new to SD22 - looking for parts

[phoneinstaller]

were are you located at? that would help us with your questions better

[plenzen]

The first thing I think I would do (personally) would be to have a compression check done. That will tell you if it’s going to be a money pit or not. There are certainly other things that can go wrong with it, but, most of those things don’t cost as much as an engine rebuild. If the compression numbers are where they should be then go from there. You are right about the vacuum pump in that it supplies vacuum for the brake booster. As for parts, most of them have either been sourced or know where to source them from by the members of this forum. There is tons of info here and all you need do is use the "search" feature. I think near everything that can and might go wrong with these little guys has been dealt with at one point or another here. As for your location, as mentioned, that is important.
The price is hard to say based on what kind of work has been done and “a fair price” is subjective and pretty much whatever you think its worth to you. $3900.00 is in the upper end but not knowing the history, mileage, general condition, etc etc,,,, well you get the idea.

HTH

Paul

[plenzen]

See the post, "Testing Compression".

A diesel repair shop could most likely do this check for you. If you read the post above you will see how it is done and the numbers you seek are there.
As for "catastrophic" things, the engine rebuild could nearly equal the price paid for the truck, so
I also believe that vintage of truck's transmission had the potential of getting a noisy input shaft bearing. Although I believe that the parts are not hugely expensive to repair that, it will require, if you are not inclined yourself to do it, taking it for a re and re at a tranny shop.
It's pretty much the same as buying any used vehicle. After you have had or conducted a thorough inspection and are confident with your findings you roll the dice.

Just as a side note here. Members Dr. Jones and Truck A are both in the Raleigh area and member bacho is in Greenville SC. There are some other members on the list that are from the Carolinas but these three members are the most active that I can recall at this time. I only mention this as they may know of diesel repair shops, parts sources etc close to where you are.

P

[rlaggren]

When I buy a vehicle I try to look at the owner as closely as the vehicle. The single owner vehicle with records shows a guy who needed the vehicle and thus took care of it and was not too likely to abuse it. The guy who _doesn't_ own the vehicle (whose name does NOT appear on the title) but who has a signed title from a third party ready for transfer is the most suspect; this fellow has acquired the vehicle recently and has/had no intention of keeping it but plans to resell and make a profit. For the reseller any quick fix to make it shine and run a few more miles is SOP; near-match (but not correct) parts from related vehicles are often installed.

The vehicle that has dust and rust and some baby toys under the seat from 1991 is preferable to one that is freshly repainted, waxed and perfumed - you're much more likely to be getting what you think you see and you can actually _see_ what wear is present.

Talk to the seller. Ask about his EXPERIENCE with gas mileage, road handling with a large load, is the oil change easy, etc. Ask about his experience because it is an easier way to find out whether he's owned the vehicle and why he's selling it than to ask if he's flipping a vehicle for fast bucks. Mechanics are particularly prone to patching up old "name" vehicles w/out too much care for long term performance. "These trucks get xyz miles per gallon" is a red flag - what you want to hear is "I got mostly xxx on the highway last year and I'm not sure about city driving except when I towed the boat."

Rufus

[dn29626]

Sent a PM.