I'm going sometime next week to take a look at 3 International 9400's. Only looking to buy one, but there are three to choose from. Two have 10 speed FRO15210c, and on has a FRO16210c. Just a little different load ratings. All have ISX's(450hp EGR's I think.) and 3.58 rears. They're are the smaller stand up sleepers and I believe the wheel base is 210 on them. Mileage ranges from 348,000-423,000. All are 04's. According to them, they've all been recently dyno'd and can provide documentation of it. What else, when it comes to these trucks should I look for? Only truck I've ever owned was an 03 Columbia, so I really know nothing about these. They're cheap, 17,000 each.

 

I have a 9400 International (2004) so I can give you some pointers.

TRANSMISSIONS

First of all, both of the trannies (FRO15210C and Fro16210C) have this nice feature:

"These(950lb-ft.-1750lb-ft.) transmissions can be rated at 100 additional lb-ft. torque above the stated limit in the top two gears only."

15210 is only good for 1550 lb-ft torque in lower 8 gears, while 16210 can take 1650 lb-ft of torque. With the latter, you can later modify the truck to have 1850 lb-ft in the top two gears, which would greatly reduce shifting on hills. I'd go with FRO16210C.

CAB PANELS

Check the dashboard panels near the glass - on the 2004 and older models they were cracking all the time but International later came up with an improved design.

SEAT & BED

I think it's a good idea to replace these with new ones, when you buy a used truck.

TIRES

Bad wear, irregular wear, remaining tread? I had to replace the front tires on mine within the first couple of months because they had not been properly mounted (off-center) and developed bold spots.

 

Knowing how tires and rims are made, how do you get them mounted "off center"?
Sounds more like someone's excuse for the result of "old rubber" that has been sitting on a shelf for a few years.

 

I have no idea how they managed to do it but when I noticed the bald patches on the steers, I showed them to our tire guy at MacKinnon. He looked at the tires and noticed right away the lines near the rim were not at the same distance because the wheel was sitting off-center. Maybe 3-4 mm, but at 62 MPH that's enough to kill a tire real quick.

 

Hmmmm....that's interesting.

I drove a 9400 for a couple years and it loved to eat steers. Now I'm in an 09 Prostar and at 170,000 its starting to do the same thing. And with both trucks it has been the right side steer tire.

I was beginning to think it was just an International glitch or something.

 

I have an 84 Pete, right side steer tire is starting to wear funny. It's developing low spots. Brand new front end, less than a year old. I have roughly 80000 miles on these tires. You're not alone.

 

If you find one of the 9400's that you are ready to purchase you could do an oil analysis. It is inexpensive and can give you some insight as to the general condition of the engine without having to spend an arm and leg. Tire wear can be affected by a number of factors. King pins, alignment, tie rods, drag link, bad tires, warped rim. There are several things that should be checked if you see odd tire wear. I have 354 rears in my 9400. It is a good ratio that will give you good pulling power along with fairly decent fuel economy. Check the interior. If is appears that the interior is in good shape then the truck will likely have been well maintained. If the interior has been trashed or has broken or missing pieces then the truck has likely not been well maintained. You still want to check out the obvious things such as suspension, etc., You may want to see if the maintenance records are available.

 

Might be an alignment issue too. Mine was pulling to the ditch all the time when the road had a slope to the right. All this despite multiple all-axle alignment, steering box replacement etc. The pulling stopped as soon as I switched to the FACTORY size tire, indicated on the driver's side inside the cab.

Former tires: 22.5" (these were on the truck when I bought it used)
The label said: "295R75/22.5" (factory size)

Switched to low profile and everything has dramatically improved.

 

Thanks for the replies. I've decided to go another route and not buy another truck. Back to letting someone else worry about it.