If you knew then what you know now

[Cowracer]

I was just wondering, if you knew everthing that you know now, before you bought your first 6.5, would you still have bought it?

Me, personally? No, I have to say I would not. Dont get me wrong, I've had a 6.5 for almost 5 years and I really like it, but it took quite a bit of time to get to my current 'comfort level'. I have cussed it many, many times before I quit trying to operate it on my terms, and started operating it on it's terms.

Would I buy another? Without a Doubt, YES! But only because I know it so well. I would not want to start the learing curve over again with a 'stroke or a cummins

Tim

[moondoggie]

Good Day!

Would I? I have! I bought the Sub ≈ 2 years after the 95 pickup, & my daughters 89 ≈ 3 years after.

For me, the only way this is possible is because of The Diesel Page. Two examples:

1) I was on my way to work when I coasted over. I disconnected the IP optical sensor, restarted, then coasted over. I reconnected the optical sensor, coasted into a convenience store, & bought a bag of ice. I put a handful of ice on my remote-mounted FSD & started back home. I again coasted over - ice all gone, another handful. I got my truck home. I replaced FSD, truck's run fine since then. For most folks, they have it towed, put in an IP (probably $1800); my cost, I think around $260 from Kennedy, with typical great service.

2) See DTC 35 - Help! (http://forum.thedieselpage.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=004386) for another.

I don't know many folks with other brand diesels, but one has a 97 Ford, & he has an intermittent (probably electrical) problem that causes his engine to stumble once in awhile. He's completely in the dark as to what to do. Other brands have problems, too, although it's clear GM did way too much "customer highway engineering" on the 6.5.

Blessings!

Brian Johnson, #5044

'82 6.2 1500 4X4 1/2T pickup, 4spd man w/ OD, bone stock, 335K+, "In Rust We Trust"
'89 6.2 4X4 1/2T pickup, bone stock, 146K+
'95 6.5TD 2500 4X4 heavy 3/4T pickup, Gear Vendors Aux. OD, 185K +
'95 6.5TD 1500 4X4 3/4T Suburban, Kennedy exhaust, 200K +

[turbovair]

Honestly, probably not. However, I too have reached a comfort zone with my 96. I have replaced a lot of parts, pumps etc. I run empty most of the time and Ive had a couple of diesel mechanics tell me my truck runs better/looks better than most they have run across.It did come at a price though.These days when I look at the price of new trucks, I think Ill just keep her and do some mods!Ive always been a sucker for vehicles with bad reps I guess, having owned 8 Corvairs in the past. They were a lot of fun too.

[StephenA]

Maybe my 92 is over simple, but because of TDP, I love it. Without TDP, it was a great truck, but I'd be stumped.

[Shad]

I bought my 94 2500 sub 8600GVW in may with a few little quirks. But the head gaskets were replaced and the heads checked for cracks along with the green dot injection pump was on there at 119K. These fixes were done before I bought it which made me fell better about my purchace. So far 12K miles later with no real issues. Great Truck! I like to be a little different than the mainstream.
Shad

[pannhead]

i wouldn't, without the DP i would have scrapped it a long time ago...with the DP i got it where i want and everything good now,i'm in the comfort zone too with over 200k miles....when they make the DURAMAX Suburban i am so there ;)

[cruzer]

B4 the TDP, I thought what a dog, but drove nice. I was expecting more power, but it was OK . After TDP, Yes. Now, I would have a hard time selling it, I've got great power. I do feel real fortunate that I have mechanical injection. Fate must have been looking down on me that day. From what I read on this page, I don't know if I would have the patience to deal w/electronic injection as some of you have. Thanks for all the help. I wish all of you good electronics.

[Shad]

I second on that one Panhead. Although It'll have to be 4-5 years old before I could afford it on my blue-collar pay. I sure would like to see one made.

[catmandoo]

just bought my first 6.5 in feb and 45,000 miles later the only things i've done is a waterpump alternator and a fuel lift pump. since 93 i've had 6.2's so i pretty much knew what i was getting into and between the 83 sub,84 1/2 with banks and this 92 6.5 i have over 500,000 miles and i have yet to replace an i/p. hell yes i'd buy another.

[matt-max]

definitely. would have bought them sooner and more of them.

with the threat of jinxing myself.....

previous used work trucks almost always (1 exception) resulted in me shelling out for new or rebuilt motors and also rebuilding the tranny. (the one exception had a newly rebuilt smallblock 400 and a 4-speed that ate clutches and pressureplates instead.)

i bought my first diesel work truck in fall of 96 (97 3500hd). ordered it and waited. it has proven to be almost trouble free. 1 fuel relay, 1 set of brakes and 1 set of tires. that's it in 7 years of hard service. it weighs almost 10k with 10' dumpbed empty (which it never is) and is bone stock except K&n filter in stock airbox. it plows and hauls a sander in the winter. it hauls everything you can think of in the bed. often weighing 20k loaded plus another 10k towed behind it on trailer. yes it could use more power. yes the mileage is crap (8-ish). yes i should have ordered one earlier.

since then i have added 2 96's, a 98 and most recently a 99. voluntarily. the popularity of the powerstroke and cummins and the bad rep of the 6.5 help to keep used prices low (sucks if you bought one new and want to sell it i guess). lots of people have had one or two problems that they or the dealer couldn't figure out and took a big loss just to get out. their loss is my gain.

all that said, without the diesel page i wouldn't have bought the other 4 6.5td's. it is a godsend to walk into the service manager and tell him what is wrong with a truck and how he can fix it for me. he used to give me a condesending look and try to figure it out. now he asks me instead.

in fact, today he asked me to write how i got the tahoe to run so well because he's finally ready to give up on his 5.7 diesel pickup (one of them still runs?) and buy a used 98 k1500 6.5td that is sitting on his lot.

matt

[ucdavis]

When it was just plain stuck in Mexico, I thought what a GM Turd, how could any company in good conscience do this to customers? But I have to say I enjoy the heck outa my rig since I found TDP. They're a blast to work on and way simpler than today's gassers. And the $$ horror stories I hear from the PS & Cummins guys on occasion make me think maybe the the Big 3 all look at customers as chumps to shave.
I've been thinking of replacing an F150 w/a 6.5 recently, and will if I find the right rig. And of course, there's those Dmax/lottery dreams...

[catmandoo]

hey there's one of them 5.7 pick-ups here in iowa too, stepside at that with duel tanks.

[rjschoolcraft]

I would.

I bought my Suburban because I was tired of using gassers to tow. I built a very solid and strong 350 Chevy to tow with...it was good with power, but really drank the gasoline. Towing mpg was between 3 and 5 :eek: .

My uncle owned an 84 GMC 6.2 and a 96 Chevy 6.5. I had overhauled an 85 6.2 for a friend of mine who used it in his rental business. I thought at the time that I would never want a diesel pickup. The 6.2's didn't impress me becuase they seemed really short on power. Later, I borrowed my uncles 96 to tow home a 39' travel trailer that I bought to live in during the week while away on work in Illinois. The 6.5 impressed me. He had always had very good reliability with his (still has, although he only has about 50,000 miles on it). So, I decided I wanted a diesel Suburban.

Admittedly, I have been somewhat disappointed in some aspects of the 6.5...the cooling problems really annoy me...GM should have done that right out of the box. I think it shows a lack of engineering attention to the early diesel fleet. However, now I am happy with the rig.

The other issue...I could never bring myself to drive a Ford or Dodge. I have been a Chevy nut since I was very young. Plus I enjoy the surprise in the other guys eyes when my "dog 6.5" performes respectibly against them. It will also be a long time before I can afford a Duramax...so, I would like to add a 6.5 pickup to the fleet sometime in the near future...after buying the wife a gas Suburban to drive. I really like the Suburban...we need two! :D

[tanker]

I doubt if I would have then, had I knew what lay ahead of me. (no crystal ball)Too many problems to list on this forum. But like many others, without the Diesel Page, John Kennedy, and a bunch more good hearted souls, I would have got rid of it long ago. I too have a comfort level now, but am also cautious all the time. Dodge/Cummins has a great engine, which is hard to beat, but most owners don't like the truck. Ford had a good engine, (7.3 Power-Stroke) but the ride is too harsh, and the new engine is having its share of time in the Ford dealers shops. Can't beat GM's ride comfort, and now with the Dura-Max a great engine and transmission. Its a shame GM doesn't equip the Yukon XL and the Suburban with the Dura-Max and the allison transmission. Can't find a more universal vehicle than the suburban. Some day maybe they will offer us suburban lovers a real engine for towing.
smile.gif

[MartyB]

Would go with the no folks, I am just glad I did not get the auto either, the manual has been good. I had the typical engine blow up at 103K in the #8, if given another shot, would have gone with a ford T444E motor and that 5 sp. Other than the engine problem at 103K, I have not ahd an injection pump go out, or any other problem, I did have the pump rebuilt with the engine, but otherwise I am stock, and performs to my satisfaction.

Marty

[Kidd]

Currently driving my fourth 6.5. I have never had any problems with the engine. All I have ever changed is filters, couple of belts and one alternator. Worked these trucks hard too, haul everything from horses to construction equipment.

My 93 was short on power, but the later ones are ok. Mind you, for years I drove a 240 horsepower Detroit 6-71 pulling 80k. :D :D

K.D.

[Kollin Syverson]

I have never had any problems either. But if I did I would have to go by the old saying
"I would rather push a Chevy than drive a Ford" :D

[Jolie]

Knowing what we know now......no, we probably would not have bought the truck. However, here we are, nearly $5k in repairs in 4 months, we love our truck, we really do. Its a good truck and we can't fault it.

The way we see it is if this truck can make 150k of abuse and hard miles, well, that's a pretty darn good truck. When we look at the whole picture its not that bad of a truck and we do enjoy it.

[GARY PAGE]

I race old Pontiacs with engines that have been out of production for 17 years so I guess you would say I am hard-core or hardheaded. If it had not been for the DPs and my desire to make things live I would have scraped the truck a year ago. The average man could not afford to hire the labor I put into the truck and as the song goes

[StephenA]

My sediments, exactly! I know, I'm clear as mud...
:D

[rjschoolcraft]

:D Now that's funny! :D

[StephenA]

:D

[triggerman]

There's alot of trueth in this tread. But I gotta tell ya the two things that need to be available to REALY hang a smile on my face with this 6-5. 1) A Tech 2 program downloadable to a laptop. ( Ross Tec. sells a FULLY integraded 2 way scan tool for a VW called VAG-COM for $200 bucks.)
And lastly, I wish someone would offer a pair of direct inject heads for this thing ! If I ever get that nice big milling machine I'v been wanting, I'd be crazy enough to have the pre cups spray welded and re machine the injectors and direct port the glow plugs. Of course 18 to 1 pistons would rule here. I bet the 6.5 would match the D-Max in MPG's with this set up. Well, there it is. I just had to VENT this amung all us sorta happy customers. :D

[StephenA]

Really- could direct inject heads be made? I wonder who else has looked into this... Sounds like an interesting thread!

[bnmccoy]

I am like many of the others in several respects. I am a die hard Chevrolet fan.

In 93/94 GM had the edge with the 6.5 TD over Ford's IDI 7.3 Ford was offering the ATS turbo though. A friend had a the Ford with first the aftermarket installed ATS non wastegated turbo then later with the ATS wastegated turbo; in fact his truck was pictured in their magazine adds. He bought one of the first 94 6.5 TDs. BTW, it would outrun the old Ford 7.3 with the ATS. He now has an 03 DuraMax crewcab; one sweet truck.

I started shopping in 95. I was looking for a extended cab 4X4. I was driving the Ford Powerstrokes (very few to find then) pretty hard doing 0-60 MPH runs, etc. I did the same with the 6.5 TD. The Ford ruled. I decided I was going to buy my first Ford; the dealers would not deal at all as there was no inventory available. I went back to the Chevys and found what I was looking for, bought it.

My first disappointment was the first time I hitched the 24 ft. travel trailer up and punched it to enter the Interstate on an uphill ramp. Frankly I think my old Suburban with a 350 did a better job. Same weekend when we pull into a campground and I turn my engine off at the entry gate (per the sign) the engine would not restart. The truck had less than 2000 miles on it. Yep they fixed it with a lift pump - wrong decision just as I told them.

Took it for a test run with the TT (it only messed up with higher underhood temperatures brought on by towing, this was in cool April too). Sure enough when I had driven it 30 miles and turned it off in front of my mother's house it would not restart. I called Mr. Goodwrench to see if they would hook up to it when it restarted if I brought it in -- no, too busy, have to schedule! So I headed home, it died at a very busy intersection during rush hour and never would restart. The next call to Mr. Goodwrench was not so nice. A couple of hours later they have finally picked up the truck and a friend has come for the TT. Problem was the optical timing sensor in the injection pump. Wow, most money I had spent (at that time) on a vehicle and the first I had ever had towed.

That sorta sums it up.... This is the most problematic vehicle I have ever owned. Too many injection pumps (yet I haven't paid for any of them). Blown head gasket.... that was the straw that made me loose all respect for this engine.

Yes, with all the mods I have made the truck now runs cool and pulls great, more like I expected it to that first time I pulled the TT onto the Interstate.

BTW, one of the posts mentioned they were glad they had the manual transmission. My 4L80E has +180,000 miles on it and the transmission is just fine (so far) with regular flushing at each 50,000 miles. The 4L80E is basically an electronic TH400 w/ OD, lock up torque converter, and electronic shifting valve body. It is a good transmission.

My truck is one of my favorite vehicles. Do I trust the engine? NO.

If there was any way of knowing what I know now I would have never bought it.

BTW, since my wife works for HERTZ which is owned by FORD then my next truck will be a FORD for purely economic reasons. I have already purchased my large Chevrolet Racing decal with racing flags (like I currently have on my Chevy's back glass) for that new Ford. Probably will get it keyed? There will not be a new Ford for me until the Chevy fatally dies or at least has 200,000 miles; about another year at my rate.

Love to hate it,

Bob

[oldmansax]

I honestly would have to say I don

[J Vernon Bailey]

I am well pleased with my 1993 K2500HD Plain Old Truck(POT). I bought it in May of that year on order so it was among the last produced. Until the recent failure of the fan clutch at 150K miles, all I did to the engine was change oil and filters. I did have to put two throtle position sensors and two lift pumps on the trukc but since I do my on work those were nothing. When I retired, we moved ourselves to our country place a hundred miles from Houston so we were on the road every week for a few months. I know our grades are not much but I towed 6000lb loads in OD and cruse control. Still slowed down less than our gas Suburban on the hills.
When I finish the current work, I expect to keep it another 100k or so. Love IT.

I am going to be looking for a 99 TD Suburban to replace our 90 gas Suburban and it only has 100k miles on it.

Vernon

[goodmonkey]

I'd have to agree with oldmansax on the diesel weedeater. I want a diesel motorcycle for the mileage, much like the one the military uses here (http://motorcyclecity.com/Military-bikes/M1030Diesel-Kawasaki.htm), but alas, there is no civilian version of it as of yet.

I grew up with diesels and chevy's, so buying the 6.5 was a no brainer to me. I bought it about a year ago for 3K, a beat up old work truck, where the only options were an automatic and AC. I've sunk some money into repairs, but the Diesel Page has helped me to keep them at a minimum. Knowing what I know now I most defiantly bought it, been less guess work and downtime to get her working right. smile.gif

My complaint is only the body style. Should have found an extended cab with a 5-speed, but with the price I paid, guess I shouldn't complain. My dad has a 95 K2500 L65 manual extended cab in really good condition (dare I say excellent?)with 220k on it, if anyone is interested. ;)

[catmandoo]

ya i love diesels too i'd also like to have one of those kaw motorcycles,and got rid of my hot runnin vaporlocking gas lawnmowers for a couple of diesels,can mow twice as long on a gallon as the gassers and more power.i drive 65,000 miles a year i'll never have another gasser for the road even if they tend to be a little temperamental now and then,they are alot easier to work on then fords or cummins and cheaper.friend of mine is trying to figure out how he's gonna change his glowplugs on his powerstroke. he! he! also injector went bad last year and i don't remember what kind of ungodly amount he said it cost him.

[Kollin Syverson]

Without a doubt I would buy another one. I have talked with several peoople who own or have owned the 6.5 and no one has ever had any major problems. This means no IP problems, no FSD problems. When I first got mine, and subscribed to this site and seen what problems people were having, I had wished I never bought my 6.5. Now after having it, I feel the IP and FSD problems are one in a million. Like any manufacturer there will always be problems, but I think the 6.5 got a bad rap for no reason.