Hi guys. Am new to the blazers and am looking at my first one.
I have my eyes on a 1983 6.2 diesel that has been stood for 8 years. It has less than 20000 on the clock. Is there anything special i should look for? Is there anything i should do for the engine before cranking? Any adivce would be great.
Thanks brian.

 

Hmm - let's start

Most probably you will not like the advice. It always looks so easy on youtube...
... but then that would not be me - you asked - you get answers.

A diesel slightly complicates a few checks. Not sure about the particular diesels in the Blazer - you have to wait for somebody else from the forum to jump in as for more info on the 83 diesels.

Not much information about the 6.2 diesel. Diesels may start and run when turned over. Therefore to avoid this when checking/testing measures have to be taken for it not to inadvertently start.

ADVICE IN ADVANCE:
Don't pay anything up front. Anybody with such a vehicle should consider themselves lucky if they get 500$ in the end. The risks associated with vehicles which sat for 8 years is immense. Anything could have corroded from less expensive parts such as trims to parts on the drivetrain such as rear axle stuff, wheel bearings, engine, you name it.

What I will suggest is a sure two or three day yob in an equipped place with proper tools with at least 1/2 inch connectors including a good torque wrench. Should be done by somebody mechanic savvy or somebody which has already rebuilt an engine or such. It is not for the faint hearted but I have personally done it before to help a friend decide on a similar truck. It was worth the work he got a nice truck nearly for free and lucked out because it had been sitting in a desert dry barn.

If you are into it, research every step I listed for how it is made on this model. Best is if you have free access to the truck and can take a lot of pics all around for preparation.

You will have to get the respective gasket sets to put it back together if the truck is fine. If not it most probably will be scrapped anyway. All the proposed can be put back together without new gaskets but for the engine to be started it will need new gaskets. Normally just the oil pan gasket and the rear axle cover gasket. Eventually a new fuel filter.

First the questions:

- Where did the truck spend all these 8 years. In a barn, outside, tarpaulin and location where. In AZ or in FL?

- Whom are you buying from? Owner, dealer?

- What should the price be? (This one should be for free, really! Actually the owner should pay for all the following suggested work. Or you split the bill. Either the truck is junk or it just got serviced. Either you buy it or the seller can sell it in running condition.)

SUGGESTIONS:

- DO NOT ATTEMPT TO START IT!
Engines get destroyed by people who start up engines which have sat for such a long time.
- Get at least the user manual. Should be downloadable from GM

I WOULD:
- Thorough visual inspection with pics taken from all sides, above and below. Look at the floor as well.
- Pull the air filter, and pull the air inlet onto the manifold. Have a close look using a dentists mirror and a good light into the intake. Rust? Water?
- Pull the glow plugs and boroscope (look, take pics) through the glow plug holes. (Rust? Scratches on the cylinders?)
- Leave the glow plugs out and if every cylinder has one now it should be safe to turn over later on. (Mind you I intend turning by hand)
If these inspections did not yield bad results which would mandate an engine revision by now, I'd move to the bottom end.
- Drain the oil into a clean container and properly dispose of it through coffee filters. This will show any debris or particles or other oddities. At the same time draining the oil on the cold engine should immediately give away water in the oil. Any water would come out first and then the oil. Don't be afraid that it always says on hot engine drain the oil - this is for service work not for analysis. After 8 years there is no more oil somewhere else in the engine than the pan.
Again - if this did not yield any bad outcomes you may continue.
- Pull the oil pan. This should be a giveaway for any trouble. Now you can actually see at least 4 cylinders. Check the sleeves/bores for corrosion and scratching.
- If it is still all good - I would pull at least the first and second main bearing cap and inspect the bearings and the 1/2 cylinder rod caps. As the rods are free now a slight push with a wooden rod will immediately give away stuck/rusted piston rings and other problems in the cylinders. (Check how this is done not to scratch or gauge the cylinder walls with the rod or damaging the crank.
Put that all back into place, rods and mains. We will turn the engine over by hand in a further step.
- Then I'd pull the oil filter and cut it open and check for debris, etc.
- Now I'd attach a wrench to the crank pulley and slowly turn the engine in it's sense of rotation. Have somebody else do that

Still all does look good?

Move to the rear of the car
- Remove the rear axle cover from the differential housing. Again do the same to the oil as for the engine. Check on the pinion and ring gear, wear and especially corrosion. Unfortunately most of the time it will have rusted to the level of the oil. All below is fine. Rust on the teeth surface where they make contact will kill the pinion and ring gear within a couple hundred miles even when cleaned and new oil is used
- At this time check how the fuel system works. Is there an electric feeder pump? Then there should be a filter somewhere on the frame. I'd remove it and drain the fuel from the tank completely. Eventually using an in tank fuel pump by disconnecting it and applying 12 V directly. (Expertise required - this is dangerous - also for the fuel wear proper protection and avoid spillage)
- We will move forward and check on the transmission. If it is a manual there is not much we can do except of the already known oil draining. Water and rust water are a giveaway of trouble down the street. An automatic transmission I would pull the pan and do the oil thingy and have a look at the tranny filter.

If that is all successful, you could consider a price in the lowest range. There is still a lot of unknowns - heck - just ask for the truck to be a gift
Now you have to put ALL back together.
- New oil into the tranny, filter, gasket
- New oil into the rear end, gasket
- New oil into the engine, gasket, filter
- New fuel into tank, filter
- If it is fine so far I would drain the coolant and flush the engine by the thermostat housing and the lower hose to the radiator and the radiator through the top hose and the lower hose. Make sure the heating is on hot setting in case it has a water valve so it flushes the heater as well.
- Refill coolant to specs
- Prime the oil pump to have oil pressure in the engine before first crank
- Put the glow plugs back in (cleaning them before - check with manual/service instructions)
- Check all the fuses on the electrical system
- Put the air system back on and maybe also a new filter. 10$. You will have spent 500$ already on parts and oil.
- Put a new battery in and provide a means of backup such as a starter booster or second battery with jumper cables. It may take a while to start.
- Have a second person with some knowledge look from the outside. Under the vehicle in the back and with the hood open. He checks mainly for fuel leaks along the lines under the vehicle and in the engine bay. Once it runs he/she should check with a good flashlight for leaks on the injection and engine. Smoke, fire etc. Fire extinguisher would be handy as well. And maybe pull the vehicle out in the open.

- Ignition to ACC and check all electrical stuff on the dashboard to work. (Voltmeter, gauges such as fuel and warning lights such as oil pressure low etc. are on as they should - manual comes in handy.)
- You may switch off again to get a feel for what it shows and what the dash should show.
- Crank for 10 seconds after the correct pre-heat time (glowplugs - dashboard indication)
- If it starts let it idle and check oil pressure and have the other person check for leaks.

This is the way we recover oldtimers which sat for a long time. This depends on the vehicles worth. If you talk a 2'000$ truck the above is what I would do, simply because I'm not in to breaking things. If it is a 500'000$ Ferrari, we take them apart even without trying to start them. Up onto the trailer and into the garage.
You would not believe how much stuff gets broken because people take the shortcuts.

AND THEN:
There is always the simple way of changing oil, changing fuel, changing battery and just fire it up with all the possible consequences. I would at least pull the glow plugs and have a look and turn it over by hand at the time the plugs are out.

MIND YOU:
There is always stuff that can break in no time even if it is running fine. That is the question of the price. Lower it as much as you can because the seller is trying to get money for something with may be worthless.

 

I wonder why it was parked in the first place. The 6.2 are know to have some major issues and could be the reason.
Before you jump into that truck do some research on the 6.2 diesel.



Having said that, I had an old 1984 CUCV with the 6.2 years ago and i loved it but i had one of the good ones and it was still gutless being a non turbo engine.
Also i only paid $3000 for this blazer but that was in 2007.

 

If the motor is shot , I have sen a lot of Oldsmobile 350 and 455cid put in the diesels place , it should bolt right up to that transmission...there will be a lot of other work that goes with it though.