Holden Rodeo Engine Problems

There are many, many things in a modern cat that can cause the check-engine light to illuminate. The cause could be anything from a sensor somewhere on the engine or in the exhaust to a problem such as low oil pressure, overheating, a dud fuel-injector or even a stretched timing chain that has allowed the crankshaft and the camshafts to become out of synch.

Basically, the car’s computer notices and logs anything that’s amiss and warns the owner that some form of servicing is required by lighting up the check-engine light. The other possibility, of course, is that whoever worked on the emissions control system you mentioned, may have neglected to manually turn off the check-engine light. It’s happened before.

Yes it did. In order to produce the engine’s 96kW and 280Nm of torque (291Nm in automatic form), Holden - or rather Isuzu, who engineered the vehicle and provided the driveline - used an intercooler to achieve that level of performance.

The factory intercooler was a top-mount (mounted on top of the engine) and there are plenty of aftermarket alternatives when it comes time for replacement. Some owners also choose to fit a front-mounted intercooler for better performance, although in an off-roader like the Rodeo, this can place the intercooler in harm’s way in an off-road scenario.

This is very possibly a fault with the power supply to the fuel pump rather than the pump itself. The clue is that the fuel gauge started playing games just before the engine shut down. The fuel gauge is controlled by the sender which is usually in the tank with the pump. They’re often supplied power by the same wiring. So any problem with the power to the fuel pump would also possibly show up as a fuel gauge that’s making strange movements.

Start by checking the power supply to the pump, but don’t rule out a poor earth somewhere in there as well. Even though the fuse is okay, if the power wire or earth wire is loose/corroded/faulty/dirty/short-circuiting, then you may have found the problem.

Any time a vehicle with the DOHC Holden V6 is mentioned as having a starting problem or check-engine light illuminated, mechanics will often go straight to the engine’s timing chain to check its wear. That’s because this engine is notorious for such antics and, when they occur, it can often mean poor starting and the dreaded check-engine light.

However, in this case, the engine in question was an Isuzu-designed unit that doesn’t seem to have the same rash of timing chain problems. Which means you need to go back to basics and have the vehicle scanned to see if the onboard computer has logged the root cause of any problems.

The fact that the check engine light is flickering and the starting problem is an intermittent one could mean anything, but a good place to start checking would be the various earthing points around the vehicle. Bad earths are a common cause for this sort of problem.

The condition of the car’s battery is also a smart place to begin investigations. A lack of power in the battery is enough to make a lot of electronically fuel-injected vehicles throw in the towel on a random basis.

When an engine (petrol or diesel) inhales water through its air-intake system, it's never usually a good outcome. Because water is – as is any liquid – non-compressible, the engine's pistons will try to achieve that but, in the process, the engine will lock up and all sorts of internal carnage can ensue.

If you're lucky, the damage will be fixable but can still involve bent con-rods, broken pistons and bent valves. If the lock up was more severe, there's a chance that the engine block could be cracked or a con-rod has broken and punched a hole through the crankcase. Sometimes the force of the lock up is sufficient to smash the main bearing caps and throw the crankshaft out of place. In any of those latter cases, the whole engine would be considered a total loss.

But even if you've gotten away with a bent con-rod or two, you'd still need to rebuild the entire engine and, in the context of a 2004 Rodeo ute, you might find you're spending more money than the vehicle is actually worth.

A potentially better idea would be to find a good, tested second-hand engine from a wrecking yard or any other sort of damaged Rodeo and do a relatively simple heart transplant.

If the engine were reconditioned by a reputable engine reconditioning company and they gave you a guarantee with it you can be confident that it will last a long time. How long is impossible to say. There would be little difference between the exchange reconditioned engine and the one done by your mechanic. Either way you should check on what they are going to do the engine in the reconditioning process, so you can be confident that it is done professionally and properly.

Our LPG experts tell us there are a couple of issues that could create such a problem, but the most likely is that one of the control modules in the gas system has been damaged by water intrusion. Take it to an installer experienced with your brand of system.

The Rodeo has a known issue that can cause the petrol consumption while operating on LPG, as you describe. You need to take it to an LPG mechanic, preferably one who knows the particular system fitted to your vehicle who should be able to fix it.

It would be possible, but I wouldn’t recommend doing it, as there’s too much work required. I would recommend converting it to LPG, you’ll get the savings and it won’t cost you anything like as much. Use a good quality sequential LPG injection system, and check the general condition of the engine before making the conversion.

We are told there can be problems integrating LPG systems on the Rodeo. Our advice is that with an early central point mixer type system the car’s ECU can be picking up an oxygen sensor signal that is at variance to the normal signal when running on petrol. Later injection systems don’t suffer from this problem. To sort that out you need to take your car to an LPG specialist. Also check the obvious, that your car is tuned correctly.