Isuzu Bighorn 2nd gen models - Irmscher Lotus Plaisir

[gomulletgo]

Hi all, can anyone tell me all the differences between the different models of the 2nd generation (UBS69) Isuzu Bighorns? Irmscher Lotus Plaisir, I think there may even be some letters like "LS" "LX"... I'm after a 3.1TD manual box with comfy fully adjustable seats and comfy suspension

[geeves]

http://english.auto.vl.ru/catalog/isuzu/bighorn/

This site is a reference for russian buyers to buy used jap imports There is every car you could think of if you look around. It is the best comparison I know of.
LS is the most basic and will be manual and all the ubs69s are coil and all ride well compared to the older bighorn. I had my 89 for 19 years I remember how choppy the ride was. The swb 95 ls I replaced it with has little simularity. If you dont like the ride you can always change shocks and springs but if you are comparing to the old wagon I doubt you will have a problem

[dani4jb1t]

This website seems to have an extensive database for all kind of jap cars, unfortunately the server is temporarily down (not a rare thing of russian websites though)

[gomulletgo]

Hi Guys,

Yes Geeves I am comparing to the older UBS55 Bighorn. I'm after substantially better ride comfort, I've driven and liked the comfort of the 2nd gen Pajeros, the Mitsi 2.8TD engine seems to outperform the Isuzu 3.1TD which I find a little odd.

So seeing as I want a manual does that mean I can only get a basic model? Do the more comfortable UBS69 Bighorns only come in auto trans? I may have to consider swapping seats/suspension or doing a manual conversion.

I'm thinking as I'm already looking at changing vehicles and the subsequent cost of the change over I should try to pick the most suitable vehicle for me, hence the question about model differences. I had already found and had a good look at that russian website but I see it offers little of the info I'm after, such as ride comfort and seat type. I see the site is currently down.

Has anyone driven the different models? Irmscher, Lotus, Plaisir edition any more comfortable? Also has anyone driven and can give a comparison to the 2nd Gen Pajero?

[geeves]

Mitsi 2.8TD engine seems to outperform the Isuzu 3.1TD which I find a little odd.
That is only temporary then you park on the side of the road and call the AA

Do the more comfortable UBS69 Bighorns only come in auto trans? I may have to consider swapping seats/suspension or doing a manual conversion.
Actually the manuals across all version types are rare. Im lucky to have one in a swb diesel as well. I would be surprised if any ubs69 does not meet your comfort requirement except maybe the lotus which still has Recaro seats which although very suportive are still quite hard.
The autos are not that bad. My wizards auto

[gomulletgo]

Haha, I should have known not to ask about a Pajero on this forum

Yes I've noticed the manuals are rare in the UBS69, I'm willing to wait for one. I really don't like autos. That's good to know to avoid the UBS69 Lotus version as the Recaro seats are hard. My current UBS55 Irmscher has Recaro seats and I'm not a fan of them.

[geeves]

The later ones are better but they are designed for support not comfort. However you dont get uncomfortable on a long trip any more than soft seats

[MrRevhead]

Mitsi 2.8TD engine seems to outperform the Isuzu 3.1TD which I find a little odd.
That is only temporary then you park on the side of the road and call the AA

Or the wrecker! There's a reason you can buy those pajeros so cheap!

[geeves]

no you call the AA they advise you to call the wrecker

Actually later pajeros with the 3500 v6 arnt that bad No room in the shortys though

[gomulletgo]

Or the wrecker! There's a reason you can buy those pajeros so cheap!

Cheap? I've found the Pajeros way more expensive. I'm comparing 2nd Gen Pajero 2.8TD Manual LWB with 2nd Gen Bighorn 3.1TD Manual LWB. On TM right now cheapest Bighorn that fits that criteria: $3000 On TM right now cheapest Pajero that fits that criteria: $8000.........If I was looking to spend 8K I'd probably look at a IFS Prado

[MrRevhead]

No idea what gen, but there's late 90s ones here for under 3k.
I used to work in car workshops. I will never ever own a mitsi.
this shape:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi ... ontero.jpg

[gomulletgo]

I used to work in car workshops. I will never ever own a mitsi.

That's interesting.

Yes we are talking about the same model, the NH/NJ/NK series with 2.8TD manual that's interesting that there is some up in Nelson for 3k. When you were at the workshop did you ever work on this particular model/engine/trans ?

[MrRevhead]

To be honest the one around the corner from me for sale for $2500 (iirc) I didn't look to see if it was diesel or V6.

I'm a parts guy, I try and keep my hands clean during the week
Mistis from the 90s into the early 2000s are the worst Japanese cars hands down. Weirdly the Evos are the most reliable of the lot, even though they get thrashed the most. How many Lancers/Diamantes etc have you followed that belch clouds of blue smoke? I dunno if it was how they treated the blocks, or what they made rings from but they had real issues with it.

I had a laugh a while back, good mate of mine was a mechanic at Toyota and Nissan for years. He recently started at a Mitsi dealer. Said to me "I love it!! I get to rebuild diffs, gearboxes and all sorts of weird things that Toyotas never break"

[geeves]

All petrol v6 jap 4wds are cheap to buy but the gas quickly eats up the savings. To be honest the 2.8 mitsi diesel is a good engine and the 2.5 if looked after was good for 200000km. I did look at one once with the 2.5 at 205k because I was tempted by the pto winch. Cold it ran fine hot the blow by was something else. The breather pipe was whistling there was so much coming through.
The 3l v6 is good for 300k but in a pajero the ecconomy will make your eyes water but the 3.5 is much better. A previous tenant of mine traded a classic v8 rangy for a 3.5 v6 and was amazed how much better the ecconomy was not that thats much of an achievment

[gomulletgo]

I just did a fair bit of driving in a pretty fancy vehicle that had cruise control, I found it really handy. How common is cruise control in the 3.1TD UBS69 Bighorns? Is it available on any of the manual versions? If I got an auto 3.1TD UBS69 Bighorn with cruise control could it be retained when doing a manual gearbox conversion?

[gomulletgo]

I just took a couple of these UBS69 Bighorns for test drives

A few questions,

How much to fix: shagged UJ in rear driveshaft? shagged rubber balancer on gearbox/D-shaft flange? How hard to get elec windows and mirrors working again? One of them keeps popping out of low 4x4 apparently the owner never used low 4x4. How hard is it to stop the transfer shifter popping out of low 4x4? It pops out super easy, just even trying to get it to stay in gear while selecting 1st gear is hard, start driving and it pops out when changing 1st-2nd or 1st-rev (didn't try any further gears).

Thanks in advance

[geeves]

If all that is one vehicle Step away quietly lest it starts to chase you home. Once you get a safe distance start running

How much to fix: shagged UJ in rear driveshaft?
If garage to fit $100 or so
shagged rubber balancer on gearbox/D-shaft flange?
Dont know but cant be too much worse than the driveshaft
How hard to get elec windows and mirrors working again?
Could be easy just time might be a fuse might be more
One of them keeps popping out of low 4x4 apparently the owner never used low 4x4. How hard is it to stop the transfer shifter popping out of low 4x4? It pops out super easy, just even trying to get it to stay in gear while selecting 1st gear is hard, start driving and it pops out when changing 1st-2nd or 1st-rev (didn't try any further gears).
A bad engine mount can cause this but more likly its a gearbox out job

[gomulletgo]

Hi Geeves,

Thanks for that. Yes the faults mentioned are all one vehicle, it's got plenty of other faults too, door hold open welds broken, dinged rear quarter, dog hair covered interior, chewed seatbelts, oil covering bottom of engine/gbox/transfer. But it has some positives too, it's parts vehicle price. It's Reg and Wof.....it also looks like a genuine under 170,000kms. Low Kms but they've been rough on farm, towing horse floats, dogs in the back kind of KMS.

The other 3.1TD Manual UBS69 bighorns I've seen start at $3200 and go up....also they are normally much higher KMS although better state. I checked out one at $3500 and it had an oil leak in gbox/transfer, on it's second engine. Turbo sounded shagged.

Part of me is leaning towards the heap, yeh it's a heap but if anything went wrong I'd probably still be able to sell it for roughly what I paid for it. It's just a matter of how much it'd cost me to fix it up to a standard I'd want to drive around in it.

I'd feel more comfortable about a parts vehicle priced bighorn blowing it's engine than one I paid $3500 for.

Another thing is I'm currently trying to fix up a UBS55 and it seems I just keep finding things that need fixing.....so I'm wondering what else I may find with the heap UBS69

What do you reckon? Anyone else?

Thanks in advance

[MrRevhead]

Sounds like they need to pay you to take it away

[turnturn]

I have removed the rubber dampner/balancer thingy from the gearbox/driveshaft flange on one of my 3.1 Mu's with no adverse affects so far (probaly 10,000ks ago).

Re the transfer box jumping out of gear, I agree with Geeves that this can be a shagged engine mount...or gearbox mount. It lets the engine and gearbox move about and the transfer box lever hits the body work and knocks it out of gear. Has the body been lifted at all?