Been around the block & then some. '86 Isuzu Trooper that's still rolling after many hacks & mods 

I'm part of the UKs trooper forum, and we supply a large range of different parts across the world. If you get stuck and rock auto can't help, feel free to reach out.

The “spoiler” is an air deflector to reduce the tail low pressure area and help keep the rear window clean.

I have an Isuzu trooper 2.8 diesel turbo (1st gen) ... And it now ran over 850K KM... Still going strong 💪 virtually nothing can pull this diesel apart... Isuzu diesels are great in general, indestructible....

i was a mechanic at an Isuzu dealer when the Troopers first arrived in the UK, they were a revelation, comfortable, quiet, powerfull, handled well, aircon etc etc, there was nothing that came close back then especially at the price point, the Citation was superb

Whoa! Have not seen one of those in several dogs ages! That's in really good shape for the age. Glad owner is fixing it up to actually drive and enjoy.

Great vehicles. We had one for about 10 years. My wife spun on some ice, went off road and down a hill, hit an embankment and rolled it lengthwise! There was a minor crack in the windshield and a dent in the roof. She put it in 4wd and drove it out to a gas station to call for help. Brings back a lot a smiles, thanks for the video.

That’s a good old school Trooper. It’s surprisingly solid. Looks a little battered. Like you said, needs a lot of little minor stuff. But it all adds up. But this is one where you can divide the repairs up into packages to be completed as the budget allows. This is the kind of old car or truck I dig. Nothing seriously wrong.

In Australia they were called a Holden Jackaroo (a “jackaroo” is a guy who works in the outback on sheep or cattle stations. A female is a “jillaroo”). They were a good old thing, not the fastest, but well equipped for the time with great standard features, but certainly capable off road. Maybe not to Toyota Landcruiser levels, but still good for the price. You still see the odd battered one getting around even now.

Many into 4x4's love these 'old school' suv's like this Trooper II. Simple electrics, very little electronics, no airbags or stuff to go wrong. This is especially clean, no serious rust, yes plenty of work to be done but mainly for safety, reliability and fun use.

I have a 4 door trooper 1988. Owned it since new. Still looks brand new. The color combination on it is awesome. The mid-section is pewter and the rest is white with red stripes dividing the pewter from the white. And I think it is 20" rims with fat tires. Mine have much cooler grill that the one in the video too. Tanned leather on the inside. Never had any issues with it. Only maintenance. I love it and I will never sell it.

I had a japan imported 1993 Trooper 3.1 Irmscher for 16 years in the UK it was bought and exported to the USA .It had a total of 309000 miles never let me down once just basic servicing done by myself. My daughter named her Suzi I wish i never sold it now but some lucky American has got it now and i hope they look after her and enjoy it

I had one of these in college from 2013 to 2015. It was pretty fun. It was the same desert tan color that brand new Tacomas are being sold with. People would mistake it for a land rover. It was very slow on the road even with 5 gears, but it felt great on a trail in low range. When I sold it, it was still running strong with low compression in one cylinder and rattling like crazy from completely worn valve guide seals. The tach was broken so I would shift based on the volume of the valve rattle!

I would only use that vehicle for off road. When they were new I was working as a automotive tech & I agree totally with the engine and running gear but... I've known 3 people who were badly injured after being hit by other drivers because the Isuzu Troopers folded up like aluminum cans. One insurance adjuster told me these trucks were deathtraps. That broke my heart, I loved the way they looked and drove and I wanted to get one until I had 3 friends get crippled in rather low speed accidents. So as long as other bad drivers are not a factor enjoy that cool truck, keep it off the pavement.

Thanks, Wizard! This brings back fond memories of my 1989 Isuzu Trooper II 4-door. It was my first truck and first 4X4, and it took me on many wonderful drives. It even made the daily commute a fun experience! Its fuel-injected 2.6 litre I-4 loved to be wound out to redline -- indeed, it needed to be in order to get 0-60 times in the sub-20 second range. Comfortable, fun to drive, wonderful 5-speed long-throw stick; a bit of a maintenance hog as it approached 225,000 miles, when I sold to a young lady for the next chapter in its life. I bought a new 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser (V6 and six-speed with full-time 4X4) for long-term performance and reliability, but I still miss my old Trooper II LS!

If you go mudding in Puerto Rico 🇵🇷 you’ll find that vehicle along with the first gen 4Runner, Pathfinder and Mitsubishi Montero. Last time I went home I saw several running in perfect conditions, well for the age. Here in Florida there are people that are moving and bringing them.

These are a fabulous machine. We had one with a completely worn out fumey engine (very high miles) which we used as a wood truck around Lake Eildon Victoria Australia. We would cram the whole rear (seats removed) with hardwood for the campfire and it would still have no trouble up the very steep tracks back to camp. The thing just kept pulling.

My Dad bought a couple of Trooper IIs back when I was a teen. He let me drive it the later one on occasion and I'm SO glad he didn't see me off-roading it through four-foot snowdrifts with my buddies. When you put that in 4wd low, it would crawl up the side of a mountain!

The wood block in the battery tray is to keep the positive battery terminal OFF the frame during hard braking. Definitely the wrong battery for the truck. My '70s GM trucks are very susceptible to all these drive axle and gear oil problems when it has been in deep water and the gear oil is contaminated with water. Just changing the gear oil fixes them, just a thought!!! Thanks for the videos, always enjoy them!

My father, a mechanic until he passed in 2010, absolutely loved these trucks. He owned quite a few in the 90s. I remember the twist cane parking brake very well. Super simple to work on, reliable as anything can be.

I love my 87 ls 191k miles I am on a journey rn and she takes me where I need to go thank you Trooper I speak very nicely to her bc she is so so reliable one time nut came off on highway and all oil drained and heat gauge went crazy and I was OUT of freaking oil. I literally was just waiting for lockup. Took an exit a mile out stopped at 5 minute oil or w/e and kept it pushing lol she never hiccuped

Amazing to see a basically rust free 36 years old off road car. It says a lot about simplicity and sturdiness of the brand

My Dad had one of these in Alaska. Every Friday night in the summer he would pack the back with gear and take us fishing and camping for the weekend. It was awesome.

I had an '88 Trooper. That thing was awesome! I Drove it north, south, east and west all over this country!!!

All we are missing now is to have Joe Isuzu show up for a visit. Thanks Car Wizard and Mrs. Wizard!

Had a 1997 Trooper Limited from new. Loved it. Wipers on the headlights. Massive sunroof. AC was very poorly engineered and unable to keep up with North Carolina summers. Vehicle was bullet proof otherwise through 250k miles. Fit and finish was excellent. Great off-road at the Outer Banks. Traded it in on a brand new 2006 Honda Odyssey Touring.

I wish I lived close to you you would do all the work on my vehicles probably the most honest mechanic I've ever seen

I remember those when they came out. It looked futuristic back in 86.

The fluid passing through the speedo cable has a cause. These gearbox transfer case combos are known to pass oil from the gearbox into the transfer case, pressurising the transfer case, and will blow oil out of various places covering the underside of the car after a high speed run. Low speed doesn't blow it out but certainly could be the reason for the oil up the speedo cable.

OH MY GOD! The car wizard doing a video on my favorite vehicle! My family had 2 of these. a 1986 isuzu trooper II and a 1994 Isuzu Trooper. I loved these vehicles, even if the '86 didn't wanna go much past 60-65 lol. But i have so many memories driving with my parents in these and learning to drive a manual on these. These were the cleanest and easiest things to learn to drive a manual on. Anyways, thanks for showing this. You don't see these anymore.

maaaaaaaan - back in college I had an 89 Trooper, a 93 trooper and an 00 Vehicross. Isuzus were soooo overlooked. Amazing SUV's.

I had a 2000 Trooper. Fully loaded. Awesome 4x4. Got 16 mpg regardless of highway or city driving. Had to part with it in 2003 . Miss it till this day.

Love my 1990 Trooper. 5 speed manual with 2.6L 4 cylinder is unstoppable.

My first vehicle was an 88’. Great truck! Flagrantly underpowered. 88 was FI, which was nice, but still the tiny 4 banger. I think they were Aluminum block, steel head and were prone to head gasket leaks, which mine had. That little door on the back starboard side opens too! The rear seats are narrow because they fold back between the wheel wells to make a bed. Totally flat windshield. You could use the at conditioning to slow the vehicle down. Bulletproof transmission and transfer case. Manual locking hubs that froze in the winter - had a dedicated set of straight pliers to operate them in the New Hampshire winters. Excited to see it on your channel! Congrats on the yacht too - enjoyed the series very much, and good choice to invest not in the carver or bay liner.

My first brand new vehicle was a 1993 Isuzu pickup. $8,000 out the door, 2wd, no options, rollup windows, radio delete (prewired with speakers in the doors) no rear bumper (I put one on). It was a great truck. Only problem in 100,000 miles was an O2 sensor. Got 27 mpg on road trips with the tail gate down. I wish I could buy a new one today. Pretty much the same engine as this Trooper. Good memories.☺☺☺

Man that thing brings back memories from my childhood!. My dad had a silver 85 Trooper II. I learned to drive a manual transmission in that thing. It was a four speed with the 2.2L. I also began wrenching on it on my own. I removed the blown cylinder head it had. And replaced the long tube header gaskets a few times. Common problems were the stock carburetor and alternators. Carb was swapped for a webber and the alternator from a mitsubishi Eclipse. It sure was a bouncy ride lol. I would like to buy one just for nostalgia and see my dad's reaction after so many years. He traded it in a dealer for a 91 E-250 with the 4.9L for his new job back then.

I have 5 of those old 1st Gen Troopers. 3- 4 door 89's and 2- 2 door 86's One 86 a 2.3 gas motor and one a 2.2L Turbo Diesel. Love them! So much fun to take to the Jeep trails. Simple like an Old Series 1 Land Rover. The vent breather on the transmission is stopped up. Unplug it and it will stop blowing oil out of the speedo cable.

One of my absolute all time favorite vehicles! Back in late 2007 to spring 2012 I had a 1994 for 4 years, gave it to my son for his 16th birthday. He drove the snot out of it for another 5 years. Tough ol SUV's those were!

Had exact same vehicle! Thanks Car Wizard...brilliant video. Bought our 86 Trooper in 1990 and paid 5k for it with about 55k on odometer. Got it to about 260k before it wasn't worth fixing. Overall very reliable. My father in law bought an 86 Isuzu PUP diesel new. It is indestructible. It had sat for a couple years and two years ago my brother in law put a new battery in it and it started right up. Its a real shame Isuzu is not in US market anymore selling small trucks.

That thing is totally worth fixing up. Even if you put $3-4K into it, you have a capable off-roading vehicle for $6-7K. And it's unique, you don't see those everyday that's for sure.

I had a 1989 V 6 Trooper II MANUAL DRIVE 4x4 it was excellent to drive in back country. I also liked the driver's side seat that if you drop down or go over a bump it would cushion the ride. After 200,000 miles I sold it to my friends kid for a $ 100 and it turn him into a real gear head after I showed him how to put new disk breaks on it.

I had a -89 5 door for many years. I had a lot of fun with it even if the head on the 2,6l engine is very prone to warping. In winter it was perfect for the Swedish snowy backroads.

Good vehicle for repairs, agree a full restoration is specialist territory and have the place to work on it for a year. I also like that you do Estimates like my Local Shop I go to. Call in, describe issue, they take the vehicle, review, call with estimate. They also have the must do vs needs at some point. In cases where they are going to be taking something apart anyway, they will charge for the part as the labor is "well, I have to take it off anyway, might as well put a new one on".

Mr Wizard i agree with you that's a cool old school practical vehicle,i like the square body style and the way the rear door opens,very convenient,i also like the way you pick out what a vehicle needs,you appear to have different levels of assessment,like safe & serviceable,upgrades for better service/dependability and so on,and if the customer will take your advice they save money and time in the long term,it's to bad we don't have a (clone) of Mr Wizards shop here in Clinton Tn.

Those things are legendary. Great to still see one not all rust cancered out like 98% ended up.

I was going to make a rolling joke but the title beat me to it.

This one makes me nostalgic. Got one of these a few years ago but eventually I had to sell it since I could not afford the work it needed done and it was quite a thirsty petrol version. Had no other choice to get rid of it for cash as I got laid off right at the beginning of pandemic. But when it was working it was a very fun car to drive and I really liked the way it looked. Drove it for months without power steering fluid, since I got it like that and I did not know it actually had power steering, just needed to fill up on the liquid. That was quite a workout.

I had a 95 trooper that i put 520 000 before it finally failed. Only lost it as I could not get the parts required. It was sad a it was my favorite SUV I have ever owned.

My great Uncle was a farmer and he owned one of those and drove it for many years as his going to church and town rig he drove it until his death and the family sold it about 6 years ago it was still running great and in very good shape for its age truly a great engineered vehicle

I live in Maine and have been buying/driving these for over 20 years. There have been over 25 that I have owned, all scrapped bc of rust, except for the 85 2dr and 86 2dr that are still running and driving, sitting out back waiting for the right owner to come along.

I bought one of these back in ‘86 in the same color. It was cool to see it again. The back seat laid flat to make a bed and the headrests (that seem to be missing on this one) could be inserted as pillows sort of. The headrests also could be inserted into the back seat walls and used as arm rests. The 2.4 liter was terribly under powered on the highway, but it was pretty good off-road.

You saying brakes so many times made me remember that even back in the 90s these things where hard to get brake parts for where I live.. sos much that a garage here had to source brake parts from an aftermarket company.. love these things and I'm not sure why that memory stuck with me for this long..

My dad had this car and we have a lot memories with it. To this day he regrets getting rid of it. Now that I’m older I been wanting to buy one but there are hard to find now. Car wizard I appreciate you showing us this car. It made me remember my childhood.

Thanks for the video. I've wanted a Trooper for years and am cleaning up a 99 Rodeo RWD abandoned in my driveway by my oldest son. 'Ran when parked'... kind of story. Keep the great content coming! -=Doug

One of the things that might get missed was on the interior - there are two of the headrest-style sockets. It had detachable arm rests, which is why the back didn't go all the way to the edge!

My father used to have two Isuzu Troopers. One white long wheel base 3d with round head lights like this one (with cool 80-90's factory stickers on it), and other cherry red long wheel base 5d with square head lights. Both of them had 2.3L turbo diesel engines. I wish he have kept at lest one of them till now, it would be nice classic to have atm. Both of course have been a blast especially off road, despite being low on power and torque.

I remember the days of Joe Isuzu!😂 These were actually pretty good vehicles! My uncle had one back in the day. I wish you could find a new vehicle like this! Simple relatively inexpensive without all the fancy electronic stuff!

Hoovie thinking of selling the 348? Please no! We know you love driving it and it fits the character of your channel perfectly👍👍

Glad there was a video made on 🎸🎶The Trooper 🤘. It deserves the admiration! Tough trucks.

Wizard, that is not a spoiler on the back of this vehicle. It's actually a dust deflector. It's designed to scoop the air and force it over the back window. It's really effective in snow conditions as well. Subaru Outbacks in the 2000's had them as well as a option. It helps keep snow from swirling around and sticking to the rear glass. The reason for the snow/dust accumulating is there's a dead air space and that makes it adhere to the window. With that deflector it forces air over the window and keeps that from happening. It's actually a very clever way to deal with that issue.

My father had one in puerto rico! When hurricane George passed, Fema contacted him for the job and he took that tank all around the island. Good memories on a not so good memories for others affected.

Working at an Isuzu Dealer for 10 years this is cool !!!

The weird wiring modifications remind me of something my engineer father once told me: "There's nothing more permanent than a temporary repair."

MAN i spent my WHOLE Childhood In this .. amazing vehicle .. Thanks for making this video ✌

takes me back. I had 2 '88s both 4 door manuals. Best dang beaters i ever had.

I knew I liked you ☺️. I have a 88 Isuzu trooper ls 2.6 4x4 5 speed. I paid less than 500 bucks. I've been restoring for a few years. I absolutely love it . Hard to find parts for. But mine came with an absolute ton of parts. That is worth more than I paid for the vehicle itself. Btw that spoiler is stock

You can't but like these videos. Informative and funny.

Troopers man, these Japanese SUV's are freaking TANKS! Like Toyota's. We had a nickname for those Troopers. A Cockroach. Because you CAN'T kill them!!! That dang engine will keep going. Also, who needs airbags. We die like MEN!! LOL Very cool Wizard! Those Isuzu man. Actually I'm hunting for one myself. Because of HOW Stupid easy they are to fix.

Hi from Australia 🇦🇺 Out in the bush bull bars are mandatory 😆 Dawn & Dusk you do have a high chance of pushing Roos out of the way 🇦🇺😆 My Isuzu D/Max 4jjj engine unstoppable so far

I came within a hair of buying an '86 Trooper in late '85 but decided a full-size Buick station wagon was more in line with family needs. As it turned out the Trooper would have been the better choice. By the way the Trooper that was under consideration at the time was twin to what the one in your video would have looked like when it was new. Today I only know of one Trooper still on the road in our area and it too would have matched the video Trooper. That particular Trooper is on it's fifth owner/driver and has been in the same family since purchased new in '86. That particular Trooper has a documented 600,000 miles on the original engine and transmission but would need a LOT of money to make it look pretty again. Think something only Mad Max could love in the appearance department but the darn thing just keeps on going!

Fun fact: The five door version of Isuzu Troopers little brother was called Isuzu MUZ, which is an acronym for Isuzu Mysterious Utility Wizard. Might be the best name ever given to a car 😂

had the same one..mine was white....in 1999 and 2000 building a new house,needed it to pull this 5 x 10 trailer to bring stuff to build the house,I enjoyed that thing a bunch,I liked about better than any vehicle I ever had,Ive had 53 vehicles in life,this is top 5,no lie.....I did get rid of it,it started running on 3 cylinders only and i never figured out how to fix it.....will say,that thing was terrible on gas...for 4 cylinders....got bad mpgs the whole time I used it to haul stuff to the house site to build the house........but I liked that thing.

So many Isuzus in the U.S. have been trashed and run into the ground (especially Rodeos and some of the later Troopers). Nice to know that people still care about them.

Matt's ORR showcased one when they gave a staff member a Trooper as his "replacement" vehicle...as a joke. Then they took it out onto the sand dunes/rock climbing and tried to destroy it. Unlike a Jeep...nothing broke while several drivers tried their best to break something... anything. It was then stored in their yard...possible new project...

I love it. I had an 87. Mine had the square headlights. I always wanted to do the round headlight swap. No luggage rack on mine or the rear deflector which would have been nice on the dusty trails and roads. Really liked the big sliding side windows too. Mine was in better shape underneath, but this one definately has a lot less body rust than mine did. Sure makes me miss mine. P.S. They were considered an RV not an SUV. At least here in Iowa. So it was really cheap to plate.

Bought a '81 Trooper II last year. No major repairs. But a lot of minor fixes. Still runs like a charm. Good fuel economy too.

I love my two Troopers (called a Holden Jackaroo in Australia) '89 and '90. To replace the cv joints on these, you have to pull the front diff housing out, unbolt the ends, then remove 2 circlips to remove the shafts.

I owned that exact same year, model and color Trooper back in the day. It was a little under powered for highway use but was a beast off-road in low. I have always missed that truck and have actively looked for another one. I think I would rather have the 4 door with a six cylinder for livability but love the look of that square body.

Had an 86 trooper II for a long time. Really charming vehicle that I liked a lot looking back, but the reality was somewhat different. Weak Braking was downright dangerous, and required a few prayers during panic stops with even partially loaded vehicles. The 2.3 was a sturdy motor but vastly underpowered and could barely power the 4wd drivetrain when engaged. It finally succumbed to head gasket and head crack issues. The sliding windows in back were unique and great. The profile of the vehicle was so tall, this light vehicle was a sail when hit with crosswinds. Lifetime carburetor icing conditions that would cause the motor to stall out at worst moments. If you were able to survive this vehicle, it was fun at times.

Wow, I can't remember the last tine I saw a 2dr Trooper. I wonder how parts availability is for these; on one hand Isuzu hasn't done passenger vehicles in forever, but these things were extremely popular worldwide.

I’ve got a 1986 all original with 39k miles on it. Great fun to drive.

Grew up with this car. Excellent in the snow. BTW, the small rear door opens as well. The FWD is engaged by stopping the car, putting your 4WD into high or low, then move forward and they would click into place. To take out of FWD is the reverse procedure. The only real down side to this vehicle was that it was way under powered. It should of had a 6 cylinder.

LOVED my Trooper and regret selling it, but it had the classic head gasket failure. Love to get a Trooper II for the headroom.

Man, I grew up in the back of one of these 2 door troopers! Absolutely love these things!!!

I love troopers, in fact most Japanese 4x4s from that period. Built for Africa & Australia where simplicity and roadside repairs can be essential. Those Falken tyres are darn good on & off-road, and not overly expensive. Simple, basic, reliable, does the job no fuss, no frills. As for horsepower, being someone who enjoys getting off paved roads, I can scare people senseless at 3mph with 90hp easily enough for thrills Not to tell you your job, but those were badged and available as GM group vehicles around the world, Holden Jackaroo in Aus, Vauxhall Monterey in the UK to name a couple. Mostly, when you looked at rear UJ, it looked like the input bearing for the diff was fubar too :)

I've heard of speedo cables pulling fluid. Sometimes from a replacement cable that was wound in reverse direction of the original cable.

I don't know about the Trooper IIs, but according to my BiLaw (retired military) the Trooper was designed by/for the Japanese Army

I have a 1985 Isuzu Holden Jackaroo (Trooper). It is a short wheel base like the one in this video. The back seats has the side bits to the seat backs missing. They are removable and could be used as a armrest in the two seat rear seat mode. Mine has an Aluminum bill bar on the front. This one is not to bad. Mine is a 4 speed box. I am thinking of outing a 5 speed installed. I have a couple spare boxes

Love it had an 86 on a lift with 31” tires when they were “big”. Gonna need a head and gasket

Trooper II was the “long version”. There was also a short model. A friend had one. It was “squirley” on the road but what a fun rig!

Loved my Trooper II. The only version we could get in Canada was 4 door model with 5 speed and they all had a GM V6. I put 358,000km (222,450 mi) on that little beast and even rolled it over. It just kept going.

My granddad back in Kenya has one of this Isuzu trooper 1991 model 4 door one still in very good condition, no modifications still stock

Bro!!! I’ve been looking at those troopers this week. How weird is that?? lol found a sweet one for 10k$. Fully restored. Same year. Trooper 2

I have a 5-door 89 with the GM V6. These are hidden gems.

Very cool truck, love how the tires are worth more than the truck itself lol, but I

Mate had two, both diesel. One got so rusty round the gutters he came out one day and the roof skin was lying on the ground. Joy's of life by the sea.

I had the same two door model and year, with 5 speed Manual! I loved that thing! It was slow as hell but quite fun to drive. The frame rusted and cracked. I couldn't find anyone to weld it. So, I junked it. I still miss it.

What a crazy failure mode -- wicking fluid up the speedo cable to the gauge. Man, I can totally see why the customer thought it was a master cylinder -- I would've thought the same thing myself. Good catch by Junior Mint to fix it correctly there.

I just bought a 2002 Trooper and love it.

Ain't seen a Trooper since the 80s when David Lesiure was Joe Isuzu in the Isuzu commercials. Wow, that's a survivor.

Damn! That was the sketchest fuel pump wiring I've ever seen! That is a guaranteed short circuit/dead fuel pump when the wiring gets chafed by that floor brace or ripped off by branches. That needs to be addressed ASAP!