1996 Chevy K1500 Ext Cab

[vthomley]

I think I'm buying a 96 Chevy K1500 Ext Cab on Saturday. It has a few issues and I'm hoping you the wonderful poeple here can help guide me.

I looked at this truck last night at about 8pm - it was dark. I told myself I am NOT buying a vehicle in the dark...I had to remind myself of this a couple times.

Fuse blows for the tail lights and dash lights when turning on the Headlights etc. - I'm thinking there's a short in the wiring for a trailer hook up? The guy said he has hauled a trailer a few times. I did not think about this while I was there. The seller said he did not have this looked at yet. The problem started with it blowing a fuse every now and then, but it has progressed to all the time.

Blower fan only works on high - I think this is a resistor assy on the blower, I've replaced this on one of my Grand Prix's

No AC

Aftermarket Sony radio some times does not work, its a detachable faceplate model. It worked while I test drove the truck but I did not pay much attention to it. Maybe the wiring of this has something to do with the taillights blowing a fuse?

Truck has 185xxx miles on it, 5.7 engine, 5 speed manual trans, 3.73 rear. Little rust on the bottom of the doors, its in excellent shape compared to some of the other high priced trucks I've looked at.

He's replace the primary and secondary clutch, had the transfer case rebuilt, and due to a deer it has a newer grill, radiator, hood, and other related parts.

Its a single ownwer, the guy ordered this truck specially with the 5 speed and manual shifting transfer case.

Anything else I need to be aware of?

 

[kmcconaughey]

Hmmm, with weird electrical issues it makes me think that perhaps it was in a flood. I hate electrical issues, were it me I'd <strike>walk</strike> run away from it...

 

[tpennell]

I am in agreement with Kraig. I would seriously keep looking around. I think you could possibly be in for a big headache. I can say that if I was in the market for a truck I would walk away from this one.

 

[dross]

Vincent, the money would be important. dash tail and radio are all on the same fuse. All used vehicles are a shot in the dark, if you think this guy is telling you everything and thats all thats with it, the price would be the key. <font size="-2">ymmv,imho</font>

 

[vthomley]

Thanks for the advise so far - I'll tell ya I can turn this vehicle and make some Cub fund money if I need to... Meaning the price is very attractive

Blower Motor resistor is no problem.

I was surpised when the guy called me because I was fairly certain I did not see and respond to the ad fast enough. I got there, talked to him and in the end I said I need to check on this lighting fuse thing, worried about it. I told him this is for my daughter, she truely wants a truck, and I want one that is not a diesel for the winter.

 

[klindstedt]

I'm surprised nobody else brought this up yet... biggest problem I see is it's a Chevy!

(Sorry, couldn't help myself...)

 

[dtanner]

Vincent Thomley

I had a few Chevy trucks and every time I had a fuse blow out like yours it would be the number plate lights. I bet one will not lite !

The radio face flat ! well you will need to try your child's eraser and rube it over the copper connector on the back of the face plate. This has worked for me.

? (He's replace the primary and secondary clutch,)
a clutch and a pressure plate 1 of each only

you are on the correct track for the heat resistor ,its on the fire wall and will have a plug with 4 wires. usually they rust inside the plug and then short out. easy fix.

That is all I can think of now . good luck ,the truck does look good for its age.

 

[kweaver]

Vincent - I'd be getting her an automatic for numerous reasons.

I have a '99 5-spd 4x4 Silverado and second gear synchronizer is shot. From what I've been told the 5-spds are bad for that.

I have no dash lights in the '99 and I had no dash lights or gas gauge in my old '89 S15.

I'll still stay with GM though ... only thing I can afford to own !

 

[aaytay]

Vince-
That's a neat truck. I didn't realize they made those with a MANUAL transmission. (Does any American truck company make a 1/2 ton standard transmission truck anymore?)

Since it's "Saturday" you've probably already made your decision, but two things come to mind with the wiring. I would ask the owner if he'd give you an hour to "play" with the truck in his driveway to see if you can narrow down the electrical issues. I'd crawl under the rear of the truck and look for trailer-wiring issues first. If nothing shows up there, then pull the radio out of the dash and look for a broken/loose wire. In my opinion, there's a 99% chance that whatever the problem is, can be traced back to a wire this owner has laid his hands on in the past.

Also, the 5.7L engine is a GREAT engine, but I've heard they also have a tendancy to go through crankshaft bearings at high mileage readings if the oil-changes weren't kept up with, so see if he has any records of that and keep an open ear for any signs of a solid knocking sound.

 

[gcoleman]

Vince, I have a 97 GMC (same truck but the SLE with the electric transfer case, which is moody) and auto trans, 5.7 Vortec engine, etc. Its a good truck but it had 228000 when I got it four years ago, now has 260150 on it, its eaten a radiator every other winter (proper coolant ratios etc, junk replacement parts!)it was owned by a construction company superintendent and then by my mechanic before we got it, and there isnt a spot on that truck that hasnt been smashed once (looks like the surface of a lake if you look down the sides, guess the blank accident report in the glovebox after we bought it shoulda been a sign haha) not exactly a bondo bucket but its not a show stopper, I will say that the maako paint looks better than the stock paint and is much thicker, at least the stuff that sticks haha. It has the third door in the rear and the rocker panel behind it had a rust hole in it that I cut out and patched myself, half my dash lights are dead, especially in the center from the radio down, the electric lock remote sucks, it works far away or right next to the truck despite the batteries condition, its also eaten brake lines, fuel evap lines, needs wheel bearings now (I can feel it starting to roll less freely) however for my first and only vehicle I love it. easy to work on, fairly affordable to maintain (even though getting the oil filter off is a pain thanks to the front driveshaft location...grrr)

If its your daughters first vehicle, I agree with the automatic trans first, until she gets confident with a truck, theyre easy to learn the corners on and super easy to see out of (even though my toolbox cuts my back window down alot, my dad taught me how to "mirror drive" as he calls it, ad Im glad he forced me to learn.) Its a good idea however that she learns to drive a manual trans, because then she can drive anything, just not sure its the best for a first vehicle. Just my lengthy two cents!

Art, they do, ford and GM both offer manual transmissons as an option standard in the 25/3500 - 250/350 models and you can order a manual trans in the 1500/150's from the factory. I like to go to the build your own sections they offer and see how big a price tag all the useless option packages end up suckering people for these days. I will say though that I really do wish my 1500 had the 6.5 liter detroit diesel in it, theyre a great engine also. They offered them in every truck for a few model years and theyre hard to find but Ive seen several online lately.

 

[kweaver]

Glen - You know why Detroit diesels are hard to find ??
All noise and worthless.
Duramax is the way to go.

 

[kweaver]

Let me elaborate why I said the young lady would be better off with an automatic.

The standard shift will flat smoke the tires off.
At some point when someone isn't looking she or one of her friends is going to try it.
That brings up the downfall of the 5-spd , the fact that they eat syncros. That is what happened to the '99 that I have. They are not made to speed shift with a light foot on the clutch.
Mine was owned by a young feller that thought he was a street racer.

Mine is a 4.3L and with the bad syncros in 2nd , I shift from first to second at about <1500 rpm then IF I stand on it it'll bark third gear real good with big TOYO radials.

A standard shift is not going to be that friendly in snow and on ice for an inexperienced driver. To many things going on when it gets hairy.
There would be a lot more tendency to spin the tires pulling out on snow than the "ease into it" with an automatic.

Now don't someone dare tell me that "their" daughter would never dump the clutch on a car/truck. I've seen it done to many times.

A girl cousin of mine use to go to the shopping center parking lot with a bunch of other kids and do donuts on the snow covered parking lot.
It was a lot of fun until the driveshaft came out ...

I was with a girl in a 454 GMC that flat ate up a Porsche one night.

Girls are just as bad and really worse than boys.

 

[wshytle]

I don't see a thing wrong with a young lady learning and driving a stick shift. I know I did but then gears were real cool at that time and a/c hardly existed along with seat belts. I started on a '65 Ford Falcon 2 dr with "three on the tree". It did have seat belts but being new they were pretty much ignored.

Another good thing about having to shift...it might keep her off of the phone. We didn't have that problem either (for another 25 years).

 

[gcoleman]

Ken, if you fix most of the flaws on the detroits (pretty much an entire new top end and turbo) its alright, I love the sound they have with twin bullhauler stacks. The Isuzu Duramax diesel is probably the best diesel theyve made, especially the early LB7's (I think are the pre emissions diesels) only issue they had was the fuel rails being undersized and the injectors also being too small and having too low an operating psi. Gettin off topic tho, sorry all!

Vince, do what you like, ultimately its your truck and your daughter, and if shes willing to learn to drive a stick without hotrodding (although youthful exuberance tends to encourage that, trust me, Im a victim of it, and so is my ex girlfriends mustang...she blew the trans twice racing the camaro boys.) then let her haha. Trucks are good first vehicles, theyre slower, bigger so you learn to gauge braking distances and gauging corners etc, and Wayne brings up a good point, its very hard to text drive and shift. I cant even do so on a tractor haha.

 

[dtanner]

Guys ? I thought Cummings made the best Diesel engine .The 5.9 12 valve are easy to sell and for good money. I was offered $11000.00 for my 95 2500 4x4 and I won`t sell it.I also was offered a hemi and cash. I do have a few people that are on my list to call when I decide to sell. Not for a few years yet though. I do think the best truck would be a ford body ( King Ranch) with a Cummings 5.9 for the power plant.my .02

 

[hsimon]

Vince, the biggest problem is that it is a Chevy and real trucks say FORD on them.

 

[jbaker]

Found On Road Dead

 

[jharvey]

Fix Or Repair Daily...kind of like Cub Cadets!

 

[wshytle]

Lets not forget First On Race Day. Again, ...kinda like cub cadets.

(are we getting off topic in an off topic thread?)

 

[gcoleman]

Driver Return On Foot

Wayne, yes, it appears we are.