Under truck inspection what to look for

[ZookieRap]

Not familiar with what to look for to tell if the raptor has been abused offroad. I'm good with all of the normal inspection things you would look at on any vehicle and I found this post as well:

https://www.fordraptorforum.com/threads/vehicle-delivery-checklist.56766/#post-1190334

But I don't know what to look for on the underside. Damage to transfer case or differentials I'm sure but what else?

Not a single listed for sale truck has pictures of the underside (least none that I've considered) so I'm going to have to ask the seller for pics and just wanted to make sure I'm getting pictures of the right areas that would potentially show damage or abuse/neglect.

Appreciate it!

 

[isis]

Offroad bumps aren’t abuse. Check the oil. Ask for service records. Review forum posts if you can find the previous owner.

 

[MarkM98]

I have yet to see 1 truck listed anywhere that has pictures of the underside. I have been looking at Raptors for a year now and if there is one that’s close that I can look at in person I check out the underside.

 

[JefferyGT]

Surface Rust. I don't understand how Ford would allow these things to look like that. I had mine treated with rust converter.

Look for leaks. Oil pan leaks were common on earlier model. Torn cv boots. Etc... Missing or loose exhaust shields. Loose bolts... I had a couple that were not tight from factory.

 

[ZookieRap]

Ok so should I just roll the dice on this underside stuff and not worry about it too much? It was from another post where someone mentioned favoring a pavement princess over an heavily off-roaded truck and that both made sense as well as was something I hadn't considered. So that's what spurred this post as I wasn't entirely sure what I should be looking for.

I'm looking for a low mileage (very) 2019 and I'm likely flying somewhere to get it (or paying for transport) so I might as well pick somewhere without snow/salt. Rust probably won't be too advanced yet and the plastic oil pan won't apply but good things to look for! I'll do some searching on dealing/preventing rust once I get my hands on one.

Good idea on shield and boots. Unless I get a PPI (which I wasn't going to do since it's a warranted) I probably won't get to check for loose bolts but I'll check them when I get it home. Maybe the skid plate on the bottom side worth a look. I'm not big into offroading (yet) so really just didn't know what, if anything, I should be looking for that should deter me from buying or should be a negotiation point (not that anyone is negotiating on these right now).

 

[Idaho]

If you are able to get a look at it in person, you could be the crazy guy like me on the lot. I brought a creeper to roll under every truck I looked at (if flying, some cardboard to lay on would be just fine), a change of clothes, a set of gloves or latex gloves to toss in the trash afterwards, and a nice and bright flashlight.

I went from the front to back looking at every gasket or seal I could find and scanning the underside, exhaust, and drive shaft. With a flashlight you can look up at the rear shock seals as well to check for leaks.

One thing of note I found when looking at '19's was they made a swap from orange to yellow coolant during the production run. At this time it also appears they swapped to coated front axles as well. Perhaps this was coincidence, but of all the '19's I looked at (about 8 of them) it matched up every time that those with orange coolant had rusty un-coated front axles while trucks with yellow coolant had coated axles. This doesn't mean a thing in terms of performance, just bring it up as something of note that thew me off a little when I was shopping for my truck.

 

[Mister Pinky]

If you’re looking at a 2019, I wouldn’t be too concerned with rust. You’ll usually get a few good years before the e-coating starts to break down. If you live in an area that sees snow and salt, there’s a variety of things you can do to prevent it.

 

[smurfslayer]

I’d look hard for leaks with a light - A powerful light, not a pen light, cv boots and scrapes where you wouldn’t expect to see them.

 

[GordoJay]

What about checking the frame where the rear suspension bottoms out? IIRC, Harvey mentioned dinging his there and needing bump stops before more agressive hooning.

 

[sixshooter_45]

If you are able to get a look at it in person, you could be the crazy guy like me on the lot. I brought a creeper to roll under every truck I looked at (if flying, some cardboard to lay on would be just fine), a change of clothes, a set of gloves or latex gloves to toss in the trash afterwards, and a nice and bright flashlight.

I went from the front to back looking at every gasket or seal I could find and scanning the underside, exhaust, and drive shaft. With a flashlight you can look up at the rear shock seals as well to check for leaks.

One thing of note I found when looking at '19's was they made a swap from orange to yellow coolant during the production run. At this time it also appears they swapped to coated front axles as well. Perhaps this was coincidence, but of all the '19's I looked at (about 8 of them) it matched up every time that those with orange coolant had rusty un-coated front axles while trucks with yellow coolant had coated axles. This doesn't mean a thing in terms of performance, just bring it up as something of note that thew me off a little when I was shopping for my truck.

Do you know why they changed the colors of the coolant?

The reason I ask is because I'm getting a new transmission cooler and lines and I had yellow coolant so should I also make sure the use the yellow coolant or does it matter since it will all be new.

Thanks.