Back to Square One....Where to go, what to do now?

[EscaladeDiesel]

After a nightmare of events most have read about here: from the extended warranty company that filed for bankruptcy, to the oil lines that failed, to the greedy mechanic that wasted my time and money, I recently had my Suburban towed back home with half the engine in the cargo area. I am still VERY CONFUSED how I could drive my Suburban in to the shop with a ticking on the right side, then be told I needed a new long block or complete new engine. To add insult to injury, just to get my Suburban out of the shop I had to pay $712 for the tear-down, some lifter retainer clips and a set of glow plugs. So, after paying $712 for nothing. and last week depleting my back account paying taxes, I am trying to figure out what I should do, where should I go, who can I trust (besides trying to figuring out how to pay for it), and at these crazy prices, is it worth the cost to rebuild? Any advice?

[matt-max]

wow. what a bummer. so sorry to hear of your continuing predicament.

here is the worst part, as i see it.

you need to bite the bullet if you plan to hang on to the vehicle. probably even if you don't.

it is much cheaper, faster, more reliable, etc. in my experiene to purchase a quality new or rebuilt motor instead of having yours redone.

if you have access to a knowledgeable, reasonably inexpensive, trustworthy, communicative, readily-available and speedy mechanic then by all means go that route. problem is, those attributes usually don't all go together and missing one or more of them may mean a continued nightmare.

i've heard good things about diesel services group and have had good experience with kennedy and heath.

best of luck!

matt

[patrick m.]

if you are in a money crunch, and must have vehicle running very soon, get a used engine, and start preparing for a reman after rocovering from paying those nasty taxes.

If all goes well, you can sell the used engine when the reman unit (and you) are ready.

[EscaladeDiesel]

That is sorta what I was thinking, drop in a used one, then have mine rebuilt, but not sure where to get a used engine, and what it will cost. Have any leads?

[ 04-25-2004, 05:34 PM: Message edited by: EscaladeDiesel ]

[ttpost]

sounds like it was a shyster mechanic to me.as i understand it they replaced parts but still didnt put it back together or test it? if they replaced the clips did they test it? is it possible it was just a injector,i am new to diesels but i have read they will make a ticking noise. if it was running ok before just a noise, i would put it back together and if it is still making the noise take it to another shop after getting references AND check with the better business bureau. even if it still needs another motor you could use it sparingly until you can get a rebuilt and then send yours in for the core once you have changed it.seems like alot of extra work to change motors twice.just a thought good luck.

[EscaladeDiesel]

My Suburban had lost oil through a failed oil line connection at the block. The line was replaced. The engine ran OK, but there was the ticking on the right side. When the mechanic got into the engine he said only a few of the retainer clips were bad. He replaced them and put in a set of glow plugs, but the noise still existed. After he put the heads back on with the new clips, the noise suddenly got worse, but still on the right side. Not sure if it was something he did to cause it or what, but he seemed clueless, and long story short I think he didn't want to work on it further as he had more lucrative fleet work to do. He stated it needed among other things, a crank shaft and the number 8 piston was tight in the block, so he said I should just get a new engine. 5 months later here I am.

[ 04-25-2004, 06:05 PM: Message edited by: EscaladeDiesel ]

[patrick m.]

Avant salvage, is an advertiser here you can check with them for the used engine, and they can build you a "custom" re-man when its time.

another place is LKQ a nation wide slavage "connection" a more generalized group, where as i think the Avant's specialize in diesel

[ttpost]

hmm possibly a collapsed lifter that is just floating on the cam??or possibly a flat lobe on the cam.you could check you lift on your rocker arms with a dial indicator. ran into that once on a ford pu i had(ughh i said the f word).did you run a compression check?i have seen long blocks for around 2200 on the net,rebuilt, i would think a used motor is going to cost that, but i dont know how good they are, seems kinda cheap to me.but some shops get really good volume discounts on parts if they do alot of motors.once again check into anyone that you are buying from.cheapest or expensive is not always best,check around.

[Dezman125]

Just a thought
Check with Dogdiesel,he is in the prosess ot intsalling a cummins in his truck.He pulled a 300hp 6.5 out. Mabey it's OK and he's willing to sell to a DP member???
Might be worth a try.
Also if the old oil filter is still on it you could pull it,cut it open and look for any metel,olso send any old oil that is in it out for analisis,they might be able to tell if something has failed,might be something as simple as a lifter.

[S\W Off Road]

Go the cheapest route you can because you're always going to have problems with this engine and dumping money and time into it. Thats why we are in this forum it's like a support group for the 6.5 owners. I never put a vehicle I own in the dealers shop but thats where mine is now because of the injector pump (118,000 miles :D ) I have been looking at the new Cummins and can get a new 2500 4x4 crew cab for less then $30,000. Thats still a lot of money but it's the lowest cost of the big 3 for a dependable diesel. Look at the parts you have and see about fixing it yourself, if the block is still good. Checking the crank and rod bearings would be a good start and if you have the heads off then first check the cylinder walls. The hard part is done, you can finish the job and do it for little money if you don't go hog wild and get low compression pistons and the like. If you get hung up on an area then come to your support group and we are here to help.

[EscaladeDiesel]

How does one contact other members directly? I so wish I was a mechanic. Is rebuilding a 6.5L Diesel that much different than rebuilding a gas engine? I tried to go with a diesel "ONLY" mechanic and am in a worse position, could a regular gas mechanic work on it or am I asking for even more trouble?

[S\W Off Road]

They don't make it easy here to contact someone. Post your email address and ask for what member to contact you.

[whatnot]

I would just get a used engine from Avant.
They are around $2000 (last time I talked to them) and they check them over so it won't come with a problem. THey also said that it would come with everything from the intake manifold down. (including injectors, injector pump, etc)
It was for mechanical pump. I don't know how much difference an electronic one would be.

[patrick m.]

if you can get a new Cummins 4X4 crew cab for less than 30K, you better jump on it, because you are saving 7,000 to 12,000 dollars depending on options.
at that price you could turn around and sell used and make money!

[EscaladeDiesel]

Is the mechanical IP superior to the Electronic one that I have/had in my 1998? If I find a used engine with a mechanical IP can it be dropped in with little problem? What changes will I have to be made?

[Polar Diesel]

I believe there is a few computer- related issues to deal with when switching to MFI.

[Colorado Kid]

Originally posted by EscaladeDiesel:
How does one contact other members directly? The member in question is also a member of GM-Diesel.com (http://www.gm-diesel.com) On that site you can look him up in the member list, go to his profile and send him a PM or an e-mail.

His Cummins installation project has been more difficult than he anticipated, so somebody interested in buying his 6.5 might chear him up. :D

[EscaladeDiesel]

Should he be reading this, he can contact me directly. CMSearls1@aol.com

[markelectric]

You may want to post that above note on his thread in the members section, as it seems he has been somewhat regular over there.