Going to look at a suburban!

[cwillis]

I am new here and I love this site.

I am going tomorrow to look at a 1984 Suburban Diesel 4x4.

I want to know what to look for. The vehicle would be serving as my family road trip vehicle, as well as some daily driving.

The owner claims that he has about 7 cars and doesnt drive it much, only starts in about once a month. . .

Injection pump rebuild 200 miles ago
replaced radiator
replaced AC compressor and new lines but needs charged
100,000 miles
newish water pump
etc

I work with diesel generators by trade but we have totally different systems. . .

What i want to know is what to look for.
I will be looking to see how well it starts cold. I want to ensure the glow plugs function properly.

Also i will look at oil, and coolant (coolant with a hydrometer). Is the tranny fluid easy to access?

Are there any major problems i should look for other than rust? (IE does the exhaust manifold crack in a certain spot, or do the heads warp somewhere?)


Thanks a ton

A1C Willis
USAF

[daustin]

If it's got the 6.2, then i'd get it nice and warm shut it off. Then see if it starts easily about 10 minutes later. The mechanical IP's (even some rebuilt ones) can have headspace issues when they get older or have some stray water in them from not running much. Tranny fluid dipstick should be right there by the firewall, wipe some on a white paper towel. Smell it for a burnt smell, white shows every little speck of dirt. A little grey is ok, but a lot or burnt smell is bad. Same for the PS fluid. It might smoke a little on a cold start, but it shouldnt fog the area down. lol Good luck.
Don