Personally, I wouldn't touch a molested truck UNLESS it has been 'worked on' by someone who I trusted, and I knew that they knew what they were doing. But buying a truck off of some guy who say's, 'Yeah, she really rolls the coal.' :nope: But that's just me...
To answer your question, I would check for blowby, oil pressure, (DO NOT rely on the factory gauge. :argh:) oil and coolant levels and condition, (you'd be surprised...) all the U-joints in the drive train, king pins, wheel bearing play, trans and diff oil levels, driveability, and most of all, RUST!!!
A lot of people seem to think that Cummins engines are indestructable. So they don't bother taking care of the basics. 'A friend of a guy I know said you can go 30,000 miles without changing the oil, and he thrashes the crap out if it!' You get the idea. Cummins engines are as susceptable to damage as any other engine if you don't take care of it.
I'm sure I've forgotten plenty of things in my little list. Are there any major pitfalls? No. Are there any little niggly things? Of course, you're looking for a 20-ish year old truck.
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