I'm getting ready to pick up a 2004 HSE7 this weekend.

I did a good amount of searching, and this forum was a HUGE help. I plan to do the full "high mileage" checklist once I get it home, but I'll have a 900-mile trip to bring it back.

My biggest concern at this point is the driveshaft failure on the trip home. Is there any chance of catching it early before it takes out the transmission? Are there any warning signs I should look out for, such as funny noises or slight vibrations?

I will have two cars on the trip back, so if I notice anything strange I will have the option of parking the Disco until I get it repaired. Would just rather get it home first. It only has 87,000 miles, so hopefully nothing major looming.

Thanks in advance

-Tim

 

Take off the driveshaft is a good way out. Lock the center diff though.

 

On the 04 model you have the option of removing the front drive shaft and locking in the center differential from inside the truck! Signs of failure are a bird chirping sound and sometimes you get that warning and sometimes no. Now you should go pick up a grease gun if you buy it and grease it just to be safe that is if it passes getting under it and inspecting all the universal joints and flanges for excessive wear shake it side to side and up and down. They usually fail under acceleration when entering a highway on ramp or hard accelerations.

All things aside do you have a ultra gauge to take with you?
Are you aware of signs to look for of head gaskets failure?
Overheating is big with these trucks also and needs to be a concern when doing a pre purchase inspection.
The other option is taking to a indy shop for a pre purchase inspection which we all recommend so you have less risk of getting screw!!! We like to hear about good experiences to lmao

 

Thanks, that's good to know. Any tricks or special tools I should bring along in case I need to remove it?

As for the head gaskets, I've read quite a bit about that. My understanding is that I should look for either moisture in the oil (milky color) or a bit of white smoke out the tail pipe. Is that correct, or should I be looking for something else?

I'm not terribly concerned about having to put a little bit of work/money into it. I'm getting it cheap enough that I almost expect to. If it ends up being all-good, that's a huge bonus.

-Tim

 

Yes there is more to look for on the coolant/head gasket side of things,
While your on your back looking at the drive shaft, above the bell housing on the transmission you will want to look with a flash light at the back side of the engine for oily coolant the cylinder 7&8 are there and the head gasket is notorious for a external leak there. The head gasket fails there quite often and its just a minor leak to start, but the oil leaks there from the valley pan gasket and mixes with the coolant to create a sludge and that sludge tends to get all over the orange electrical connectors which are for the front oxygen sensors. The oxygen sensors like to be clean and dry in order to function properly.

You will want to inspect the cooling system entirely ask for service records******
You want to look over all hoses and vacuum lines for dry rot and cracking*******
You preferably would jack the truck up and check each wheel for play by shaking them vigorously **
You will want to inspect front steering rods for play*****
Take off a wheel or two and check brake pads and rotors *****
Don't know where you are but look for frame rust towards the rear off the frame mostly*****
Open caps for ps fluid and brake fluid and check levels and for clean fluids*****
Check tires for cracking and proper pressure *****
Look at the spark plug wires and ask when were the plugs & wires changed and what brand was used? check the oil and ask when it was changed and do they have history somewhere you can verify*****
Make sure the electric fan turns freely, take a long screw driver with you to spin it. ( behind grill)
Drive it a while and check for vibrations, ask them if they have the tires balanced and rotated on schedule all bad maintenance leads to early part failure.
Try to get traction control to activate to verify it works properly*****
Try the cruise control*****
Try to make the abs work to confirm *****



Good luck! Hope its right for you!!!!!

 

You can't tell if a propshaft is bad by just trying to shake it. A frozen u-joint won't have any play.
The only way to really know is to disconnect at least one end.
A siezed u-joint will normally cause vibration however.

 

As mentioned above, remove the front shaft using a combination of open end wrench and a 1/2" socket set.
Make sure to inspect the rear shafts roto-flex ring for any verticle cracks also.

 

Pix of rotoflex, "ready" and "rotten" versions. Would also be sure to at least check all fluids (diffs, tranny, transfer case, and everything under the hood). Don't expect previous owner to be accurate on what has been "forgotten". And keep checking under the hood on the trip. A live data scanner is your best defense against overheating surprise.

 

Thanks guys, this is a big help. Will let you know how it goes.

-Tim

 

Are you going to try and rebuild it your self or get one one line?