David_Jennings
03-25-2017, 10:32
Hello diesel page, it has been a while. I have had 17 years of relatively trouble-free ownership with my 1999 K2500 6.5. I installed a remote PMD cooler, and other than the darn wheel bearings, she has been a great truck. I bought the truck in the first place because of this website: it cleared away all the myth and fear about owning one of these trucks, and allowed me to get a fantastic price from someone who was overwhelmed by all the horrible things people say about them. Thank you again for that.
I have thoroughly enjoyed Big Red, and was just about to list her on Craigslist when a storm dropped a Madrona branch on her hood. At 18 years of age, Red was no longer pretty, but the branch pushed her appearance into the work-truck category. Still, I was fortunate to have insurance coverage, so I kept the claim money and decided to drop the price to reflect the relatively small (but expensive) dent on the hood.
Two weeks later, on the way to work, she died suddenly. No stuttering, no balking, just dead, dead, dead. The same thing happened 4 months earlier when my son was driving her, but he manages to break everything he drives, so I thought little of it. Of course it had to be the PMD. It is always the PMD. I replaced the PMD 9 months earlier, but it nonetheless still had to be the PMD. I had it towed to a local mechanic I like and trust who has training on GM diesels. (He sold me the last PMD, and it was still under warranty.) Anyway, my mechanic informed me, after testing, that he is 100% certain that the injection pump is bad. Period. The price for replacement, of course, is exactly what the insurance company paid me for the damage to the hood. I had her towed to my home so I could fully explore the problem.
Of course I intend to replace the PMD myself and to check for fuel and do all the diagnostics recommended before I actually replace the pump, but the mechanic says he did all those things. Assuming I have to replace the pump, which I intend to do myself, I would greatly appreciate a couple pieces of advice from other 6.5 owners.
1. Are there any good step-by-step guides for replacing the injection pump?
2. If I really have to go through with this, what else should I replace while I am in there? The truck has about 105K miles. Injectors are original, but glow plugs have been replaced. I was planning on selling her, but I’m not going to scrimp on parts at the expense of the next owner.
3. Does anyone think it is possible that the impact from the 200 pound branch could have caused this? Seems impossible, but the dent is precisely on top of the pump valley.
Thank you in advance for your thoughts.
David Reese Jennings on Vashon
I have thoroughly enjoyed Big Red, and was just about to list her on Craigslist when a storm dropped a Madrona branch on her hood. At 18 years of age, Red was no longer pretty, but the branch pushed her appearance into the work-truck category. Still, I was fortunate to have insurance coverage, so I kept the claim money and decided to drop the price to reflect the relatively small (but expensive) dent on the hood.
Two weeks later, on the way to work, she died suddenly. No stuttering, no balking, just dead, dead, dead. The same thing happened 4 months earlier when my son was driving her, but he manages to break everything he drives, so I thought little of it. Of course it had to be the PMD. It is always the PMD. I replaced the PMD 9 months earlier, but it nonetheless still had to be the PMD. I had it towed to a local mechanic I like and trust who has training on GM diesels. (He sold me the last PMD, and it was still under warranty.) Anyway, my mechanic informed me, after testing, that he is 100% certain that the injection pump is bad. Period. The price for replacement, of course, is exactly what the insurance company paid me for the damage to the hood. I had her towed to my home so I could fully explore the problem.
Of course I intend to replace the PMD myself and to check for fuel and do all the diagnostics recommended before I actually replace the pump, but the mechanic says he did all those things. Assuming I have to replace the pump, which I intend to do myself, I would greatly appreciate a couple pieces of advice from other 6.5 owners.
1. Are there any good step-by-step guides for replacing the injection pump?
2. If I really have to go through with this, what else should I replace while I am in there? The truck has about 105K miles. Injectors are original, but glow plugs have been replaced. I was planning on selling her, but I’m not going to scrimp on parts at the expense of the next owner.
3. Does anyone think it is possible that the impact from the 200 pound branch could have caused this? Seems impossible, but the dent is precisely on top of the pump valley.
Thank you in advance for your thoughts.
David Reese Jennings on Vashon