I am looking to purchase an 83' chev 3500 4x4 with the 6.2. The truck has 110,000 miles and an auto trans which I was told is an OD.

What should I look for on this truck that may not be real noticable when just looking at it?

-Wet areas
-common areas for leaks
-glow plugs
-pumps

This is the first 6.2 I have ever looked at so help would be appreciated.

Thanks :)

i would remove the air cleaner and look to see if the intake is drawing in oil. pay attention to the exhaust's color. check the valley under the air cleaner to see if there are any fluids on the block. i just bought my first 6.2 a few weeks ago. i found a few leaks later that i didn't noticed when i bought it, but they were easy fixes

Check out the harmonic balancher and the pulley on the crankshaft. They have rubber parts that can wear out over time. When the rubber is worn out, the balancher and/or the pulley needs to be replaced.

You may want to pay attention to the front wheel bearings. They are supposed to be repacked after 24k miles and may wear out at some time if they are not. Take a look at the rear wheel bearings as well; if they leak, that won`t be a good sign.

Check the lines for the oil cooler and the transmission cooler. They should be running from the block/transmission to side tanks which are built into the radiator (passenger side for oil cooler, drivers side for trans cooler).

Take off the radiator cap and look inside the radiator. If it`s not full with coolant, you might see a lot of white stuff in it. With the white stuff, it might be somewhat/partly plugged.

Try out the four wheel drive.

Take a close look at the front end: Does it appear to be worn out? Has it been greased?

If the glow plugs don`t work, it will be (at least) hard to start the engine when it`s cold. There`s a mechanical fuel pump on the passenger side, quite low on the front of the engine. You can try to open the bleed valve on the fuel filter when the engine is not running --- if a small amount of fuel squirts out, that`s a sign that the pump still provides some pressure.

Take a look at the underside to see how much oil appears to be leaking from the pan and from the transmission and if the transfer case is leaking.

No overdrive transmission available in an 1983 3500 from GM. Should be a THM400,a 3 speed.

Don't foget to check the starter bolts and the bracket from the side of the block to the starter.I didn't check mine when I bought it one bolt was broken off in the block and the bracket was unhooked.
John

No overdrive transmission available in an 1983 3500 from GM. Should be a THM400,a 3 speed.

Strangest thing, it is a 4spd auto. Says OD right on the gear selector deal.

I dont know if it matters but it is a 2500 not a 3500 like I originally thought.

LD 2500s (5 lug 2WD, 6 lug 4WD wheels) could have the 700R4, the biggest problem with the '83, IMHO, is the bad cast iron used in the block-they tend to crack at the #2,3, & 4 outer main bolt holes, and you can't check them without pulling the oil pan. Eventually the crank breaks (sometimes in more than 1 place) due to the lack of main support, and it's toast. Allegedly the '82 had better iron/more nickel, and the later 599 blocks had smaller diameter outer main bolts & holes to prevent this from happening.