1990's GM 6.5 Turbo Diesel???

[JimR]

I'm looking at possibly buying a used 1995 Chevy Silverado 3500 one ton with this motor in it. The truck is a 4WD with an automatic transmission in it with single rear wheels. Has anyone owned one of these motors in their pickup truck? Are they reliable? MPG if known? How does it pull a 3 ton load?

 

[BarryinMN]

Look on dieselstop.com for details. It has a electronic injection pump '94 & newer which needs updates to be reliable.

I have a '93 3500 5 speed with 4.10 dually rear. Torque peak is 1800 rpm which equals 52 MPH in overdrive. MPG ranges 10 max load to 14 no load.

 

[JimR]

Look on dieselstop.com for details. It has a electronic injection pump '94 & newer which needs updates to be reliable.

I have a '93 3500 5 speed with 4.10 dually rear. Torque peak is 1800 rpm which equals 52 MPH in overdrive. MPG ranges 10 max load to 14 no load.

Thanks for the link and information. The injection pump on this truck and turbo are both new.

 

[DieselPower]

NIMBY (not in my back yard) is all I can say about 6.2 and 6.5's. I got ruined on them when I worked for a Chevrolet dealership. After replacing more injection pumps, injection pump drive modules, cylinder head gaskets and entire engines than I can count (not to mention dealing with the less than happy owners) it convinced me to never own one. Now, having said that I know lot's of people that own them and love them. Some are lemons, others seem to be great. In my personal opinion they are just not the most reliable diesel engine you can get in a PU truck.

 

[Builder]

I think it's probably one of the least desireable diesels out there. First problem is they're unreliable, they go through lots of expensive parts. 2nd-they are very weak at ~200HP and 6.5L that's an appaling HP to displacement ratio.

If you want a truck in that pricerange/year I would consider a 7.3L Ford or a 5.9L Cummins in a Dodge.

 

[JimR]

NIMBY (not in my back yard) is all I can say about 6.2 and 6.5's. I got ruined on them when I worked for a Chevrolet dealership. After replacing more injection pumps, injection pump drive modules, cylinder head gaskets and entire engines than I can count (not to mention dealing with the less than happy owners) it convinced me to never own one. Now, having said that I know lot's of people that own them and love them. Some are lemons, others seem to be great. In my personal opinion they are just not the most reliable diesel engine you can get in a PU truck.

Thanks for your honest input. That is what I am finding out about them also. This truck in particular that I am looking at has a mint body/frame and the drivetrain has 220K on it. Everything else appears to be in super condition. It's only $3200.00. I don't put a lot of miles on my truck as I only use it for hauling the boat and building supplies and dirt. In just over two years I have only put about 10K on my Ford pickup.

 

[JimR]

I think it's probably one of the least desireable diesels out there. First problem is they're unreliable, they go through lots of expensive parts. 2nd-they are very weak at ~200HP and 6.5L that's an appaling HP to displacement ratio.

If you want a truck in that pricerange/year I would consider a 7.3L Ford or a 5.9L Cummins in a Dodge.

Up here in the N.E., Fords sell for twice that price and the bodies are not in good condition. They are rust buckets and the frames are the same way.

 

[Jaybr]

I've got a 96 1500 with a 6.5td, but I've only had it for a few months. I use it as my hunting truck, and it's been ok so far. I just replaced tie rod ends, idler arm, and pitman arm to tighten up the very loose steering, but every mechanic I talked to about it just said "It's a chevy, that's normal" I now have a leak in the power steering somewhere that I need to track down, also a bad wire somewhere that causes it to shut down right after startup but only after it's been run awhile then cools down for 30 minutes or so? Always starts back up and never happens on the road.

I got the truck in a trade with a buddy, he wanted my 81 Jeep J20 w/ big lift and 38" swampers, and I was tired of climbing in and out of it.


Check out Diesel Place - Duramax Diesel Discussion Forums, they have a forum for the 6.5

 

[JimR]

So far everyone that I have discussed this with is telling me to pass on the 6.5TD as they are underpowered as mentioned above. Their opinion leans towards the Ford 7.3 or if I could afford 20K to buy a used DuraMax Diesel which is just out of my price range right now.

 

[Builder]

So far everyone that I have discussed this with is telling me to pass on the 6.5TD as they are underpowered as mentioned above. Their opinion leans towards the Ford 7.3 or if I could afford 20K to buy a used DuraMax Diesel which is just out of my price range right now.

That's good advice. Currently, I run a 7.3L Powerstroke and a 6.6L DMAX and I think they're bother great diesels. However, the DMAX is MUCH more refined & quiet. The 7.3L is a clatterbox. Make sure you find cab noise with the 7.3L acceptable before you buy. I can barely hear my cell phone in mine. My DMAX is so quiet inside it sounds like a gas engine truck with a nice soft turbo whistle.

The transmissions are really what you should be looking at. IMO, only GM has built a transmission worth putting behind a diesel engine, the allison 1000. It's a really sweet transmission. The Ford trans is OK, but it will eventually fail behind a 7.3L if you want to tow with it. The older Ford trans (4R100) is a failure waiting to happen. A 6-speed would last much longer.

The newer Ford Torqshift ('03 & newer) is a step in the right direction, but it's no allison.

To avoid transmission failure when buying an older truck, I'd consider a manual trans.