'97 Chev ?

bax467 · February 7, 2009

Alright guys i think i found my next toy. the city i work for will be getting rid of what i believe to be a '97 chev k1500 z71, 350, sle, buckets, ext cab w/3rd door, will prolly have around 160-180k on it by the time it goes to auction. sounds like i may be able to get this thing for as little 2k when it goes to auction. i drove this truck the other night and immediatley knew this truck has to be mine. body has no rust, starts/runs great, tranny shifts very well, interior is perfect. i didn't see any leaks underneath. this truck was assigned to one guy for many, many years.

My question is; next time i get a chance to crawl around this thing are there specific things i should be looking for specific to this model? i am not familiar with the typical things that go wrong or wear out on the gmt400's. if i had to guess i would never believe it has this many miles on it. thanks for your help in advance dudebros.

mattjulien · February 7, 2009

make sure the cooling system is in tip top shape...being city maintained it probably was flushed regularly. also check the fuel pump pressure as the fuel pump is a common thing to go out on these trucks. also check for front and rear oil leaks. and of course check the normal things like brakes, shocks, oil, transmission fluid, etc. you'll be getting yourself a hell of a truck for 2 grand!!!

L29er · February 7, 2009

the most common probs are intake gasket leaks on the 305 and 350s plus the heater hose fitting at the front of the intake (it usually likes to break off when changing, requiring chiseling out the old and re-threading the intake (sucky), look at the fronts and if possible back of the intake for any signs of seapage, even still an easy fix, other than that i would look for other leaks as you said and condition of the fluids, GMT-400s are great trucks!!!!

04CCSO · February 7, 2009

make sure the cooling system is in tip top shape...being city maintained it probably was flushed regularly. also check the fuel pump pressure as the fuel pump is a common thing to go out on these trucks. also check for front and rear oil leaks. and of course check the normal things like brakes, shocks, oil, transmission fluid, etc. you'll be getting yourself a hell of a truck for 2 grand!!!

I guess I better not say what I gave for my 04 x-cab 4x4 . And don't be to sure on the maintanice unless you see records. Most city or state trucks get nothing but oil changes unless something doesn't work. Good luck though

bax467 · February 7, 2009

i truly miss the 5.7 and gmt400 combo. i'm looking into getting a peek at the service records, hopefully they are promising. if the price is right i will have a tough time walking away even if they suck. i'm just really hoping that the trans was serviced at least a couple of times. probably wishful thinking but oh well. i'm betting that i'm jumping the gun asking you guys these questions, but if this doesn't pan out i may just look elsewhere for a nice used one of the same trim level around 100k miles. thanks for all of your help dudebros!

if i am fortunate enough to find the "one," i will surely post some picks

kuhl_530 · February 9, 2009

Check the cab corners!!! BIG problem with classic gm bodies, they like to rot from the inside out.

bax467 · February 9, 2009

i will have to check the cab corners next time i'm inside the shop. but after looking underneath it appears the front main seal sprung a leak. i imagine that would cost a fair amount to fix? for sure a big pain in the a$$. cooling system is a toss up, appears ok.

but the trans fluid is clean which is a good sign. since the front main is leaking i cannot tell how bad the front diff is seeping. it appears i'll have to get ahold of the guy that drives the truck everyday and ask him. for 2k i think i can manage to deal with some of these things, we'll see for sure though. that motor sure is strong for the miles....

uniquebrett · February 15, 2009

i will have to check the cab corners next time i'm inside the shop. but after looking underneath it appears the front main seal sprung a leak. i imagine that would cost a fair amount to fix? for sure a big pain in the a$$. cooling system is a toss up, appears ok.

but the trans fluid is clean which is a good sign. since the front main is leaking i cannot tell how bad the front diff is seeping. it appears i'll have to get ahold of the guy that drives the truck everyday and ask him. for 2k i think i can manage to deal with some of these things, we'll see for sure though. that motor sure is strong for the miles....

off the subject....but had to ask///bax.....what make and model is that cruiser bike pictured in your posts....? Sure looks sweet.

Brett

rodram · March 26, 2009

Just bought a 97 C2500 with a 350 (200,000 km) this past summer. Find out when or if the intake manifold gasket has been replaced... the original gm gasket will be due to start leaking after this age and odometer reading (at first you will smell coolant whenever you stop and get out of the truck) .... other (non-routine regular maintenance) work I have had to do is replace the wiper control module, the coolant pump, ...

DofD · March 26, 2009

Also if the intake manifold gasket needs to be replaced, check the upper intake manifold for any corrosion around the coolant ports.

pennzoil29 · March 26, 2009

IMO, for 2K buy it, if you have to throw in another K, so what. You'll still have a damn decent truck for a decent price. The nice thing about the gmt400's is you can still do the majority of the maintenance/repairs in the driveway.