moral support required!

[derekja]

hehe, I wish! I'd a sold it to him for 5K!

Got the truck back home this morning. Just for interest, here is the written report from them:
"
Truck came in 1/26/07
Customer just bought truck. Inspect and call with quote.
1. coolant leaks on engine and under air filter.
found heater hose tube assy on top of engine failed. order replacement parts from Chev, installed and filled with water. no leaks.

2. ABS light is on, check all brakes.
brake life: front 10%. rear 20-30%.

3. complete a pm "A" service. service trans.
Did not do.

4. Look over and advise.
Exhaust leaks and is falling off, left rear shock is missing, all steering components failed, dangerous to drive, charge air cooler is falling off, hose to air bags are melted and air bags are falling off.

5. Low boost, 4 psi.
air filter plugged, cleaned filter, pressure test charge air system, tightened all clamps, wired turbo waste gate closed, test drove 10 psi. still low, after test drive engine is blowing coolant out of overflow res. found compression in cooling system, possible bad head gskt or head? engine needs to be replaced....
note: this truck is in very poor mechanical condition, Unsafe to drive!!! advised customer.

connector 8.10
hose tube assy 64.67
hose clamp 1.50
3 shop man hours 240.00
shop supplies 5.00

subtotal 319.35
tax 26.83
total 346.18
"

I don't think this changes my plan of action:

0) take report to seller while picking up some front end receipts he is looking for. Talk over with him. He protests loudly that he has great confidence in the truck. I think maybe I'd take a $1k loss to get out of it. Hurts, but with the shop guy telling me he wouldn't fix it I have lost some confidence.

1) get cylinder heads off with engine in the truck. Evaluate heads. Evaluate other engine components? replace glow plugs. get injectors checked. Check lift pump, timing chain, belt tensioner, harmonic balancer, and pulleys while in there.

2) address exhaust issues while putting heads back together.

3) r&r shocks, tie rods, and other front end and steering components

4) r&r brakes

Tools to buy:
-- chilton guide to supplement the alldatadiy online service guide
-- is it worth getting a compression tester and testing cylinder compression before ripping into the heads so I have some comparison numbers?
-- carcode (pc based bidirectional scan tool) - so that I can check for other codes, get some temp and perf measurements before pulling the truck apart, etc.
-- jack and jackstands (2) to raise vehicle while working on front end.
-- specialized chevy tools for harmonic puller, tie rod puller, glow plug socket, injector socket, etc.

I'm sure the list of tools will grow... I don't have much but sockets and wrenches and screwdrivers and such now.

I'm a little bit daunted by all this, honestly. I don't know what else to do other than dive into it, though.

[billschall]

I don't think this changes my plan of action:

0) take report to seller while picking up some front end receipts he is looking for. Talk over with him. He protests loudly that he has great confidence in the truck. I think maybe I'd take a $1k loss to get out of it. Hurts, but with the shop guy telling me he wouldn't fix it I have lost some confidence.

1) get cylinder heads off with engine in the truck. Evaluate heads. Evaluate other engine components? replace glow plugs. get injectors checked. Check lift pump, timing chain, belt tensioner, harmonic balancer, and pulleys while in there.

2) address exhaust issues while putting heads back together.

3) r&r shocks, tie rods, and other front end and steering components

4) r&r brakes

Tools to buy:
-- chilton guide to supplement the alldatadiy online service guide
-- is it worth getting a compression tester and testing cylinder compression before ripping into the heads so I have some comparison numbers?
-- carcode (pc based bidirectional scan tool) - so that I can check for other codes, get some temp and perf measurements before pulling the truck apart, etc.
-- jack and jackstands (2) to raise vehicle while working on front end.
-- specialized chevy tools for harmonic puller, tie rod puller, glow plug socket, injector socket, etc.

I'm sure the list of tools will grow... I don't have much but sockets and wrenches and screwdrivers and such now.

I'm a little bit daunted by all this, honestly. I don't know what else to do other than dive into it, though.

Derek,

I think you have a good plan, and since I'm living your nightmare at this very moment I offer the following advise:

1. Take numerous pictures of the engine compartment before & DURING disassembly. My girlfriend suggested that I do that before gutting it and I wish now that I had done it. Would be very helpful during re-assembly. I've even gone to the local junk yard since starting back together and photographed a carcass. It helped.

2. Keep a notebook of the order in which you remove things.

3. Place all bolts/fasteners in plastic or styrofoam cups for each component removed. Mark each cup and set aside.

4. Mark ALL wires, plugs, etc with duct tape and identified with a magic marker.

5. Everything's metric. Get a good set of combo wrenches. A metric deep-well socket set is also imperative for the job, although you'll primarily use the 13 & 15mm sockets. Have any friends who are mechanics? Borrow what tools you can instead of buying.

6. Do a compression check before you remove the heads to establish baseline data. Plan on another following the R&R for comparison.

7. Find a good, reputable machine shop to check the heads. I spent about $110 to find out mine were junk. After removing your heads, take pictures of the head gaskets. If I remember correctly, #2 (passenger, front) and #7 (driver, rear) are the most prone for head gasket failure. The Guide details this in the head gasket replacement section. If you need heads, let me know. There's a guy here in PA that had about a dozen or so new GM heads with valves for $350 per. Clearwater in FLA also has been mentioned as a good source. Shop around. Check fleaBay.

8. You mentioned raising the vehicle. I took the front wheels off and set the front axle on the 2x8's on the ground as I knew I'd be bending over alot to work on it (no pun intended). Your lift kit may contraindicate this action however.

9. WD40, WD40, WD40. Spray it on every bolt/nut that is exposed to the elements (like exhaust, component mounts, etc.). Let the stuff soak on the heavily corroded hardware for a few days before trying to remove. On some of my ugliest bolts, I gave 'em a shot each day for three days. Stuff works like a charm.

If you want to call me, I'll PM you my #. Be glad to talk.

-Bill

[derekja]

Thanks, Bill, I really appreciate the advice.

I'm feeling a bit better about the financial side of things since pouring through the receipt folder I got with the truck. Depreciation is amazing. This was a $36,000 truck new in 1998. The original owner put an additional $1000 into the stereo, $1500 into a big gooseneck trailer hitch and truck bed airbags, $1500 into an intercooler, $2000 into upgraded cooling system and gauges and high performance engine package. The next owner put $1500 into the lifted suspension in 2004. $1000 into these monster tires, also in 2004. Also did some exhaust work and additional front end work that he is looking for receipts for.

So it's got a lot of miles on it, and needs a bunch of work, but it seems like my $6000 into the truck so far is certainly justified. I'm actually a little bit pissed off at the shop for continually trying to pronounce a death sentence on this truck instead of saying that he didn't want to work on it.

Now a lot of work just remains to be done...

[RoverIIa]

The pictures advice is spectacular. You need to take as many photos as you can handle.

Also:

1) Plan on replacing all of the Head Bolts (I paid about 35 per side at NAPA)

2) Spend money on a decent torque wrench.

3) A bench grinder with a wire wheel is cheap and will ensure that all of your bolts are clean and happy to go back together. Wear an apron and gloves and glasses, those wires sting.

4) A compression tester for diesels is fairly pricey. You would be better off putting the money into a torque wrench.

5) IF you do not have a lot of tools, you need to find a friend with at least:

Metric Wrench Set.
Metric Deep Sockets. (30 mm if you pull injectors)
An Impact Wrench ( Head Bolts, Crank Bolt, some others will be tough without it)
Do some sort of dye or magnetic flux test for cracks in your piston tops. Mine were almost all cracked, but the cracks were impossible to see until they were cleaned really well, and carbon stayed in the cracks.

I would pay a different mechanic to do a compression and leakdown test, and provide you with a written report by cylinder. He/she should try to identify if the compression loss is through the valve, gasket, or piston/rings.

Most of the specialty tools and pullers can be rented or pulled from the loaner-tool programs at auto supply stores.

I made the mistake of not doing my cleaning of parts during disassembly. Every part needs to be cleaned, bagged, and prepped for re-installation as you take it apart. I added several weeks and several grand to my re-build with things that I would have noticed as I took it apart if I would have done my cleaning then, rather than waiting until each part was ready for re-installation. It doesn't change the cost, but does soften the blow.

If this is your only vehicle, you should not plan on having this done over the course of a weekend. It is going to take a while. There are a lot of unknowns when you tear into those heads. I would recommend having several grand available as credit or cash if you have to trade time for money. You don't know what you will find.

If you need a better idea, you should try to find someone with a bore-scope, and have them go in through the injector or valves to see just how bad things look.

Finally, it will run for a long time with a compression leak (still not good), but the brakes will kill you soon. I just went through a very similar process, and am more than willing to share my pain, if it helps you avoid it.

Have fun... and buy some really good hand cleaner!

[trbankii]

1. Take numerous pictures of the engine compartment before & DURING disassembly.

A digital camera is worth its weight in gold to the home mechanic. No wasted film or time spent waiting for developing. Take pictures of every step. The other advantage is being able to print them out, write information on them (or on the back of them), and rubber-band them to parts or roll them up and stick them in the coffee-can with a set of particular bolts. I've had a couple "now where the heck did this go?" moments through the years... =)

Best of luck with the project and know that you've got a lot of good people backing you up on this board!

[bleucrew6.2]

As with anything that has a bit of age to it, your truck will always need some attention. Sometimes its just a matter of priority, (or money!). I bought my truck because it was old enough for me to be able to work on myself. My main concern was body/chassis integrity, because everthing starts there. I concentrated on safety issues first as Robyn suggests, and then added some creature comforts. The truck has some dings here and there, but I kind of like it that way. Its my first diesel, and the folks at this website have been very helpful and supportive in my flounderings. Hang in there. I'll be thinking of you when the weather here is warm enough for me to change out my two gas tanks in the driveway....