95 with the 6.5l Detroit

[Logan R]

I was curious what everyone’s opinion was on the 6.5l Detroit in a 95 k1500. The guy says trans was rebuilt recently and wants 2,750. I think about 194k miles. Is it worth it? And I know these motors need some help from the factory. So what work can be done? I heard new exhaust helps frantically. What else? Thanks to anyone who knows

 

[smdk2500]

First thing to know is they are not a Duramax, Power stroke or Cummins. It will never compete with them no matter how many thousands of dollars you throw at it. Exhaust helps. If you can find a K47 air filter set up for it. It flows better then the stock flat filter you have now. With the filter make sure it is for a diesel not a gasser they are different. Don't plan on more then 10ish pounds of boost with out popping head gaskets. I'm sure there is more but i can't think of it.
If you go to this link it will tell you more then I have
https://www.dieselplace.com/threads/6-5-newbies-start-here.391426/

 

[Logan R]

Ok. I knew it wasn’t the same as a dirtymax, what do you suppose the value of the non turbo is worth? Thanks

 

[618 Syndicate]

Ok. I knew it wasn’t the same as a dirtymax, what do you suppose the value of the non turbo is worth? Thanks

It should have a turbo.

 

[Logan R]

I was told there was a turbo and non turbo version, and the current owner said it doesn’t have one

 

[fancyTBI]

I was told there was a turbo and non turbo version, and the current owner said it doesn’t have one

I can only imagine that it’s a total dog.

 

[CumminsFever]

It is my understanding that in the k1500, the turbo was optional until '95. However, there is those times when a vehicle comes thru with "other" options, and it may well be a non-turbo engine. Without a turbo, it's gonna be a gutless wonder, and even with stock turbo it'll be quite anemic.
I can enjoy a 6.5, but I never run them stock. Without a turbo, there isn't much you can do for it. You can put the turbo stuff on it, but considerable cost would be involved.
If the truck is in good shape, I'd buy it and flat-foot the thing everywhere I go as I gather parts to send boost at it. When done correctly, you won't be far behind a stock duramax.

 

[Z71Hobbs]

There’s a lot of things you need to look at on that motor before committing to buying it. Most of them were abused with lack of oil changes and basic maintenance (injectors, glow plugs, etc). Good news is, if the block is the original 95 block, that’s one of the better castings. Late 96-97 the blocks were cast with different metal combinations and ultimately suffered failures.

There’s a comprehensive list of things to look at.

Here’s a start for a lot of good info.

Info: - 6.5 NEWBIES - **START HERE**

www.dieselplace.com

FAQ: Purchasing a 6.5L Diesel

So many have been asking about “should I buy this truck or not?” The answer is, we don’t know. We’ve never seen it. We’ve never rode in it. We don’t know what you wanna do with it. Here are a few Frequently Asked Questions when it comes to purchasing a 6.5L Diesel: What Rear End Gears? Check...

www.dieselplace.com

If you do decide to purchase it, plan on the following as a must do.

Injectors - get Bosch or rebuilt bosch. I’d go to quadstar tuning for those.

Glow plugs - oem delco or bosch duraterm

oil cooler lines - either braided or traditional rubber - just need to have them threaded into the block and not the flimsy GM clip. Lunrication specialists sells good kits

Harmonic balancer and crank pulley. Lots of
Folks like to spend hundreds on a fluid damper-I stay good ol delco here. It’s reasonably priced and will do you well. Now, if you get into high performance and high rpm, yes, go fluid damper.

Cdr valve - it’s on the passenger valve cover and usually hasn’t been changed. Yes it is important. It’s a whole 25-40 bucks and 5 minutes or less to replace.

Pull and clean your radiator and the area between the ac condenser and radiator. Over half of the cooling issues can be solved there.

That should get you a good start. Read through the diagnostics checks above, especially with the blowby and, fuel t valve, the turbo wheel, and the radiator hose.

Based on lots of reviews of others, Stay away from ss diesel. Do some forum searching and you’ll see why.

 

[618 Syndicate]

I was told there was a turbo and non turbo version, and the current owner said it doesn’t have one

6.2's were non turbo and, from what I understand a few early 6.5's were non turbo as well. A 95 6.5 had a turbo, I owned one back in 96. If this one doesn't, walk away. It's been messed with.

 

[someotherguy]

6.2's were non turbo and, from what I understand a few early 6.5's were non turbo as well. A 95 6.5 had a turbo, I owned one back in 96. If this one doesn't, walk away. It's been messed with.

A peek through the GM Heritage Center 1995 truck brochure in the powertrain section would answer it definitively, but I agree, a 1995 6.5 without a turbo gives "this broke and we couldn't afford to fix it right so we took it off" vibes.

Richard