FHfirefighter
Active Member
- Joined
- May 22, 2003
- Messages
- 91
- Reaction score
- 1
- City, State
- Hanover, MD
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- '97 Sport
Finally time to sell my '97 Sport. It has an (apparently) major engine issue so I'm selling it as-is for parts or as a project. Located in Hanover, MD.
157,000 miles, I'm the 2nd owner, bought it with 75,000mi in 2002.
At 153,000 miles I did the following suspension upgrades:
New 265/75/R16 BFGoodrich All Terrains on new rims. I bought these for $1,500 and only put 4,000 miles on them
Old Man Emu leaf springs and shackles for about 4" of lift in the rear (2" torsion twist in the front, so big rake as you can see)
Front end alignment
Front hubs
Front shocks (Rancho)
Lower tie rod ends
Upper control arms and ball joints
Sway bar link ends
Additional work done recently (within the past year/1,000mi or so):
Upstream O2 sensors
MAF
Fuel filter
Spark plugs
Brakes (pads AND new slotted rotors)
Rear axle bearings
New (refurbished) ECU
Cats removed
PCV valve
EGR valve
Flowmaster 50 series 2in/2out to dual pipes straight out the back
Other things of note:
Upgraded JBL sounded system with 8" subwoofer
Seat covers
Sun roof
Tow hitch
Brush guard (relatively new, no rust)
New transfer case and rebuilt transmission (2009, about 120,000mi)
I kept a record of everything I ever did to the thing so I can provide more info upon request. Above lists don't include routine stuff like air filter, oil, fluids, but those are all kept up with.
Could use new rear shocks and lower ball joints (not desperately but sometime in the next year or 2); I have both (Rancho and Moog) and can include them as part of the deal.
The issues:
Main issue, and the reason I'm selling, is I can't get the engine running right. It starts and runs fine, but rough. Lower speeds are OK but higher speeds and acceleration are garbage. It'll get up to highway speeds but takes forever and you really have to baby it and it struggles hard through the whole acceleration process. It's not throwing any codes (no CEL). I've taken it to 2 shops who couldn't figure out what was wrong. Dealership didn't want to touch it. Much of the engine work mentioned above was in the process of trying to fix this issue (including cat removal). As best I can tell I think it's an air/fuel mix problem but I've tried everything I can think of short of rebuilding the engine, and without codes or other clues from shop's scan tool I (and the 2 shops) are at a loss. It either needs someone with the time/patience/skill to diagnose or rebuild it, or a new engine.
Other less serious issues:
The head lights come on their own sometimes. Weird electrical issue obviously, but doesn't seem to affect anything else, and they turn off when you turn off the truck so no big deal
Heat and air only work on max
No cats as stated above, and I did a ****ty job bypassing because I was desperately grasping at straws and in a hurry to get it drive-able. So it works but there are lots of exhaust leaks at my ****ty exhaust clamp and JB Weld joints.
Moderate rust underneath, typical for truck this age.
Body rust just starting. The pic shows the worst of it.
KBB is $1,250 with the engine issue taken into consideration. That of course doesn't include any of the mods. I'm asking for $1,500 since selling the tires and wheels alone should be an instant easy $1,000 and there's a lot more good options for someone with the time to part it out. Note, I am not parting it out personally so please no inquires for individual parts. Selling the whole thing or nothing at all.
I prefer a local transaction (doubt it would be worth shipping anyway). It's drive-able enough to make a trip without needing a tow (probably), but attempt at your own risk.
157,000 miles, I'm the 2nd owner, bought it with 75,000mi in 2002.
At 153,000 miles I did the following suspension upgrades:
New 265/75/R16 BFGoodrich All Terrains on new rims. I bought these for $1,500 and only put 4,000 miles on them
Old Man Emu leaf springs and shackles for about 4" of lift in the rear (2" torsion twist in the front, so big rake as you can see)
Front end alignment
Front hubs
Front shocks (Rancho)
Lower tie rod ends
Upper control arms and ball joints
Sway bar link ends
Additional work done recently (within the past year/1,000mi or so):
Upstream O2 sensors
MAF
Fuel filter
Spark plugs
Brakes (pads AND new slotted rotors)
Rear axle bearings
New (refurbished) ECU
Cats removed
PCV valve
EGR valve
Flowmaster 50 series 2in/2out to dual pipes straight out the back
Other things of note:
Upgraded JBL sounded system with 8" subwoofer
Seat covers
Sun roof
Tow hitch
Brush guard (relatively new, no rust)
New transfer case and rebuilt transmission (2009, about 120,000mi)
I kept a record of everything I ever did to the thing so I can provide more info upon request. Above lists don't include routine stuff like air filter, oil, fluids, but those are all kept up with.
Could use new rear shocks and lower ball joints (not desperately but sometime in the next year or 2); I have both (Rancho and Moog) and can include them as part of the deal.
The issues:
Main issue, and the reason I'm selling, is I can't get the engine running right. It starts and runs fine, but rough. Lower speeds are OK but higher speeds and acceleration are garbage. It'll get up to highway speeds but takes forever and you really have to baby it and it struggles hard through the whole acceleration process. It's not throwing any codes (no CEL). I've taken it to 2 shops who couldn't figure out what was wrong. Dealership didn't want to touch it. Much of the engine work mentioned above was in the process of trying to fix this issue (including cat removal). As best I can tell I think it's an air/fuel mix problem but I've tried everything I can think of short of rebuilding the engine, and without codes or other clues from shop's scan tool I (and the 2 shops) are at a loss. It either needs someone with the time/patience/skill to diagnose or rebuild it, or a new engine.
Other less serious issues:
The head lights come on their own sometimes. Weird electrical issue obviously, but doesn't seem to affect anything else, and they turn off when you turn off the truck so no big deal
Heat and air only work on max
No cats as stated above, and I did a ****ty job bypassing because I was desperately grasping at straws and in a hurry to get it drive-able. So it works but there are lots of exhaust leaks at my ****ty exhaust clamp and JB Weld joints.
Moderate rust underneath, typical for truck this age.
Body rust just starting. The pic shows the worst of it.
KBB is $1,250 with the engine issue taken into consideration. That of course doesn't include any of the mods. I'm asking for $1,500 since selling the tires and wheels alone should be an instant easy $1,000 and there's a lot more good options for someone with the time to part it out. Note, I am not parting it out personally so please no inquires for individual parts. Selling the whole thing or nothing at all.
I prefer a local transaction (doubt it would be worth shipping anyway). It's drive-able enough to make a trip without needing a tow (probably), but attempt at your own risk.
