96 k2500 dead 6.5td

[K5-CJ5]

I have a 96 k2500 that started to run rough, then got white smoke and as I pulled into the driveway temps went up. I shut it down for the night. Came out the next morning and it appears the engines hydra-locked at this point. There is no sign of coolant in the radiator but oil level is raised significantly.

The truck has 204k on it and the trans wouldn't work in od. Im thinking head gasket am i on the right track? Also with 204k on the block can I replace head gaskets and be ok or will it put to much strain on an older bottom end?

Other option for me is to swap in a efi 350 (I already have and manual tranny)

Any thoughts would be great.

[ronniejoe]

You're right, it is most likely a blown head gasket. Replacing the head gasket should be ok, providing that the deck surface and head surface are good. Probably should have the heads checked when you take them off. They'll probably be cracked.

[Robyn]

If I were dealing with this issue, I would drain the coolant down as far a you can via the drain on the radiator.
Drain the oil, remove the glow plugs and crank the engine to blow out the coolant that's in the cylinder.

Reinstall the plugs, replace the oil filter and fill with some cheap oil and run the engine to flush the crap out of it.

Drain the oil, refill one more time and run again for just a few minutes.

Don't run very long so as not to overheat the engine (No coolant)

Now drain things, yank the engine and get it on a stand.

Pull the heads off and check out the block deck and heads.

Cylinders 1 and 2 (two fronts) are most prone to electrolytic erosion around the stainless steel fire ring on the head gasket..

The area right around the gaskets fire ring where it contacts the block is the area most needed to be scrutinized for erosion.

At this juncture, if the block is good you can also yank the pan and check the bearings and do anything needed.

240K on a 6.5 places it well into the autumn of its life span.
A factory 6.5 with original gaskets is at the point that it needs to be "freshened"
You will need a set of new head bolts and gaskets and a few other small items.

Doing one of these in the truck is possible, but a real PITA due to the lack of working room.

Getting a really good look at the cylinder block decks is imperative, getting them absolutely clean and free of old gasket is mandatory to get a new set of gaskets to seal well.

IMHO the best course of action (if the decks are good) is to get a set of NEW aftermarket heads from Clearwater Cylinder head and not fooling with the old ones.

These heads are NEW and come complete, ready to drop on for $670 a pair to your door.

Good luck, keep us posted.

Missy