Bad rep on 6.5's!!!!

[wyo6.5]

I don't know what the deal is with 6.5's getting such a bad rep. I don't know if its just out here in Wyoming or all over. I have actually had people ask me what I drive and I tell them a six-five and they laugh at me. My reply is always: Why would any self-respecting military put a bad engine in their humvee? The diesel shop here in town thinks that six-fives are junk and refuse to work on them. The one guy who does says one thing after another about lttle piddly things that are wrong with my truck that need to be replaced, that needn't be. I wish we had a guy out here with Walt's knowhow. I'm sick of the Hypocritical B.S. I have never wrenched on a diesel before but I think I'm just going to start. People can think what ever they want about a six five but I will always have respect for it, it is a fine engine.

[dieselturbo]

i have mine for 2 years and 40000 miles. i agree the engine is a good unit.. the electronics s.ck -i have read about too many problems with injection pump,ecm,pedal -- g m should have fixed this. i never feel confident in the reliability of my truck. i bought it to tow camping trailer on vacations and get to work . my fingers are always crossed it wont let me down.

[pavel]

I drove through Jackson two weeks ago (26JAN07) and stopped at a local brake shop to thank the guys (Trukee and Dennis) for helping my mom out over the past few years. They loved my Silverado and couldn't say enough good about it. Hang in there.

[christja]

Ive had mine for going on 4 years now, driven it up and back from california to idaho, wyoming, and utah many times. Ive put over 100,000 since i purchased it and it has worked just as well as any other vehicle i have ever had. But the best part is that it is a sweet rig. Ive only just started upgrading to make it even better!

[nathan]

yea i get bagged on for mine to but i have put 30000 on it over the last 2 years with only minimal problems. the best part was when i helped my buddy move who always bagged on my truck and bragged about his himi non stop untill we where both loded with tralers in tow going up the big hill leaving town and i passed him then slowed down and then passed him again. he called me and said im running 6 grand man and i said funny im in OD. :D rock on 6.5 rock on.

[sixnickel]

You have to KNOW the 6.2/6.5 to LOVE them! If you don't know them you are scared of them and hate them.

[6.5SmokeStack]

oh hell ya, people love to shut me down, but when they get stuck, why am i always the first be called? I feel as thought it maybe be a little slow on pickup but it sure as hell can pull, gotta love the 4:10 :) now all i need to do it get the upgrades from SSDiesel :) then line up with my buddies! But why do people hate them i never understood? maybe because there not as loud as the Cummins or PowerChoke?

[smoken]

Like it was said before, if the 6.5 was that bad why does the military use it. All my 6.5 does is get the job done. It may not burn the tires up or run 12 seconds on the track. If i want to do that i jump in my hot rod. This motor has been around for a long time. I mean look at ford, they cant keep one designed motor, 7.3, 6.0, now the 6.4. I have yet to see a ford or dodge go over 200.000 miles and not have a major problem. Remember 6.5 owners you can have 1000 horsepower, but you better have something to handle it. I know one thing ill stick with my 280 horsepower 400 pounds of torce and tow another 100.000 miles.:cool:

[RckyMtNDeZL]

Good post BTW, the 6.5 is underated. And in our defense the 6.5 WAS the powerhouse in its day, the diesel power battle began in the LATE 90's. So what the PMD farts out on ya and it gets hot while pulling 10k pounds...whos truck wouldnt? The 6.5 has simple emissions compared to ANY other diesel motor out there with emissions,so it shakes down to lower repair cost and longer running trucks. GM makes the best diesels out there, I stand by that. Say Im a little redneckish....but I m from Hawaii so what does that say?LOL the guy that runs the diesel emission place in town rolls a 6.5 Burban....tells you a little something, this man has seen EVERY diesel motor made....he rolls a 6.5.

[sixnickel]

Look at it this way. The GM 6.2/6.5 truck is the only pedigree out there. GM truck, GM engine, and GM Transmission!! Ford with a International engine. Dodge with a Cummins engine even the Dmax has some Izuzu in it. 6.2/6.5 truck is a PEDIGREE. just like a Mack a PEDIGREE!!!

[TedReminder]

In 1988, Roger Penski purchased Detroit Diesel. Kept the name, but it is not GM after 1988. I personally think Penski has done more with Detroit Diesel than GM would ever have done. IMO, a very good thing.
Ted

[midniteplowboyy]

What he said,


I wish they made a minature "60 series" so I could stuff it in my dually.

[Garth J]

Hey I saw a guy that had a 4-53 T in a 80 Ford 3/4 ton I have no idea what he had for a tranny but it was manual sift
It sure sounded good sitting at a light idling
I always wanted to put one in my old 1 ton
Actually Penske sold Detroit Diesel to Daimler Chrysler a few years ago

[midniteplowboyy]

I saw a guy once in the late 80's had a 6v53t with a spicer 5sp in about a 78 chevy 1ton, it would pull real good, I have seen about 5 others in magazines in 70-80's chevy's but none of them were turbo, they seem to fit in real nice. Thats a real pickup engine, wear out 3 pickups between rebuilds, lol.

I also knew of two fords with 3208 cats and allisons in them, they couldn't keep rear ends in them, but they was stout for a pickup back in the early 80's.

I want a 6v53t allison combo for a 6x6 chevy project truck I wanna build, but there getting hard to find, an aluminum marine one would be even better, lol.

[tinderbox427]

I baught my 97 6.5 in 04 after I returned from Iraq the first time. The new HMMWVs over there are :D carrying just over 12000lb and they still get out of the line of fire VERY fast :D (espacialy after you get rid of the front driveshaft):D
At one point ,after I bought mine, I pulled a trailer loaded w/a JEEP grand cherakee over the mountains in Tenn at about 65MPH in the rain. (Bone Stock) As someone els already said, If you know the limitations, Its a great and long lasting truck. :rolleyes: I should talk with Walt more indepth after I get that 20,000$ re-enlistment bonus. "Thanks tax payers"

[1999GMC]

Before I bought my truck I had people telling me I didn't want a 6.5L. Ever since I bought I haven't regretted it once. My buddy who has always been a GM fan bought a 1996 powerstroke about a month after I bought my 99 GMC. The first 3 times I went camping he would have to pull over and shut the truck off for a few and then restart it because the check engine light would come on and the truck would lose power and he'd have to pull over. Next trip out the starter went out. Had to push start it with my Honda Foreman quad. Then he had issues with the cold start idle and power. Cam sensor went bad. That's why I love when people say crap about my 6.5L cause I haven't had any issues except an alt. in 113,000 miles.

[Husker 6.5]

I baught my 97 6.5 in 04 after I returned from Iraq the first time. The new HMMWVs over there are :D carrying just over 12000lb and they still get out of the line of fire VERY fast :D (espacialy after you get rid of the front driveshaft):D
At one point ,after I bought mine, I pulled a trailer loaded w/a JEEP grand cherakee over the mountains in Tenn at about 65MPH in the rain. (Bone Stock) As someone els already said, If you know the limitations, Its a great and long lasting truck. :rolleyes: I should talk with Walt more indepth after I get that 20,000$ re-enlistment bonus. "Thanks tax payers"

FYI: The new HMMWV's are D-Max/Allison equipped. They have been toasting a lot of 6.5's over in Iraq (see threads concerning Shooter's problems with Int'l Diesel) due to their being grossly beyond their design capabilities due to the up-armoring to try to make them into a CFV/IFV. We should have either left our Bradleys and Abrams over there as they are true armored vehicles, or insisted that the British supplied their Scorpion armored cars. It was the $ involved in trying to support our armor, as well as the appearance of our being an invading occupier that dictated the removal of them and leaving the Hummers. Can you imagine trying to up-armor a Jeep? In essence, this is what we have done with the Hummers, as they were designed as a mutli-purpose multi-role replacement for the venerable M151 family of vehicles and the CUCV's, and never designed or intended to be a heavily armored vehicle.

Husker 6.5 aka

Allen R. S*******r
CPT, AR USAR, RET

Scouts Out!

[65powermonger]

Thank god I'm not the only one! Sure the 6.5 is not the best powerplant out there, but it sure as hell will hold its own. My 93 6.5 will pull my 7x14 enclosed trailer loaded as if i forgot to hook it up! If I really want to make it bellar I'll hook up to our 8x20 enclosed. 70mph???? not a problem. The problem with these engines is, GM choked them. (intake, exhaust, injectors) I have installed the 4" exhaust, marine injectors, and air intake, all from SS Diesel Supply (your the best) and the difference is like night and day. All i'm going to say, no 6.5 ever left GM with power mine has.

138,000 miles and counting!

[98BuickRegalGS]

I know PStrokes and Cummins are better but I chose to get the 6.5.

I just like GM's a lot. I got my truck about a month ago so I havent run into any problems. I did research and I hope I never get stranded. So far I love my truck but man is it slow! :p

[Oldsmoke]

I've got a friend who is always ragging on my 6.5 but during the time I've owned mine he's been thru 3 gas powered pickups.

[torque454]

As ive said before you arent trying to run the Daytona 500 while pulling a trailer. The 6.5 is plenty of power, but i do believe it does need the 2.5 crossover, 3" downpipe, 4" exhaust, remote pmd with cooler, and probably an intercooler. Getting the air intake to suck in cool outside air instead of hot underhood air would be a big help too. The exhaust will help keep the EGTs down thus providing a longer lasting more reliable engine. The cool air intake and intercooler should help that too. Otherwise, the 6.5 is all you need for an actual pickup (1ton or less). Beyond that you probably need more, but then you dont need to be using a pickup truck engine. My 6.5 is at 225k and counting. It uses very little oil, i put a quart in every month or so. It is totally unmodified and it has seen alot of trailer pulling. It does well. Cant complain about it at all.

[C-Power]

i get tired of hearin all this bashin the 6.5...although mine is on its 4th engine...this one is amazing it has more power than any stock cummins and powerstroke...im 17 and drive my truck like its a drag strip everytime i take off im up at 3500 rpm's....i take powerchokes and chummins off the line any day...some of my buddies and cuzzins have cummins and not a one can beat me off the line or in torque and horsepower...and now im plannin on turning my pump up more and advancing the timing...just for the smoke!!!!!

[jam93]

ok i had a 1993 3500 6.5 with all the goodies from walt with 4:11 gears 5 speed nv4500 and i have had 4 of these trucks this motor CAN NOT PULL A REAL TRAILER 8 x 20 that is like a boat yes it will pull that no problem but hook my 36ft hitchiker to any of ya'lls truck and you wont pull it over 60 mph if that this trailer weighs in at 15,500 lbs and try to pull it up a hill ha ha ha and as for the part about the cummins wont go to 200,000 with out major problems that a lie or a joke we have 4 trucks with the cummins in them my dads 95 496,234 miles and never touched the motor my moms 96 287,954 never touched the motor my two 94 300,000 same thing and the newest to the line up is the cummins motor in my 93 3500 yes the truck above and they all pull this trailer 65 to 70 mph no problem and get the fuel miles that yall get with out trailers. the 6.5 is a good motor for a truck and only the truck but not to pull big rvs leave that to the cummins and 7.3 L strokes and all of these is with out mods:mad:

[torque454]

The 6.5 is plenty capable of that. No it wont be fast but as i stated before you arent trying to run the daytona 500. You have no business pulling something that heavy that fast anyways and with a pickup especially. Id never ever buy a cummins (mainly because of the noise and the truck that they are put in) and the powerstroke doesnt have that great of a rep either. Ill take a 6.5 or a duramax, tho. A 6.5 dressed up with everything would take an unmodified cummins and rip it apart. Now, not saying the 6.5 would take that abuse long, not a factory one, but it could do it.The main problem might be more in the drivetraine than the engine. The cummins wont last any longer than the 6.5 or with any less problems and its much more expensive to work on. Been there done that seen that. Not worth the cost or listening to that obnoxious noise. If i wanted to drive a tractor, ill get myself a john deer, thanks. Have seen 6.5s with nearly 400k still going. Will stick to my chevrolet and 6.5 with its mellow tone thats nearly silent inside ;) Not that i mind the sound of a diesel but the cummins is too loud, and too expensive and the truck they come in isnt worth a damn. Put that in your pipe and smoke it. :)

[C-Power]

one of my buddies has a 2000 1 ton dually with the 6.5 and he pulls a 42ft stock trailer loaded with hawgs...his cummins wont do it....alls that happens in the cummins is the torque converter slips and he dont move....ask any cummins guy who pulls any thing bet they arent on the first torque converter

[deerefanatic]

The 6.5 is what it is.. Great pickup motor for a pickup that you want good economy and power and want to pull a camper occasionally with......

That said, NO, I will probably NEVER buy a 6.5......

It's cummins for me....... Not that I'm real impressed with the Dodge trucks, but the cummins or 7.3 IH is the only real Heavy duty diesel engine you can get stock in a pickup... You can't call an aluminum block diesel heavy or duty at all, especially not together........ And the 6.5 wasn't either, steel block or not..........

[Garth J]

Aluminum block diesel ? who has one
maybe you mean a d-max they have aluminum heads and by far is the best of the three light truck engines

[torque454]

I agree with garth. I am not a big supporter of the aluminum heads on the d-max but i would certainly buy the dmax before any of the others. No cumaparts or powerchokes for me. However, the 6.5 is all i need. The only reason id ever get anything different is if i decided to get a pickup instead of a suburban. Dont really see that happening tho. Even then id probably not end up with a new truck and so it'd be right back to the 6.5. I enjoy not having car payments way way too much lol.

[Garth J]

I just bought a 2001 d-max and im really impressed it has way more power and a lot quieter when I pull my 27 foot RV 5th I have to keep looking back to see if it is still there I still have my 94 6.5 and its up for sale

[1999GMC]

I know PStrokes and Cummins are better but I chose to get the 6.5.

I just like GM's a lot. I got my truck about a month ago so I havent run into any problems. I did research and I hope I never get stranded. So far I love my truck but man is it slow! :p


The more friends I have that have them. The less I think they are better. I think there are more cam sensor failures on the powerstroke than there ever was of the PMD. Snap-on dealer had a 1998 cummins. In 125,000 miles it blew a head gasket and the injection pump went out, and then they found the lift pump went bad and that was what killed the injection pump. Expensive. The auto trannys the dodge and ford are crap up until the last few years. I put a cam sensor in a cust. truck today(2001 F250), and I am pretty sure my truck would smoke it. I was not impressed at all with the power. It was all stock but I was expecting more power than what it had.

[grancito]

You have to be selective of the year of the cummins, I drove a 95 for a while, no power, bad transmission ratios and slipped while towing, had less than 100,000 miles on it.

[deerefanatic]

....Snap-on dealer had a 1998 cummins. In 125,000 miles......... and the injection pump went out, and then they found the lift pump went bad and that was what killed the injection pump. Expensive.......

I hate to tell ya, but 6.5's do this too...... My grandma's truck did it at 128,000... Lift pump died and took the IP with it.. (Fuel Starvation....) Parts alone in the $1500 range PLUS LABOR!!!

As far as headgasket goes, at least it was just the gasket, if it were a 6.5, it'd of been the head too........

I definitely was mistaken and stand corrected... I thought the Dmax and the 6.4 powerstroke were aluminum block engines......

I'm no fan of aluminum head cast block engines either, though if done correctly, it can work very well.. (The later Mercedes 603, and all the 606 models for instance are bullet-proof and have cast blocks with aluminum heads.)

As far as Cummins goes, I definitely am choosy, has to be a 94-98 (P7100 IP,) or it can be a 24v (98.5 and up to about 200? ish..) if it's had the Lift pump replace previously and has a fuel pressure gauge.... (Even better, a low fuel pressure alarm would be great...)

Stick with stick shift or plan on rebuilding the tranny right away.. I've got a client with a 97 3500 dodge with cummins and a lot of miles, used as a lawn care truck. Hasn't really given him any probs, though it's a stick.......

Really, the Mechanical 12v cummins only has 1 really serious flaw.. The dowel pin that holds the timing case indexed correctly can work out and wreck havic in the timing gear train... But about $15 in parts and an afternoons work can fix it permanently.. Last time I knew, the 6.5 had several serious flaws, and none of em cost $15 and an afternoon to fix... :eek:

[1999GMC]

I hate to tell ya, but 6.5's do this too...... My grandma's truck did it at 128,000... Lift pump died and took the IP with it.. (Fuel Starvation....) Parts alone in the $1500 range PLUS LABOR!!!

As far as headgasket goes, at least it was just the gasket, if it were a 6.5, it'd of been the head too........

I definitely was mistaken and stand corrected... I thought the Dmax and the 6.4 powerstroke were aluminum block engines......

I'm no fan of aluminum head cast block engines either, though if done correctly, it can work very well.. (The later Mercedes 603, and all the 606 models for instance are bullet-proof and have cast blocks with aluminum heads.)

As far as Cummins goes, I definitely am choosy, has to be a 94-98 (P7100 IP,) or it can be a 24v (98.5 and up to about 200? ish..) if it's had the Lift pump replace previously and has a fuel pressure gauge.... (Even better, a low fuel pressure alarm would be great...)

Stick with stick shift or plan on rebuilding the tranny right away.. I've got a client with a 97 3500 dodge with cummins and a lot of miles, used as a lawn care truck. Hasn't really given him any probs, though it's a stick.......

Really, the Mechanical 12v cummins only has 1 really serious flaw.. The dowel pin that holds the timing case indexed correctly can work out and wreck havic in the timing gear train... But about $15 in parts and an afternoons work can fix it permanently.. Last time I knew, the 6.5 had several serious flaws, and none of em cost $15 and an afternoon to fix... :eek:


You don't have to "Hate to tell me" anything. The point I was making is that everyone talks about how great the Cummins and Powerstroke's are. It can happen to the all mighty Cummins in stock form.

[deerefanatic]

Oh yeah..... ALL engines have weak points...... Injection issues are number 1. Also, all engines have a common plight: They are at the mercy of the injection system manufacturer.......

Really, the 7.3 Powerstroke seems the most dependable of the engines of that time frame... Kinda odd cause everybody points at Cummins as the leader.... I just don't like ford, otherwise, I'd sooner go for a powerstroke than a Cummins......

I guess it comes around to this: What I was trying to get across is the 6.5 is fine if you're content with a stock engine in a useful pickup truck. I personally want more... I'm after POWER..... Which, like it or not, your aren't going to get from a 6.5. Period..... If you do get a semblence of power, it won't hold together long without a TON of money poured in.

A cummins will. Short and simple... For what I want, it's my best choice.

It all comes down to personal preference.... Do I laugh and make stabs at owners of 6.5's? NO! Would I like to buy one for myself, NO! Yes, I know that they're cheaply available and can be really built for power (my goal), but I'd rather start on a strong platform and start making power than start on a weaker platform, spend money strenghtening it, then start making power.....

Am I guilty of calling the 6.5 "the worlds most useless diesel"? Yes... :) Is it true? Well, depends on what you're after.........

About the only diesel I would throw jeers at is the 5.7L 350 gasser conversion GM did.... :D

[1999GMC]

I know there is no way you are going to get the power out of a 6.5L like you do the newer diesels. I was told by a few people I don't want a 6.5L and that my 350 suburban would tow better. Maybe that is why I am happy with it because I was expecting a disappointment. It tows fine. I towed a suburban home for a friend and swung into truck scale just to see and I was at 15,150 GCWR and really the only time you knew it was there was when you were on a rough part of the freeway. Maintained 60 up all the hills no problem. It came out of OD once about 3/4 of the way up the hill. I am just looking for something to tow my toys. No set any records.

[torque454]

lmao @ a 350 towing better than a 6.5. I KNOW this is not true. My 6.5 even with the vac pump not working (and thus no turbo boost) pulls my 16 foot trailer better than my 350 burb does. Both geared the same. And actually i pulled a hill (the same hill on both trucks) 5mph faster with another hundred pounds or so worth of crap on the trailer with the 6.5. Once the turbo is going again it would rip that 350 a new craphole. :) And honestly the 350 does pull my trailer well but its no match for the 6.5. The 6.5 may not be capable of the output of a cummins but you simply dont need it. It allows you to do more work which you have no business doing. More and more people are getting trucks bigger and bigger than one tons to do their work with because its safer and does a better job. One of these days people will realize this. You can only stop a load so fast, even with good brakes on both truck and trailer. And in snow, down hills, rain, etc its even worse. Yes you have the power to go but that doesnt mean you can stop it or keep it under control. With the 6.5 you dont have the capability of getting too crazy with it. Theres no need for anything more, unless you step up to a ton and a half or two ton truck, or bigger. These are the reasons you dont see the manufactures with ratings as high as the truck is CAPABLE of doing. Because it isnt safe. Do you REALLY need to pull 20,000 pounds with a pickup? NO. Think about it, thats a 1/4 of a loaded semi. They alone take time to stop, and time to get going. They are proportionate of each other. They dont take off like a rocket and take a month of sundays to stop. Thats the way it should be.

[C-Power]

haha i dont understand why some one wouldnt like that aluminum headed duramax...if that guy is after power than isnt that what you;d want...ive never seen a cummins capable of the same horse as a d-max...ive also never seen a powerchoke capable of that power either but hey i guess you can try...my 6.5 has more power than most of the diesels around here so that talk about 6.5's not bein able to hold power is a lie...it just takes 4 engines to get it right ; )

[deerefanatic]

Obviously you haven't viewed the website of the Big Bad Dodge have you? Isn't a 1000+ hp put it on par with the stinky D-Max?

Plus, HP is pretty meaningless over 600hp or so......... After that, it's torque that wins (and breaks! :D )

And in that respect, the cummins has an advantage with Bigger pistons and an Inline configuration.... Both of those lead to more torque right off the bat....

I'm not gonna say the D-Max is a bad motor, but I simply don't want one....

I like cummins for the power and the Powerstroke for the sound! :D

[torque454]

The duramax makes more power stock for stock than even the cummins at the moment. Only 10ft lb more but thats still more. Have seen and heard of alot more duramaxs at the drag strip than i have the cummins, too. I like the 6.5s sound too. Do I sound too much like i have 6.5 stuck up my ass? :D I promise, im not biased :)

[Shlep]

Well over the weekend I managed to pull about 11 500 lbs for about 500 miles of northern Michigan highways with my 6.5 averaging about 13mpg cruising at an average speed of 65mph :D

my point ... simple, I may not be the first one to the finish line but I will be there in the end and I will have the satisfaction knowing my 6.5 did exactly what i bought it to do :D

Now everyone has to remember that the 6.5 was a cutting edge engine in it's time, just look what was available when it was first released for example the 7.3 non DI with a turbo or better yet just the non turbo 7.3 which was a durable engine but lacked throttle response and was extremely noisey.

Just my 2 cents on this rant :D

[torque454]

Thank you shlep. Thats exactly part of my point.

[jam93]

well the 6.5 in the north must be a different motor because in the southwest nobody wants these things except old mexico cause there cheap. and i will agree the dodge auto trans is CRAP even they will say that but i have had a 2001 d-max pulled this trailer 55 to 60 ripping the balls out of it to handle this trailer i also had a chevy 4500 crew cab truck that had the lly d-max and truck handled trailer perfect but the motor had no power on the bottom end to pull hills in the rockies at low speeds around 5 to 15 mph put a chip on it and it would do it. i also got 6 miles per gal unloaded with this little truck.:( but if a v8 diesel motor is so good than why is all the big rig motors today inline 6 :rolleyes: like the cummins it is a proven reliable set up for pulling loads. every motor out there is going to break or something but take a look at the whole pic of things cummins and 7.3 stroke are very good motors.look at it like this cummins is a good motor for dodge so they have kept it stroke is fair for ford but they stay with it but chevy could not keep up in the diesel wars with the 6.5 and people was turning to the vortec 454 why because it was more reliable and had more pulling power than the 6.5 diesel.so to get back in they turned to the d-max.witch keeps up fine but you will still see them broke down behind the gm dealerships as well ford and dodge trucks behind there dealers and also the cummins is a tractor motor not john deere it is case IH.:D

[Chevylover]

In my opinion :

There will be people, who says that the powerstroke is best.
There will be people, who says that the Duramax is best.
There will be people, who says that the Cummins is best.
And there will be also people, who says that the 6.5 TD is best.

So what will be the truth ? Everyone who has driven/used one or more of these engines/trucks will remark, that every concept got its + and - (dodge got a crap auto tranny and some broken cankshaft in the 6.7, chevy's 6.5 wasn't the most powerful engine and the first d-max got some injector issues, ford powerstroke got some electrical problems and so on and on) , so there'll never be one best engine/tranny. Only people who think that THEY got the best engine for THEIR usage. And there will be also people who wants a diesel truck with a V8 engine and not with a 6-banger. This 6-cylinder diesel engine could be a very good engine, but if you only want to drive a V8-diesel, so you won't buy it. There ever will be people who like the truck design from chevy more than the other (dodge, ford or if a gas truck a nissan or toyota).

For ME (usage and for what i need it) , the best truck would be a C/K truck with a duramax engine and the allison auto tranny.


Every engine, every make and every man/woman will buy what he/she think is the best for them and after they start discussions about what's the best !

IS THAT NORMAL OR A DISEASE ?


Cu,
Sven

[torque454]

Very well said chevylover. I'd tend to agree with you on the dmax/allison setup. Wouldnt trade my 6.5 for it, but maybe a gasser or two tho :D

[C-Power]

well i dont understand that talk of 6-cylinders bein the best b.c cummins is tryin to make a v8 for the trucks now.....so i've heard not sure tho but if you know let me know....personally i love the 6.5 and am in the process of making it upwards of 800 horse...oh i am buyin a dodge to pull it to the pulls:eek:

[power6.5]

Good luck getting 800 horses.

If I where to build that many horses, I'd get a Cummins, plain and simple.

Cummins is designing a V8 diesel for the small Dodges, AFAIK.

[torque454]

Inline six cylinder engines make their power very very low, but fall flat on their face quickly, too. V8s generally make a great amount of torque down lown and all over aswell. Somone is making a small V8 diesel for the ford and chevys, too.

[deerefanatic]

I agree with Chevylover.. The only diesel that I will un-abashedly say was a total piece of crap is the GM 5.7............

Otherwise, the 6.5 is a good motor.... Not an excellent one, but a good one. To be excellent, they would need a better bottom end. (6.5 crankshaft isn't as beefy as even a 454 Gasser's! :eek: )

Yes, Cummins is doin' a V8, but only for lighter duty vehicles, and only for emissions reasons.......

I6's fall flat on their face when revved up 'ey?

Got to youtube and do a search for the video "dieselboost" and watch what you get.... Then come back and tell me that.... And yes, the bottom ends are all STOCK!!

So, once again, chevylover's right.... It just appears that more people's personal choice is not the 6.5.. :D

[hraney]

deerefanatic "I agree with Chevylover.. The only diesel that I will un-abashedly say was a total piece of crap is the GM 5.7............"

Careful,:D Dad and I put almost 300,000 on one of those in a '78 chevy. pulled lots of farm equipment w/ it up and down the highway. Not fast, but it did pull it. And it got 25+ MPG just running around. I still believe we got that service out of it for 2 reasons. Chevy's untrained (not stupid, just untrained) mechanics never saw it and we plumbed a JD fuel filter into it. Plus, we didnt' EXPECT it to pull like a 454.
The one diesel I would call junk was not a GM, it was in an '81 VW Dasher we had when I was in Junior High. It got 41mpg but wouldn't run over 65mph and we overhauled the motor 3 times. Couldn't keep head gaskets in it.:mad: It gave me great satisfaction to haul that to the salvage yard and see it crushed a year or so ago.:D

[deerefanatic]

I'm AMAZED!!! :eek:

I didn't think it was physically possible for one of those to break 125,000 mile without burning more oil than diesel........

Wow............

[hraney]

That '78 was one of the best pieces of equipment we ever owned. I built a motor out of spare parts that were piled in a corner of our shop and drove it to college for a couple of semesters. By this time the chassis had about 425,000 on it. It didn't get NEAR the fuel mileage. I don't know if that was due to the worn out TH400 or the fact that I learned the location of the fuel adjustment screw;)
I'd come home from college and the tailgate would be covered w/ soot! That high compression NA motor sounded so good w/ dual 36" glass packs.
AH, good times, good times.:cool:

[torque454]

Sure you can BUILD an I6 to rev and make power but in general they dont and it takes alot of money to get them there. Its just like a drag car, the V8s usually make power low, but when youre drag racing you build the motors to rev way up and make lots of high end power. Thus the need for high stall converters and low gears. You build them to be what you want.

[deerefanatic]

Did you watch the DieselBoost video? All they did to those engines is put different injector pumps and different turbo(s) in them... The engines were of course, rebuilt.... But to factory spec......... Different exhaust manifolds too I believe......

Nothing like you gotta do to 6.5's like dished pistons, different cams, girdle kits, etc......

[jam93]

that is why i say the cummins is perfect better say this perfect for me don't won't to piss the old safety farts in here off:D where the 6.5 is maxed out with the cummins skys the limit i mean 100 hp injectors 100 lb boost turbos head gaskets now that will take that 12v 6bt only bigger fuel pumps do that all to a 6.5 and that thing would blow so high in the sky. some will say well do you need that much power and hop up crap well maybe no but is that not the same as getting all the goodies for a 6.5. and i will still say the 6.5 will not pull big trailers and what is with take your time that sound like someone that is retired and has all the time in the world and that is good but not all of us have 2 weeks to go 200 miles. i mean if that was the case you could hook a trailer up to a s 10 pickup never would get out of first gear but hey take your time right and then you could get r dun.:D

[Chevylover]

Sorry, but this discussion seems to me more and more as controversy between two childs in a "kindergarten" which father is bigger or got more muscle power or .................................................. ........................

As i mentioned before, many people got many different meanings and point of views and you'll get all "under one hat". So should everyone what he/she likes in make, engine, tranny and so on.


You can start such a discussion for everything - cars, trucks, boats, motorcycles, blonde girls, brown girls, small, tall, slim, fat, and so on and on and on and on .................................................. ...............................


Cu,
Sven

[3bals]

I like girls!!!

Jody

[jam93]

chevylover that is the one thing that is right on the money i think that is the smartest thing that has been said on this thread or subject whatever this is called everybody has the own strokes as the say different strokes for different folks and also I LIKE GIRLS too lol :)

[Chevylover]

GIRLS ? Oh, i don't like them - I LOVE THEM, especially the adult ones !

- laugh -


Cu,
Sven

[deerefanatic]

And all of a sudden, the conversation takes a sharp left turn.............................................. .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. ...........

[deerefanatic]

Man, talk about a contreversy!!

I agree with almost everyone here,

Every motor has a niche.... For just a good ol' all around motor, the 6.5 is a fine choice.... Would I pick it above another, well, no... Except that the 6.5 is definitely a cheaper motor to aquire than a cummins or stroke.........

For extreme power? Well, a 6.5 can, maybe, compete, but monetarily it is smarter to just get a strong motor to start with...... Now, if you've got a pile of cash and want to build a 1000hp 6.5, go right ahead.... When you finish and have a video and a dyno chart, I'll be the first to congratulate and give you a big pat on the back......

It's just not for me.... That's all..........

So, to answer the orginal question: Why does the 6.5 get a bad rep? Because Americans are power obsessed or "green" obsessed as a society.... It's simple, one of these groups made the muscle car huge, and the other caused the muscle car's demise........

The 6.5 won't make either of those two groups happy... It's not super powered, and it's not super enviromentally friendly..... So, it gets a bad rep.

Simple enough for ya?

[torque454]

Not an old fart here i'm 22 thanks. :) Just trying to get a point across that no one seems to be getting. You all can do what you please, but i wont be the one that might kill somone some day because i was doing something i shouldnt be doing or be the one to get the speeding ticket. I have never EVER had a ticket or caused an accident. That is because of my outlook on everything. I am not saying lets take a 2.2L S10 and try and pull 15k with it thats just crazy. The 6.5 is not helpless, it can do it even if its a little slow. Dont need to be pulling it fast anyways. A lil 4 cyl S10 simply couldnt do it. You'd probably cook the converter before it would even move it.

[deerefanatic]

An S-10... LOL!!

It needs a Cummins in it!! :D

I doubt an S-10 could handle the weight of a cummins if the engine was mounted in the BED!! :D

[1999GMC]

I think my favorite Cummins story is one Friday we were headed up camping in the Sierras. On the way up there is a 6-7% grade that is about 5 miles long. Close to half way up a Dodge with a 18' toyhauler come past me and I looked at my wife and said, "I need a Duramax". She said, "No you don't". We get a few more turns up the hill and there he is sitting on the side of the road looking at his gauges. Thinking the EGT's were a little high. She looks at me and says " told ya, and our trailer is way bigger than that".

[Garth J]

Obvisouly he has no idea how to drive a diesel

[Oldsmoke]

Towing uphills on hot days is what takes a good truck and a smart driver. Tire smoking power is only part of the equation.

[Garth J]

My wife let me buy a d-max

[12vctd]

just my .02 cents, new here so had to reply. I have personally, owned all of fords international engines (still have a 6.9 and a 7.3 farm trucks) I have owend and still own 2 12valve cummins 2nd gen dodges and 2 1st gen 12 valve cummins, Also owned but sold (good riddance) a 2nd gen 24v cummins. Bought a duramax owned it for 2 years sold it because I was offered a good deal for it and money talks, plus I was worried about running B100 in it, it was mainly a DD and weekend toy, towing it did well but lacked a manual trans and well I just have a real soft spot for a clutch. Every single one of these trucks had quirks, and problems. first gen cummins all have a cable to shut the fuel off, 12v's had a dowel pin that feel into the timing cover broke the cover, starters wore out. 6.9 ford used way to much oil, and hard starting 7.3 had cativation problems and injector problems, Dmax LB7 had inj problems, and bent connecting rods, turbo let go 2 times. I maintain my vehicles , they work hard (harder than they should) and all the cummins and the Dmax I modded, sled pulled and beat the tar outta them. My opinon is this they are all great in diff areas and equally great in others.

For example internally I dare anyone to prove to me that any of the diesels in the big three trucks is as strong as a Cummins. A real med duty diesel motor. even thou 6 cylinder it has 7 bearin caps V8's have 5. Connecting rods dwarf the others, straight motors have better low end torque and when built correctly DO not fall off in higher rpms, the weight can cause them to rev slower but HP is just a equation derived from Torque at a given rpm. Turn a Cummins with a flat tq curve to 4 or 5k rpms and you have gobbs of HP. A great Workhorse, and the bosh P7100 is a awsome injection pump.

Dmax, lemme say this a cross of a gas motor but with diesel power, its a awsome motor. I loved mine rev's quick (light internals) great fuel economy, it was amazing. And a great motor for just about anyone wanting diesel power, but more expensive in the begining if your looking for a power plant to seriously modify due to lighter materials. Easy to service for a V-8 in a tight engine bay, only thing I really did not like was changing the turbos out. The CP3 common rail injection pump is amazing and does a wonderful job.

International 6.9 and 7.3 great motors also, not to many advancements for a earlier motor, but with good maint and addition of a turbo they run good, the powerstroke 7.3 is a strong motor not much power for the extreme but with a stackable injection pump now they are really starting to crank it out.

I think there is faults with them all, and they all need to fit the person who is shelling out the dough for them. I think any of the motors listed above will do the work thats needed, and if properly modded they can do it pretty well. I am very excited to find a 6.5 powered suburban for my family. So I can learn the quirks and the pluses of that motor.

As far as which is best they all are better than anything with spark plugs in my opinon. My LB7 dynoed at 632 rwhp, my 97 cummins 12v has 901 rwhp, the dmax would beat the cummins every time in a drag race, the cummins would sled pull better than the Dmax. I could easily spent some money on a auto for the dodge and beat the dmax on the 1/4 strip, or went with some other internal mods to the d-max and owned the cummins on the sled pull. As far as why do people say the 6.5 is a bad motor, most because they just lack the knowledge of the motor. Ive been told the 6.5 was a converted gas motor, which we know is untrue. mainly the 6.5, was a product when diesels weren't popular like they are today.

[deerefanatic]

FINALLY!!!

An opinion from a person who has OWNED all of the different motors instead of "knew buddies" etc and has only 3rd hand knowledge........

Which is what I've been saying all along, a motor for everyone and everyone for a motor............

[torque454]

Somone once told me the 6.5 was a 454 converted to diesel. I laughed at the guy. The same guy swears there was a 307 diesel. I told him he is mistaken. There was only a 350 diesel before this and it is what was converted from gas. He swears also my truck is a POS, based on the fact that "its a gas motor converted to diesel" He needs to get a clue :)

[hraney]

You know, I've really never understood the "5.7 diesel gas conversion" thing.
</sarcasm:on> I mean, did GM REALLY take a bunch of gas Olds engines and just cut a hole in the front of the engine "V" for a pump to stick through? And I guess they just stuck injectors into the spark plug holes?
</sarcasm:off>
I don't doubt that maybe GM took an existing engine design and re-tooled it, but some of these guys make it sound like a gasoline to LPG conversion. You know, different carb, a couple of extra heater hoses and Voila'.... Diesel!
Does anybody have any insight into how the 5.7 really came about?
Not to hijack the thread or anything....;)

[torque454]

You know, I've really never understood the "5.7 diesel gas conversion" thing.
</sarcasm:on> I mean, did GM REALLY take a bunch of gas Olds engines and just cut a hole in the front of the engine "V" for a pump to stick through? And I guess they just stuck injectors into the spark plug holes?
</sarcasm:off>
I don't doubt that maybe GM took an existing engine design and re-tooled it, but some of these guys make it sound like a gasoline to LPG conversion. You know, different carb, a couple of extra heater hoses and Voila'.... Diesel!
Does anybody have any insight into how the 5.7 really came about?
Not to hijack the thread or anything....;)


I'm kind of wondering if they didnt build it to where the injector pump is driven from where the distributor normally would be (off a gear on the cam way in the back, or wherever it might be on an oldsmobile). I have seen engines like that before. Ive heard people like to take those 350 diesels and convert them to gas engines because of them being built with 4 bolt mains. I think the heads and intake are specific to the diesel tho. Built for high compression and for some injectors. This is only an educated guess tho.

[hraney]

Torque454: I'm kind of wondering if they didnt build it to where the injector pump is driven from where the distributor normally would be (off a gear on the cam way in the back, or wherever it might be on an oldsmobile)

Nope. The pump was driven off the front of the motor. I still have an old 5.7 in the back of the barn I think. The hole where the distributor was on a gasser was where the vacuum pump was, like the 6.2L.
It just sort of seems like a misnomer to call it a "converted" gasser. Its not like you could take a weekend and have it back on gas. Although we did put an Olds gasser in our old '78 while we gathered parts to rebuild the 5.7 diesel.

Gee... maybe we need a "History of the 5.7 thread". To check out our GM diesel roots so to speak. :)

[deerefanatic]

Why bother?

In reality, no, it wasn't a "converted" gas engine.... But it also wasn't built much heavier than it's gasser conterpart, which is why most of them didn't last very long......

[Garth J]

type in 5.7 diesel in your browser you will find lots of info on that engine

[1999GMC]

First off the Cummins has more main bearing caps because it is 6 cyl. long. A V12 would 7 main bearing caps also.

And for the 454 is built more stout than a 6.5L I looked some things up this morning. On a 454 crankshaft main bearing journal is 2.74", on a 6.5L it is 2.95". Rod journal on the crank is 2.19" on the 454, and 2.40" on the 6.5L. And wrist pin dia. on the 454 is .989" and on the 6.5L 1.22". In comparison the 7.3L powerstroke is 3.11" for main bearing and 2.49" for rod bearing. and 1.30" for the wrist pin. And the Cummins is 3.26" for the main and 2.71" for the rod, 1.57" for the wrist pin. Or did you mean block wise they are more stout. I have seen a 454 bare block, but have never come across a 6.5L.

[12vctd]

Yes its 7 caps due to being a stright 6, but its still 7 caps. More bearing force holdingand helping hold the block together, just a wonderful thing about straight motors. The ford 4.9 otherwise known as the 300 straight 6 is one heck of a motor for having spark plugs. As far as the 454 6.5 comparison, I have no clue, built a few 454's back in the day, but honestly I would take a diesel over a gas motor any day. I have heard of some problems with the 6.2 crank breaking.

Torque454 I like the excursion also, but most I find around here are still way high in price, plus I am very familiar with the 7.3 already and I kinda want to learn more about the 6.5. As far as 350 acceleration I am sure I can slightly mod the 6.5 to compare to most stock 350's with alot better fuel economy, and strong tq band down low.

Deere yes I have owned alot of diesel's thank god the wife knows its in my blood lol. Currently on my farm I have 23 diesel powered vehicles lol, every thing from tractors, to a kubota RTV. I have never had a vehicle that hasn't had design flaws in one way or another. And really I think the big three has done a great job with thier current diesel market, I am just waiting to see if they will have the longevity of most older diesels.

[torque454]

It should be pretty easy to get the 6.5 to run like a 350 or better. It might already i dont know. Like i said mine is running without the turbo because the vac pump is bad. Also have 3.42 gears.

[grancito]

The 350 gasser has no where near the power of a 6.5, 454 is closer, I think 10 hp more than a 6.5.

[torque454]

The 350 gasser has no where near the power of a 6.5, 454 is closer, I think 10 hp more than a 6.5.

No but the 350 has more HP, just not as low, and with not as much torque. My worn out 89 350 burb would wax my 6.5 in a race and they are geared the same. But it wont pull a trailer like the 6.5.

[1999GMC]

I think my 350 suburban would have beat my 6.5L in a race as well. It would have been close but the Suburban did seem a little quicker. That was why I figured it would tow the toyhauler no problem. But there was no way. My 6.5L goes from 60-80MPH a lot easier than my Suburban did.

[deerefanatic]

In raw HP, my dad's 305 gasser is only 10hp less than the 6.5 in my truck.....

BUT, the 6.5 has a boatload more torque.........

As for the comment about the 454 having a beeffyer bottom end than the 6.5...I guess I've been proven wrong on that! :D Goes to show that you can't always believe everything you hear! :D

[1999GMC]

Hey. Does anybody know if GM is still using the 6.5L in van chasis. Today was at work and on break walked across the street and I heard a 6.5 and it was in a newer looking chevy van front end but it was about a 20 passenger or so bus for a Hotel. I get my drink from Jimboy's and come back outside to cross the street and hear another 6.5. It is a little school bus with a newer looking chevy van frontend, another same style school bus behind it. I cross the street and get ready to cross at the next light and turning s another school bus same body style wth a 6.5 as well. I saw(heard 4 6.5 in a matter of minutes. I know they were not Duramax's. I can tell by the sound. They looked like new buses for our school district. Just wondering if anyone knew if they were still using them or if they are a few years old.

[deerefanatic]

They must be getting older..... The Chevy Express vans now come with DuraMax as a diesel option......... I know, I've seen em......... And talked to their (unhappy) owners. (Seems that their owners were looking for Sprinter replacements..... Needless to say they were disappointed! :D )

[1999GMC]

Why? Because of injector problems? They can't be fun to change in a van.

[deerefanatic]

No, cause they were expecting something that could compete with the Mercedes Sprinter.... They were sourly dissappointed because the Chevy vans aren't much quicker than the Sprinter, are less nimble, and get horrid fuel mileage in comparison.... One guy I talked to claimed his Chevy van gets about 18 mpg in delivery service while his buddy has a Sprinter and does the same stuff and gets 25-27 mpg.... And even though it's only a 2.7L, it has just about as much get-up as his Chevy.......

That's why the Diesel Express owners I've talked to have been dissappointed... Now, if you were going to use the van to haul a large trailer, etc, then the Duramax powered express would be the clear winner..... It's more of a dealer issue... The dealer tries to sell them as a Sprinter competitor when they're not.... Not an issue in the Van/engine itself.

[murd450]

i had a guy tell me that 6.5's were modified gas motors ,WRONG! and another guy told me they had soft cams WRONG! they have roller cams , i think they get such a bad rep frome the 6.2 and the fact that the get run is school bus vans but shcool mi are diferant than road mi we are constant ly replacing motors and heads but these stop and go more than the mail man and they idel for days on end they runn frome like 5am to 7 pm or more ,i pesonaly lobe my 6.5 td:cool:

[DieselMike]

The 6.5s bad rep is directly related to people's ignorance. I've had mine for 2yrs and put over 80k on it in that time. She's up to 271k at this time. I have done several mods and the normal maintenance work. I tend to drive hard at times and the only problem I've had was an FSD failure AND i get 20mpg. Down on the farm is several more 6.5s that are workhorses. They get worked to their fullest and run like clocks.

[murd450]

i have recently had a stalling problem whith mine ! it would runn for a few min then just die like it was runing out of fule i thought it was the pmd but i was wrong i allso thout it was a fule filter AGAIN !!!! so i changed it but when i pulled the old one out the fule in the filter dident look high enuf after a day or 2 of thinking (came to me on the craper) i remembered up behind the fule tank i saw what looker like the transfer pump, but the trans pump is up under the door so i come down to the shop and what do you know some one added a chrysler style in line GAS FILTER and what do you know it was pluged!!!!!!!!!!!!!:eek: so again i got ridaqueled about having a 6.5 and it wasent the engin, or the trucks fault it would be the guy that had it befor me who traded it in becase it was stalling ,then it was a pmd , :cool:

[murd450]

our new vans have duramax engines but we just got them this year no probs yet but i hear they have allot of inj probs ,but we have had more probs whith the ih 6.0l td what junk!!!!!! they never should have done away whith the 7.3:mad:

[jifaire]

our new vans have duramax engines but we just got them this year no probs yet but i hear they have allot of inj probs ,but we have had more probs whith the ih 6.0l td what junk!!!!!! they never should have done away whith the 7.3:mad:

You're about 5 years out of synch... the LB7 duramaxes had injector issues, but that hasn't been a big problem for a long time, now.

If your new vans have 2001 engines in them though, you would be right to worry.

[6536jim]

I must say you guys really love your 6.5's. I've owned mine for 8 years and
I have to be honest with you guys I have no problem with the truck part or
the engine's power and torque, it's good. It's just the lousy IP, constant SES
lights and my unit only has 77k! Believe me the first I/P I replaced was bad right from the diesel injector shop, had to tear it out replaced it. 2 months later that went on me. Now less than then 22k miles later I have a weak
feul solenoid throwing a DTC 36. 2Ccyle oil no help. I had to change the computer on time. Truck went into limp mode and I barely made it home. I must have changed at least 4 or 5 starters and lots of batteries . Just the other day I stalled out and got DTC 23 and 27. The worst thing
about this truck is all the problems are intermittent. Problem happens once and may not happen again for months. I use this truck for work, I haul a 500 gallon spray tank and an 18 foot trailer. I must be honest I have lost confidence in the truck. I own a 95 dodge w/cummins engine, I own an Isuzu w/diesel. The Cummins is the most reliable and the Isuzu has been very good as well. I think the 6.5 is probably best suited for over the road and long distance travel. I do alot of stop and go and I think the combination
of heat and restart over and over again is to much for them.

[hraney]

I must say you guys really love your 6.5's. I've owned mine for 8 years and
I think the combination
of heat and restart over and over again is to much for them.


Yes, most of us do love them (although I think some of that may be just to be different).:D
I agree w/ that last observation as well. I think the 6.5 (any diesel really) does better in a constant power/throttle setting. I have a friend that used to work around a lot of large pleasure boats and he said there were quite a few 6.5s in them. The owners could rip out the gassers and pretty well drop a 6.5 in the same hole for more power and effeciency.

[torque454]

I must say you guys really love your 6.5's. I've owned mine for 8 years and
I have to be honest with you guys I have no problem with the truck part or
the engine's power and torque, it's good. It's just the lousy IP, constant SES
lights and my unit only has 77k! Believe me the first I/P I replaced was bad right from the diesel injector shop, had to tear it out replaced it. 2 months later that went on me. Now less than then 22k miles later I have a weak
feul solenoid throwing a DTC 36. 2Ccyle oil no help. I had to change the computer on time. Truck went into limp mode and I barely made it home. I must have changed at least 4 or 5 starters and lots of batteries . Just the other day I stalled out and got DTC 23 and 27. The worst thing
about this truck is all the problems are intermittent. Problem happens once and may not happen again for months. I use this truck for work, I haul a 500 gallon spray tank and an 18 foot trailer. I must be honest I have lost confidence in the truck. I own a 95 dodge w/cummins engine, I own an Isuzu w/diesel. The Cummins is the most reliable and the Isuzu has been very good as well. I think the 6.5 is probably best suited for over the road and long distance travel. I do alot of stop and go and I think the combination
of heat and restart over and over again is to much for them.

You need a new diesel shop. Mines on its 3rd IP in 228,500 miles. The first one i dont think was even bad. I think it was a bad PMD. It was replaced under warranty.

[jifaire]

You need a new diesel shop. Mines on its 3rd IP in 228,500 miles. The first one i dont think was even bad. I think it was a bad PMD. It was replaced under warranty.

Couldn't agree more... 3rd IP, 4 or 5 starters, only 77K?

I've had mine for the last 120,000 km (75000 miles) of its 300,000km (185000mi) life...

Same IP since I got it (2nd IP - first replaced under warranty, apparently) (put in a Heath PMD when I got it)
Same starter (I checked to make sure the bolts were tight, the little bracket was there, and cleaned/greased the connections when I got it)
Same batteries (changed 1 month after I got it... regularly clean connections and check cables and grounds for corrosion)
3" Downpipe, mandrel-bent crossover, 4" exhaust (ever try to fart through a straw?)
Heath Chip/Turbomaster (bye-bye vacuum system, hello power)
Clean rad, new SD fan clutch and genuine ACDelco Thermostat (no more heating issues)

Lots of stop/start, short trips, etc. Lots of heavy pulling. Lots of cold weather (idleing), hot weather, big hills, and sitting dormant.

Having a reliable truck? Priceless.

You need a new mechanic.

[torque454]

Only one new starter here. Replaced at about 210k. One harmonic balancer about the same time, too. The IP should be good for about 100k. Mines got maybe 10 to 15 thousand miles on it so I am good for a while.

[6536jim]

I here what you guys are saying. Maybe i just bought a lemon. I bought the truck in 2000 w/only 49K on it (1994 model). I do all my own work on it. I
drive the unit myself and never abuse it. For any of you guys located in NJ dont ever take your I/P for exchange or rebuild to the Shop on Route 35 near the shore (wont mention the name)! Thats were I got my pump overhauled.
thanks

[Colorado Cowboy]

i had a guy tell me that 6.5's were modified gas motors ,WRONG! and another guy told me they had soft cams WRONG! they have roller cams , i think they get such a bad rep frome the 6.2 and the fact that the get run is school bus vans but shcool mi are diferant than road mi we are constant ly replacing motors and heads but these stop and go more than the mail man and they idel for days on end they runn frome like 5am to 7 pm or more ,i pesonaly lobe my 6.5 td:cool:

I know that I am a little behind on replying to this, but wanted to anyways. The reason people think the 6.5 was converted from a gas engine is because they don't pay attention to engine changes. In the late 70's chevy offered the Olds 5.7 diesel as an option in 1/2 ton trucks. Just because this engine was a 350ci, people (incorrectly) thought it a converted gas engine. The 5.7 diesel was designed from the beginning to be a diesel. It has thicker block and cylinder walls, and is made from different metals than the gas engine. The bad rep for Chevy diesels came from this engine also. The 5.7 was not designed to be put under load, (such as pulling trailiers.) It was offered as a high fuel mileage option, compared to the gas engines of the time. Some people also don't realize that the 6.2 was a Detroit, and not a bad engine with a Banks or ATS turbo. My dad warned me about Chevy diesels when I first talked about buying one. I have had both the 6.2 (with a banks turbo) and a 6.5. Both were great and when compared to the Fords and Dodges of the time, were very competative.

[Chevylover]

You right, most reps (especially the bad ones) are based on bad or no information, just some hearing AND the false use of things. If i want to pull like a semi, why don't they buy a semi ? If i put these weight in a station wagon, it will get the same bad reps also, but the most people DON'T DO THIS.

Cu,
Sven

[ChevyCowboy]

ya i know a guy who has an 05 dodge cummins TD automatic and when i drove it the other day it was a complete dog i guess i should say that it is a quad cap and has a flat bed and an empty sand spreader so i guess that adds to the weight some but iv had alot of weight in the back of my pickup and think the preformance was alot better than that (Maybe im just biast) he loves to call the 6.5 a "throwaway motor"

[greyfoxxca]

I read all the posts and there is certainly many opinions on the trucks out there.

my 6.5 is a 4x4 92 silverado 2500 with the 8900 gvw

Bought with 120k kilometers and now at 210k

work done
changed alternator 90
repainted since it was peeling paint 3000
opened up the air intake
k&n fair filter 100
amsoil dual bypass oil filter 550
4inch exhaust from turbo back 1200
new rad 460
new water pump (upgrade) 90
durmax fan with low temp drive 300
air bags on rear springs 400

Now have done both the front and rear brakes and flushed the automatic tranny and did other regular maint. On secont set of tires.

now the OEM rad started leaking a couple of years after I bought the truck. I did not repair it as I though it much better to replace it as the truck was prone to over heating when pulling through the mountains. I was looking at doing much more pulling in the near future.

I installed the new rad and water pump and put in a new thermostat. Contrary to a lot of the members here the old rad when removed was perfectly clean on the outside. I think the farming or offroad service would clog up the outside of the rad.
As I used the truck for pulling , 8000lbs through the coquahalla pass here in BC, it heated up in a snow storm in december.

well next came the duramax fan and fluid drive upgrade. Made a large difference but even as my temp guage told me I was not overheating I ended up with my antifreeze in my overflow tank.

Well I then tried to install a dual thermostat upgrade but found that It was a PITA to move my throttle and cruise cables.

I reinstalled my old single thermostat set up but I tested this new thermostat.
It did not full open until over 200F. The old OEM was full open by 192F. So the OEM went back in with the bypass seat removed. Everything went back together with redline cooler installed also. Looks promising but will be doing a vehicle transport thru the rockys in a few weeks and will post the results.

Now back to if I think the 6.5 is a good , great or poor engine.

mine is a 92 with the mechanical fuel delivery system. I have no problems with the fuel system. I have read about the multitude of issues people have had.

I have talked to guys who have had the oil lines break and lost the engine.
The head cracking and gaskets problems were experienced a majority of owners I would guess. GM finally got the cooling flow thru the heads up in the late 96 and 97 models. By then they had recast the block so they started to fail. I do not have to tell you guys about the harmonic balancer issues.

When ever I need parts for my truck I go the local wrecker , and pretty well all the truck he have were 6.5 diesels that failed for one reason or another.

now do not get me wrong I have been a chev man for some while. I have a chev mini moter home and an 05 jimmy.

But I needed a reliable truck for our traveling. I looked a 05 duramax and made a deal on it. Then I checked up on the internet and the 05 and early 06 were prone to overheating when pulling. This was because the airflow was restricted thru the grill because of the poor design.

well we ended up with a very low millage 02 dodge 2500 with the 5.9.

fuel pump issues will be dealt with by running 5% bio diesel for inj pump lube and a low pressure alarm and perhaps a larger fuel line from the back at a later date.

The auto tranny is not great but the word in the street is if you stay with the OEM power it is adequete.

I have put the camper on it thru the mountains this summer and it ran perfect. The dodge handles the load much better than the chev . Millage does seem better with the dodge when empty but similar when loaded. The chev revs more so I should expect that.

I owned a couple of the old 6.9 fords and would not buy another one. I have to be honest and would not buy a 6.5 again.

I do not need the hassle.

I still have old blue and will use it for as much hauling as I can. I will be looking at keeping the dodge as the main truck when the 6.5 dies.

At this point the 92 runs perfect and the tranny and front end are original. There is no rust on it and and the interior is just about perfect. Very comfortable truck to drive. Rides great and handle well. I do think these are the positive sides to the chevs.

In 92 the total truck package, dodge and the fords were not near as good as the chev. I can not say that now. When ford came out with the powerstroke they were ahead of chev.
IMHO the 4x4 dodge trucks for personal use were garbage until they started to ride better. I test drove a 98 and drove it 4 blocks before returning to the dealership and telling them I would not take the truck if they gave it to me.

Now our 02 dodge is of similar design but it is night and day different in ride. The quality of the truck is great and we love it. It is very noisy but starts cold and hot instantly.

will be interesting to see if chev survives the next few months. When everyone talks about the big three making poor products we all forget about the crap we have dealt with on our beloved trucks.
How many of you have had issues with your wiper motor? I finally fixed mine by hitting it with a crescent wrench. Worked flawlessly for about a year now.

I do think the products made now are better than the 90's but the diesel air pollution equipment is killing the sales of the new trucks. That is why we purchased an older one. Can you imagine running your combustion so poorly that you need a carbon filter to catch the unburned fuel? I work at a power station and the boilers we had exhaust gas recircs on we removed and installed an ammonia catalyst system to remove NOX. When the recirc was used in the past the unburnt fuel in the flue gases went up with how much recirc you put in.

GF

[vmac4]

well gang.it's been a year since I got my burb.Pmd,fried and upgraded.
247,000miles when bought,276,000 now.ac compressor leak,no time to
fix,no money to fix yet.other upgrades,on hold.Why,HONDA.Wifes van,
Transmission went south,$3600.00.intake egr ports clogged,$140 on the side
for a honda tech.sliding doors broke,rigged one,fixed other.now ac gone,
$700 for compressor,have to order all parts.not even a fuel filter in stock
locally.My 6.5,can get routine parts for it,in stock.mileage blows the honda
away,(well,thats not fair,the honda doesn't travel freeway everyday).Honda was supposed to be the vehicle of quality.I have worked on a lot of different
brands,gm,ford,dodge,pete,mack,ect.They all have bad apples.I plan on driving this truck into the ground(RIP,91 ford explorer,450,000+ miles,original
engine,but will still drive and pass state inspection)

[trukdoc]

...5.7 350cuin diesel..gm put these in EVERYTHING caddys,buicks,olds.p/us,everything...common failure..THE most common failure-blown intake gskts..put water in crankcase just behind front main...boom broke crank...had 300k on mine in p/u when head gskt blew..replaced it w/hopped up 455,but thats another post....6.5 was/is a stud...bad rap comes from meck.pump heat problems..cured heat problem when 1st gen elec.pump came out{a real piece ofs***} common failure..heat soak pumpfried...all problems cured by late 95 early 96...power my svc trk is 15500lb gvw thats over 7 tons capacity it weighs 11150lbs allatime..run mobile dieselrepair svc in this trk..70-75 on road..hauling-towing-etc.93 mech.pump...over250k...boogie boogie...if you want a "hotrod"BUY a "hotrod"...cummins inwrong body...6.0 toooomany problems ..don't get me started on d*max...I'll keep my 6.5....it's cheep to fix and maintain...

[drifterdawg]

Man. I hate my 6.5. I have a 2000 chevy 3500 with 77,000 miles on it. I use it as my work truck. It is a 32' boom truck. This truck has cost me soooo much money. I use to have a 2000 F350 powerstroke. Never had all the problems that this POS 6.5 has had. THe 2000 7.3 was a stallion. Since I have bought the truck a year ago I have had 3 injection pumps, Entire air conditioning redone, cam shaft sensor, bad wastegate on turbo, new gage cluster, Brakes always sqeeks (even after repairs and new pads) and so on. This truck is truly unreliable. It has cost me so much money in down time and repairs. I guess thats why you see more Ford trucks as work trucks. I will never buy another 6.5 again.

[JD_countryboy]

That aint why you see them. Wake up and smell the coffee. I have seen companies go from chevy to ford to chevy, couple dodges, back to chevys. so on and so forth. same as for switchin back and forth from gas and diesel. One of the companies will simply make a bunch of trucks, and sell them cheap. Besides, What you call a work truck? youd have to include grocerie getters in that class if you think you see more ford work trucks than chevy. Sorry your truck seems to be such a problem to you, If you like the powerjoke so much, why did you get rid of it and keep the chevy 6.5?

[the motorcycle seat man]

The 6.5 had a casting problem in the #8 cylinder which caused a crack at top of sleeve.The later ones after 1996 were corrected.The pmd is usually the problem when the dealer diagnosis the pump.As with anything you will inherintly find flaws but I will tell you the truth.The 6.5 with some mods.can be a torque monster and still get great MPG.I walk all over those Hemi's and powerstrokes with my trusty old turbo 6.5 and I can get 14~16 mpg towing a 24' enclosed trailer weighing 6500 lbs. if I take it easy!10~12 mpg if I mash the throttle hard and can run 80~85 with my trailer loaded and still stay in OD.I love these motors and think they are the best low cost way to go.:cool: I trust mine all summer long on the road from Daytona FL to Laconia NH and every bike show in between.The only time I have had trouble was with the pmd and the crappy GOV-LOCK rear.everything else I have done has been for improved efficiency and power.Buy a service manual and start to learn about your motor it is not hard when you concentrate on one thing at a time.Good luck and if I get over your way I will pull into that diesel shop and show them what a worked up 6.5 can do all over there parking lot.I will leave smoking both rears in third gear sideways!!:cool:

[drifterdawg]

I did not own the Ford F350. When I became a full independent contractor for the CATV industry i bought my 6.5. It had 52000 miles on it when I bought it. It has been nothing but problems. I just bought the PMD relocator from Diesel Supply. So maybe one problem is fixed. I see more Ford Trucks in use as WORK TRUCKS than I see chevys. Power and CATV uses Ford. I was hardly ever in the shop with my Ford and it had a 126000 on it and had alot of idle time due to the fact that the truck has to be running to operate the PTO for the boom. That aint why you see them. Wake up and smell the coffee. I have seen companies go from chevy to ford to chevy, couple dodges, back to chevys. so on and so forth. same as for switchin back and forth from gas and diesel. One of the companies will simply make a bunch of trucks, and sell them cheap. Besides, What you call a work truck? youd have to include grocerie getters in that class if you think you see more ford work trucks than chevy. Sorry your truck seems to be such a problem to you, If you like the powerjoke so much, why did you get rid of it and keep the chevy 6.5?

[JD_countryboy]

Round here you will see most all of them. Primaraly Chevy and ford. If you count the grocery getters than maybe more fords. As for the local coop, they had 6.5 diesels from early 90 till 98 year model. All had more than 250,000 miles, some over 325,000 miles when they traded them. I know a couple are still on the road, owned locally. Not many problems with them either. I know the service guy at the coop who maintained them. Usaully had 6 or more at a time in the fleet at different ages. They went to a couple dodges, then a couple fords. Switched back to Chevys in 04 all gassers now though. But still has 3 of the 98s that are drivin almost daily.

As i drive around i see mainly CHEVYS bunch of fords, and a fewdodges. As WORK TRUCKS.

[trukdoc]

...you got with sleeves?????

[drifterdawg]

I didnt mean to step on any toes as I joined this site for help on my 6.5. Everybody I know has the Ford 7.3, that does contract CATV work, and they are fine trucks. Maybe I just got a lemon. But man it seems like every week I got another problem with it. So if I ruffled any feathers, I do apologize as I am just looking for help. My 6.5 motor seems to be fine..... Its just everything else around it. You know the IP has just been a nightmare. When my truck is not running I am sittiing aout of touwn losing 1000 dollars a day in income and expenses. Not including the repair bill. Just replace the glow plugs also. It just gets really expensive.

[the motorcycle seat man]

...you got with sleeves?????

Sorry old language is hard to leave.I have owned Big Trucks(Kenworth) most of my life and am still a trucker at heart.The crack appears at the top outside edge of the cylnder wall.

[KungFooMASTA]

Ive had my 94 Blazer for almost 2 years and over 20,000 miles 205,827 now. I have had few problems Oil pressure switch, broke oil cooler hose. The hose really isnt the 6.5s fault or the ops for that matter.

It reminds me of about 2weeks ago me and two friends were at houdinis eatin pizza and we were talking about trucks like normal. They both got z71 gassers one a 95 tbi the other a 97 vortec. I dont know how it came up but somewhere in the conversation my friends said why dont you put a d-max in the blazer that would be cool. I said why would I waste a real 6.5 Blazer if I even had the money for a d-max engine i would use a gasser Blazer/Tahoe. Then they said why its just a junk 6.5 then the other kid said yeah 6.5s are dogs all they do is break cranks and blow headgaskets.(This kid just said that cause that is what everyone else says about 6.5s) I said you are a fool I would not trade my 6.5 for both of your pos z71s. The kid with the 97 said he would take the other kids 95 that hella smoke blue smoke from burning a quart of oil every other day. I said my truck has more miles than both of your trucks combined I get twice the fuel mileage you get and my truck isnt a dime a doezen z71. This is when i just stood up and left there is no way to make someone believe a sixfive isnt junk if they wont open their eyes.

Just last week the kid with a 97 traded it in on an 04 D-Max it is fast and makes me want a Dmax even more but it should be my goal to smoke his d-max with my Blazer it will never happen cause he makes way more money than I do and he is already getting performance parts for it. But it would be cool.

And wether a 6.5 is faster than a 350 I will find out one of these days cause I have a friend with a 2door tahoe with 350 vortec he said he wouldnt mind raceing. He will likely beat me because its a vortec and I have 33inch tires he has smaller ones but other than that it will be the Closest race to see because our trucks are basically Identical. If I had a camera Id tape it cause its not everyday you see 2 2doors racing Diesel vs Gas.

In a few years I am going to buy a new truck I do not want to ever get rid of the Blazer cause I know I will never find another. But I want a 06-early07 Crewcab Shortbed Black 2wd or 4wd cause I plan a solid axle swap Dmax. My friend buying that 04 Dmax made me realize I could actually afford one but I will still wait. I was wanting a 94-97 Cummins 4x4 with a 5speed for a while but think I would rather have a newer truck plus the D-max has EFI live.

My dad has always owned Ford Diesels since his 89 7.3, 97 7.3, 05 6.0, now 04 6.0. He has had good luck with his trucks engine wise except for the 05 getting water into the tank from a bad seal, the 04 has had problems with the fuel filter. But he hates Chevy cause of their junk independant front ends. He got rid of his 05 and got an 04 because he hated the coil spring front and likes the leaf spring front better on the 04 he said he wont get rid of this truck for a while. But his favorite truck was the 97 he still wishes he didnt get rid of it. They have all been 4wd 1tons with 5spds and 6spds the first two single rear the last to duallys. He likes my 6.5 but said he would not own a Chevy for any more than a driving truck when I comes to work he would rather a Ford.

I havent had much experience with cummins but I dont hate them.

Around this area it is a lot of Oil field work and farmers and to be honest most heavy work is done by Powerstrokes just cause Ford DOES make a heavier duty truck. The only thing chevy makes is their mini semi kodiaks and those are more for on road work. Just look If the truck doesnt have a service bed, flatbed, or winch truck bed it is likely not doing that much work. Most of the redneck rodeo people around here use cummins but are starting to use more of the mini semis like mini petes mini freights and such but that is likely just a "look at me" symbol.

So are sixfives the best no but they do get hella fuel mileage, cheap, reliable (for the most part), and the best part they are simple to work on.

Dmaxs are faster than most modified 6.5s completly stock. Expensive to modify even more expensive to replace.

Powerstrokes are put in good trucks and are good engines as long a you dont modify them.

Cummins are tractor engines so they last forever and parts are easy to find seriously the Cummins is the Smallblock chevy of diesel engines you can get anything and every performance part for them.

I like my 6.5 but its mostly because its in a Blazer will I buy another mabey but I am not looking to buy another.

Long. sorry. rambling yes but I dont care.

Word.

Oh yeah my friend the one with the 2door tahoe gasser threw me through a window when I was talking on my own 6.5. He said I should not talk about any GM product like that. So look even a gas luver can like 6.5s.

Word.

[dieseldriver]

I have only had my six five for two years. it is my first diesel. I am pretty proud of it and would like to find another one like it only not a dually. I have talked to a few people and they say that the six five can do just as well as the new junk. I am a very critical person when it comes to the attitude and the "richness" of the new diesel owners. I find it absolutely rediculase to spend 50000 on a new diesel and then put in several thousand more in the upgrades. I bought mine for 4000 and had the motor rebuilt for 500 and granted it is stock but I am NOT spending 50000 for a new truck I cant even work on because of the emissions and that freaking computer. I get so hot headed over the egotistical guys who say a six five aint worth a crap just cuz it doesnt have a name like duramax or powerstroke and it aint NEW. In all honesty it is more or less one of the first light duty work horses. Back when they first came out You were somebody if you had one. Besides who wants an isuzu duramax made in japan.

[Garth J]

D-maxes are made in Ohio

[trukdoc]

...for dmax WAS as a replacement for 4BD2 isuzu...

[Garth J]

I have 172.000 miles on mine and not a hint of trouble ever except for a bit of smoke at start up and the dealer replaced all the injectors at 150.000 at no charge.
It pulls my 8000 lb. 5th wheel RV through the mountains with no problems and gets good mileage.
I loved my 94 6.5 but even with all the mods it couldnt pull the rv like the D-max does...G

[JD_countryboy]

what year D-max ya got?

[Garth J]

2001 Chev ex cab short box grey with charcoal interior

[pos996.5T]

I have had my POS996.5 for almost 2 years and it is the worst truck I have ever owned every day I go to work I expect it to come home on a rollback.
3 new IP, 2 pmd, 3 set of oil cooler lines, 4 lift pumps, 5 clutchs, glow plugs, the rear wheel studs sheard off on the interstate and the turbo went out last week and it has a short some were in the wiring. I spent one weekend looking for this short I found several wires under the dash that was shorted out fixed those found all the wires for my tail lights were almost cut in half fix those and that still did not fix the problem. This was the first and last diesel that I will ever own. This truck had 40,000 miles on the clock when I bought it know ihas 98,434. I HATE THIS F@#$ING TRUCK

[God prefers Diesels]

I like 6.2 and 6.5. I know them, and they are easy to work on.

Dad replaced the 6.2's in some FedEx trucks. They had around 490,000 miles on them and they were running fine. They just wanted to 'freshen them up'!!

But I would trade my 6.5 in a heartbeat for a 12valve Cummins with a P7100.
My brother has a '98 12valve with quad cab and the new style dash. When we pulled my 6.2 powered Ford Bronco from Tennessee to Colorado, the only difference with the load was that you could hear the turbo a little louder. We do Cummins conversions here in Loma,CO, and have done two conversions for FordCummins.com. Yes, I like my 6.5, but when it comes to torque and power, Longevity and fuel mileage the Cummins 12valve outguns and outclasses them all.

Dad's '97 4 door Ford gets 24mpg. Loaded with 1.5cords of pinion, and a 2700lb trailer loaded with 1.9 cords of pinion, and there is little difference in acceleration. I've never been able to push the EGT past 900. And the coolest thing is...when the EGT starts to climb, you can give it more(yes more)throttle, the boost hits 31psi, and the EGT's start to cool down!! This truck is not built for racing, it is just built for working, and it's still a bada$$.

Now my brother Adam has an '88 chevy with '96 12valve. He's built a 550cc p7100 for it, and a 68mm ballbearing water cooled turbo. Among other mods, he makes almost 600 rwhp and over 1000lbs torque. His engine runs 800 degree EGT just going down the interstate!! I couldn't imagine trying to pull something with it!! It would burn down! Check out an old YouTube 'Chevy Cummins tearin up the dyno'

Now on my brother Ryan's '98 Dodge, he's added an HX 40 turbo, slid the fuel plate, removed the silencer ring, and added straight exaust. It sounds better than our old '79 Ford with a 353t Detroit!!

My brother Ryan also has an '83 Bronco with a '99 6.5 g model and 93 mech pump. Marine injectors and Banks Sidewinder. At the hill next to the shop where we test drive trucks he does 78mph! A stock D-max does 66mph. My Chevy does 59mph. My 6.2 NA Bronco does 62mph. My '93 Honda Accord does 60mph. Dad's Cummins Ford does 73mph. I don't know what Adam's Chevy Cummins does, but he's got a dual disc clutch setup and it takes forever to spindown so he can shift gears, so it probably isn't as fast, but he can do a 3rd gear boosted launch, and a 5th gear rolling burnout!!

Also, since Cummins has been around for so long (about 1959 I think) and is an industrial application in all kinds of machinery and boats and generators etc., parts for them are generally inexpensive. Just keep it '98 and below. You don't want a 24valve ISB, or for God's sake a Commonrail *shudder*.

[oldyeller6.5]

i live here in wyoming too and people love to talk sh*t about these motors. . . but when it all boils down to it my 1993 6.5 will out pull 1st and 2nd gen 12 valve cummins, and it will oupull an auto 24v and evenly pull against a 24v 5speed. and race wise i'll even keep up with the 24v. . . i've never raced a stock commonrail, but i kept up with my new neighbors mean sounding, chipped with cold air intake, 2006 commonrail from 35-about 70 mph till he took off. . . its pretty even

[oldyeller6.5]

I have only had my six five for two years. it is my first diesel. I am pretty proud of it and would like to find another one like it only not a dually. I have talked to a few people and they say that the six five can do just as well as the new junk. I am a very critical person when it comes to the attitude and the "richness" of the new diesel owners. I find it absolutely rediculase to spend 50000 on a new diesel and then put in several thousand more in the upgrades. I bought mine for 4000 and had the motor rebuilt for 500 and granted it is stock but I am NOT spending 50000 for a new truck I cant even work on because of the emissions and that freaking computer. I get so hot headed over the egotistical guys who say a six five aint worth a crap just cuz it doesnt have a name like duramax or powerstroke and it aint NEW. In all honesty it is more or less one of the first light duty work horses. Back when they first came out You were somebody if you had one. Besides who wants an isuzu duramax made in japan.


since GM owned Detroit at the time, it was indeed designed by Detroit and that means our 6.5 is a DETROIT DIESEL! tell them to shove it!!!:p i'll keep my "old yeller" over a cummins anyday

[3bals]

I have had my POS996.5 for almost 2 years and it is the worst truck I have ever owned every day I go to work I expect it to come home on a rollback.
3 new IP, 2 pmd, 3 set of oil cooler lines, 4 lift pumps, 5 clutchs, glow plugs, the rear wheel studs sheard off on the interstate and the turbo went out last week and it has a short some were in the wiring. I spent one weekend looking for this short I found several wires under the dash that was shorted out fixed those found all the wires for my tail lights were almost cut in half fix those and that still did not fix the problem. This was the first and last diesel that I will ever own. This truck had 40,000 miles on the clock when I bought it know ihas 98,434. I HATE THIS F@#$ING TRUCK

Sounds like you need a different mechanic/maintainance person!

[Husker 6.5]

Sounds like you need a different mechanic/maintainance person!

I'll second that, Jody! Happy New Year! Ready for a first anniversary run to Reno and back with the 6.5 motor home? That was one sweet road trip, and what happens in Reno, stays in Reno! :D