Good buy, or not?

[RyanMueller]

My grandpa has a CTD that i'm trying to buy from him; it is a 1993 std. cab, long box, 4x4, 5spd. with only 80,000 miles on it. I was wondering what i should look for because he has towed several tons of hay with it, a 30ft(i think) 5th wheel travel trailer, and some tractors. Obviously because of the low miles he hasn't towed alot and he has run Amsoil Diesel Synthetic in the engine since 10 or 15,000 mi. I was wondering if there were any specific things i should look for. I have heard of 5th gear not working because the nut will back off, but I wanted to be aware. Also, how much should i ask for it?

 

[bmoeller]

I know the NV4500 trans has the nut problem, not sure if the Getrag does or not.

PM MMiller. He has a truck similar to that one, and also pulls a big g/n flatbed.

 

[dpuckett]

The 5th gear nut is a NV4500 problem- Getrag has all their gears in the case, where they belong. .



I have towed up to 25K GCW; MMiller has topped 30 a time or two, I think. As long as it was driven sanely (no clutch dumping with a big load) and Grandpa eased into the throttle while accelerating, I see no issues.



Check the oil level, and see if it makes any strange noises. A slight groan or growl at moderate to heavy throttle at low RPMs (<1600) in higer gears is normal.



Might not hurt to pull the t-case and see if there is any visible slack in the output shaft of the transmission. If there is slack, you will need to at least reshim it, possibly get new bearings. These things need to be addressed soon to avoid irreparable damage to the Getrag, esp in 4x4 applications.



Daniel

 

[91W350]

It can't be worth more than a couple grand :-laf :-laf now that the price is set, I need Grandpa's phone number. :-laf Seriously though, it sounds like a nice truck and a great opportunity to get a good one. Trucks like that one do not come along very often anymore. Glen

 

[CHayes]

I would check out the front end to see if there is anything loose. Also check u joints to see if they are tight. even if there is a few problems with the truck I wouldnt be afraid to buy one. especialy with that low of miles. The 1rst truck I bought was a 91' 4x4 long box and has been a verry good truck. Just keep up on your maintinance and surfing theTDR. There are plenty of people on the TDR ready and willing to help out. Good luck. Caleb