Hello,
Brand new to the forum...And glad to have found you!

I'm looking to buy this vehicle and had a few questions.

Can you tell me where I can decipher the data plate below?
It is a '96 Dodge B3500 van with approximately 75K miles and is in good shape. No rust and you could almost eat off the underside of it. It has been in North Carolina for its' entire life.
Also, are there any potential problem areas that this vehicle is known to have?

I'm taking it to a shop to have it looked over in a few days. Wondering if that are any potential trouble spots to look for.

And is there any place to try and get an accurate value for it? I've checked Edmunds and KBB, but if anyone would know how to best value it, this would seem to be the place....

Many Thanks,Rick :-)

 

Enter your VIN # here And you will see everything it came with. The data tag has specific ID #'s but you can look for them here. This covers a lot of vehicles so there may be multiples .

 

Thank You!! :-)

 

A quick note...

When I went to the VIN website, it said this: "*Vehicles built before 1998 are not eligible for this functionality."
But I tried it anyway and it worked for the '96!!!

Just wanted to mention this so folks still give it a try with a pre-'98 VIN....
Thanks again! :-)

 

Yep. Been there, done that. They may eventually purge some of the older data, but, so far, it works back pretty far.

 

The one thing I can think of that would need to be checked is the plenum plate for a leak. Very common issue and requires the removal of the intake manifold to reseal it with a new gasket and shorter bolts which is the cause of the problem.

 

Thanks for the thought.

I'll be looking at it.

Is this something that might have been covered under a recall at some point?\

Many Thanks, Rick :-)

 

Nope. There wasn't a recall on them, as it isn't considered a 'safety' issue.......

 

Ahh, OK.
I'm having the vehicle looked over by a mechanic I trust, so I'll mention this issue to him.
Do you know if there's any indication by looking at it if there's a problem? Leaking coolant or some other telltale sign?
Many Thanks, Rick :-)

 

For the plenum? Nope. Just oil on the bottom of the inside of the intake. It's actually a rather common problem on the magnum engines, and I would be surprised if he WASN'T blown.... Of course, there is always the possibility a prior owner already fixed it too.....