Isuzu 3.0 lacking power / tourque

We have a 2014 D-Max towing a 2500kg van. Considering our van weighs the same as the car I don't expect to be able to climb hills as if it wasn't towing, after all it is only 3L motor.

I doubt you will gain much at all by upgrading the exhaust as it is already 2.75", the few reports I have read have achieved next to nothing and the owner had regretted spending the money doing it.

There are a few that have done the ECU upgrade are more than happy with it but I wonder what that improved performance does to the renowned longevity of the Isuzu.

Maybe you just need to slow down a bit and smell the roses. I have done some very steep climbs with the van on the back and to me it does what I need it to do. On very steep climbs I tend to put the box into manual so I can anticipate what is coming up and move down to a lower gear way before the auto would.

I have considered doing the ECU upgrade using ECU West but I can buy a lot of fuel with that money.

If I have wanted something with more grunt I would have brought an F truck or something similar.

I had a 14 Dmax from new and towed a Tvan camper , I would say power was adequate certainly no power house , it would slow do on hills any hill , that's to be expected it is only a 3lt Diesel with 380nm and 130kw .
It's impossible to say if yours is down on power without driving it ,
Cleaning the intake might be worth a try ,
Intercooler temps I have no idea , it would depend on ambient temp

HI
If auto select a gear manually.
Yes its only a 3ltr!! Under 400nmtq Closer to 600Nm would make a difference but the motor maynot last.
A dual cab 4wd tub body is around 450kg heavier than a 2wd single cab variant .

I had exactly the same problem with a Discovery 2 a few years ago, it turned out to be soft intercooler hoses, replaced them with silicone hoses, instant fix!

Scratcher
I hope you are allowing for the load you are towing in the performance comment.
If suddenly towing you will be asking for more power and that creates more heat
Perhaps the EGR valve is stuck or partially open because of the common contamination experience after similar km distance travelled. Perhaps have it checked before thinking of performance gear or mods.
If the EGR valve is stuck or gummed, it may be because of the oil quality you use in the sump. Many, many oils available are not good performers at all. If it isn’t a low ash oil or synthetic then the likelyhood of EGR problems is increased. Quality oil seals better and therefore less piston ring blow by, less blowby of contaminants means cleaner oil for longer and less oil fumes to cause problems in an EGR valve or intake manifold.
If your manifold is not heavily reduced in size internally then there should be no problem with the manifold. That does not mean it is excluded from the issue though.
Asking what temp the intercooler runs at, indicates you have a limited knowledge of an item which varies in temp and intake airflow cooling temp as it operates. There is no temp reading for them, it all depends on turbo boost, intake air temp, ambient airflow through the IC fins and much more. You have no control over it anyway.

Fitting a catch can can only do something into the future, the current problem cannot be fixed with a catch can. Unless you understand what they do and how it operates, suddenly fitting one is useless.

Do you know for sure you have no turbo hose/intercooler pressure side air leaks before considering other actions?
Is the air cleaner actually clean and free flowing to provide a good airflow for the expected increase of turbo flow demand while under the increased load?
Have you ever had the airflow meter cleaned so the unit senses intake air temp and airflow rate correctly, so it regulates the boost and fuel injection of the ECU for best power and performance. Cleaning the boost sensor which is just before the throttle body may also be a good idea.

At 114000km has the engine intake and exhaust valves EVER been adjusted. Many dealers DO NOT, adjust them when they should be done, ie, every 40000km. Your engine may never have been done and although sort of ok for normal use, when the demands of intimate airflow of intake and exhaust gas flow WILL BE diminished under the demands for more power under load which is different to empty cruising.
Reduced clearances of engine valves CANNOT BE HEARD and if wrong the air flows and exhaust will not be in sync with each other for proper operation. Just because a service book says it has been done means absolutely zilch.

Get your engine correct in every way before ever thinking of performance chips or programming. Doing that would ensure an engine failure as additional stresses would be introduced and the engine unable to repond.

Seeing as nobody else has asked; is your Isuzu an auto, or a manual?

If it's an auto; do you know how to use the sports shift & have you been using it while towing?

If not, therein lies your problem.

Start with the very basics.

Have a good mechanic do a thorough service

At your kms

1. New air filter
2. Clean maf sensor
3 dismantle and clean egr system and check egr is functionally ok
Plus the normal things like oils filters and physical check and adjust the valves, check intercooler pipes.

Then fit a munji cable after you have read the benefits

Also maybe worth remove intercooler to clean external fins and flush the inside clean of any oil.

Cheers
Mike

Thanks cruza, but what is a munji cable about?
Will be seeing the mechanic today.

Scratcher

Hi Scratcher, a lot of suggestions given by others. I do not own an Isuzu, but have read extensively with regard to Exhaust upgrades, ECU remapping & performance chips. Depending on which Diesel Mechanic/Performance centre you talk to, they will give you various reasons why a Performance Chip is better than an ECU remap & vice versa, but one thing they all agree on is that an exhaust upgrade to at least 3" is one of the most cost effective performance increase you can do.

Depending on your location, there are a number of different Exhaust specialist that will supply &/or fit an exhaust system to your car. One thing to look for with an exhaust system is to have one that has been "mandrel bent", this ensures there are no kinks or narrowing of the internal diameter of the pipe during the manufacturing process.

Understand your budget issue, I face the same issue, and whilst I would dearly love to upgrade my exhaust system, I simply cannot afford it at present.

Macca.

Macca.

Just get it serviced checking the EGR , unless you know the complete history of the vehicle it might already have a EGR blocking plate in it ,
Talk to the mechanic about checking / cleaning the inlet manifold , time , cost ect
Might even be worth getting a Fuel Injection place to check the injectors .
Just make sure everything is as it should be before worrying about , chips , tunes , exhausts and don't get sucked into a throttle control.
What size wheels / tyres has it got , std size , diameter is best .

No one has mentioned getting a Carbon Clean. I had 1 done on my 2007 BT50 130,00kms and what a great thing to get. Power was back like new and also fuel consumption was back. I was having egr valve problems and it fixed that problem also. The Carbon clean was only $180.00 and took 1/2hr to do. If you are in Adelaide Rickos Carbon Clean did mine. Im not affiliated with them.

Scratcher - The Isuzu donk is a good donk, long-lived, and reliable as the day is long.
However, it's no powerhouse, and you do need to expect it to pull back on the hills when pulling around 2 tonnes.

If the power level appears to have dropped off recently, I'd suggest the following;

1. Check valve clearances. Valve clearances should be checked every 50,000kms and if they haven't been done in 114,000kms, you will probably be surprised at the power improvement, when they are brought up to correct clearance.

2. All the hoses in the intake system need to be checked for condition. The separation of the internal layer of the hose is more common than many would believe, and this can happen to all air inlet hoses, brake hoses, and vacuum hoses.
Intake hoses developing splits are a common event, and this can lead to power loss.
This problem is a known problem with late model Isuzu's.
Here is an eBay modification that is worth purchasing (I have no affiliation, or relationship, financial or otherwise, to this seller).

Isuzu D-Max intake piping improvement kit

3. Get your injectors cleaned by an Isuzu truck dealer. Isuzu recommend that their injectors be cleaned every 100,000kms to ensure proper and complete combustion.
This is particularly important with todays injectors, with their finer orifices and reduced operating clearances.

4. Check the air flow rate through your intercooler to the engine, to ensure it meets factory specs. Partially-blocked intercoolers are a common problem. Ensure the intercooler fins aren't plugged, and that outside air flow through the fins is adequate to remove heat.
Cooled air is dense air, and the air reaching the engine for combustion must be cooled adequately.

5. Check your turbo boost pressure. The turbo on the 2014 Isuzu is barely adequate at the best of times, and the engine was upgraded with a VGS turbo in 2017, when it was re-engineered to meet Euro 5 emission levels.
Many things can make turbo boost fall away, and your turbo may be operating below specifications.

The re-engineered Isuzu D-Max engine produces 430Nm of torque as compared to the 380Nm of the 2014 model. This newer model engine is a vast improvement over the previous engine.

Feb 2017 - Isuzu upgrades the D-Max engine to Euro 5

Cheers, Ron.

Thanks Ron,
Will be following up on some of your suggestions next week.

Scratcher.

I agree with Ian.g’s comment. Change the fuel filter, and perhaps it will take a couple of changes 5k apart. I had the same lack of power issue and this sorted it.

I tow 1.4 t CT with a 113K km '14 MU-X. Haven't seen a power drop.

What does happen is that at c. 100 kmh the gearing means it's at the start of peak power in 5th (c1800 rpm). You go up a way and then it drops to 4th and you've lost momentum that's hard to regain.

If I'm hustling I'll hit the start of the rise at 105 kmh and manually select 4th at 100 kmh.

To add: my mechanic sees turbos and manifolds clogging up from crankcase fumes at around the 160 K km mark. You may not have a problem now but should get a diesel mechanic to clean them up and install a catch can regardless.