6.5L Rebuild

[grvrjr]

Im planning on having my 6.5L rebuilt. Can any engine rebuilder do the job or do I have to go to a builder that specializes in 6.5L?

[JD_countryboy]

depending on what parts your rebuild might require, (if you gotta fix/replace heads) you may be farther ahead buyin a new crate engine from ssdiesel. A local machine shop has rebuilt a couple for guys arond my area, and it was very close to what walts new crate was. I know a couple of those engines were in the 250,000 mile area, and had either craked head(s) or blown head gaskets. Shop labor rates are pushin way high, and its makin it alot more feasable to just buy a crate and drop it in yourself, assuming your gonna do the engine removal/replacemnt yourself. Oh yea, and jasper remans were more expensive than ssdiesels delivered price. Good luck.

[CAdiesel]

At about 250k I blew a headgasket and after I had them cleaned I found even if I paid to repair the extensive cracks in the heads I still would have to replace almost all the valves. I bought new heads.
Also consider what block you have. Keeping in mind JDs input on parts and labor if you buy a new crate engine it will probably be a brand new upgraded block and heads.

[JD_countryboy]

ssdiesels new crate has the upgraded heads and block. and its new, not blown up and rebuilt (reman).
If i was to come to the rebuliud stage with my truck, and kept the 6.5, id just buy the new crate from ssdiesel. Just my opinion.

[trukdoc]

...why rebuild? high oil consumption? lo-power? just curious...beast has @320k.I changed the heads out at @160k..had minimal ring ridge still has good power...jd

[grvrjr]

My engine has very high oil consumption, lost a little power, has a very bad leak at the rear main seal. Well not that bad because it doesnt leave any stains on my driveway. But when I changed my starter a few months back had a lot of oil on the right side of starter and rear of pan. Must leak while im driving. some one told me I have to pull the engine just to drop the oil pan anyway so why not. also any time hot or cold when I crank my truck up from a cold start it puffs out a thick cloud of with smoke. One time I could of swore it had a blue tint to it. But mainly its fairly white. it also runs rough for about 1-5 minutes occasionally when first cranked up.

[Chevylover]

IIRC :

On a 2WD truck, no problem to get the oilpan off.
On a 4WD truck, you have to lift the engine about 1", than you can get the oilpan off.

Cu,
Sven

[grvrjr]

whew you saved me on that one. I was always told the 2wd were harder to remove. guess I was wrong.

[trukdoc]

...engine company considers high oil consumption to be 1qt every 500mi. for warranty purposes...thats a lot of oilyour truk has a 1 piece rear seal pull tranny back @10-12" and change rear seal...smoke at cold start up is normal...but if you just got to and you can't do the work yourself then buy a llong block or a crate motor...jd

[God prefers Diesels]

Even if you do rebuild it, do it yourself. It's easy, and if you have to buy all the tools to do it, you'll still save money and get to keep the tools too! We can all help you rebuild it.

[grvrjr]

Thanks alot guys. im working on getting my third vehicle right now my wife drives the other car. That way I can take my time with it and not rush.

[lpsaxman]

I just hit 200k, should I go ahead and put new head gaskets on now? I would hate to wait till they fail and run the risk of having to do alot more work than if I had just changed them out earlier. BTW, my truk runs exceptionally well.

[CAdiesel]

I blew a head gasket at about 250k, but I think it was due to a clogged radiator. truck ran fine but I did find that the valves were pretty badly worn and the heads were riddled with cracks. Heads/ valves were so bad that I wound up replacing them. What I'm getting at is if your truck is running great you may want to just leave it alone. Unless its showing signs of problems.

[Garth J]

rember the old addage "if it aint broke dont fix it"

[CAdiesel]

If I'm broke I can't fix it....

[Garth J]

I hear you Mike !!