I'm in the market for a Diesel RV... I have my eye on a locally advertised 1993 5.9 with over 240K miles. Now I know if it was properly maintained the RV will fall off the chassis before the motor dies, but you know how buying a used car/truck/RV/whatever is, you ain't gonna know what kind of life it's had.

Okay, my questions: What should I look for? What should I ask?

I'm a decent wrench on gas but have never poked around a diesel. So any help would be appriciated.


Thanks,
John
Burbank, CA

 

Look for oil in the water and water in the oil. The oil will be black, that's fine. It should not smell of diesel fuel, though. The engine should start as soon as you hit the key, and should idle smoothly immediately after startup. There will be a black puff on startup, but after that there should be no smoke this time of year. It may smoke gray when you romp on it, that's OK. Blue smoke is not good. Don't expect a lot of power, these things are not fire breathing monsters when stock.

 

Dave;
Thanks for the info !!!