gm 6.5 pickup

Are these any good ? About a 1995 ex Cab auto
Thanks shaun

I have a 98. They were electronic pumps with cooling system upgrades. They aren't bad trucks but they are getting old. I bought mine from the original owner and it was well cared for. It now has 214k on it and its tired. Its a great farm truck but put a 8k trailer behind it and its pretty doggy. I bought mine 10 years ago for 9500 when a powerstroke or cummins was 16-18k. Its been great considering I paid half price....

I am A GM guy and own/have owned a number of 6.2"s and 6.5"s, and, for the most part, they have served me well, but they are NOT the best thing that was ever made.

Besides electronic fuel system issues, they have been known to crack blocks and break cranks.

The Diesel Page is a GREAT resource.

Some of it is FREE and some sections are paid-member only. Surf over and take a look for LOTS of info and insight.
The Diesel Page

We had a new 96 after two 80's 6.2's. For the most part it was a disappointment. In publications at the time it was supposed to be just as strong as the Cummins or the Ford of the time but I beg to differ. In the long run for cost a 5.7 350 gasser would have been just as good. Costly repairs, and if you loaded the trailer like you should it would run hot. It only had 48k when we sold it. Every time we backed it out something was wring with it. bought a Cummins Dodge in 06 and never looked back.

Owned a 92 with a 6.5 since 93. Until the boy bought a 92 Dodge with a Cummins, didn't know it was such a dog. When pulling a load it gets hot. Put a oversize radiator in it and didn't help. When running with the big dogs just stay close to the porch.

Thanks for the replies I'm mostly looking for a ride and sometimes pull a load when the dodge goes down when she gets tired of pulling around 30k that I make it do. What kind of mpg will the 6.5 get

"What kind of mpg will the 6.5 get"

Just drove my '94 today. 17 MPG, TOPS, NOT loaded, with a tail wind!

I just LOVE driving the da***d old thing, though!

If they would have used an aftercooler and had a little more faith in the lugging ability of their engine and used 3.50 gearing (similar to the 3.54 "Goat" gearing) instead of the (safer)(less warrantee claims) 3.73 gearing they could have squeezed one or two MPG out of the 'ol critters!

I've had over 20 rigs with 6.2s and 6.5s. Not because I love them. More because other people got disgusted with them and sold them cheap. Or some mechanic could not figure out how to fix.

6.2 was created to be a higher MPG power replacement for the 305 gasser. 6.5 isn't much different. Just bigger bore and turbo added with slightly enhanced cooling. Still an ultra lightweight V8 diesel for the time. Lightweight block that sometimes cracks by the mains. Heads that also crack when overheated. Cast-iron crankshaft (instead of forged steel), etc. Timing chain in front instead of all gear. Also is less efficient then a Cummins or later Ford since it's IDI.

Nothing wrong with having one for everyday use as long as "everyday" does't include pulling 30K lbs. as you mention.

I'd certainly never pick one for HD use.

The US military is stuck with the 6.2/6.5 format and those engines have failed miserably under military use. That led to the new 6.5s being made now with heavier high-nickel blocks, heavier heads, forged steel cranks, etc. Not going to find one in civialian truck unless someone spent $10K and installed it.

I have a '98 3/4 ton 2wd. Had a 89 3/4 ton 2wd gas. Loved the ride and drive of the old gasser so when a neighbour had his diesel for sale I bit. It drives as well as the old one and (sorry Ford guys) will hold the road better at this age than the Fords I used to drive at work with half the miles. (Kms up here). I want to keep this one and restore it (replacement box is in the yard now). Who knows? In 20 years it might be a conversation piece if nothing else.....I was looking to put a cap or service body on it this spring....everything out there is ex. cab. Is a regular cab 8' box already a thing of the past?

(quoted from post at 17:11:52 08/12/13) Are these any good ? About a 1995 ex Cab auto
Thanks shaun

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Had a 1995, 2500 with 135K miles and the crank shaft broke after about 10,ooo miles of highway empty driving.

I have 4 of them,been driving these diesels since 96. The reason i use them were purchase price(used ) and easy of fixing them(compared to dodge and ford) once i figured out what made them tick electronicly
my wife drives a 98 1500 modded to the hilt,she loves it. 220 km on it
I drive a modded 98 2500 hd ( has a tow tune) i pull up to 18000 lb on occasion ,40 thou km on a rebuild engine( bought it with a fried engine)
Then there is a 95 2500 with 430 km as a spare vehicle and a 89 2500 (6.2) with 720 + km i use on the farm. I had good luck with all of them.
I got plenty spare parts to keep them running to the end of my day's.
Dodge and ford break down just the same but are far harder to work on than these 6.5's.

They all break when you work em like a class 8 truck
I can't see how they can be easier to work on them a
cummins but that's what I like to hear what about
mpg thanks Shaun

(quoted from post at 09:47:24 08/13/13) They all break when you work em like a class 8 truck
[b:f60c6af114]I can't see how they can be easier to work on them a
cummins but that's what I like to hear[/b:f60c6af114] what about
mpg thanks Shaun

Click to expand...

You ever tried digging a cummins out of a dodge or replace the head gasket or starter on one?:roll:
Ford is even worse, can't get to nothing decently,..need to lift the cab to do heads :rolllus you need a ladder on both to get to that mill.

MPG on my 6.5's is not bad,anywhere from 15 t0 20 depending on the load and headwind or grade..
Actually i don't care about the MPG that much, dependabillity is to me more important, one breakdown along the road cost usually far more than a tank of diesel.
I've been stranded on the road only once in 17 years of driving a 6.5,.. got a stone somehow in the engine bay that flipped the belt off and then got stuck in the rad poking a hole in the process.
I do carry a spare PMD ,a spare belt and a LP just in case,..never needed one yet. PMD's are remote mounted for ease of replacement.
Vacuum systems and EGR's are deleted.

The failure rate for GM 6.5s compared to Cummins
5.9s and Ford/IH/Navistar 6.9s and 7.3s is not the
same. Ford and Cummins were endurance tested for
heavy use whereas GM didn't even try with the
6.5s. With the Durmax they did.

I don't doubt you like your trucks. I still like
my 82, 83m and 86 trucks with 6.2s. That's not the
point. GM 6.5s are inferior by design compared to
others. Also - GM had to make many substantial
changes in the 6.5s in an effort to stop certain
failures. #8 cylinder overheating and cracking.
Crankshaft failures. Smaller main-cap bolts were
added to help prevent block cracking. The cooling
system went thought several design changes to
increase flow. Heads got beefed up to help prevent
head cracking. GM and Stanadyne spent years
trying to iron out the DS4 failures. Yes they
finally figured it out but it took them 3-4 years.
No such failures I know of during production of
the 6.9s/7.3 IDIs or 5.9 twelve-valve Cummins.
That is - except the dowel-pin issue with Cummins
in the timing case and I suppose many were fixed
no charge.

The 5.9 was a proven and test medium duty engine
and it behaved that way in Dodge trucks. Same
more-or-less with the IH 7.3 that started life as
a HD gas engine medium-duty trucks. Minor issues
with glow plugs, yes. No big design changes
needed though. When the 7.3 DI Powerstroke came
out in mid 1994 -that wasn't due to problems. Just
a desire for more output.

As to ease of repair? I wonder what you find
easier to get to on a 6.5 as compared to the
others? The glow plugs on the Fords are straight
up and easier to get to then the GMs that are
cocked at angles. Water-pump changes are the same
with both. Other then glow plugs I find little
difference between GM and Ford except the Ford/IH
engines tend to last longer. And a 5.9 Cummins
with a straight six? I find it very easy to work
on with tons of room under the hood. But I must
admit that my 92 truck with a 5.9 has 375,000
miles on it and I've done NO major repairs. Just a
radiator and a water-pump. Radiator was much
easier then for a 6.5 since the Cummins is DI and
the radiator is smaller. I've yet to come across
a 6.5 with 200K that did not need major parts
unless it already got them earlier.

In the 90's when they were competing with 7.3 Fords and Dodges with Cummins motors, we used to laugh about how few of the GM diesel trucks you saw with trailers at tractor shows.

Bison,
Where is your remote mounted PMD located? In engine bay or interior? Did you make it up yourself or buy a kit. I have replaced one on my 1996, but it had 155k miles on it when I got it. GM history shows it is on it's 3rd pump.

Thanks,
Garry

No denying that the cummins 12 valve was and is a good engine but can't say the same of the shipping crate they come in.
As for the fords i just don't like them and even less working on them. My son has a ford 6 ltr , been in and out of my shop more than he drove it. i quit working on that contraption and told him to either trade it off or fix it yourself, i'm done
Maybe it a is because i been used to the 6.5 for so long and know them inside out and i can reach most of the engine without having to climb on like one has to do with the other 2 brands that i'm more inclined to like them.
I know they are not the powerhouses as the cummins and fords but as light haulers and dayly drivers they keep up with the competition and for a lot less money.
If i wanted to pull heavy loads on a dayly basis I would buy a truck that can handle it for the abbillity to stop that load and not for pulling power alone and AFAIAC neither of the 3 brands pickup trucks pulling a trailer fall in the safe slam the brakes stopping distance category


I dug the other day a cummins 12 valve out of a dodge,..took me 2 days,.what a nightmare that was :roll:

(quoted from post at 19:11:12 08/13/13) In the 90's when they were competing with 7.3 Fords and Dodges with Cummins motors, we used to laugh about how few of the GM diesel trucks you saw with trailers at tractor shows.

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ome people have no need to keep up with the Joneses :wink

the jonses can **** themselves but i need a truack
that can pull a big load this truck wont be for that
tho all i want is car bascially that looks like a
truck that i can use when i need it and that i can
get my big azz in anmd out of .

(quoted from post at 19:39:17 08/13/13) Bison,
Where is your remote mounted PMD located? In engine bay or interior? Did you make it up yourself or buy a kit. I have replaced one on my 1996, but it had 155k miles on it when I got it. GM history shows it is on it's 3rd pump.

Thanks,
Garry

Click to expand...

my PMD's are mounted on aftermarket heatsinks purchased from 'Kennedy diesel" (google it) inside/behind the pass side fender between the batt and air intake and as such smack in the incoming airstream when the engine is running.
The PMD is replacably from the engine bay in a few minutes.
I have a thick styrofoam cover over it to insulate it from the enginebay heat.
Most people locate the PMD on a heatsink behind the front bumper and have good luck with it but i like to keep it out of the weather and don't want to crawl under the truck and fight rusted bolts.
Actually the original PMD location on the IP is a good spot IMO,(just a huge PITA to get to it if/when it needs replacing) IMO the main reason they don't seem to last there is because of a failed OPS or liftpump and resulting shortage of exess bypass fuel for nessecary cooling of the IP and PMD.Wide temp swings seem to kill these critters, not just the heat alone.
[b:31c1d773f7]I strongly reccommend to install a fuel pressure gauge in the cab so you can keep an eye on oh so important fuel supply health[/b:31c1d773f7].It saves IP's

It used to be dealers replaced the whole IP when actually in many cases only the PMD was shot.
I have/had 20 of these dealer takeoff pumps and on 16 of them the PMD's where shot and there was nothing wrong with the IP itself. I sold quite a few of these pumps and have had no returns yet