on the other hand, with big beefy truck rotors some of us believe that a little scoring is no big deal
How much amperage you think is recommended between the two batteries (can’t find it in the owners manual)? I’ve got somewhere around 1300 CA right now (can’t quite tell cause one of the batteries doesn’t say, go figure). Worried about when it gets cold I won’t have enough power
Yams - I think your understanding of diesel motors is suspect. All diesel motors have fuel injection. Wanting to convert to EFI is showing your lack of knowledge. Changing the fluids is a great idea. Run the truck and see how it goes. Get a good diesel engine manual and study it carefully. Changing fuel filters on a diesel motor vehicle is important. Some diesel’s have a different electrical system compared to gas motors. You can expect a beafed up starter motor and a higher amp alternator for sure.
Yes I need to do much more reading on diesel engines! Big newbie here. Anyway, still wondering what sort of amperage is needed?
These old diesels will run until the injection pump fails or the compression drops to the point they will not start…They are just not worth fixing after that…
1300 CCA should be ok, IF the batteries still have that capacity. A battery load test can determine their current condition. More amps needed in colder temps, so how cold does it get in your neck of the woods?
Have you replaced the fuel filter(s)? That’s critical.
That’s why diesels all have block heaters…
It doesn’t get very cold where I live (lows in the 40’s), but planning on taking her up into the mountains a good amount where it’ll get down in the teens to single digits. the guy I bought it from changed the fuel filter about 500 miles ago, but I’m going to change it again once I empty (or, almost empty) the fuel tanks. The idea being hopefully filtering out all the old stuff…
You may want to find some GM Diesel forums online. They have all kinds of tips and tricks to keep these things running and ways to improve cold starts and such. Some of those guys are real die-hards and know these trucks down to the set screw on the oil pump.
What about replacing bearings, axle seals and ball joints? Is that very important or as that more of a replace if a problem arises thing?
It’s important to have everything inspected by a good mechanic and replace what’s found to be worn.
+1 for @texases. Everything you listed can be inspected for wear. No need to replace until worn or leaking except if you have it apart for something else.