6.5 pics

The Ford and the GM are rated as light-duty diesels while the Dodge/Cummins is rated as a medium duty engine; which is why I'm driving a Dodge.

There is no doubt that the Cummins is built very heavy as compared to other engines used in pickups. That being said - some of the newer Ford-IH engines carry exactly the same duty-rating as the Cummins.

The trucking industry rates projected engine life with a B-rating. That is a projection on how long an engine will last with heavy use (not just cruising empty) - before any major teardown.

GM Duramax has a B10 rating of 220,000 miles (that means 90% make it, and 10% don't).

Cummins 5.9 has a B10 rating of 250,000 miles.

The new Ford-IH 6.4 liter has a B10 of 262,000 miles.

The older Ford-IH 7.3 has a B10 of 200,000 miles.

GM 6.5s - as far as I know - were never tested and rated for heavy use.

Odd thing is - the B50 ratings - being a point where 50% make it, and 50% don't. The Ford-IH 7.3 and the Cummins 5.9 are the same at that point - 350,000 miles. I guess that means that more Ford-IHs fail early - but those that make it beyond a certain point last a long time.

Another note- is the new compact Cummins V-8s for light trucks e.g. SUVs and 1/2 tons. Cummins claims the new 4.2 liter V-6s and the 5.6 liter V-8s will have a B10 of 325,000 miles.

Rod

In regard to V-8 diesels in general - an inline ladder-frame block is inherently stronger. But, there are still many very strong V-8 diesels out there. The IH 445 (7.3 liter) and the somewhat larger IH DT466 are pretty durable and have "B" heavy-duty ratings as good as the Cummins 5.9.

Sometime probably next year - there's going to be a bunch of new, lightweight V-8 diesels coming out - from GM, Cummins, and Navistar. Many will be available in 1/2 ton trucks and SUVs.
Cummins has a new 5.6 liter V-8 diesel with a "B10" rating of 325,000 miles - that means 90 % will make it that far, and 10% will not. The Navistar Ford 6.4 V-8 has a B10 of 262,000 miles and a B50 of 375,000 miles. The Navistar DT466 V-8 has a B10 of 300,000 miles and a B50 of 450,000 miles.

Either way, I'm no expert on any of the Navistar -non-Ford versions - just seen a few around and read the specs. Just had a guy here with a large tilt-bed last week - almost a new IH truck. It has the 444 engine - and it looked pretty much like my 7.3.

Others will show up on here and tell you how GREAT they are,but I know better.

When GM hired Detroit Diesel to design it - the idea at the time - was a compact light-duty engine - and it worked fine for that much of the time. All the later add-ons - e.g. larger precombustion chambers, turbo, etc. were a sort of catch-up game to compete with the competition.

Many 6.2s and 6.5s have lasted well over 500,000 miles. And, some have blown to pieces before 100,000. That is verified fact - and indicates they are not ALL junk, as you say.

The 6.5 in the photos seems to have suffered some sort of failure not associated with any flaw in the block, crank, or rod design. Timing chain fell off or broke maybe?
If so, that is extremely rare with the 6.2/6.5.

I will say this though, to the credit of the Ford IH engines - there are NO timing chains to worry about. The 6.9s and 7.3s also have forged-steel cranks instead of cast-iron like GM uses.

I've heard of other instances of the connecting rods simply snapping.

I've got a couple of 6.2s and 6.5s in my junkpile with bent rods - but that happened after a main-bearing web support broke off the block and the crank broke.

Also got a Deere 4020 engine in my junkpile with two severely bent rods (can't remember what caused it though).

I think rod breakage in 6.2s/6.5 is pretty rare - unless caused by some other calamity. They have forged-steel rods which is a plus. Unfortunately, the cranks are NOT forged - just cast-iron.

Thay also are known to shear camshaft drive keys, which could explain YOUR theory of destruction.

Either way, at today's prices, it's a LOT of money down the drain!

I also hear many opposing stories form various engine rebuild shops.

With my own engine that blew to pieces - I was kind of amazed at how strong the rods were. My crank broke into three pieces - and two main bearing webs pulled off the block with bolts still intact - and several rods bent as a result - but none broke.