Things to Look for When Buying a 6.5l TD

[94K1500Blazer]

maybe im just retarded, but i cant seem to find any threads that cover what i am asking. Any help will be appreciated.

Im looking to buy another truck, and was looking at 6.5l 2500 pickups. I had a few questions, specifically, what should i be looking for when im test driving, and overlooking the truck? I know alot of these trucks last forever, and as long as they are well maintained they will last a long time. But what questions should i be asking? Also, what years did the 6.5's come with mechanical pumps, and should i keep looking if one i find is electric? Like i said earlier, any info will be helpful.


Shane

[FinalBreath]

93 was the last year for the mechanical pump. Go here. It's basically a huge checklist when looking at a 6.5

http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/showthread.php?p=3615531#post3615531

[mschillingii]

93 was the last year for the mechanical pump. Go here. It's basically a huge checklist when looking at a 6.5

http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/showthread.php?p=3615531#post3615531
+1 i read this whole thing and the links in it b4 i bought my 96 2500 6.5

[94K1500Blazer]

93 was the last year for the mechanical pump. Go here. It's basically a huge checklist when looking at a 6.5

http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/showthread.php?p=3615531#post3615531


+1 i read this whole thing and the links in it b4 i bought my 96 2500 6.5

ok, cool. thanks guys.

[1988 GMC 355]

I approve this decision :D

[Koots]

Solid choice for a truck engine IMHO

Good torque, great sound, nice pulling power when and if you need it, great economy.

Not the biggest or baddest diesel on the planet but they do what most would ever need out of a light duty truck (that means 2500 and 3500, and the HD versions as well).

[h2omelon]

Check to see if the PMD has been relocated with a heatsink. If not it should be one of the first things you do when you get it.

[68post]

At 100,000mi it's time to either replace the injection pump with a rebuilt unit or have the original one rebuilt ( check ebay or find a local "good guy"), be sure to ask if this has been done yet (if the mileage applys), check the harmonic damper because the stock ones fail with high mileage (thanks GM) and that breaks cranks & blocks, but new oem style ones are inexpensive ($65 to $75).
Injectors don't last over 70 to 80 thousand miles either, and don't let them either - better safe than sorry (they start @ $235+ cores - for rebuilt Bosch).
Ask about the last fuel filter change ( change aprx once or twice a year depending on your annual mileage).
Oil changes should've been done at 3,000mi because of soot contamination, the only way to safely go beyond that is with a bypass filter setup. Oil change intervals seem to be based on personal estimates - but one of the large diesel speciality shops (sorry don't remember which one) says that the soot contamination is too high @ 3,000 to keep the old oil just for a small dollar amount of savings , and that is regardless of which brand of fullflow filter or using synthetic oil.

For what it's worth , I do a flush with 3 qts of fresh oil and a cheap filter with fifteen to twenty seconds of runtime - about every other oil change to empty the oil lines - cooler - block & internal parts of old oil, then drain & fill with your good filter 'n oil.

If the truck you're looking at has an egr valve on it - remove it and plug the hole. They'll dirty the intake tract like you wouldn't believe !

[68post]

Also it's best to check the turbo shaft for excessive play ( engine off, fingertip on end of shaft - see if you can rotate it in an arc, not spinning the shaft, and the impeller blades touch the inside of housing) too much play will wearout the seals and then it sucks oil from the bearing oilfeed tube and the engine can go into "run-on" in an extreme case. Don't ask me how I know this...lol..

Don't let any of this dissuade (sp) you .. parts aren't too expensive if you are a smart shopper, and 6.5's don't cost anymore to maintain than a modern fuel injected gas engine - in fact the fuel mileage savings help alot.

You can learn a ton @ "Dieselplace" and over at "The Truck Stop" (look for Missy Goodwrench @The T.S. & follow her advice - she's a pro)

[Koots]

If the truck you're looking at has an egr valve on it - remove it and plug the hole. They'll dirty the intake tract like you wouldn't believe !

This is correct! If the truck has EGR, get rid of it and find an f-code intake for more airflow. Even just plugging up the EGR makes things cleaner and run better. Felt like i got a 10HP increase from plugging and removing mine. Even with the intake being blocked off so much from it's port.