what to look for on a 2004
 

I am interested in this truck. I just wanted to know if it is a good deal and what is should look for or what are any common problems I should look for. Any help would be great.

http://portland.craigslist.org/clk/cto/1515229387.html

pesonally in my opinion that was the best year for the common rail engine. If i knew now what i did then i would of kept my 04ctd. The only problems i ever had was in the front end which i see the one your looking at has been gone threw but i bet the wheel bearings are next to go tho if not already replaced. with that said i did have to replace u joints prolly once a year trying diff. ones and a carrier bearing($140). other then that i couldnt really growl on anything else. that truck served its purpose and did it well lol. Id try to talk him down about a grand if it was me altho i dont live in your area and he seems to be firm but its alittle harder to turn down cash in hand if your ready to buy the truck. It never hurts to try.cash can alter the human brain. just figured id throw that one in lol. good luck.

I agree with the above poster, I wish I still had my 04 that I ordered new. It never gave me a minutes problem and I sold it (a Laramie) with 185,000 miles on it in 2007 for about $18,500.00. The was a great truck!

I would do a serious fuel mileage check before buying. My 04.5 does ok empty, but drops to about 7-8 mpg when towing.

^^How much weight are you pulling?? I would say something is not right. I get 16-18 with my TT and never below 12 with my 12,000# bobcat and equipment. Are you going by the OH display?

About 10K with quite a bit of frontal. Hand calculated with a properly vented fuel tank. Speed, altitude, fuel, tires, lubricants, temps, etc. show minimal percentage differences in fuel consumption.

You don't have to tell me something is wrong. I am not alone with this problem. A # of 04.5's have the problem. The Cummins fuel kiddies told me for max economy, buy an '03.

I cannot afford to rid myself of the piece of junk, I'm resigned to living with it. The dealer has no interest in correcting the problem.

to begin, figure out exactly what it is, an o4 or o4.5. 04 will get you better mpg, hands down. Easiest way to check is look at the sticker on the side of the "valve cover" drivers side. it will list the engine rated HP, if it says 325, it is an 04.5, 305, it is an 04. Looking at anything else, for a cat converter, is not reliable as it may have been removed by a previous owner.

Check aintifreeze and transmission dip stick for cross contamination. The transmission heat exchanger can fail internally, and cross contaminate both cooling system and transmission. I inherited my dad's truck, and he hadn't noticed the problem. By the time I got it, it required new transmission, heater core, water pump, and the heat exchanger. Transmission fluid in antifreeze looks like slimy tan instead of green or orange.
It got expensive for me. All done now, and I got a built transmission while repairing.