hi all, I'm looking at buying an 03 3500 4x4 with a six speed. I've been driving 1st gen diesels for a lot of years and looking to get a little newer truck. Just wondering what I should be looking at when I go check this truck out? What issues are common with these creatures? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

I find rust on rocker panels and box the biggest pet peave .Then there is the usual high mileage maintenance issues ,injector, fuel pump, ball joints. Once you realize all trucks get these problems the 03-04.5 6 spd is IMHO one of the best trucks of that gen. When going for a test ride, make sure the motor is cold. If there is excessive cranking on start up that indicates bad injectors. If the tires are worn funny, looks at a front end job. Any rust on rocker panels ,cab corners or box spreads fast. Rock guard only hides the problem. Good luck

 

BTW,make sure the heater can go from cab heat, to defrost of that will be another expense. For all these problems there is usually an after market upgrade

 

Since he's coming from a 1st gen, everything will seem to take excessive cranking compared to the VE!


You can do the blow-by test by taking off the oil filler cap while the engine is running and placing it upside down back over the fill hole, if there is excessive blow-by it will push the cap up and off.

Yes, check rockers for rust. Mine are shot. So are my rear wheel wells, but the rockers are the crappy ones to replace.

Injectors aren't cheap so be prepared to replace them if mileage is over 150,000. They might not need to be replaced right away, but it's a cost that you should anticipate.....or take into consideration if the truck price is worth it. If they were replaced recently, ask for receipts. Reman'ed injectors are discouraged, some may opt to replace bad with reman'ed just to sell it quick.

I like the body style and creature comforts of the 3rd gen, but I miss the simplicity of my old VE-pump 1st gen and I miss the on-the-fly adjustable boxes of the VP-pump 2nd gen.

 

Thanks for the info. Hopefully get to go look at the truck this weekend.