What questions should i ask dealer about truck?

for an oil sample and send it to these people if its high mileage truck
http://www.blackstone-labs.com/

 

also as far as questions, dealer salesman really isnt going to be highly knowledgible in most cases, if you know a mechanic you consider reputable take him with you so you get a real good lookover on most everything or just do a full DOT inspection on it yourself, last thing you want is to end up with repairs on something you just bought

 

You'll want a dyno, along with lifetime MPG readout from the ecm. Maintenance records, any history they have, previous owners, all that good stuff. A rigdig will be in your favor as well.

Personally I'd favor that w9, that's a great spec and if the motor was taken care of, it's capable of seeing 1.5 to 2 million miles prior to being inframed.

 

Agreed the oil sample will tell you a lot. It is worth it to sample the transmission and both rearends also. I checked in to that blackstone labs. Says $28 for oil sample analysis. You can get oil sampling done for much less $ from any Cat equipment dealer. I buy mine from the one in UT for about $12 a sample kit, includes postage to send it in. Very good report and with continued sampling they will track trends of what your truck is doing.

 

any oil sample is good to get, hard for any dealer to hide from those, unless im buying new(which i probably wont ever) im getting that sample

 

youd want truck running if you pulled kit off the dipstick, but most dealers im sure would get a mechanic to give yyou a vial of oil, theyd probably appreciate the test results should something show up bad, i dont know why dealers dont get test results on used trucks anyway, itd help them sell a truck and a test isnt high cost

 

Google search for Easyvac. The Cat oil sample kits are designed to work with a suction gun. This is the best way to make sure you do not get any contamination in the samples. If you just hand the mechanic a bottle you're likely going to get some residual dirt from somewhere in the sample. Considering the test is looking for contaminants in parts per million you need as clean a sample as possible to get results worth looking at.

 

Only problem with getting a sample is if they performed an oil change recently. Have them run up the truck to operating temp and moniter the oil pressure. Pay attention to start up pressure and pressure drop at temp. I would shy away from the cat due to the head cracking issues they are known for. As the Cummins is a pushrod motor watch it thru the rpm range for vibration up to at least 1800-2000. I don't know the operating area or the freight you haul but the 13spd is more desirable. You can get a little better fuel mileage with the Cummins. Get what you can out of them. At least check the oil in trans and diff's. Have them change them if they look dirty or smell bad. Make sure it will pass an annual inspection. Glass lights no exhaust leaks etc. Check play in the steering gear box. Wheel seal, brake linings and drums. Ask for history if they are a Cummins dealer they might be able to get history thru there for the motor. Other than that be diligent in your walk around. Don't be afraid to roll around under the truck and get dirty looking for leaks etc. The dirtier you get now the cleaner you can stay later.