84 problems?

[UT_TDEnthusiast]

Hi everyone, first post. Hopefully I can get some good advice here. So if I am looking at a 1984 3/4 ton with a 700r4 transmission and a 6.2, is there anything specific that I need to look at? That is, are there common problems for this year vehicle? I am a fan of diesels, but have never owned one. I have been reading the FAQ's, but haven't found what I was looking for.

Info on the truck: 3/4 Ton 4WD pickup with 4" Lift and 35" Goodyear Wrangler MTR Tires with 2/3 tread left. Heated, power, leather bucket seats. Power windows, power door locks, power steering. 2" Reciever hitch with trailer power. Rubber floor and mats. Equipped with A/C which needs to be recharged. Heater and defroster work well. Equipped with cruise control which isn't currently working. 6.2 L Diesel Engine runs strong, has new injection pump, vacuum pump, alternator and coolant reservoir. Two 20 gallon fuel tanks. Driver's door is straight, but needs to be painted. There is a leak on the front seal of the transfer case and around the block heater. He is asking $4k, I was thinking closer to $3k. Thoughts?

Thanks, in advance.

[ccatlett1984]

with the rubber floor, check for rust in the floorpan, they are known to rust from the inside out if the padding gets wet, since the rubber floor wont let it dry out.

[john8662]

With any truck with as much age as this truck has, you'll be doing maintenance.

84's are very similar to the 82/83 models, with the exception of the fuel filter, as this year model has the updated Model-80 Fuel Filtration.

The 700 Trans isn't solid until late 85 models.

But, this is going to be something that will be replaced if it hasn't either way.

The leak on the block heater is likely the o-ring around the heater, not a big deal, but you get to take a little bath in coolant :)

J

[UT_TDEnthusiast]

Thanks for the info. I plan on looking at it next week. Let me know if there is anything else I should look for.

[UT_TDEnthusiast]

I heard that the 700R4 may not work well with the 35" tires, is that true? If it has 4.10 gears, wouldn't the bigger tires be ok, compared to 3.73s? Thanks for all the help.

[Robyn]

If this is a 3/4 ton truck its should not have a 700R. Now as old as it is who knows what has been done.
3/4 ton should have a 400


Robyn

[UT_TDEnthusiast]

Ok, is there any way to check if the transmission has been rebuilt without pulling it out? Any thoughts on the big tires and what gears are ok? Is $4k too much?

[Robyn]

My rule for buying a used rig is "Condition is everything mileage and age mean nothing"

The gears are what they are. The 700 will work fine with 35 inches with up to 3.42 gears. Dont use the overdrive at all if pulling and set up the lockup so you can shut it off except to cruise at Hwy speed unloaded in OD.
With 4.10 gears you will be fine just dont use OD when pulling much.
Pull the stick on the tranny, if the fluid is nice and pink, this is good :D
If the oil is brown or yellow and or burnt smelling, not good. :eek:

Short of dropping the pan and looking to see whats in the botom ,its tough to tell much.

Good luck

Robyn

[UT_TDEnthusiast]

Thanks for all the replies, I think I have a very good idea of what to look for when I go look at it next week. I am just not sure what price is fair. The body looks straight and he says there is no rust, but $4k seems like too much. I was thinking more like $3200, if everything is in working order like he says it is. What is the going price for an 84?

[UT_TDEnthusiast]

I am going to go look at this truck tomorrow or Friday. I was wondering what everyone thinks this truck is worth. He is asking $4k and I was thinking that it is worth maybe $3k. Thanks.

[UT_TDEnthusiast]

Welll, I went to look at it this afternoon and it is definitely not worth the $4k. It needs a new A/C compressor and it still might have a leak. The body is fairly straight with minimal rust. There are a few dents and the paint is cracking/falling off. He said automatic transmission fluid must be added every 2-3 weeks due to a leak on the front seal of the transfer case. It needs an alignment or something up front as the tires aren't wearing evenly. The most troubling thing is that there is a sound (seems to be coming from the rear) kind of like a thud when coming to a complete stop and taking off again. The owner is not sure what it could be; he checked to make sure that the axle wasn't rotating forward. I am thinking it might be worth about $2500 after all this. Thoughts?

[DmaxMaverick]

Sounds more like a $500 rig, running or not. I wouldn't touch it for $2500.

[UT_TDEnthusiast]

Can you guys explain specifically why you think it is worth what you say? I mean, the body isn't that bad to me, I can live with it. The A/C, I can go without that, too. If the front end just needs an alignment, no big deal. I found out the truck is actually a 1/2 ton, but the front axle is a Dana 44 from a '72 truck and a the rear end is a 1 ton 14 bolt from a '75 truck. How bad is the leak from the transfer case? Any thoughts on what the sound from the rear could be? It seems as though it something is rotating back and forth when you stop and then get going again.