Questions and Answers

Getting A Mazda B4000 Road Ready Q. Hi there, I just purchased a used Mazda B4000 SE 4x4 with 133,000 miles. It has the 4 litre engine, with ABS, manual transmission, fuel injection, A/C and Rack and pinion steering. It's in pretty good shape, and for $4,000.00, I think it's a good buy.

It had been sitting for a couple years and I just washed all the grime off. The owner said it ran fine for him. He bought a new truck though. It runs fine. I had the oil changed and topped up fluids. The belts should probably be replaced.

The coolant looks rusty, so it needs a flush. I would like to change all of the other oils/lubricants too. Of course I should change spark plugs, but should I get the fuel injectors cleaned?

Is there anything else you would do to this truck since it sat for two years?

One thing the fellow mentioned was the gears are hard to find, and sure, but it's really no biggy to me, I can find them. He said the clutch system needs to be bled, and that it was a little difficult. Can I do this, or should I take it to a pro? I would like to do most things myself, but if you can recommend what I should get a pro to do, that would be great.

Best regards,
David

A. I would recommend treating this truck as if it hasn't had any maintenance at all it's whole life. This will give you a baseline with which you can base future maintenance.

Change all the fluids, oil, transmission, power steering and flush the brake fluid for the brake system and clutch. I would carefully inspect the brake calipers and wheel cylinders for leakage on a regular basis for a few months after the flush to be sure no leaks pop up. Flushing the coolant is not a bad idea, but be prepared for the possibility of a radiator recore or replacement.

Replacing the belts is an excellent idea along with a complete tune-up, spark plugs, spark plug wires, distributor cap and rotor.

Cleaning the throttle body and fuel injectors is an excellent idea since unleaded gas tends to leave a lot of deposits. I would recommend the Mazda Dealer do the cleaning since they have the proper equipment and experience to do the job properly.

You didn't mention the year, but it seems like you did get a good buy and with proper care and maintenance you should get a few years out of it.