6.2L diesel help

Hey guys, never owned a chevy before. Looking into purchasing a 1985-87 6.2L deisel Blazer from one of the many army auctions that happen from time to time.

If any has any knowledge from personal experience, what can you tell me about this vehicle good/bad.

The vehicle I`m looking into has about 50k (not 150) on it and was owned by the army so it has no power options except for powersteering and maybe a/c.

Are these good engines, how well do they run, etc. Thanks for the help.

Should be good.

Just make sure you tune it up completely before you really start to use it and check the front end for damage and worn parts.

Troops aren't exactly easy on trucks they don't own.

What do you mean check the front end for damage? Like frame wise or mechanical like stearing and suspension stuff?

dont have to tell me about vehicle abuse, I`m in law enforcement, I could write a book on what I`ve seen done to vehicles.

Check out EVERYTHING.

Take it to a mechanic and have them go over it with a fine toothed comb.

I was actually a mechanic in the Army from 92 to 96 and worked on a bunch of HMMWVs and such that had the 6.2L diesel in them. I was never really impressed with the durability of those engines or the quality of the rebuilt replacement engines we would put into the trucks. Also, 50k miles on an Army truck can't be compared to mileage on a civilian vehicle. These things are almost always crawling through mud, sand, or snow while towing generators or other heavy trailers, and like BlazerLT said, drivers don't really care what happens to the vehicles when someone else owns and maintains them. On boring days in the field, soldiers will amuse themselves by doing destructive things to their equipment. Bottom line, if the price is right and you're willing to invest in whatever repair parts it might take to get the vehicle in safe operating condition, you'll have a diesel 4x4. Keep in mind, though, that you probably won't have anywhere near as much power as a comparably sized gas engine. If you're ever in a situation where you need some punch to get a short running start over a muddy hill, you may find yourself dragging out the winch line where you could've driven out with a gas engine.

I see your point Allbert. I work in the city and would be driving the vehicle in city conditions, Washington, D.C which means nice big rim eating pot holes and streets that go unplowed for days...I think any winter blast that comes this way one of those mashed up vehicles could handle. I dont plan on "off-roadin'" it in mud or mountain climbing or anything like that.

Since you have some experiance with the army blazers what kind of stuff should I really have to worry about or expect to find, I already expect to find the door upholstery falling off, ripped seats and maybe a moldy odor in the vehicle. Some rust, holes in the fenders and stuffing like that, but I dont know about mechanincal. I`m hoping to purchase something that does not need major engine work done on it.

Most of the vehicles I`m looking at have between 20K to 80K on them and were kept in PA.

I'd say 90% of the work we did was replacing glow plugs, then starters (because people cranked them forever to start after the glow plugs burned out), then batteries (see items 1 and 2), and then fuel filters. Swollen glow plugs breaking off in the combustion chambers was a chronic maintenance problem that used to require R&R of the heads to clean up. Eventually, we got notice to just leave the broken chunks in the cylinders, put in fresh plugs, fire it up and hope for the best. I don't personally recall any serious immediate damage resulting from that practice, but it never seemed too friendly. I guess if I were buying one of these, I'd try to keep some money handy to buy the items mentioned above and maybe scout around for low prices on fuel pumps and injectors too (probably refueled in dirty conditions every now and then). I guess you're always rolling the dice on something like this, but again, if the price is right, it might be worthwhile.

Thanx Allbert....auction starts on the 8th, so I`ll let you know how I do from there. Will have pictures.

Best of luck.

Will be picking up blazer on Friday. I plan on driving it back as the vehicle allegedly starts and runs/moves, so I`m taking with me 1 gallon of oil, tranny fluid, 50/50 coolant, some brake fluid and 8 glow plugs.

Any other suggestions?