenty of room. Pretty rough ride on dirt roads though compared to a coil sprung wagon. Which is to be expected.

I take mine to 4wd parks with my club fairly often and I must say that even though I give it heaps it really is let down by clearance and wheel travel. This is even with a 2in suspension lift, 40mm body lift and 31in mud tyres.

Being a Japanese built vehicle they have excellent reliability.

So if you want it as a tourer then go for it.

Utemad you're right... i'm in the UK hence the 2.5 engine. i thought of chucking it at a later date and dropping in a 3.1ltr.

given your experience of the rodeo how does it compare in your opinion, to the jackaroo which is ifs front but coil [rather than cart] sprung at the back end when it comes to front and rear suspension travel?

also... are their any real weak points to watch out for?

Well as for weak spots I can't really say as I have not broken anything in the 5+ years I have owned it. Although that in itself is saying something as I have flogged the crap out of my ute. Including smoking both the tyres on rock climbs more than a few times.
I've never been in a Jackaroo off road but there is one in our club (coil rear & V6) and it has much better rear articulation than mine. Front articulation is roughly the same in my opinion.

As I have wound the front torsion bars up to give the lift I have replaced the upper bump stops with low profile ones to reclaim some of my front wheel down travel.

From what I have seen on the all knowing internet, greenlaning consists mainly of mud driving. So wheel travel isn't too much of a consideration for you???

The rear LSD works really well. Mine is still going strong after 190k.

There are some documented cases of the chassis cracking behind the cab but that is rare (I've never seen one first hand). However I have also seen pictures of Landrover utes and Hiluxs with the same cracks.

I don't know about 95 models but on my 97 with the 2.6 petrol it has an inspection cover on the front of the bellhousing with a cut away section just behind it. Mud and sand can get in this hole and into the bell housing and clutch. Sudso on this forum has mentioned it a few times lately. I just put a bit of duct tape over the hole when I am going somewhere it could get full of crap.

The small metal cover is at the extreme rear and bottom of my V6 block with a porous foam seal that is put there by Isuzu to let mud and water into the bellhousing to stuff your clutch when you use your 4by for what it's meant for.

There is also porous foam seals up each side of the bellhousing on the sandwich plate between the motor and g/box. This is on the 3.2 V6 though with a MUA5C g/box.

I am going to put a small bead of special black silicon on all mating surfaces and let them dry first when I go to put it all back together after I fix the clutch. I'll tap a nipple into the bellhousing for a breather.

Hi Harvey, I remember you from Australia 4wd forum
Welcome to Outer "madness" Limits

sudso

gday sudso,

thanks for the welcome. i sold my little toyota and wanted a larger 4x4 for the trip my wife and i want to do and so bought a 95 GQ Patrol. But parts for it in the uk are a nightmare, the turning circle tooooo large for anying but wide open spaces and the dog when he's in the car drives us absolutely nuts! So i now want a good reliable ute that i can put the dog in the back of and turn into a respectible 4x4. I was considering a hilux but they're just too expensive in the uk imo and the brava's/TFs/Rodeo's over here seem reasonably priced.

harvey wrote:gday sudso,

thanks for the welcome. i sold my little toyota and wanted a larger 4x4 for the trip my wife and i want to do and so bought a 95 GQ Patrol. But parts for it in the uk are a nightmare, the turning circle tooooo large for anying but wide open spaces and the dog when he's in the car drives us absolutely nuts! So i now want a good reliable ute that i can put the dog in the back of and turn into a respectible 4x4. I was considering a hilux but they're just too expensive in the uk imo and the brava's/TFs/Rodeo's over here seem reasonably priced.

Hilux are damn expensive anywhere in the world = $oyota!
Turning circle on my Rodeo is quite tight considering the wheelbase
Genuine parts for Isuzu = $$$ same as any 4wd.
Wouldn't Landies be plentiful and cheap in the UK?

and the dog when he's in the car drives us absolutely nuts! So i now want a good reliable ute that i can put the dog in the back of and turn into a respectible 4x4.

Just remember if you have a canopy on the back, exhaust fumes will get sucked in through the tailgate gaps and make your dog sick unless you have fresh air flowing through. Wouldn't want the pooch to snuff it.
I just leave the sliding front window of my canopy open all the time and I dont get any dust or water sucking back in, I dont even get rain through the window even though there is a slight gap between it and the cab rear window.

cheers

sudso wrote:

harvey wrote:gday sudso,

Wouldn't Landies be plentiful and cheap in the UK?

cheers

they are plentiful but after a shocking experience with one i don't want another. it's was fine offroad but the reliability was too poor to justify. i remember a landcruiser man asking a chap in a discovery...

...'do you know why they called the camel trophy challenge the camel trophy challenge?'

...'because if they'd driven any other vehicle it wouldn't have been a challenge!'

i found this funny but given the reliability issues i had with the product i think there might be some truth in this friendly jest.