6.2 diesel to turbo or not to turbo

[Vin82k3500]

So my question Open to all opinion and seriousness 6 years ago I built an 82 gmc k3500 single wheel pickup with a 4.3 v6 tbi marine engine and an nv4500 tranny this was my daily driver for the past 300000 miles till it finally swalled a valve last fall and i swapped in a 350 in made it a gas hog I pulled the 350 and swapped it out for a nice running 6.2 diesel with very low miles in the truck i pulled it from it seemed to have more than enogh power for me so my question should i put a turbo on it every one says i should so much that they talk as though I am doing the engine harm without it to me it runs to good to mess with and i think its a waste of time and money unless it really is better for the engine to have one wich doesent seem to make sense to me keep in mind i ran this truck for 6 years with a gas v6 and never had a complaint about power and yes its a real 1 ton so as i said im looking for some answers I just would like to see the fuel economy back were the v6 was wich i think is very possible with this engine

[NH2112]

Adding a turbo isn't going to hurt anything if you don't turn the fuel up too much. It's not going to be "better" for the engine, not in the way that not smoking is better for you, but it will wake it up quite a bit.

If you keep your foot off the floor except when absolutely necessary you shouldn't see a noticeable decrease in fuel economy, and might even see an increase. When I had my '85 C1500 w/'99 6.5TD pumping out about 275hp & 500lb-ft I was averaging 22mpg while deliberately driving for best economy. When having fun I got about 15mpg. This was in a 2WD 1/2-ton with 2.73 rear and 4-speed, depending on your gearing I don't see a reason why you couldn't get around 22mpg or so with your 5-speed.

For comparison, the truck in my signature averages about 17-18mpg without a turbo and with 4.10s & a huge sail of a headboard. It also tips the scales at a bit under 7000lb.

[Edahall]

This engine should easily get better fuel economy than a 4.3 V6. What gear ratio are you running? For good fuel economy you want to select a gear ratio that will keep your engine speed around 1800 rpm at 60 mph. A turbo will increase power but probably won't increase fuel economy or increase longevity. However, a free flow exhaust will help a bit with fuel economy. What year is your engine? If it's a later model, you might consider installing smaller precombusion chambers in the heads.

[Vin82k3500]

I was getting 22 to 24 with the 4.3 running 3.73s with .73 overdrive no complaints on power just drive 73 on the highway 130 miles a day and in the woods i use it like a skidder
it is an 82 c code engine but i have removed the egr had a gm turbo but exhaust clearance was a big issue and never turned the engine up enogh to see the turbo being anything but a waste of time and money
with the 350 i only get 8mpg to get 20 again would be awesome if the engine can take more abuse with out the turbo i think id rather keep it na

[NH2112]

A turbo will increase power but probably won't increase fuel economy

My C1500 went from an average of 18mpg with the NA 6.2l to 22mpg with the built 6.5l, and that was with everything going through one side of the stock 2.5" (IIRC) 6.2l exhaust. Not having to put your foot on the floor every time you want to accelerate has a real effect on mileage.

[Vin82k3500]

I guess if i can get exhaust on i will be quick to keep the turbo on the engine with that considered i didnt seem to think it lacked power but i drive like an old fart it seemed every bit as powerfull as my 350 but again i dont get after it i put put up to speed and when im in the woods i use it like a timberjack skidder as i said for power dont forget i been driving a 1 ton with a v6 for the last 6 years
:D:cool:

[Edahall]

I was getting 22 to 24 with the 4.3 running 3.73s with .73 overdrive no complaints on power just drive 73 on the highway 130 miles a day and in the woods i use it like a skidder
it is an 82 c code engine but i have removed the egr had a gm turbo but exhaust clearance was a big issue and never turned the engine up enogh to see the turbo being anything but a waste of time and money
with the 350 i only get 8mpg to get 20 again would be awesome if the engine can take more abuse with out the turbo i think id rather keep it na

That was amazing fuel economy out of the 4.3 V6. The Astro vans with the same engine don't even get close to that fuel economy at 73 mph. Could you share a little on how you were able to achieve such amazing fuel economy out of that engine? I'm surprised that engine even had enough power for a truck with oversize tires, 3.73s and overdrive.

It's good to hear that you've got 3.73s rather than 4.11s or 4.56s. However, with an 82 engine and original heads, you should be easily getting 20 mpg or more. Are the heads the originals or is it a newer variant? What kind of exhaust system do you have? You might consider installing headers. Also, try driving at 60 mph and see what that does to your fuel economy. My 82 Suburban will pull 30 mpg at 60 mph but when fuel was cheaper, I used to drive 75 mph or faster and I would get around 23 mpg at those speeds.

[Vin82k3500]

Im not sure how exactly it did so well but it did better than any s series in town i geared the truck according i built the truck to put a duramax in years ago and my donor was stolen so i tood a tbi engine fron a 92 half ton non vortec said to be a marine engine buy the seller I took everything from the truck installed it in my 82 k30 aka now becoming the gmc k3500 changing grill i used all ac components from the 92 and cruise control as well I only checked my fuel economy 5 times in the 6 years but worst was 19 not towing most trips 22 to 24 once i was towing hard with it and only got 14 but i was really beating it and i mean 3rd gear on the mat 70 mph from houlton to biddeford way overloaded for the engine i had a walker high flow cat and dynomax ultra flow exhuat all for a 350 3 inch diameter also tbi spacer removed air pump and egr advanced base timing from zero to 4 degres btdc kept tuned all syntetic lubricants in diffs dana 60 auto hubs np 208 tranfer case from 86 3/4 ton used napa synthetic oil changed every 3 k miles had to put small radiator in unable to get engine up to temp with original electric fan again to help engine get warm in northern maine winters I also installed a lorado cover i do believe it made a huge difference i will honestly say the truck got out of its own way but a hot rod it was not it would not break 80 with out a tauneau cover oh yeah one more thing light weight alluminum 17 inch wheels and nice soft 4 ply p265/70r17 tires wich i found are not legal on this truck never thought twice when i stickered it myself though was originally a half ton so no where does it call for lt load range e but its on a 1 ton frame so i know it should have them thats all i can think of not lifted and not really considering those oversize tires and man they made it ride nice it ran very well for me I drove it across 16 states and commuted with it daily till it swallowed a valve and i put a 350 in it then i went from 400 miles to a tank to only just over 200 but it was a nice ridfe at 72 to 73 mph to slow and you were downshifting on big hills and old ladies tended to get angry if they were behind you i got flipped the bird regularly cause i geuss i wasnt getting out of the way as fast as they wanted me to but the ride was so nice i didnt care if it was slow as turd especially when i could go in the woods and put it in low range and haul bunches of chained togeter trees never breaking anything like it was a timberjack skidder and then get on the pavement and go 70 mph with out even opening the door other then to get my chains off the trees

[Vin82k3500]

Ok Ed now my engine as far as I know its all original I bought a clean 82 c10 from a kid in grey when I lived in Westbrook a couple years ago needed a starter. it had new batteries a new injection pump new glow plugs and said only about 85 k miles on it also a new radiator I bought it as i wished to put a diesel in this truck and wasnt looking forward so soon after my d max donor was stolen to get annother one it was a scarry purchase at first since it didnt run but it was in nice shape and stickered and had so many new parts how could i go wrong for 700 dollars. so I bought it had ol Charlie tuna haul it to my shop I stuffed a pulled the old starter went to napa got a reman to the tune of almost 200 bucks put it in and she fired up and ran like a champ i put a dealer plate on it and drove it from east bridge street to cash corner for 6 months up and down 95 and only fut 50 dollars in fuel in it I patred the truck out since it did have a soft frame got 700 out of the cab and nose and bumpers and kept the engine last month i hauled it out of storage and put it in this truck had to get a standard flywheel for the diesel wich was hard to come buy but luckly a buddy found one laying arround i tossed a gm 8 on that i ran in annother project but not sure about keeping it i have serious clearance issues so I am looking for a banks set up if i keep it turboed because i dont want to sacrafice my ac and i really dont want to run my exhaust outside the frame I was planning on using my existing system but without the cat:confused:and it was streight pipes with glasspacks on this for exaust

[Vin82k3500]

I plan to have the engine running this week coming as long as my 5 year old lets me lol:rolleyes:

[master53yoda]

I drove a NA 6.2 with the pump turned up a tad (just bumped) it and it did Ok.

My Pickup is a 1/2 ton 4 wheel drive 6.2 with a banks turbo. It has a 700r4 in it and gets about 21 to 22 at 70 on the free way and about 15-17 when I pull my 18.5 ft Starcraft boat, weight about 2900. It will pull the boat 65 all day long hills and all, i don't use the overdrive when pulling.

The banks turbo makes a major difference from the Blazer.

I just completed installing twin garret turbos on my 1984 24' motor home this week. I'm going to post a few pictures about that project over the weekend.

I wouldn't hesitate to put a turbo on a 6.2, the key is don't run your egts to high 1100 max. Although i had the pyro on the manifold before hooking up the turbos on the motor home and after turning the pump up 1/4 turn When i got into it hit 1435 really fast and i then i let off, I wasn't expecting that high temp on a NA engine. Yesterday coming home from the muffler shop I did the same thing and was able to hold it at 11 psi boost with aftercoolers and it never got above 1000 after about 30 seconds at full throttle (I ran out of road and had to slow down), which was a lot longer then when it spiked spiked before.

[Vin82k3500]

Thank you for the information I really appreciate all the feedback I am looking at a banks system and I am not downing this engine by far i think its an awesome engine my biggest reason for the thread is the fact that Im not sure I need a turbo as i ran this engine na in the truck i pulled it from and it had way more power than I would ever use with out a turbo but all my buddies say i can ruin the engine not having a turbo on it they say it will run hot it never seemed to I drove it 8 months before i pulled the engine and parted the truck I installed a gm 8 and it was a waste the truck was less responsive maybe had more top end but hey i live in the woods and i lost what i needed in the engine so as I now have installed this engine in my big bad trusty ol k30 that i built frame up to do anything and everything i desire and have huge clearance issues with exhaust and cant get a sticker here with a 5 inch stack in my hood I am seriously considering taking the turbo off and am not sure i will miss it since this truck was powered by a gas v6 for the last 6 years and am mainly wanting to get my mileage back that i lost when i put a 350 in it

[NH2112]

If an NA 6.2l is running hot there's a problem somewhere, because these things have way more cooling system than they need. We had a hard time getting them to run hot in humvees, even in Saudi Arabia.

If you're not going to be doing a lot of towing or heavy hauling on the highway, a turbo probably isn't necessary for you. None of our humvees had turbos back in the day, and we moved some crazy loads through all kinds of terrain with them.

[Vin82k3500]

that sounds reasonable its the idiots around here with new diesels telling me im gonna cook my 6.2 if i take the turbo off they are telling me its not enough engine for the truck without a turbo and the egt will be so hot it will crack heads like there is no tomoro the pump is not turned up it had enough power for me with out the turbo I installed it out of the truck from a 6,5 and i have severe clearance issues like my ac for one and yes as for towning it will never tow anything it couldnt tow when it had a 4.3 non vortec v6 and as for power in my opinion it would seem if a 4.3 gas v6 had enogh power for me it would seem an n/a 6.2 v8 diesel should as well thanks for the feedback Phil and I know the humvee is alot more load in itself than my cucv.

Vince

[Vin82k3500]

and yes I do know that my truck came stock with this engine just the original was a j code the chassis is an 85