OBS diesel's

[iridektm]

Hey

Im looking into some OBS 2500. I found two that are both diesles. Im just wonderning about any problems i might run into, anything special to look for when lookin at the truck and what kinda milage to excpect from then, both gas and life (if it has been well maintained)

its the 7.4l ( i think ) and also the smaller L diesel engine.

All input will help put my money(what money) in the right direction. So please dont hesitate to put any tradigies in here aswell

Thanks

[red suburban]

7.4L?? dont know anything about that. the old body styles had the 6.2L. reliable, in 1/2tons there known to get 20+mpg highway easy. check out dieselplace.com in the 6.2 section. u'll find all the answers your looking for there. biggest things to worry about are the head gaskets and the injection pump.

[iridektm]

hahah 7.4L IDK. Ill check that out thanks for the response

[Sierra Stud]

The 7.4l diesel is a ford engine. OBS diesels are the 6.5 and the 6.2l.

[iridektm]

Lol yeah i mixed it up with the 7.2 (ithink) 454

Thanks

[chrisk1500]

dieselplace.com


....do some reading in the 6.5 section....

[96extcab]

7.4L = GM gas 454
7.3L = IHC/Ford Diesel
6.2L/6.5L = GM Diesel

[red suburban]

there you go, but u forgot the 6.9L ford diesel as well.

[K5Fury]

Did Detroit diesel make the 6.2 and 6.5 for GM or did Izusu?

[iridektm]

This is the truck Im talking about. I am hoping to get it real soon. Going by to look at it tomorrow.

Do you guys like stacks on OBS trucks, and how much are they on average? For those who dont know (who doesnt lol) it will be lifted pretty high sittin on 36-37 meats.

[iridektm]

Forgot the link

http://peachtreeford.com/Inv/Details...&pagewidth=550

[restoguy]

You've got to be really attached to your OBS diesel to put up with it. They are not nearly as forgiving as the newer ones. They don't drive like the new ones either. No smoking tires here. I've got a '94 and wouldn't trade it for anything('cept another OBS 6.5 turbo diesel!) But that's cuz I love working on it! Owned it 2.5yrs and pulled the motor 3 times.(siezed piston, broken crank, lost cam bearing). I'm not dogging them, I just want you to understand what your in for.

As for the 'stacks'. I think they look about as gay as the nerd in school who stuffed a wad of socks in his pants thinking that the girls would really love it. Owning a diesel makes you man enough. You can't possibly 'need to make up for something' enough to need stacks.I have, however seen a few cases where stacks were used very eloquently.

[dozerboy]

I love stacks but if you can't blow smoke with them they're gay. And that’s the next problem you will have soot all over the back of your truck.

[iridektm]

Originally Posted by restoguy

You've got to be really attached to your OBS diesel to put up with it. They are not nearly as forgiving as the newer ones. They don't drive like the new ones either. No smoking tires here. I've got a '94 and wouldn't trade it for anything('cept another OBS 6.5 turbo diesel!) But that's cuz I love working on it! Owned it 2.5yrs and pulled the motor 3 times.(siezed piston, broken crank, lost cam bearing). I'm not dogging them, I just want you to understand what your in for.

Anyone else had these problems. Quick reply would be great, Im going tomorrow afternoon. I checked out dieselplace.com earlier and didnt search for this. I will in a sec.

But is this stuff common? Is it kinda like a four stroke MX bike? If something brakes, generally speaking, its going to cost a lot more to fix then a 2 stroke (the gas engine)/is a lot more common to mess something up or something get out of its proper functionality.

If i dont have money to fix things for a while which i dont, would a OBS diesel be the wrong placement of my cash? And you siad you cant spin your tires, im not looking to do that, but i need power still. Do they lack it tremendously?

Thanks if you can respond to all the questions! I need to be headed in the right direction, i know nothing abotu diesels but im tryin to learn!!! Help Fast PLEASE!

Thanks

[red suburban]

the old diesels 6.2, 6.5, 6.9, and 7.3 (before powerstroke) were not power houses, stock hp ranged from 140-200 i believe, and around 220-300 ft/lbs of torque. not bad, but nothing compared to the new diesels. BUT the old diesels are more fuel efficient hands down.

my old auto tech teacher was the head of a army motorpool for most of his life and obviously worked on the 6.2's daily, then towards then end of his career the 6.5. biggest problems that he found were the head gaskets on the 6.2's going out, but that can be corrected with some arp studs pretty easily. other common problem was the injector pump, but that is not very difficult to access. the most common problem with the 6.5 is cylinder head cracks, i dont know y they happen so often with the 6.5 but they do for some reason.

you can upgrade the power of these 4 engines pretty easily with a turbo running no more than 10 lbs of boost. the international 6.9 and 7.3 have a stronger bottom end because of being a 4 bolt main whereas the 6.2 and 6.5 are a 2 bolt. then you have methanol injection, propane, and nos can all be injected to boost power and injecting propane will improve your fuel economy even more.

best modifications for base power that i know of are:
1. with the 6.9L have the cylinders bored 30 over to make it a 7.3L. the 6.9 has a longer stroke than the 7.3.

2. take the exhaust manifold and turbo off of the 6.5 and place them on the 6.2, supposed to make the 6.2 more powerfull than the 6.5 stock. i've heard of people placing the 6.5 heads on the 6.2, but i dont know too much about the benefits there.

3. larger exhaust (of course). dual 2.5" for the 6.2/6.5 for the best results is what i've been told, or single 3-3.5". for the 6.9/7.3, i ran dual 3" in the 89 f250 that i used to have and it ran great.

4. air intake, as big as you want to go. most the guys on dieselplace.com with the 6.2 are setting theres up as either dual 3" intake tubes or 4" intake tubes. diesels love air, and when you increase the amount of air you normally turn your injection pump on these 4 motors about 1/8-1/6 of a turn, just to where you get a hint of black smoke at full throttle.

ps... the 6.2 and 6.5 were detroit engine variants whereas the 6.9 and 7.3 were international variants. i've heard that you can contact detroit diesel directly for their new 6.5 cylinder heads which are supposedly more durable, but i dont know much about that.

keep postin ur questions we'll see how we can help. personally i prefer the old diesels to the new ones if you will be workin on it yourself because:
1. simpler
2. few-no electronics
3. even better on fuel mileage
4. unless your planning on towing 15,000 pounds or more on a regular basis, the old diesels will be just fine
5. reliable
6. if doing a conversion on your vehicle to diesel, the fuel savings will pretty much pay for your conversion within a few months to a few years.

[iridektm]

Wow thanks alot. I didnt understand a lot. But I got the importent parts out.

This truck has a 6.5L so to make it a little less complicated for my mind, answers directed to the 6.5 please. lol

So, if i got this, i need to ask to check for cracks in cylinder heads, if it takes a while to start, if it starts up cold, ummmmmmmm........what else?

Also,

you can upgrade the power of these 4 engines pretty easily with a turbo running no more than 10 lbs of boost. the international 6.9 and 7.3 have a stronger bottom end because of being a 4 bolt main whereas the 6.2 and 6.5 are a 2 bolt. then you have methanol injection, propane, and nos can all be injected to boost power and injecting propane will improve your fuel economy even more.

What? lol

and do the diesels have better engine life then the gas? how many miles can you excpect from ones well taken care of?

[iridektm]

also, will i still be able to put the 6.5 DC kit with a 3" body lift? I thought i heard something about diesels having a problem with body lifts.

[iridektm]

When the 6.5 turbo came on the scene, all of sudden, cooling issues arose. The original cooling system was not adequate enough to handle a turbo powered upsized engine. These issues would continue on until 97.

found that ^^^^. Im really nervous about buying a diesel. I know nothing about them and im tryin to rush into it and retain everythign i read. I dont know what to do. This diesel stuff is confusing adn scary. Im 15 wiht no money to fix broken stuff after i buy whatever i buy

[K5Fury]

Originally Posted by iridektm

. Im really nervous about buying a diesel. I know nothing about them and im tryin to rush into it and retain everythign i read. I dont know what to do. This diesel stuff is confusing adn scary. Im 15 wiht no money to fix broken stuff after i buy whatever i buy

I hear you there! I'm in the same boat. I bought my first one last week. A 93' with 91,000 miles on it. I didn't know a thing about diesels either and have been trying to learn and soak up as much as I can. In the process of changing all the fluids out. Truck runs great and gas mileage has been impressive so far. I have the 6.5 turbo and it has a pretty hard time starting when warmed. Starts right up in the mornings and when it's sat for a good long time but if it's been driven it has to crank for 15-45 secods before it kicks in. I suspect it has an original IP. If that's the case I hope I can change it out myself as the part is pretty damn expensive!

[chrisk1500]

As was said - the 6.2 and 6.5 were made by Detroit Diesel for GM.

I can smoke the tires easily in it and I still don't have an upgraded exhaust or chip.

The truck with a turbo came with 190 hp and just under 400 lb ft....

If you put in 18:1 pistons and an intercooler you can push over 250 hp....its been done...