I have seen some threads referring to early 6.2s, what exactly is meant by that? What are some of the major changes made to the K-series trucks from 82-87, at least the drivetrain? What years are bad for the 700r4? I am just trying to get a good idea of things I need to look out for when looking at these trucks (I have been reading the other threads talking about the different colors of smoke, bubbles in radiator, etc.). Thanks

Two differences I am aware of is the earlier models have a different fuel filter than do the later. Additionally, the cylinder valves of the later diesels have been moved a little further apart because the earlier engines had issues with cracks.

82 had coarse threaded injectors

the glow plug controller is different from 84 up

700r4 later than 86 is ok different stator shaft and sun shell which were the 2 major draw backs

there are a ton of differences some major some minute i just touched on a few there are tons more

What is considered an early model and what is considered a later model? I am looking at the 82-87 models.

I usually call '90 or so and up "late model". The other years are pretty much all the same but I do say that certain things on '82-'84 trucks are "early model" (for example an "early model" fuel filter).

Manuals also went from a mechanical to a hydraulic clutch mid-eighties. 1985 iirc. Mine has a hydraulic clutch anyway.

So if I am looking at a 1984 3/4 ton with a 700r4 transmission and a 6.2, is there anything specific that I need to look at? That is, are there common problems for this year vehicle? I have been reading the FAQ's and a few threads like these:
http://dieselplace.com/forum/showthread.php?t=76268&highlight=1984+6.2+problem

http://dieselplace.com/forum/showthread.php?t=56168&highlight=6.2+buying+tips

Info on the truck: 3/4 Ton 4WD pickup with 4" Lift and 35" Goodyear Wrangler MTR Tires with 2/3 tread left. Heated, power, leather bucket seats. Power windows, power door locks, power steering. 2" Reciever hitch with trailer power. Rubber floor and mats. Equipped with A/C which needs to be recharged. Heater and defroster work well. Equipped with cruise control which isn't currently working. 6.2 L Diesel Engine runs strong, has new injection pump, vacuum pump, alternator and coolant reservoir. Two 20 gallon fuel tanks. Driver's door is straight, but needs to be painted. There is a leak on the front seal of the transfer case and around the block heater. He is asking $4k.

Thoughts? Anyone?

What kind of mileage does the truck have on it? Any rust issues? My biggest concern would be spinning 35" rubber running a 700R4.

It has 152k miles. I have not seen the vehicle yet (planning on going next week). He says there is no rust, but I want to check the floor boards. The current owner has had the truck for 2 years and says no problems. He thinks the truck has 4.10 gears, wouldn't that make it ok for 35" tires?

$4K is too much.

Other than price, the 700R4 is a bit of an issue. At 152K it is probably getting close to needing a rebuild. Since it does have a coolant leak (around the block heater) check out the rest of the cooling system very carefully.

Is there a way to tell if the transmission has been rebuilt without taking it apart? What do you mean by the 700R4 being an issue? What would be a fair price? If it has 4.10 gears, are the 35" tires ok? I only need the truck to last for about a year and a half. Thanks for your input.

Thoughts on my previous post? I had someone tell me that the 3/4 ton didn't come stock with the 700r4 in '84, true?

I am going to look at this truck tomorrow or Friday. I was wondering what everyone thinks this truck is worth. He is asking $4k and I was thinking $3k or less.

if no rust and runs like a top . no drips underneath . block heater could be leaking. 3 or less. i see alot up here in portland or seattle. cheap

Thanks a lot.

The 700R4 went through many changes during the '80's. There were seven different input shafts built for this trans. The changes were discussed at length in GM service bulletins. The bulletins covering the changes were so numerous, GM published a hard cover, bound version in late '87. It had the entire bulletin history of the 700R4 in one book. I have a copy as well as all the original bulletins in a 3-ring binder. It's about one inch thick!!

This is a good transmission when properly built and used in the way it was intended. The key to longevity is finding someone with the expertise to procure the proper parts and, using all available info/sources, assemble it with loving care. It is very serviceable when used within it's inherent design limitations.

Welll, I went to look at it this afternoon and it is definitely not worth the $4k. It needs a new A/C compressor and it still might have a leak. The body is fairly straight with minimal rust. There are a few dents and the paint is cracking/falling off. He said automatic transmission fluid must be added every 2-3 weeks due to a leak on the front seal of the transfer case. It needs an alignment or something up front as the tires aren't wearing evenly. The most troubling thing is that there is a sound (seems to be coming from the rear) kind of like a thud when coming to a complete stop and taking off again. The owner is not sure what it could be; he checked to make sure that the axle wasn't rotating forward. I am thinking it might be worth about $2500 after all this. Thoughts?

I'd say less than $2500. More like $1500 tops.

Yeah, $1500 (if that).

As Fred482' noted the 700 is a decent tranny if it is set up correctly but the problem arises when you have a 25 year old truck with 152K on it and no tranny rebuilds. You buy the truck for $2000 (for example), drive it for two weeks and guess what? All the sudden it needs a tranny rebuild... Suddenly your $2000 truck is now a $4000 truck that you can't even come close to getting your money out of. To make it worth fixing you have to plan to drive it a lot for quite a while. Either that or the truck is worth about scrap value ($200 or so). Lots of trucks in my area reach that point and then get scrapped when the tranny blows up.

Can you guys explain specifically why you think it is worth what you say? I mean, the body isn't that bad to me, I can live with it. The A/C, I can go without that, too. If the front end just needs an alignment, no big deal. I found out the truck is actually a 1/2 ton, but the front axle is a Dana 44 from a '72 truck and a the rear end is a 1 ton 14 bolt from a '75 truck. How bad is the leak from the transfer case? Any thoughts on what the sound from the rear could be? It seems as though it something is rotating back and forth when you stop and then get going again.

For starters you don't know if the front end needs an alignment or ball-joints, tie-rods, and drag-link ends. Also I believe HS2500 mentioned the potential cost of the tranny. The way I look at it the parts budget and purchase money come from the same place. If it has the potential to need a lot of parts the amount I'm willing to pay goes down proportionally.

Can you guys explain specifically why you think it is worth what you say? I mean, the body isn't that bad to me, I can live with it. The A/C, I can go without that, too. If the front end just needs an alignment, no big deal. I found out the truck is actually a 1/2 ton, but the front axle is a Dana 44 from a '72 truck and a the rear end is a 1 ton 14 bolt from a '75 truck. How bad is the leak from the transfer case? Any thoughts on what the sound from the rear could be? It seems as though it something is rotating back and forth when you stop and then get going again.

Simple. I could (if I had the money) go out and buy a lot better truck for the kind of money you are talking about. The guy is crazy for asking $4000. $2500 is still high... There's a lot wrong with this truck and some of the problems are relatively major (transmission and coolant leaks, body damage, clunking noises). Alone these problems aren't that big of a deal. Group them together, tack them onto an already pricey truck, add in the cloud of doom surrounding the tranny, and you end up paying too much. Do some looking around on eBay... You will see that prices on these trucks are generally not very high. For $3000 it wouldn't be too hard to find a perfect (and I do mean PERFECT) truck. Personally I would never pay $3000 for one of these things but if that's what you want you can find a really nice one for similar money.

Bottom line... The truck sounds like a money pit. You can probably get a nicer one for less than $2500 without too much trouble. Just keep looking...

I really appreciate all the input. I know that the upper and lower ball joints were replaced, but he never did an alignment. How bad is it to replace a front seal on the transfer case? Any ideas on what the clunk could be? The transmission and engine feel solid. I have no reason to think that the tranny would crap out at any time. I won't be doing any towing and the previous owner did some light towing. I know there are nicer trucks for the money around, but I am not able to go get those. I am pretty limited to Utah, Idaho, Wyoming and Nevada. Again, thanks for all the input.

How bad is it to replace a front seal on the transfer case?

Not too bad if that is really what is leaking. You have to remove the driveshafts, support the transmission, support the transfer case, separate the case from the transmission, replace the seal, and put it all back together.

Any ideas on what the clunk could be?

U-joints, axle, motor mount, etc... Lots of things could cause that.

The transmission and engine feel solid. I have no reason to think that the tranny would crap out at any time.

Automatics can and do fail with little or no noticeable warning. Even if it feels good now you can't tell very accurately how long it is going to last. It could last ten years or two weeks. I can tell you that since it is a 700R4 with 152K miles it is more likely to be two weeks than ten years. Beyond that it is hard to say. The 700 was a decent tranny but they usually don't last a really long time in this application... Most of them that have 150K on them have been rebuilt.

I know there are nicer trucks for the money around, but I am not able to go get those. I am pretty limited to Utah, Idaho, Wyoming and Nevada.

Well, you are certainly in a good area for picking out a truck. Here in the rust belt you can't find one with the bottom of the body on it anymore. I know diesels may be hard to find out there but I would still keep looking around a little bit more unless you can get the price down a bit...

Good luck!