Posted by Chris Davis - Centerville, UT on Monday, May 23, 2005 at 5:53PM :
My 1984 GMC suburban broke down on a family vacation over the weekend.
It happened on I-15 at the NV / CA state line.
I paid to have it towed back to J&S Diesel Service in Las Vegas, where they determined the crankshaft was broken on the 6.2 L diesel engine. They are quoting me $2500 to $3000 labor to swap out the motor… if I provide the replacement motor. I think that’s high, but my random calls to a couple other repair shops in the area produced no better results… most don’t want to work with the diesel motor at all.
6.2 HMMWV surplus takeout motors are available from a couple places back East for around $1000, plus freight. The suburban is only worth $2000 - $3000 anyway, so it doesn’t seem to be worth repairing.
I could swap the motor myself, but my garage is full of a disassembled WC-51, and even if I make room to put the suburban in there I lack the vertical clearance to lift the motor out of the truck. My driveway isn’t flat, so doing it outside would be tough… plus there’s the shipping cost to get it hauled from Las Vegas to Salt Lake City.
The two wrecking yards I’ve contacted in Vegas say it’s worth $50 to them… I figure I’d see if anyone here was interested in it before I give it to a wrecking yard.
I had the transmission rebuilt two months ago, 10 months left on the AAMCO warranty.
Front tires are nearly new (Big O brand… I don’t know which, but they weren’t cheap.) Rear’s aren’t new, but aren’t bad either.
The body is rust free; the AC works fine and has been converted to the newer type of refrigerant… Interior is in good shape. Receiver hitch and electric trailer brakes. Um… recently rebuilt power steering unit… It was a good truck.
Chris Davis
Centerville, UT
cdavis@webworldinc.com
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