we lent our car, an isuzu rodeo, to a neighbor for the weekend. it was returned leaking transmission fluid and the transmission was burnt out.
my question is, if it was driven in power or winter drive under normal highway conditions would that cause the transmission to burn out?
if not, what could turn a healthy car on friday into a transmission mess on monday?
Uh, it seems unlikely that just using on road in the “wrong” mode would be a problem. Taking it off road and/or hotdogging it on the other hand might. Tell me, was this friend by any chance a male in the under 25 year old age range?
Is this a true 4wd system?? If so then putting it in 4wd mode while on DRY pavement can KILL a transfercase.
I’ll agree with Ranck and Mike both.
As a side note…I’ve NEVER let anyone drive any 4wd vehicle unless either…
A) I know that they’ve driven 4wd vehicles before.
B) I give them a lesson on how to drive 4wd. When to shift into 4wd. How to lock the hubs (if applicable)…When to shift into 4wd-low.
I wasn’t thinking about the 4WD/AWD parts. I was assuming the “power/winter” mode was some setting that changes the shift points on the automatic. I agree, a real 4WD would have problems on dry pavement in 4WD. If it’s a locking center differential on an AWD, that could get screwed up on dry roads, too.
I still suspect it was flogged by a testosterone poisoned a yahoo.
Power and winter mode can not ruin a transmission. Power delays shifting for quicker acceleration, and winter starts the car in second gear to reduce wheel-spin. You could leave it in either one for the entire life of the car if you wanted to. How many miles are on the truck? I seriously doubt your neighbor is at fault. Your truck is designed to operate under severe conditions, and a little aggressive driving should not have been a big deal.