Ron replied:

G'day John - greetings and salutations for the New Year - may your travels be plentiful and enjoyable.

My 2000 SE auto model TD Jack returns consistent figures around 25mpg on the open raod at normal
speed limits. Around town stop start is more like 21 /22 mpg mark or around 12/12.5 l/100km. Towing a Windsor Sunchaser up the HUme via Canberra to Batemans Bay & return averaged
22.1 mpg at speeds varying from 90-95kph. I've covered only 30000 km so far and have recorded
these sort of fuel consumptions regualrly with obvious variations in high wind with van in tow.

As u can see not a major change with or without van - only troubles I've experiences was with lack of power
because they put in wrong oil spec at first service which by the book is a 10-30 oil but this clogged the injectors
Isuza recommended dealer use 5-30 oil and I've never had a problem since. Apparently the heavier oil is a problem to
the computer when its cold and until the oil warm up the wrong mixture goes in - or that's at least how
my layman's brain interprets it. Felt like the transmission was slipping or had no power when I first experienced it but
the oil was the cause of the problem

I had a problem with a dead short in a trailer blowing a 15 amp fuse and shutting down the whole system
as brakes and transmission lights are on same fuse - see my comments earlier in this forum 4th
Dec. I found this disconcerting and the dealer has taken this up with Isuzu - but no reply as yet.

Only other problem is with an intermittent ABS sensor problem which will be replaced tomorrow. Otherwise I'm very happy with
the vehicle in all respects.

I also upgraded the power of headlights lights which I thought were very average but a fine now.

Hope this helps a bit

cheers Ron

Shane replied:

Hi Grant, I only purchased my manual 3.0TD Jackaroo about a month ago, but after one major trip & with approx 2500km now on the clock, my average mileage so far has been 11L/100km (about 70% open road & 30% city). That's with no heavy duty stuff or towing yet. I believe the quoted consumption figure for the 3.5L V6 is around 15L/100km.

Steven P replied:

Grant, I am driving my third petrol Jac. I intented buying a diesel last time but the service guys at my dealers talked me out of it, said the cost of service for the TD was a hell of a lot more than the savings on the fuel. Something about 8 hours or more to adjust the shims at 35 000km (I hope some one can enlighten me on this) I get about 13L/100km. on bitumen At 110kmh.(just how does Ron calculate his mpg figures?)and I averaged 16L/100km. Melbourne to Melbourne doing a Simpson Desert crossing in 2000 (3.5 auto)
I would keep the petrol and spend the money on BFG Tyres and a suspension lift. Happy travelling, Steven P.

Geoff replied:

I've had my third jackaroo, a 3.00l diesel for 3 years now. It's a great touring car, averaging between 10 and 11 litres/100K's.

It's very good off road, with the exception of clearance where the flywheel is protected ( transfer case guard ) which is I understand about 2 - 3 centimetres lower than the petrol model. I had an initial Turbo problem, which resulted in engine run on, fueled by the sump oil, but this was fixed by Holden and a new turbo installed. I understand this was a seal fault and Holden recognised the problem. I haven't heard of it since. Engine oil is a big deal, as it's required to drive fuel pressure, so low quality or wrong viscosity can cause hard starting. I installed a second battery and use both for starting. new ones have two starting batteries. You need them.

The engine is a pleasure to drive off road and out of town. It loves to work ,and while lacking the early power of the petrol. more than matches it a t highway overtaking speeds with no fuss. Another dfiesel next time for me!

Grant replied:

Thanks guys. Still not sure what to do but I know I can improve my mileage by slowing to 100km/h and make a dramatic dif by doing 90km/h when not in a hurry. At 110 it CHEWS. Glad to hear that the "injector" prob is not a bad one and easily fixed. I guess when the petrol Jack gets too old (done 156000 now) we will go TD. Can see a longrange and an aux tank going in and Polyairs.

Col replied:

Grant,

I drive a 2000 3.0l TDI. I now have 55,000 on the clock, with few minor dramas. I am a member of the Jackaroo 4WD club and we have several members driving this model. The collective experience is quite good. In summary, use the correct oil, 5-30Synthetic, change it religously, (ie: 5,000 k's is you go off road regularly, 10,000 is you are just putting around town), Even with 2 batteries as standard the hard starting problem at 40,000k's can occur. Worst case requires the injector seals to be replaced, Oil left on the turbo induction hose makes it soft and likely to blow off the turbo, looking under the bonnet on a regular basis can avoid this occuring at the worst possible moment. ABS sensors can pack in on any car, and happened to mine on Fraser Island (sand & salt can be a problem!)
Hope that doesn't scare you too much, it is a great drive, and like most cars you need to know it's limits and drive within them.

See you on the tracks before they close them down forever.

Col

Mike Ranger replied:

Grant, I have a 99 petrol SE with 68,000kms on the clock. Fuel use was about 15l/100, but when I tow our Kimberly Kamper, especially in high headwinds, the consumption seems to skyrocket. I don't know exact figures as I don't often buy the 205 litres it takes to fill the 2 tanks. There is also a large visible difference by dropping to about 90km/hour. I had an ARB suspension lift done last year which raised "jilly" about 25 mm. Had OME shocks fitted at the same time and with the BFG A/T tyres the ride is a little harsher but still quite comfortable. Forget Polyairs, have a look at 'No Bull suspension supports' they have made an amazing difference to the handling of out truck, as well as working as over-ride springs. I bought our Jackaroo in petrol, as the T/D wasn't available in auto when we got it, but I'm very happy with it and have really tried it out, including the Simpson and the Victorian High country. We don't go to extreme 4WD spots but like a bit of a challenge. If I weren't towing, I would probably buy another petrol at replacement time (a long way ahead, subject to Lotto), but the fuel consumtion under load would, I think, convince me to go Deisel next time. Happy trails, Mike.