JACKAROOS - HOLDEN THEIR OWN
Released in 1982, the Holden Jackaroo achieved instant sales success and has had a chequered history since then. These days, the three-door, five seater early models of the Jackaroo can be bought cheaply on the second hand market - some as low as six or seven thousand dollars.
The early models from 1982 were a smallish wagon with a leaf sprung rear suspension and an independent front end. The engine was a 2.0 litre four cylinder petrol mill that was actually borrowed from the Holden Gemini, as was the gearbox. Fuel was held in an inadequate 50 litre tank which drew heaps of criticism, but was assisted in an update in '83 by the addition of another one! That's right, the 1983 update featured two 50-litre tanks.
The 2.0 litre engine lasted until 1985 when it was replaced by a more powerful 2.3 litre. The 2.0 litre was a bad oil user which, if asked to do a lot of work, wore out pretty quickly. The 2.3 also used a bit of oil, but not as much as the older motor.
The 2.0 litre Jackaroos had their problems, and not the least of these was a lack of power and cruising ability. According to Jackaroo specialist John Fogarty of Fogarty Bros 4WD centre in the Sydney suburb of Mortlake, there are very few early Jackaroos that are still in standard trim. Most, says John, have been modified in some way to increase performance if nothing else.
Specialty Tuning in Victoria, came up with a good little package to increase the performance of the Jackaroos. Called the ST II Performance Kit, it comprised a modified camshaft, a two-inch exhaust system and a re-tune to give around 20 per cent increase in power. This kit helped the 2.0 litre a lot when it came to cruising, overtaking and holding third or fourth gears on hills. The ST II, and others like it, proved a very reliable upgrade as the cam used was merely the first-oversize sports cam for the Gemini.
Another good repower which proved very popular was the replacement of the four cylinder mill with the six-cylinder Holden 'Blue' motor. This offered a substantial increase in power and torque.
The six was a more lazy motor which didn't need to be revved as hard to keep the Jackaroos cruising. They worked well off road too, with the increase in torque helping when the going got tough in sand, mud or rocky conditions. The down side of the six cylinder fitment however, was that the front CV joints could collapse if too much welly was used off road. The clutch handled things well if it wasn't abused as did the gearbox. The rear diff in both the 2.0 litre and the 2.3 was prone to trouble. It was a limited slip diff that was not really tough enough for the job.
If you are buying an early model Jackaroo, jack up one rear wheel of the vehicle and see if it turns. If it does turn, it may be either damaged or it may have been swapped for a Rodeo diff which was a common fix. If the wheel does not turn, then the diff should be OK. If the diff has a clean bill of health and you buy the vehicle, you should service the rear diff every 10,000 km. Check the magnetic plug every service to see if there are any metal fragments on it. These are likely to be from the clutch plates in the LSD and are an indication of trouble.
As we said, a common fix was to swap the diff with a Rodeo item, or you could fit a Detroit Locker which will also fix it. While we're in the gearbox area, all the early Jackaroos had a tendency to wear out the low range selector fork in the transfer case which, if not fixed, can lead to the vehicle locking in low range. It's an easy fix that should only cost around $100. Also, there is a spring on the top of the gearbox (on the outside) which loops around the transfer shifter. This spring must be in place or the vehicle may jump out of low range. If you have the spring in place and the selector fork in good condition, you shouldn't have any problems with the transfer case. Clutch cables in these early models can cause a bit of problem if they aren't changed at around 50,000 km. The cable tends to clog and get heavy, and this could lead to the plate (through which the cable travels) on the firewall pulling out if the cable isn't renewed. It will cost you around $110 for a new one.
If you're test driving a Jackaroo, the clutch should feel quite light. If you notice that it's at all heavy, then the cable needs replacing.
The LS Jackaroos of '84 to '87 were fitted with automatic freewheeling hubs that sometimes gave trouble. If they do stuff up, it will cost you about $300 each to replace them with original parts, however, if you want to go to manual hubs, a lot of people fitted AVMs which have proved more reliable. DIESELS From the beginning,
Jackaroos were available with a diesel engine. This started out as a normally aspirated Isuzu 2.2 motor. Isuzu is renowned for its strong and reliable diesels and these were really no exception but for the fact that some tended to throw conrods at around 100,000 km. But the straight diesel was a slug. Mated to the four-speed manual, the 1982 Jackaroo certainly wouldn't have had a hope of pulling the proverbial sailor off your sister.
In 1983, the 2.2 got a turbocharger that improved things markedly. From there on, they proved to be a much better performer with plenty of power for on and off-road conditions. Still, some of the drivetrain problems cropped up from time to time but not as much as in the petrol vehicles.
In 1987 came the release of the direct-injection 2.8 -litre turbo diesel which was a much underrated motor which didn't get the recognition it deserved. A very strong and reliable donk, it is much sought after by Jackaroo enthusiasts. It tows and cruises well and has heaps of low down grunt for off road work. No real problems have been reported from these motors and they continue to be good performers well over the 100,000 km mark.
Prices of the early non turbo vehicles start at around 10 grand, and the turbos start at around 12 -13 for a 1983 model. From there, it is progressive through the range but obviously takes a big jump at the 2.8 diesels. If you can pick up a 2.8 for the low 20s you're not doing too badly.
ANY OTHER DRAMAS?
When looking at Jackaroos as a potential purchase, check the top of the A pillars for rust. This is a favourite place for the cancer to strike. Run a magnet over the A pillar to check for bog, and for that matter, all along the roof line. Generally, the rest of the vehicle is pretty good when it comes to rust but the obvious places to check are the floors and firewall. In the petrol-powered vehicles, by 1987, when a major update saw the release of the 2.6 Jackaroo, things had improved markedly.
John Fogarty tells us that he sees very few of these vehicles in his service centre for anything but routine maintenance. None of the problems of the old vehicles manifested themselves in the newer ones.
The 2.6 litre vehicles are fuel injected and feature bigger and stronger diffs, gearbox and transfer case. The only real problem with these that we've heard of is that they can be prone to burn out valves, but this is fairly isolated and not an endemic problem.
The reliability of these later vehicles is, however; reflected in the prices asked on the second hand market. Anything from '87 on starts at around $15,000 and rises rapidly from there to the mid-twenties for a later model vehicle just short of the model change in '92. As follows in most vehicles, the short-wheelbase versions of the later Jackaroos are cheaper than the long wheelbase five-door models. You can pick up say, a 1988 SWB 2.6 litre Jackaroo for $13,500, but its five-door equivalent might cost five grand more.
Jackaroos got a big boost in 1992 when the new shape vehicles hit the market. The powerful 3.2 litre V6 and 3.1 litre intercooled turbo diesel took Holden to the top of the performance heap in the middleweight wagon segment. These are the current vehicles on sale at the moment and, with prices starting at around $36,000, we're probably crossing over into new vehicle territory rather than looking at second hands, so we'll leave them till they get a bit older...
Reprinted with thanks to 4x4 Australia magazine - July 1994
