Things to look for in new truck

well as many of yall know my truck is up for sale, I found someone with an 02 4cy interested in trading. Im usually on the other side of this question but as we all know you tend to get tunnel vision when youre interested in things like this. but what should I look for and inspect im very mechanically competent, also any particular issues that plague 4 cyls?

 

I won't point out the obvious things, given you are mechanically inclined (based off your Sick build!). But there are a couple things I've noticed over the years with the 4 cyls, 2.4 or 2.7. One thing is that they tend to need a valve adjustment at certain intervals, but I'm not sure of the specific timeframe/guideline. I also know that some never complete the valve adjustment and are still running strong.
Another thing I've seen on a few occasions, though a little rare, is the overtightening of the belts, causing premature wear on the bearings. The first sign that I've seen with these is abnormal engine sound, but not too distinct if very minor wear. Again, a little more of a rarity, but seen a few.
Other than that, those 4 cyls are supposed to be pretty durable motors. In addition, the maintanence is simple on those (fluids, drive belts (t-chain driven), and spark plugs), with the exception of the messy oil change (due to filter location).
Hope you find what you're looking for.

 

That's the good thing about the 3.4 my oil change is super simple. So other than the basics main thing I hafta check is valve adjustment and belt tension/bearings

Do the manual trans have any issues known with them?

 

never heard anything negative about the manual or auto tranny in these trucks.