Our 4×4 Isuzu truck (75-155) is now 7 years old. We’ve travelled around Australia for five of those seven years.
Until this year, we’ve lived in it full-time, with short trips home. This year has been slightly different, with less time on the road, more time at home, and plans for an extended South-East Asia trip.
Even so, we’ve managed to add around 25,000km to the odometer in the past 12 months. About one third has been on outback or regional dirt roads.
We do a review every year, listing any issues or major modifications. Here’s the links to previous reviews:
So, what’s happened in the last 12 months? Has our 4×4 Isuzu truck been reliable and have we had any issues? Let’s find out.
“Where Has the Truck Been in the Last Year?”
Our travel in the past year has been mostly around NSW, due to various commitments keeping us closer to home. The constant wet weather last year didn’t do us any favours either. Fortunately, we still managed to find a whole lot of outback dirt roads in western NSW to keep us sane!
By the time the truck’s 7th birthday rolled around, we’d travelled out to NSW Corner Country, then to Innamincka via the Strzelecki Track, Cordillo Downs Road, then across to Alice Springs on the Plenty Highway.
Some of those roads are rough, the standout being the Plenty Highway. It’s badly corrugated with broken clay capping and large holes.
Constant vibrations from all those corrugations take their toll. Issues might not show up immediately, but it pays to keep a close eye on everything… especially suspension.
While the numbers of days we’ve travelled is quite a bit less than usual, we’ve still covered a fair bit of ground. The odometer is at 210,000km, which means we did 25,000km in the last 12 months. This averages out to 30,000km a year since new.
“Any Breakages?”
No, nothing at all.
“Any Repairs or Replacements?”
Helper Spring Rubber Bump Stops
At around 100,000km, the truck needed new rear helper spring bump stops. With the truck running at around 6.6 tonnes, the rear helper springs get plenty of use.
I’ve been keeping a close eye on them. And because the truck ticked over 200,000km this year, I decided to replace them.
They were worse than I thought, well overdue for replacement. Next time, I’ll replace them earlier, probably at around the 80,000km interval.
Start Batteries
The batteries started dropping to and maintaining 24.7 volts, even after being driven or triclke-charged with a solar panel and 24V controller.
I had the batteries tested and they were on their way out. Rated at 720CCA, the batteries were down around 550CCA. With a big trip coming up and cold weather forecast, it was time to get a new set.
This is the second lot of batteries in the truck. It seems like they last about 3-½ years before slowly dying. Considering the amount of heat and vibrations they’re exposed to, we can’t complain about battery life.
“What Have You Added?”
Nothing this year. It’s been a quiet year!
“What Other Mods Are You Planning To Do?”
Apart from the never-ending dream of a suspension passenger seat, the only other mod is to find a durable air cushion for the seat.
We each have an Airhawk truck seat cushion. They’re great when they don’t have an air leak. But it seems like we’re chasing air leaks from split seams more often than we’re sitting on them.
It’s a shame because they make a big difference… when they hold air.
“Any Other Problems?”
No, nothing. Regular services by Isuzu, regular checks by me and that’s it.
“Would You Buy Another 4WD Truck?”
Yes, definitely. Our 4×4 Isuzu truck continues to impress with its reliability. Reliability is why we bought an Isuzu NPS in the first place. Happily, it’s proving to be true.
Yes it’s slow and it’s rough. But we’re driving a truck not a ute. So that’s hardly surprising.
210,000km is not a lot of kays for one of these trucks. But there have been plenty of rough roads in those 210,000km. Even so, the truck’s holding together really well… a testament to Isuzu’s build quality.
The simple design of the NPS means there’s not a lot to go wrong. It’s old-school, with solid axles both ends and leaf springs. The most complex part is the common rail fuel injection system.
If you can put up with the less-than-perfect ride, then one of these trucks will serve you faithfully for many years.
Go here for more Reviews on our 4×4 Isuzu NPS truck.
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Any errors or omissions are mine alone.