Going to hook at my first HMMWV Today!

[rolling18]

Well there is not much to see from the outside, if it is a big ball of rust would be the only visible indication from the outside, or leaking
It is really hard to tell someone what to look for as there is so much that can and in some cases not be a problem.
If it does not start and run and drive well and they are using "it needs a filter" than I would be very weary as it could be something as simple as a filter but not likely, expect the worst and hope for the best.
What you should do is check with someone that is known by the community as an honest person, Retired War Horses is one that is highly respected, you will pay more up front and allot less later on, and you can get what you want as far as model/acc. etc.

Some folks put lipstick on a pig and try to get rid of it, then some folks have some decent stuff that does just needs a little TLC, that is one of the great challenges in life..

Exactly most of what there is left to do is actually drive and operate everything as suggested by others here...

dooing my research one here IS "me" checking with someone or many in the community as I personally do not know anyone into this hobby or even vehicles in general// so this is my only source for any assistance..

I would gladly PAY someone to look at it with me but I dont know anyone in the area that could or would do that espically on short notice..
I can do MANY maintenance things myself just l not the larger/ complex items

 

[Maxjeep1]

Well there is not much to see from the outside, if it is a big ball of rust would be the only visible indication from the outside, or leaking
It is really hard to tell someone what to look for as there is so much that can and in some cases not be a problem.
If it does not start and run and drive well and they are using "it needs a filter" than I would be very weary as it could be something as simple as a filter but not likely, expect the worst and hope for the best.
What you should do is check with someone that is known by the community as an honest person, Retired War Horses is one that is highly respected, you will pay more up front and allot less later on, and you can get what you want as far as model/acc. etc.

Some folks put lipstick on a pig and try to get rid of it, then some folks have some decent stuff that does just needs a little TLC, that is one of the great challenges in life..

2nd it. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy a truck from Retiredwarhorses! I’m thinking about selling him mine and buying it back from him… lol
I don’t want to buy someone else’s problem and pay a premium for it.

 

[BLK HMMWV]

Well since no one has said it.
Make sure you can get it registered for the street if that is your ultimate desire.
Nothing worse than buying it and finding out it's off highway only.
sometimes buying one that's already registered and plated in your state is a plus.

 

[rolling18]

Well since no one has said it.
Make sure you can get it registered for the street if that is your ultimate desire.
Nothing worse than buying it and finding out it's off highway only.
sometimes buying one that's already registered and plated in your state is a plus.

In Oregon It can ONLY be registered as "special interest" witch does not expire, and only supposed to be used for parader, demonstrations, testing and repairs, shows and automotive events pretty much anything.. but NOT regular full time use... read into that what you will

 

[rolling18]

wanting to know what specifically to look for on these things other than the usual "used car" stuff?
specific options ?

the one I'm looking at buying
is 2002 16,900 mi. fording kit, pickup/ troop carrier cover, out of california depot. "good condition"
new batteries, need fuel filter..what "absolutes" would i need to buy?

I want to get a winch down the line.. Hydraulic or electric? (front and rear)
what would be a "reasonable" cost if everything works and runs good with no - little blow by?

Whew!
thanks for any advice / help!
Marc

Im suposed to got look at it an a hour or so... thank you all for your suggestions and will keep all that in mind tonight>
I will report back my findings and what happens!

 

[rolling18]

wanting to know what specifically to look for on these things other than the usual "used car" stuff?
specific options ?

the one I'm looking at buying
is 2002 16,900 mi. fording kit, pickup/ troop carrier cover, out of california depot. "good condition"
new batteries, need fuel filter..what "absolutes" would i need to buy?

I want to get a winch down the line.. Hydraulic or electric? (front and rear)
what would be a "reasonable" cost if everything works and runs good with no - little blow by?

Whew!
thanks for any advice / help!
Marc

Thanks for all of your help and tips!

I just got back from a very thorough test drive, including off road including 4 low lock? (all gears)
he bought it over a year ago from GL. hasn't done much to it other than oil/ fluid / air filter changes ..

the engine compartment / cab still had lots of cali depot dust all over everything so it would have been easy to spot leaks and drips!
saw no signs of active leaks or drips,
brakes were about %50 ish,
dash had light out so couldn't see right side gauges at night
all wheel hubs looked dry on back side/ no torn axle boots
missing the tall stack exhaust pipe for fording kit
underside looked great! only mild surface rust on shafts.
steering components seemed tight
tires were not as bad as I thought about %40
did not notice any Injection pump leaks, moisture or seepage
coolant was green../ newer oil filter
2 new batteries
led headlights/ markers (not tails)
Park brake needs adjust- very weak.
radiator very few bent fins
roof cover has leaks (of course!) no visible tears , velcro retaining straps torn so it flaps allot in wind.
wiring looked all stock or at least dont my military not hacked and weird

Blowby:...not sure,,, none visible BUT I could feel pressure against my hand.. normal?
normal to have oil splatter out the dipstick tube when running?

oil pressure gauge doesnt seem to work: stays bet 25- 30 psi never higher..
has not changed fuel filter do to time and inconvienence/ knowledge not because of any signs of problems

says Wife wants him to sell it..
i do not feel I need to have a turbo truck.. seems O-K adequate for what it is..

I forgot to check oil before driving it and forgot horn check and Trans fluid and wiper washer GRRRRR>..!!! (shifted well)

glow plugs were about 6 seconds to wait. (cold start not run is days) cranked off within about 1 sec of bumping the start. (reminded me of my old 1st get 12 valve cummins! (very good)

this guy had a VERY nice house in very nice neighborhood so he defiinatly had the $$$$ to keep up a "toy" like this and other very nice vehicles!...(hopefull assumptions)
already registered with OR special interest plates

I'm sure I forgot some things but that's what I did.
felt good enough about it to put a deposit down until tomorrow after work!

And got him down to take 15k (down from $17,900)

thoughts on all of this???

 

[Maxjeep1]

Thanks for all of your help and tips!

I just got back from a very thorough test drive, including off road including 4 low lock? (all gears)
he bought it over a year ago from GL. hasn't done much to it other than oil/ fluid / air filter changes ..

the engine compartment / cab still had lots of cali depot dust all over everything so it would have been easy to spot leaks and drips!
saw no signs of active leaks or drips,
brakes were about %50 ish,
dash had light out so couldn't see right side gauges at night
all wheel hubs looked dry on back side/ no torn axle boots
missing the tall stack exhaust pipe for fording kit
underside looked great! only mild surface rust on shafts.
steering components seemed tight
tires were not as bad as I thought about %40
did not notice any Injection pump leaks, moisture or seepage
coolant was green../ newer oil filter
2 new batteries
led headlights/ markers (not tails)
Park brake needs adjust- very weak.
radiator very few bent fins
roof cover has leaks (of course!) no visible tears , velcro retaining straps torn so it flaps allot in wind.
wiring looked all stock or at least dont my military not hacked and weird

Blowby:...not sure,,, none visible BUT I could feel pressure against my hand.. normal?
normal to have oil splatter out the dipstick tube when running?

oil pressure gauge doesnt seem to work: stays bet 25- 30 psi never higher..
has not changed fuel filter do to time and inconvienence/ knowledge not because of any signs of problems

says Wife wants him to sell it..
i do not feel I need to have a turbo truck.. seems O-K adequate for what it is..

I forgot to check oil before driving it and forgot horn check and Trans fluid and wiper washer GRRRRR>..!!! (shifted well)

glow plugs were about 6 seconds to wait. (cold start not run is days) cranked off within about 1 sec of bumping the start. (reminded me of my old 1st get 12 valve cummins! (very good)

this guy had a VERY nice house in very nice neighborhood so he defiinatly had the $$$$ to keep up a "toy" like this and other very nice vehicles!...(hopefull assumptions)
already registered with OR special interest plates

I'm sure I forgot some things but that's what I did.
felt good enough about it to put a deposit down until tomorrow after work!

And got him down to take 15k (down from $17,900)

thoughts on all of this???

Runs and drives is worth 15k to me.

 

[rolling18]

Runs and drives is worth 15k to me.

it DEFINATLY "runs and drives" ....

 

[98G]

I wouldn't take $15k for my M998.

 

[Mogman]

Sounds like you have checked all the right boxes, welcome to the "club"

 

[Coug]

I don't see them on here, but in facecrook groups there are a couple people near the Portland area that have HMMWVs and are knowledgeable about them, so might be worth asking if they are able to help you out.

Link to our area's group (Pacific NorthWest) if you aren't on it or don't know of it.

Log into Facebook

Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.

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[Retiredwarhorses]

Pictures are worth a 1000 words. Sounds as if the truck is exactly as it came from the auction after sitting for 10yrs.
knowing what I know about these trucks, I would be extremely cautious.

 

[osteo16]

Never seen oil spatter out of my dipstick tube.. Maybe im doing something wrong

 

[rolling18]

I don't see them on here, but in facecrook groups there are a couple people near the Portland area that have HMMWVs and are knowledgeable about them, so might be worth asking if they are able to help you out.

Link to our area's group (Pacific NorthWest) if you aren't on it or don't know of it.

Log into Facebook

Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.

www.facebook.com

I am in the FB group as well thanks for the info!

 

[rolling18]

Pictures are worth a 1000 words. Sounds as if the truck is exactly as it came from the auction after sitting for 10yrs.
knowing what I know about these trucks, I would be extremely cautious.

i will get some pis up soon! if I can ever get home b4 its dark! uhhh!!! (just picture a HMMWV) thats mine! J/K

 

[sp00n]

This forum will have you believing anything less than mint condition is a total loss. Working on them isn't difficult, powertrain parts can be fairly expensive but for the most part it's not terrible- The engine and transmission are about as simple as it gets though. Most people selling hmmwvs are about as mechanical as a marble and bought it cause it looked cool, did zero maintenance to it and sell it because diesel is $5-8/gal and it probably doesn't have ac. A fuel filter is an easy fix, you can actually do it there in the driveway if you are concerned with the way the engine is running and see if it clears up. I would be much more concerned with listening for knocking noises in the engine which is fairly tough to hear as the shitty little gm diesels sound like a pinball machine from the factory. The major money items that often don't work right are the smart box which controls the glow plugs and wait light which has been touched on in this thread (it can be bypassed for literally pennies if you aren't concerned with it being correct) and the voltage regulator on the 200a alternator. Bring a multimeter, if it won't put out 28v after 60 seconds or so of recharging after the glow plugs drain it at start up something's wrong and expect it to be expensive.

Beyond it not running right, I would be certain you buy a truck that already comes the way you want it. The engine and transmission are cheap compared to what a #### top and bows and a set of doors run. If you want a hard top and doors, particularly a slant back cargo cover it costs as much as a running truck out of govplanet. Shipping will also eat you alive, everything is oversize freight. Adding a turbo to a non turbo truck is also eye wateringly expensive for absolutely no good reason. So just be sure it's how you want it or absurdly cheap, and if it's cheap on the private market something's probably wrong.

Also be certain you can get a title and insurance before you write a check for it. It took 2 weeks of fighting to insure mine in Arizona.

 

[sp00n]

I will add another note: you can just about rest assured nobody has serviced the portal boxes, diffs or checked the spindle nuts and cv axle (sometimes called halfshaft) bolts since it left the service. It's pretty important to do that, and even if the truck is an intact driver there's no telling what fluids got drained without replacement during drmo. It may have been in the middle of a fluid change, got orders to get shipped out and just got the drain plugs stuck back in it dry and shipped out the door because they don't care.

So if you buy it definitely get it up on jack stands and drain/refill all 4 portal boxes, both diffs, motor oil and transfer case. Transmission pan has to come down to change the fluid, the dipstick and the way it drives will tell you a lot about that without dropping the pan- your call. Engine has to be hot and running to accurately check trans fluid. While the tires are off and it's up in the air check torque on the shaft bolts and pop the inspection cover off the portals to check to see if the spindle nut retainer has been updated to the multi ear style. Lots of info on this forum if you use the search bar with those key words, lots of YouTube videos about it as well if you're more of a visual learner.

You'll have less than $150 in all fluids and it'll help you keep it on the road rather than rueing the day you bought a hooptie old military vehicle built by the lowest bidder. Everyone complaining they're unreliable usually sucks at basic maintenance and just expected it to go down the road without any work.

 

[Mullaney]

This forum will have you believing anything less than mint condition is a total loss. Working on them isn't difficult, powertrain parts can be fairly expensive but for the most part it's not terrible- The engine and transmission are about as simple as it gets though. Most people selling hmmwvs are about as mechanical as a marble and bought it cause it looked cool, did zero maintenance to it and sell it because diesel is $5-8/gal and it probably doesn't have ac. A fuel filter is an easy fix, you can actually do it there in the driveway if you are concerned with the way the engine is running and see if it clears up. I would be much more concerned with listening for knocking noises in the engine which is fairly tough to hear as the shitty little gm diesels sound like a pinball machine from the factory. The major money items that often don't work right are the smart box which controls the glow plugs and wait light which has been touched on in this thread (it can be bypassed for literally pennies if you aren't concerned with it being correct) and the voltage regulator on the 200a alternator. Bring a multimeter, if it won't put out 28v after 60 seconds or so of recharging after the glow plugs drain it at start up something's wrong and expect it to be expensive.

Beyond it not running right, I would be certain you buy a truck that already comes the way you want it. The engine and transmission are cheap compared to what a #### top and bows and a set of doors run. If you want a hard top and doors, particularly a slant back cargo cover it costs as much as a running truck out of govplanet. Shipping will also eat you alive, everything is oversize freight. Adding a turbo to a non turbo truck is also eye wateringly expensive for absolutely no good reason. So just be sure it's how you want it or absurdly cheap, and if it's cheap on the private market something's probably wrong.

Also be certain you can get a title and insurance before you write a check for it. It took 2 weeks of fighting to insure mine in Arizona.

.
You speak the truth @sp00n !

Exactly as you said it... Buy it how you want it, or expect to pay more than you would have spent to buy it "your way". Turbo upgrade and going from a 3 speed to a 4 speed are going to cost as much as buying the truck again.

 

[rolling18]

I have about that in my m1123 with shipping and taxes. My truck was basically new. My M1165 I’m still working on but I have 1,100 more in it so far. 2,600 if you count new injection pump. Auction is nothing more than an educated guess.

Im confused if is basicly NEW, why are you having to replace things like an IP already? and still working on it?

 

[Maxjeep1]

Im confused if is basicly NEW, why are you having to replace things like an IP already? and still working on it?

My M1165 I bought as a non runner and it needed a new pump. My M1123 has always been fine. I have changed a belt and fluids fuel gauge and sending unit. Fuel gauge didn’t work when I got it.