Theres a nice '91 B2200 5-speed 4cylinder truck down the road from me. They're asking $700 as is. The truck looks to be in mint shape. I dont know how many k's are on it or anything yet but i'm going down there later to take a better look. :)

are these good trucks? could it tow a sled in the back? reliable? how many Kilometres can we run these trucks up to? :bash:

I currently have a '94 Sunbird Le 3.1 Loaded 2-door but i'm only 16 and this car is going to kill me for insurance, it was my dads car so when he passed away it went to me, but i dont think i'll be able to afford it and i was thinking this mite be a good cheap little truck for me.

Plus i want a 5-speed and rear wheel drive over auto and front wheel drive :p





Thanks guys- Neil

I don't know a lot obout those trucks, but if it's a OHC engine, I'd want to know if the timing belt has been replaced. If it's a high miler, the belts are prone to stretch or break.

A buddy of mine had a '92, 2-wheel drive with the 5-speed. It was an excellent little truck - very solid and well built. These ones are the genuine Mazda trucks (before they became badged Ford Rangers..), and they seem to last forever with no problems. My friend used to tow his sled around in the back of it, you won't win any races, but it didn't seem to do any harm either....

A friend of mine had 2600 4x4...it was a good little truck, well over 300k on it...he did have to put a little money into it here and there, but that's to be expected with anything that has that many miles...he eventually blew the clutch and still sold it for $1500

*FOLLOW UP*

Well, we went and looked at it today. The truck itself has 480,???Km's on it, and the "new motor" has 230,000Km's on it. The truck has been repainted. No bondo anywhere truck is nice and solid.

we test drove it, and it runs, shifts, idles fine. When he started it he said it hasnt been started for awhile and some nice blue smoke came out for about 30seconds then stopped, and didnt smoke at all after we drove it. Is this ok? Also, I'm not sure whether the motor is tired or its supposed to do it but it sure dosnt have much balls. maybe a good tune-up would help?

By driving it we found it needs 1 or 2 new tires, and new front rotors. All in all a good little truck.

The custom tach is NOT hooked up, and the gas gauge dosnt work unless indeed the engine is out of gas.

They are asking $700, is it worth it? And does anyone know the Horsepower/Torque specs of this engine??

If your only willing to spend $700, this looks like a pretty good truck. However, you will be putting atleast 1/3 of the price ($700) into the car to bring it up to "good" condition. If your willing to drive it how it is (no repairs), that would be the best value. Then when it needs serious work, sell it. (or donate it for a tax break)

The price of the truck is right.

If your willing to spend a little more, you could get a nicer (and more reliable) car with a little more balls.

Oil smoke at startup is a sign of bad valve guide seals. While the seals aren't expensive, this is a time consuming process, and can be difficult for a novice shadetree mechanic to do. Being slow doesn't necessarily mean the truck is tired. The 2.2L engine is not a powerhouse by any means. IIRC, these engines have a timing chain, instead of a belt for the camshaft. Look for a plastic cover on the front of the engine. If so, then it'll be a belt, and not a chain driven OHC. The brake rotors are a fairly easy DIY project. IMO, if you are willing to tackle the truck's problems yourself, then it could be a decent buy. I would highly recommend though, having a compression test done, as well as a cylinder leakdown test performed. These will give you a detailed picture of what the internal condition of that engine is in, with the high KM's on the clock. I would recommend to base your final decision on the outcome of those two tests. I used to have an 81 B2000 that I not so affectionately called the "turd," when I was in high school. It was brown, and rattled like nobodies business. However, it would start and run without a single gripe even in subzero farenheit temps.

well if i sell the sunbird, i could get almost $3000. BUT, i dont want to spend all that, try and get the truck for $500, fix it up, and save the rest for insurance etc.... I fiqure a couple hundred dollars will fix this truck up nice, and maybe just drop a newer motor in it or rebuild the previous.

i want this model of truck. a b2200 '88-93, in the autotrader i've seen ones that have lower km's, and run better, for more money, but are rusted to crap. If you saw this truck you really would be surprised. Its candy apple red with tinted windows.

does this sound like a good idea to you guys? let me know! and i have good experience with motors how hard and what is involved to change the vavle guide seals?

thanks guys your a great help.

Talk the guy down to 500, put brakes and good tires on it and drive it until it dies, then take the tires back off and send it to the wreckers.

Seriously, there's no point in throwing all kinds of work and money into a $500 truck, when you could just take the combined money and buy something nicer that doesn't need the work...

So if you like the thing, make sure it's not gonna fall apart on you (have a mechanic look at it) and as long as it's fit, don't worry about the blue smoke and just drive 'er...

Originally posted by Good2Go@Aug 29 2004, 07:43 PM
well if i sell the sunbird, i could get almost $3000. BUT, i dont want to spend all that, try and get the truck for $500, fix it up, and save the rest for insurance etc.... I fiqure a couple hundred dollars will fix this truck up nice, and maybe just drop a newer motor in it or rebuild the previous.

i want this model of truck. a b2200 '88-93, in the autotrader i've seen ones that have lower km's, and run better, for more money, but are rusted to crap. If you saw this truck you really would be surprised. Its candy apple red with tinted windows.

does this sound like a good idea to you guys? let me know! and i have good experience with motors how hard and what is involved to change the vavle guide seals?

thanks guys your a great help.
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Valve guide seals are not difficult, just labour intensive. You would need a good air compressor, the appropriate adapters to screw the hose into the spark plug hole, a spring compressor, magnet for grapping the spring keepers, and a breaker bar with the proper size socket to fit over the crank bolt (to turn the engine.)

The job is pretty much a matter of pulling the camshaft, rotating the cylinder being worked on to TDC, and using the air compressor at a moderate pressure to keep the valves up, but not so much so as to push the piston down. You want to have the piston at TDC to avoid dropping the valve into the cylinder if you bump it hard enough to cause it to open and let the compressed air out. If you drop a valve, then your job will turn into the project from hell due to having to pull the head to retrieve the valve. Use the spring compressor to lossen the tension on the keeper, the magnet to grab the keeper, and then remove the spring. Pull off old seal, and install new. The last batch I did was on a Mitsubishi engine, and they just pulled off, and pressed on, staying in place with a spring that circled the inside of the seal.

I'm a slow clumsy oaf that loses things as soon as I set them down, and I can do this job in a day, complete with finding new ways to combine old obscenities for misplacing tools right in front of my face. :ohmy:

Originally posted by Wolfman@Aug 29 2004, 04:13 PM
...I'm a slow clumsy oaf that loses things as soon as I set them down, and I can do this job in a day, complete with finding new ways to combine old obscenities for misplacing tools right in front of my face....


Wolfman, I think we might be related... :ohmy:

Getting back to this truck, for $500 if it drives OK, you really can't expect much more. I know that these trucks have an extremely good reputation, and are real easy to work on. You really can't go wrong.

how about a chevrolet s-10 of the same year (86-92) with a 5-speed? do these have a good reputation?

thanks guys your a great help! :)

Originally posted by Good2Go@Aug 30 2004, 03:29 PM
how about a chevrolet s-10 of the same year (86-92) with a 5-speed? do these have a good reputation?

thanks guys your a great help!* :)
342283


No, you'd be much better off with the Mazda. The Chevy S-10 has had a rather lengthy history of major electrical issues. The 2.8L V6, if equipped, is also prone to overheating. You are also looking at the same timeframe that all three of the domestic automakers, were having major issues with peeling paint.

Originally posted by The Hossman@Aug 30 2004, 12:15 AM
Wolfman, I think we might be related...* :ohmy:

Getting back to this truck, for $500 if it drives OK, you really can't expect much more.* I know that these trucks have an extremely good reputation, and are real easy to work on.* You really can't go wrong.
342176



Hehehe, nothing irks me as much as setting a tool down, looking away from the project for just a moment, and then looking for that exact same tool, that I JUST put down, and not being able to find it. :bash: :cussing: :cussing:

I've had times where I've litterally been so bad, that I've just simply had to stop what I'm doing, and walk away from the project for a few days.

I'm also famous for needing to find a specific type of screwdriver to do one quick job around the house, and finding EVERY single other screwdriver in my collection except the one I need, looking in that EXACT spot that I just KNOW there is supposed to be SEVERAL of the specific type I'm looking for, and not being able to find one. I'll give up, fuming by this point, and use something else, that can be made to "get by," so that I can do that quick little tightening down, or whatever. A few days later, I'll be looking (usually unsuccessfully), for another tool, and find that EXACT damned screwdriver that I needed a few days ago, in the EXACT same spot I turned upside down three times in the process of looking for it a few days ago. :cussing: :cussing:

I don't have kids, so I cannot blame the mysterious dissappearing tool mystery on them.

I need to get everything on a pegboard, so that I can put everything in plain sight - not that it would help cases like me much. :dazed:

I had a '88 S15 w/ the 4.3 valve guide/seal issues w/ it creating the blue smoke @ start up as well. Plus I've known of co-workers w/ M vans w/ the same motor, having leaking head gaskets causing major problems (anti-freeze leaking into oil system resulting in wiped out cranks).

so i should stick with the mazda? are these carbeurated or fuel injected? power steering? power brakes? thanks.

Originally posted by Wolfman@Aug 30 2004, 11:09 AM
Hehehe, nothing irks me as much as setting a tool down, looking away from the project for just a moment, and then looking for that exact same tool, that I JUST put down, and not being able to find it.* :bash:* :cussing:* :cussing:

I've had times where I've litterally been so bad, that I've just simply had to stop what I'm doing, and walk away from the project for a few days.

I'm also famous for needing to find a specific type of screwdriver to do one quick job around the house, and finding EVERY single other screwdriver in my collection except the one I need, looking in that EXACT spot that I just KNOW there is supposed to be SEVERAL of the specific type I'm looking for, and not being able to find one.* I'll give up, fuming by this point, and use something else, that can be made to "get by," so that I can do that quick little tightening down, or whatever.* A few days later, I'll be looking (usually unsuccessfully), for another tool, and find that EXACT damned screwdriver that I needed a few days ago, in the EXACT same spot I turned upside down three times in the process of looking for it a few days ago.* :cussing:* :cussing:

I don't have kids, so I cannot blame the mysterious dissappearing tool mystery on them.

I need to get everything on a pegboard, so that I can put everything in plain sight - not that it would help cases like me much.* :dazed:
342296


We were separated at birth I think..... :D

I have another favorite time waster - looking in the same spot several times for something that I know is not there... old age is setting in I'm afraid.

I think someone should invent tools on a string like the mittens my mom used to make me where as a kid...

Check out this 1991 Mazda B2200

i know they are cool little trucks. !so do you think i should stick with mazda? are these carbeurated or fuel injected? power steering? power brakes? thanks.

You should do a search on the web, I'm sure there's some technical specs out there on these years specifically...

My buddy's had power brakes but no power steering. That's OK because steering it will help build those biceps!! I believe it was fuel injected... it was a really solid little truck - I borrowed it for a couple days once when my poor old truck was under the weather.

So lets have a vote, yes or no, should i try and grab this pickup for $500, replace the seals and drive it?

Originally posted by Good2Go@Sep 1 2004, 06:12 PM
So lets have a vote, yes or no, should i try and grab this pickup for $500, replace the seals and drive it?
342908


how long would you plan on keeping it

for a while anyway...... i've heard good stories about these motors once the seals are fixed they can go for a while.......

For the price, it sounds like a good idea to buy it.
Best gas mileage for a pickup, too.

this isnt the exact truck i'm looking at but its IDENTICAL. if you put them side by side you wouldnt tell the difference. :) ...except for the rims and the dual exhaust.

well i was talking to the owner of this trucks little brother and he says its the biggest POS. No front or back bumber, etc... That just made my decision i'm not even going to touch it.

Thanks for the advice guys!