Jon P.
10-31-2003, 10:12
I post this for informational purposes only -- it may help someone out. I apologize for the length.
I bought a used 1999 Suburban K2500 in August 2002 with 55,000 miles. It lost an alternator last spring and I had the front oil cooler lines replaced under an extended warranty, because they were leaking/seeping, although not very bad.
I haven't done any engine performance modifications, unless an AMSOIL air filter counts. I've upgraded the shocks (to Edlebrock IAS), front steering damper (Rancho), front and rear anti-sway bars (Hotchkis), and brakes (Praise Dyno Stage II front rotors/pads and Stage II rear shoes and added Russell stainless steel front and rear brake lines). I just added a set of gauges on the A-pillar (ISSPRO EV series -- pyro, boost and trans temp). Last spring, I changed all the fuids except coolant (transmission, front and rear diffs, transfer case, brake fluid and power steering fluid). The Dexcool coolant looked clear, so I let it be.
The vehicle now has about 72,000 miles. It's run great so far. A couple of weekends ago, I had the vehicle down in Atlanta. That Saturday night, it did not want to start after sitting for about 2 hours -- it turned over, but wouldn't fire. After waiting about 5 minutes, it cranked up. It did the same thing the next day.
The next Tuesday, my wife was driving it outside of D.C. and it stalled in 70 mph highway traffic. It did it 2 more times. She called me, and I called the dealer we bought it from (Criswell Chevrolet in Gaithersburg, MD). The dealer has a large truck department, and seems to know these engines. Without seeing it, the service rep told me that it was likely the injection pump and to bring it in for testing. They initially told me that they would have to replace a coolant nipple/fitting at my expense in order to complete the repair. They ultimately concluded that it did not need replacing, so I now have a brand new injection pump and FSD replaced under the special warranty. I asked them to check the lift pump and OPS, and they told me that they are working fine. I haven't pulled the engine cover to inspect the work, but it looks like they replaced all of the intake manifold bolts and studs, as they are now quite shiny.
While I'm annoyed with GM at what appears to be an obvious defect in the electronically-injected 6.5, I was very pleased with the dealer's service and would recommend them to anyone in the D.C. area who needs warranty work on their injection pump.
I bought a used 1999 Suburban K2500 in August 2002 with 55,000 miles. It lost an alternator last spring and I had the front oil cooler lines replaced under an extended warranty, because they were leaking/seeping, although not very bad.
I haven't done any engine performance modifications, unless an AMSOIL air filter counts. I've upgraded the shocks (to Edlebrock IAS), front steering damper (Rancho), front and rear anti-sway bars (Hotchkis), and brakes (Praise Dyno Stage II front rotors/pads and Stage II rear shoes and added Russell stainless steel front and rear brake lines). I just added a set of gauges on the A-pillar (ISSPRO EV series -- pyro, boost and trans temp). Last spring, I changed all the fuids except coolant (transmission, front and rear diffs, transfer case, brake fluid and power steering fluid). The Dexcool coolant looked clear, so I let it be.
The vehicle now has about 72,000 miles. It's run great so far. A couple of weekends ago, I had the vehicle down in Atlanta. That Saturday night, it did not want to start after sitting for about 2 hours -- it turned over, but wouldn't fire. After waiting about 5 minutes, it cranked up. It did the same thing the next day.
The next Tuesday, my wife was driving it outside of D.C. and it stalled in 70 mph highway traffic. It did it 2 more times. She called me, and I called the dealer we bought it from (Criswell Chevrolet in Gaithersburg, MD). The dealer has a large truck department, and seems to know these engines. Without seeing it, the service rep told me that it was likely the injection pump and to bring it in for testing. They initially told me that they would have to replace a coolant nipple/fitting at my expense in order to complete the repair. They ultimately concluded that it did not need replacing, so I now have a brand new injection pump and FSD replaced under the special warranty. I asked them to check the lift pump and OPS, and they told me that they are working fine. I haven't pulled the engine cover to inspect the work, but it looks like they replaced all of the intake manifold bolts and studs, as they are now quite shiny.
While I'm annoyed with GM at what appears to be an obvious defect in the electronically-injected 6.5, I was very pleased with the dealer's service and would recommend them to anyone in the D.C. area who needs warranty work on their injection pump.