New Truck Purchase Any Advise

[Waterloo]

Back to the topic at hand, go over the truck as best you can. Just remember anything with around 500,000 miles is going to need an in frame sooner than later. And unfortunately with these EPA motors, sooner is the norm.

I would seriously think twice about buying one of these EPA trucks, especially if you have to carry a note. Me, I would look for some well maintained non EGR old iron. They are out there, and parts are still available to keep them on the road. And, if an in frame is needed, it is not as bad as one of these newer trucks.

Anyhow, if you have to do this, an EPA truck, get it to Mr Hagg's shop ASAP, AFTER YOU do a complete EGR Tuneup. When you do this EGR tuneup, only use genuine Cummins sensors, do not go screwing around with Chinese knock off sensors. Sometimes you just have to pay the vig. And when you are doing the EGR Tuneup, pick up the cam and crank position sensors along with a new oil pressure sending unit. Then let MR Hagg fix and inspect your truck so that you will have a better chance of making it out here.

Also, try and find a 13 or 18 speed if possible, ten would be my last choice but better than an automatic. Stay away from the automatics unless you need one due to a physical disability. Gearing, odds are you are going to be stuck with tall gears, swap those out as soon as you can if you are going to be running heavy the majority of the time. I would look at the 3:55's or there about. And pray the fool that drove the truck previously did not lug the shi#t out of it. And when you are looking this truck over, I would go to NAPA and pick up one of their Block Test Kits, $50 to $60. This will tell you in short order if there is exhaust gas in the coolant system. This is a non invasive test, all that is required is that the truck is running at operating temperature. If the dealer will not allow this test, walk away, as odds are he knows there is a liner or head issue.

You already have Insite, but start purchasing tools and diagnostic equipment. First thing on my list would be a coolant pressure testing kit along with an AirLift coolant system fill kit. You will need both of these soon, and the initial purchase is still less than what a shop will charge you. Odds are you will need to replace all of the plumbing (hoses) soon after purchasing, you will need these two kits, do not take your truck to a shop, do this work yourself and learn your cooling system. Very important to know this system. When it is in frame time, this is where you will discover the ugly truth, your cooling system, unless the fuel pump lets loose, and we don't want to go there.

Assemble the tools to do the overhead, they will pay for themselves the first time you use them and you will know the job was done correctly. And if possible, get that valve cover lid off of the motor to inspect the cam and rollers BEFORE purchasing, very important. If they will not let you inspect I would consider walking away. If they let you under the valve cover, inspect the Jake harness, you are looking for heat damage. If you see any signs of brittleness, cracks or the plastic clips are damaged, you will need a new one. They are easy to install.

If you purchase the 2250 or 2350 motor, plan on rebuilding or replacing the fuel pump ASAP. Even if they say it was recently done, at least tear it apart and inspect it unless you can see it is a new pump. If it is new, it will normally not be painted, and someone will have some paperwork somewhere in the Cummins system. I would not trust a dealer in any of this, they have a long history of lying to us guys.

Get familiar with the parts that are soon to be in need of replacement. You will really need to shop around for parts, FleetPride is a good place for generic parts. Freightliner too, they beat the hell out of other dealers for those same common parts.

If you get a Paccar product, inspect the coolant line coming out of the passenger side bottom radiator. The pipe is made of metal and they corrode very quickly and are not cheap to replace. They need to be painted with POR 15, several coats before installing. If purchasing from a dealer have them throw one in your sleeper so you can install and paint it properly.

Then the damper, 500,000 miles and it is getting time to replace. Needs to be painted, several coats, use Cummins Red paint from dealer, one can is plenty. Mark the timing marks and then use a professional clear coat to protect your marks. Use several coats and let dry before installing.

This is not the days of trucking I started in. You could buy a new truck and with a good maintaince schedule 1.5 to 2 million miles was easy to obtain. These motors and trucks of today are like going back in time to the days of V8 Detroits and chain drives. If you do not know how to keep them running in your driveway, you will be out of business in short order, and that means learning the systems and getting your hands dirty.

The days of simple maintenance and cruising down the road are long gone. You need to learn diagnostics, be able to read schematics, turn a wrench, have the proper speciality tools and learn how to properly drive the truck for the best fuel mileage and longevity of the motor. My first EPA truck, which I still own, destroyed my marriage and about bankrupted me. I'm not the only one, there are a few of us still here, and more than a few that are no longer in trucking or are driving a company truck for someone else. I would say they are the smart ones.

Good luck and Happy Motoring!