So looking at this truck tomorrow I have a few things that are new to me. The 4x4 I don't really know how to test. What should I do to check that it is/isn't working correctly? I know how the motor is supposed to sound, and what everything is supposed to look like so I'm not worried about that so much. I plan on bringing my creeper with me and sliding up under it (were meeting in a Cracker Barrel parking lot) and looking for any rust/signs of an accident. One thing I have no intentions of dealing with is rust, it's easier to spend a little more money on a better truck... Stewart drove that home the most (Thanks!).

Someone said check ALL 4 tires for uneven wear in case the tires were rotated and the front end is much worse off than they say it is. I'll try to find my thermometer and bring it so I can test the AC temps... I can't seem to think of anything else really. Just all the usual tell-tale things like massive corrosion on the battery or other things showing the just didn't give 2 ****s about the truck when owning it.

 

Test the ESOF first, by the ol defroster method. If there is a vacuum leak, the blend door will default to defrost.

You can check the functionality of the 4wd by getting the truck on some gravel, shift into 4hi, and do in circles. You should feel the truck "catching" and hear gravel moving with the "catches."

Then do the same for 4lo, but go nice and slooow. If the PO did not use the system very often, it will likely have trouble shifting into or out of 4.

 

Is there anyway you can meet him where the Ex is? Personally I would want to start it from being stone dead cold. Not warmed up at all.

Just a few things that show complete neglect...

corroded battery cables
low on oil
low, dirty and/or burnt smelling transmission fluid
black brake fluid
low and/or dirty coolant

*Also make sure transmission fluid or oil isn't milky as signs of water in them
*check oil for coolant and check coolant for oil
*basically look over whole truck while running for leaks

I know that you stated that it failed inspection, however see when the last one was done. If it's out by more than 1yr current inspection then you will know that it's been sitting.(look at license plate expiration date).

Maybe others can chime in also...

Good Luck

 

Ok, a quick google search tells me that this is Electrical Shift-On-The-Fly... now let's pretend I don't know what that means even though I totally do. That's the button right? What exactly am I supposed to be doing, I have a general idea but I want to be perfectly clear so I don't look like a ******* testing it.

 

Well I'm not actually buying it tomorrow. If all goes well I'll get USAA to send me the loan check and I'll get it on Wed. or Thur. He's about 2 hours from me and although I would like to see it started from sitting overnight I would rather put 2 hours of extra drive time (one there and one back) on the line for the first time I see it. I'll give it a good once over and if everything seems right then when I go to pick it up I'll check it again and show up about 30 minutes early so I can crank it up and check it out before he has a chance to get it warmed up. I'll post tons of pics and a video or 2 as well.

 

The push button 4wd was a 90s thing there's a **** for that now . To shift into 4low it works best to stop with the trans in neutral and the brake pressed and then shift in or out. If it has auto hubs switch them to auto and try 4x4 and do a hard 180, on any road surface you should feel the front end u-joints fighting. As for the rest of the drive I would lock the hubs in so the front drive line was spinning, there shouldn't be any drivability difference in 2wd with the hubs in or out.

 

Well, on MY truck, the selector looks a lot like this **** in the left part of the picture...





Note: this is not a pic of MY truck.

When you wish to engage 4wd, simply turn the **** to 4 High. You do not NEED to be stationary for this, but since it is not your truck, being in drive with foot ont he brake is a nice thing to do.

To try 4lo, you need to be stationary and in neutral. Reverse procedures to get back to 2wd.

 

Do not engage 4x4 on a dry road. As stated in an earlier post, try gravel or some other surface with give. On dry road, it will bind if you move in anything other than a straight line, and expensive things can happen very quickly.

 

Thanks for the heads up! Not leaving for another 30 minutes so this was nice to catch

So just switch it and that's it? No messing with hubs or anything? No need to go in reverse for 30 feet after I'm done to get it out of 4wd? What's the defroster trick?

 

At low speeds, the tires will scrub before anything breaks. I would absolutely engage 4wd lo on pavement, turn to full lock, and let it idle itself around until it binds. This is the best way to tell if 4wd is working. On gravel there can be too little traction and it can be hard to tell if it is engaged. Don't push it once it binds. Just straighten out and turn 4wd off.

Sometimes 4Lo can be a bit tricky to engage. Neutral and stopped with your foot on the brake. You should hear it click in. If not, drop it into D and roll slowly forward. Most of the time you will hear it clunk into 4Lo when you shift to D. If that doesn't work, it needs attention.

I also second everything FordxFour said. Make sure it hasn't been sitting.

If someone pulled out a temp gauge and stuck it in the vent when buying a car from me, that would pretty much end my willingness to work with them. No negotiation at that point. It is a used truck with likely 100k miles on it and 10 years of wear. Someone who is **** enough to check the temp is going to be a problem for me down the line when something unpredictable breaks. They also just wasted a ton of my time checking things that don't matter. I wouldn't expect the truck to be perfect and I would plan to spend some money fixing some things. With that said, I have bought/sold some cars that are very unique and limited production vehicles that warrant the time being spent on them. If I am paying top dollar for a limited production and collectible vehicle, it needs to be perfect, and that is when the fine tooth comb would come out, but an Excursion, it is just another used vehicle unless you are after something VERY specific and the seller has a price to warrant a perfect vehicle.

 

If someone looking to buy MY truck engaged 4wd on asphalt/concrete or the like, and began turning in circles, I would reach over and knock them the heck out.

Then they would be thrown out of the truck in an unfriendly manner.

I may or may not run over them at that point...in 2wd.

 

Well I couldn't find it, but it was something we always carried in the winter at the auto auction. I didn't plan on sitting there with it on full blast in the parking lot but while going down the freeway tossing it in the vent for a minute or so doesn't hurt anything. Just so we're both on the same page I was talking about one of those thermometers that looks like a long nail, with the dial about the size of a quarter on the tip.

 

It only takes about 3 feet of forward movement.

I've done this on 20 or so trucks this year, not a single seller said anything to me about it.

 

That is a myth although believed by many still a myth, my former boss never used 2wd always in 4x4 mud or hwy, He wanted traction when he needed it and didn't like to shift it in. I don't recommend this but he never had a driveline problem with his truck.

 

Some of the people replying obviously have big insecurities on how tuff there baby's are or more likely have mechanical issues that they wouldn't like the next owner to find. Seriously if I think it could be slick on pavement I run 4x4 and if you want to see how cold or warm the air out of the vents is go for it, I guarantee it's as cold or warm as I can make it.