Need a little guidance before I buy...

[DBabbitt]

I've been looking for a 93 W-350 dually CTD club cab for some time now. I have my eye on one that needs some body work, xfer case & 518. I've been into gasser cars/trucks for a long time so none of that stuff scares me but I'm a newbie to the CTD world. The NP205 won't go into any gears so i can't drive the truck at all. Engine starts easy and has good oil pressure for about 15 seconds then falls off to almost zero psi at idle. Pumps up to about the middle of the operating range when you rev the motor but falls back to near zero just as fast. It huffs a bit of blue smoke from the tail pipe but not terribly bad. Truck is supposed to have only 119k on it. It is very clean underneath, chassis, suspension and under the hood. Does not look like it has ever had the typical used car lot (which is where i found it) engine degreasing which strips all of the plating off of the various lines, hoses brackets in the engine compartment. Both doors open nice & tight and don't have the normal hi-miler slop.



So I'm thinking that this is indeed a 119k mile truck but what's up with the low oil pressure & the blue smoke? Is thisa common problem at 119k or is this a sign of a bigger problem. How bad would you have to treat a rig like this to wear out the 5. 9 and grenade the xfer case at 119K ?

I really like this truck, color combo, options, etc. and can't find anything better on this side of the continent. I can buy it for around $3500 plus I'de end up spending nearly addl $2k to fix the 518 & np205. All-in-all after body work, new paint, and all of the little things I'm sure I would have 10-12K in the truck. I'm fine with that but If the motor is no good then it's a bad deal.



What would you do?

 

[ARhine]

I would put a mechanical oil press guage on it and double check. The electric senders aren't always that reliable.

 

[Greenleaf]

I doubt there is any problem with the engine. I recently tested my oil with a mechanical gauge. It was much higher than the sending unit would show.



GL



BTW, I'm alredy mad at you for getting a W350!! Where were they when I bought mine!! HUH??

 

[1stgen4evr]

Keep looking

Unless you like grease under your nails, skinned knuckles and tired A**.



The engine should be just getting broken in good at 119k if it was maintained properly. It might indeed just be the sender on the low oil but blue smoke is bad news. Let it warm up completely and check the crankcase vent for any sign of blowby. There should be none at all.



Grenaded xcase and transmission, more bad news. I think you could find a better candidate.



If you can do all the work yourself, I don't think you will spend as much as your estimate but if you plan to have a shop do it, you are about right on the estimate.



The truck may well be worth the asking price to someone but not me. I don't like to wrench that much.



James

 

[JLuechauer]

I have been through three oil pres sending units and all have read completely different. So I will be putting a mech oil pres unit in my truck.

the smoke may be normal but I agree to let the truck warm up and then see how it runs.

What was the air temp where you live when you first started the truck?

 

[TKingsbury]

When I bought my truck, air temp was in the 50s, the truck hadn't been run in days, and there was no smoke when it started. I'll also mention that it only had 85k on it at the time. Personally, I'd only buy it if I wanted something to fix-up on a buget over time. If you have the money to spend now, you shouldn't have much trouble finding a truck that is nice for 10-12k. Also, my oil pressure gauge reads different almost everytime I drive it.

Travis. .

 

[ekroman]

Guidance before buying

My 1st gen will blow blue smoke at idle when cold, or even if it just sits there and idles. I have to get it under load to clear it up, and then it's just fine.



Oh, and it's been like this since I bought it, and that was 90k ago. Until the rear main seal started leaking, it was using a quart per 4,000 miles.



If you have good oil pressure and it sounds like it's running evenly, chances are the motor is fine.



Eddie

 

[Forrest Nearing]

where do you live? seems like a drive to the other side of the continent and back would be cheaper/easier than what you're looking at... just watch the truck trader and or ebay for a well maintained version of what you're looking for...



then all you have to do is fly out and drive it back...



the truck you're looking at has been abused... my old '91 has almost 400k miles, and still has good oil pressure... the stock A518 made it ~280k miles.



my '97 has 235k miles on it. makes 30-35psi oil pressure @ hot idle, and usually runs 60-70psi running down the road.



you're looking at a truck that needs a transmission, a transfer case, and a ring/bearing job on the engine... I'd say keep looking!!!



Forrest

 

[DBabbitt]

Forrest: I'm in Atlanta. I been checking the truck traders, traderonline & ebay for about 4 months. There are alot of D-350s but much fewer W-350s. Seem to be alot of them for sale in Oregon & Washington. It's looking like I may end up flying there afterall. I think the truck here in Atlanta has been sold!

 

[Greenleaf]

SOLD?



Well now there is a big surprise,,,,LOL Yep! They won't last long. Even in bad shape.



I know, I looked too. They are like gold. I'm positive that the 1st gen trucks and some of the early second gens are the most sought ofter units on planet Earth.



-S

 

[JLEONARD]

I just drove by a W350 for sale here in Ct on my way home from work last friday... . no price on it.

Came with a nice dump bed, sander, snow plow and even had a hydraulic lifting arm.

You wouldn't have much use for the plow and sander in Atlanta though :-laf



Keep looking... you'll find one.

Jay

 

[TKingsbury]

I thought I'd never find a W250 standard cab with a 5 speed. I found a couple, but poof they were gone. Don't be afraid to tell everyone that you know what it is you're looking for, I got alot of leads and eventually my truck through word of mouth. Just when you're ready to give up, you'll find the truck you want.

Travis. .

 

[MFalkinham]

All-in-all after body work, new paint, and all of the little things I'm sure I would have 10-12K in the truck.

If that is your final price range, please keep looking and find a clean original that has been taken care of and not abused. In the long run you will be glad you did.



Heck, for that kind of $$$ I might be willing to part with mine! I'd really like two more doors and two less rear wheels.



- Mike

 

[BushWakr - RIP]

I'd encourage you to keep looking too... and most of all... don't get desperate to buy anything that comes along... .

The drivetrain in these trucks can actually take a pretty good beating but that doesn't mean you want to buy that HAS.

Engine smoke can be deceiving. They can puff some blue, black, grey/white and still be ok. Most times it's timing, dirty injectors, plugged filters (air/fuel) and so forth.

Be patient... you'll find the one you want if you make it come to you...



BTW, it's fairly common to find that the "W" series trucks were bought to be beat-on-work-trucks... . so keep that in mind when you do your inspections...

How heavy has it towed?. . auto/stick?... service interval?... VIN # can sometimes be traced by a dealer to tell you what service it's had such as warranty work or repairs... . mine does this right from day one.



Look close is all.

pb... . patience is a virtue... unless you want to stomp on the pedal, then, it's impossible.