Category Archives: Jackaroo Technical Tips

26Sep/11
Faults Codes

Understanding the MIL fault codes on a Jackaroo Turbo Diesel

The Jackaroo, as with all vehicles intended to be supplied to the USA market, (as the Isuzu Trooper) is fitted with OnBoard Diagnostics (OBD) to enable rudimentary servicing of the vehicle by non dealer mechanics. It was introduced in the USA as a mandatory requirement in 1996 to ensure that air pollution standards could be maintained. The MIL (Malfunction Indicator Lamp) or commonly labelled Check Engine light is located in the instrument cluster.

(Download the full tip here – “How to Read Your Jackaroo Fault Codes” )

19Jun/11

Holden Jackaroo Recall Notice

On June 9, 2011 Holden has issued an alert to owners of Jackaroos of a potential condition to those vehicles fitted with 3.0L diesel engines.
According to the notice, Holden has identified a potential condition which may cause an unintended increase in engine speed whilst the engine is idling.
The following engines are those identified as being affected:

  • 1998 JACUBS73GW7100010 – JACUBS73GW7103492
  • 1999 JACUBS73GX7100566 – JACUBS73GX7104876
  • 2000 JACUBS73GY7100012 – JACUBS73GY7107235
  • 2001 JACUBS73G17101509 – JACUBS73G17102996
  • 2002 JACUBS73G27100274 – JACUBS73G27107074

“Owners of the affected vehicles will be contacted by letter outlining the process for arranging a free of charge inspection and rework of the wiring harness.

If you require any further information please contact your nearest Holden Dealer or call the Holden recall and rework assistance line on 1800 632 826. This service operates 8am to 7pm EST Monday to Friday and 9am to 1pm EST Saturdays except National Public Holidays.”

see http://www.recalls.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/1003878 for details.

10Oct/10
Recall - poor way to have done

JACKAROO TECHNICAL TIPS

The Holden Jackaroo has been generally found to be a reliable vehicle …. provided that it has been serviced regularly according to the factory schedule! Deferring oil and filter changes is a sure way to cause future problems.

The turbo diesel Jackaroo with the 4JX1 engine is a very sophisticated design and requires special care to maintain performance, nevertheless with care, engines have been known to go to over 300,000 km and still continue to provide satisfactory service. Unfortunately this reliable performance has had the effect of few mechanics gaining exposure to the vehicle. The larger Holden dealers should have the resources to solve any problem. That is, people with knowledge, test equipment and access to Holden service bulletins and factory support personnel (who are very experienced!). Unfortunately the Holden Dealer service charge rates are more expensive than your local mechanic but the upside is that they may be able to identify problems quicker than someone starting afresh without appropriate knowledge and experience with the Jackaroo.

Above all, we would recommend that the Factory Service schedule be followed. The service schedule is contained within the Driver’s Handbook supplied with the vehicle.

The following tips are offered to assist 1999-2003 Jackaroo owners in understanding their vehicle (and perhaps guiding local mechanics) in servicing and determining possible causes of poor performance. They are downloadable separate pdfs and you might consider putting a copy of the MIL Fault Codes (Tip 10) in the glove box. There are a number of “common” problems that might be experienced with the Turbo Diesel that can be identified reasonably quickly to allow you to get moving again.

Disclaimer: The Jackaroo Club Victoria and the document authors offer this information in good faith, however they accept no liability for any misinterpretation of the information or damage to a vehicle that might result from application of the procedures contained therein.

TOPIC – model EFFECT on…. TIP NO.
Tailgate rattles – All models Driveability, Noises 1
Steering Wander – All models Driveability 2
Handling diesel fuel – Diesel Cleanliness 3
Driving in dust and insects – All Cooling 4
Radio antenna replacement – All Entertainment, communications 5
Jackaroo Lighting Lighting, driveability 6
Fins on Diesel Intercooler – Turbo Diesel Cooling 7
Air Filters – Turbo Diesel Engine life, driveability 8
9
Understanding Check Engine Fault Codes – all Fault finding 10
11
Turbo Diesel Air Trunking – Turbo Diesel Maintenance 12
Shock Absorbers – All Driveability 13
14
Throttle Position Sensor TPS – Turbo Diesel Driveability 15
Choice of Oil – Turbo Diesel Starting, engine life 16
Oil Rail Pressure Sensor ORPS – Turbo Diesel Driveability, starting 17
Trailers and wiring – Turbo Diesel Starting, ECM failure 18
Rail Pressure Control Valve RPCV – Turbo Diesel Driveability 19
Injector harness – Turbo Diesel Driveability 20
White Smoke Exhaust – Turbo Diesel Driveability 21
Black Smoke Exhaust – Turbo Diesel Driveability 22
10Oct/10

JACKAROO TIP – #1 – Tail Gate Rattles – by Philip Johnstone

Do your tailgates rattle on your Jackaroo?  If so, maybe it is time to check the adjustment.  The right hand gate essentially provides the only tension in holding both gates tight against the body as the left side is locked onto the right.  So simply, if the right is not tight then the left will tend to rattle.  But the clever people at Isuzu recognised this problem and fitted an anti-rattle device at the bottom of the left gate.

The anti-rattle device operates as the body flexes and the gate moves, gradually making the gate tighter.  This is achieved by a sliding spring loaded wedge rubbing on a ramp.  It is desirable that the wedge be able to move easily.  Now take a look at your gates and check the operation of the wedge.  It is still there, isn’t it?  In many cases dust and muck have effectively jammed the wedge from moving and causing the steel ramp on the frame to wear – even to the degree of creating a flat spot without ramp.  Now check the rubber seal around the door opening for wear.  This will generally suffer along the bottom edge where items are slid in over the sill.  If the seal is worn or broken in places then maybe you should consider getting a replacement – yes a new one is still listed by Holden but somewhat expensive!

Adjustment: Set up the right gate by adjusting the position of the catch on the bottom of the door frame to give a snug fit.  Then adjust the steel ramp to ensure that it provides maximum effect.  If the ramp or wedge is worn then you might consider replacement although it is possible to build up the ramp by either a spacer under it or by brazing with bronze and grinding or filing back to shape.  You can check whether the wedge is sliding in tight by smearing the ramp with petroleum jelly and driving over some rough patches and opening the gates and noting where the wedge has slid up the ramp.  If the wedge has moved into the limit of its travel then maybe you will need to fit a spacer under the ramp.  Regular cleaning and some petroleum jelly on the ramp will be effective but the down-side of the lubrication will be dust collection so some dry lube, such as graphite dust is preferred.  Keep some lube in an accessible place so that each time you open the gate you can check the ramp.

A final comment, higher tyre pressures will improve your fuel economy but may highlight any looseness and rattles in the gates.