So You've Just Bought a Used Truck . . .

[ThreeTruckMan76]

So, you've just bought a used truck.

If you're a guy like me, you're just happy that the guy who owned it before you took good enough care of it that you were able to drive it home. And now you've been driving it for a few days/weeks. You've already done the preliminary inspections of fluids, air, ignition systems, etc. and it seems reliable and safe for the road. But now what do you do? What's next on the checklist?

Here's my best list of what to do next (not that I'm capable of doing or even understanding all of these things, regardless, they need to be attended to by somebody fairly soon I assume)

Change Oil
Flush/fill Radiator
Inspect brakes/wheels
Inspect undercarriage (rattles, loose wires, exhaust system)
Fuel tank
Front end suspension (tie rods, shocks, etc)
Rear End, check axles, grease?
Grease hinges, doors
Inspect carburetor, engine hoses, fuel lines, vacuum hoses
Spark plugs
Begin hunt for safer wheels/tires

And that's the best I've got . . .

You see I'm asking you guys because I don't exactly know (but don't worry about me; I have plenty of friends who do know, and who have been helping me, but I'm just asking you guys to get some fresh ideas!)

Thanks for playing,
Daren

Now, who wants to go first?

[sargentrs]

Sounds like you've got a good starting to do list. While you're checking your suspension, don't forget to check all your rubber bushings. Axle pivot, radius arms, cab mounts and leaf spring bushings. And yes, check your differential grease level. And give all your suspension grease fittings a fresh shot of grease. Jack up each corner and give each wheel the "snatch and grab" test and put a pry bar under the tire to check your wheel bearings for slop.

[Madman]

Compression check for grins and gigles..........vacuum out all the dirt collection from the rear corners of the cab, crawl underneath and see where the oil build up from leaky seals are, shock inspection. Your list is a pretty solid start.

[HIO Silver]

Here's what I do to every new-to-me vehicle. Doing some of these simple steps when looking at a vehicle to buy can also reveal stuff the seller may not tell ya.:

Preserve sanity.
Grab a trash bag and a small box… trash and garbage goes in the bag and any spare parts goes into the box. The owners manual and, if present, fuses goes in the glove box.
Powerwash the body, wheel wells, and even the engine compartment.
Vacuum it out. Cleanliness is next to….

Basic Visual Inspection
Grab a note pad and do a bumper to bumper visual inspection.. this is also time to go on “Hack Patrol” – All those so-called “repairs” made by previous owners. Look for duct tape, household wire nuts, electrical tape, wood screws, wires that go to nowhere.
On the notepad make three columns/categories:
- Gotta fix/replace now.. these include safety items like lights and brakes, cab mounts;
- Gotta fix/upgrade/replace soon or “The Watch List” – floor pans.; and,
- Fix later – rust holes, old wiper blades, loose knobs and switches.
Look for loose, missing, or broken hardware like lug nuts, fender and bumper bolts, and bellhousing to engine bolts. Feel around for soft or cracked hoses – radiator hoses degrade from the inside. Crimp it with your hand and it should have the same firmness all the way around.

Fluid Check.
You’re just doing this so ya don’t burn anything up and the fluids will be replaced later.
Engine oil, coolant, auto trans, power steering, and brake fluid. If possible, front and rear axle lube, T-case, and gear lube in a manual trans.
Air up the tires and the spare.

Hardware Check (Bumper to Bumper)
With a screwdriver, sockets, and wrenches double-check the tightness of everything that is easily accessible.
Torque the lug nuts.
Tighten hose clamps in the engine compartment.
Double-check spark plugs and seat the plug wires. I like to also verify the firing order.

Pre-Operation
Check for brake pressure.
Turn on the ignition system (no engine start). Turn on everything - blower motor, exterior and interior lights, turn signals, hazards, heater controls, wipers, etc.

Engine Start.
With a fire extinguisher at the ready, fire it up and let’er cook.
Set the idle speed and timing.
Verify that the thermostat works by leaving off the rad cap. You’ll see the coolant flowing which is an indication that the thermostat had indeed opened.
Take it for a test drive and note how it tracks, turns, accelerates, and stops.
Park it and let it idle for about five minutes to check if it overheats.
Shut it off for 10 minutes and then restart it. Hopefully it starts right up. If not, then it can be a vapor lock, a carb that needs to be rebuilt, or defective ignition components like an ICU or coil.

Full Tune Up (to establish a baseline)
Rebuild the carburetor!!!
Replace points, plugs, wires, cap, and rotor.
Change the engine oil and oil filter.
Change coolant, axle gear lube, transmission, & T-case lube.
Replace air and fuel filter
Bleed and change brake fluid.
Replace all the drive belts and at least the radiator hoses.
Take a grease gun and service all grease fittings.
Lube door latches, locks, tailgate latches, door hinges, etc.

[Abrams]

I like Hio silvers hit list and mad man had a point with checking the compression. Id also have a look at the king pins. I normally spend about a day or three running tests and going through a new vehicle. Torking and testing from front to back. Checking rubber and electrical, all that fun stuff.
One thing I need to do is write everything down and make a parts list and a to fix list. It keeps me on track.

[tsherry]

Good lists so far. I'd add the following:
Electrical system--check the alternator output and connections on the alternator, regulator, battery cables (including ALL grounds), and check out what previous owner's had cobbled together under the dash, for trailer or camper wiring, for dual batteries, etc. Clean up ALL of that before it comes back to bite you. Check all of the turn signals, lights (by this I mean operations and physically taking them apart to make sure the contacts are clean).

Wiper blades, arms, and motor.

Cowl: Remove the two under-fender plugs within each front wheel well, and vacuum/flush out the crap that has invariably accumulated in the cowl--both sides will have crud that evolves into rust.

Brakes: FLUSH the brake system of old fluid.

Rear axle: CHANGE the old gear oil, check all the seals, and refill with clean. Look for any unfortunate collection of shiny metal shavings.

Transmission: CHANGE the gear oil, per rear-axle note above. For auto-trans, same, but it might be worth having a trans shop do this and analyze the operations of the tranny first, and look it over for Unfortunate Collections Of Clutch Debris in your pan. For Auto trans, check any vacuum lines for rot, looseness, leaks, along with slop in linkage and shifter.

[DuckRyder]

Seems comprehensive so far, I'll add detail to "Hack Patrol".

I look for anything that isn't stock/factory and inspect it. 9.5 times out of 10 if someone after the factory has messed with it, it is messed up. Unless they are name brand "speed parts" lately if it is aftermarket it is junk... Even for speed parts there is Chinese knock off junk all over flea bay...

[Mancar1]

Don't forget the Piggy Bank to save up so ya can buy a gallon or two of gas.