Test driving an M1009 tonight.

[AffableGaloot]

After a couple of months trying to find one in my price range, I've finally found one that isn't 10 hours away! I'm going to test drive it tonight and I'm prepared to hand the man his cash and drive it home. I get a good feeling talking to the guy that he's honest and up front however, I don't want to get screwed by something that I wasn't knowledeable enough to look for. Are there any fairly common issues you guys could highlight for me to watch for when I'm checking it tonight.
I cut my teeth driving these in the Guard years ago, so I'm not a complete idiot. But, I'm no serious mechanic either. Thanks for the help!

 

[det rebel]

has the truck been sitting or was it run every day or two but always check oil and water

 

[Evil Dr. Porkchop]

Check for rust everywhere, battery trays, floors, around the edges of the tub, rockers, innerfenders, middle of the tailgate, etc. (they rust a lot!)
Check for any wiring that has been hacked together.
Make sure it has a title if your state requires one! (not an sf97).

Good Luck.

 

[swiss]

I would test the 4 wheel in both low and high, if he objects then you know you got an issue with the transmission or front drive train. Check the lights all around that they work that is a good sign of problems with electrical. Hopefully it is still cold and you can see it start and how long the glow plug takes to cycle and how hard it is to start. If the engine is warm when you get there you will not have any data on the glow plugs or relay.

If it is solid and goes down the road almost anything can be fixed. Just take your time and run it through its paces.

Good luck and keep us posted

 

[Mainsail]

I'm sure you know this but don't try the 4WD out on the pavement. I once sold a 4WD truck and told the guy not to put it in 4WD unless he was off the pavement. Imagine my horror when I watched him stop a few hundred yards away and engage the front. He drove up to me with the tires chirping and the truck lunging, then said there was something wrong with it and he didn't want it.

 

[det rebel]

mainsail if a guy would have done that i would have told him the sale is final and please leave my property before i have you thrown off

 

[Barrman]

Call the guy and ask him to not have it warmed up. You want it to be stone cold. Flip down the drivers sun visor and it tells you how to start it. Ask the guy to take you though how he does it.

5-10 seconds of glow plugs once the key is on.

It should start within .5-2 seconds of hitting the starter.

Both GEN lights should go out and the volt meter should be well into the green after it has run for 20 seconds or so. If it never leaves the yellow/green line then one of the alternators is bad.

 

[det rebel]

if you find a can of ETHER( starting fluid) in the floor board or under the hood or in the back of the truck WALK AWAY

 

[swiss]

I'm sure you know this but don't try the 4WD out on the pavement. I once sold a 4WD truck and told the guy not to put it in 4WD unless he was off the pavement. Imagine my horror when I watched him stop a few hundred yards away and engage the front. He drove up to me with the tires chirping and the truck lunging, then said there was something wrong with it and he didn't want it.

That is an interesting statement, I have had mine in 4 wheel high on the pavement with no problems below 20 mph. 4 Wheel low on the pavement going straight and less than 4 miles per hour without any problems. I am sure this topic will bring many comments so lets see what others think.

 

[AffableGaloot]

Thank you all for the help. Some of the stuff I knew, several things I wouldn't have thought of or, flat out, had no idea about. I appreciate all of it. If I drive her home tonight or in the morning, be prepared for me to start picking your brains some more. I've already gotten a lot of good information from some other threads, but I'm sure I'll come up with some new and exciting way to screw something up to keep you all entertained!

Thanks again for the help. Maybe I'll have some photos of my very own brand new (well, okay, really pretty dang old) M1009 to post tomorrow!

 

[max1008]

if you find a can of ETHER( starting fluid) in the floor board or under the hood or in the back of the truck WALK AWAY

I got real scared when I got mine from the depot and there was a can of ether on the driver seat and they said they couldnt get it started!!

 

[det rebel]

man yea i bet that did scare you it would have me too because ether is like crack to an engine one time i went to go work on a dozer and there was 7 cans rolling around the cab and then they couldn't figure out why it lost compression