Advice for a new diesel owner?

[Aelfred-cyning]

Hey everyone,

Not new here but it's been a while since I posted.

Anyhow, in a couple weeks I will be getting a new-to-me 1995 K1500 ECSB, with the 6.5 turbodiesel. It has about 119,900 on the clock and drove very well on my test drive. The CEL came on but I did not notice any issues or noises at any speed, in town or on the highway.

Is there anything I should be wary of regarding this truck insofar as my daily usage? I have read not to let them get too hot, and that the PMD wants to be moved if it hasn't been already.

I know that the truck has new injectors and fuel filters, new brake lines, and a couple other new things that I forget.

I guess my main thing I am asking is 1) what should I look for/avoid while I drive, and 2) what maintenance items are common or should be done preemptively for a diesel?

Thanks a bunch

 

[Duvall]

It seems you have the most important stuff down. Watching the coolant temp and moving the PMD.

Something else to consider is that these injection pumps were designed when ULSD was not a thing. The pumps can use a little help with lubrication by using a diesel additive or a quality 2 ****** oil when filling up.

At 120k miles the next concern could be the injection pump if it has not already been replaced.

1. Its a light duty diesel, don't expect Duramax performance.
2. These early IDI diesels are don't have extreme maintenance. Oil changes and filters like everything else.

Inspect the turbo for excessive shaft play and make sure the vacuum pump and solenoids are working if they haven't been deleted.

I have an early model without the electronic injection pump. So that's about as far as I can get you.

 

[618 Syndicate]

I will echo the above advice about power expectations, and add that not only will you not find modern diesel power, you can't reliably make it either.
I'm not a fan of the 6.5 having owned 2, but they have a loyal following and seem to meet the needs of that group.
Good luck to you.

 

[Aelfred-cyning]

So diesel fuel additive to lubricate the pump and monitor for play on the turbo, sounds like those are the big ones.

Never drove a DMax and an increase over the gasser V6 is all I need so power levels are fine. Felt great to me on my test drive anyway.

Where is the vacuum pump located? Would a truck with hydroboost even need one?

 

[someotherguy]

So diesel fuel additive to lubricate the pump and monitor for play on the turbo, sounds like those are the big ones.

Never drove a DMax and an increase over the gasser V6 is all I need so power levels are fine. Felt great to me on my test drive anyway.

Where is the vacuum pump located? Would a truck with hydroboost even need one?

Vacuum pump is bottom passenger side under the A/C compressor. Note the pulley with the 3 slot-shaped holes - and yes, your truck should have one regardless of the hydroboost. The pump is for the wastegate controller (and EGR *if equipped) ... it can be deleted if it goes bad; look up the TurboMaster mechanical controller.

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My advice would be treat the engine like it's made of glass, and have a reliable tow company on speed dial. I'll probably take a little heat from the 2 people left in the world that love 6.5td's but I'm OK with that. When it grenades, do yourself a favor and convert it to gas, or a Cummins 12 valve.

Richard

 

[Aelfred-cyning]

You really don't seem to like these engines, huh? I mean I have heard a few bad things but then I have heard good and bad about just about every engine out there... Are they really that fragile? I was pretty excited to get it, the people I am getting it from used to pull a 32' travel trailer all the time... Should be well within its capabilities to occasionally pull a 12' box trailer full of tools? I would hope?

I would like to avoid replacing the truck or the engine for the next 5 years at least, preferably 10 or more. Is that even reasonably possible?

 

[454cid]

You really don't seem to like these engines, huh? I mean I have heard a few bad things but then I have heard good and bad about just about every engine out there... Are they really that fragile? I was pretty excited to get it, the people I am getting it from used to pull a 32' travel trailer all the time... Should be well within its capabilities to occasionally pull a 12' box trailer full of tools? I would hope?

I would like to avoid replacing the truck or the engine for the next 5 years at least, preferably 10 or more. Is that even reasonably possible?

Usually when I see a truck for sale/auction with a blown engine, it's 6.5L. Usually, it's trucks used commercially, so you may do better as an indiviudal, but then you did just mention hauling a tool trailer.

On the positive side, I think they're a very good sounding diesel engine.

I think planning on it as a daily for 10 years considering it's already 26 years old is asking a lot, unless you can keep up with whatever it ends up needing, and that's not even diesel specific. On the plus side, the GMT-400 aren't as complicated as the new stuff. Given that you're in MI, rust is going to be an issue, given our winters/salt.

If it's in good shape, is a decent price, and it's what you want, then buy it. You could get a newer truck, or a non-6.5L, pay more, and still have something blow up on you.

 

[someotherguy]

You really don't seem to like these engines, huh? I mean I have heard a few bad things but then I have heard good and bad about just about every engine out there... Are they really that fragile? I was pretty excited to get it, the people I am getting it from used to pull a 32' travel trailer all the time... Should be well within its capabilities to occasionally pull a 12' box trailer full of tools? I would hope?

I would like to avoid replacing the truck or the engine for the next 5 years at least, preferably 10 or more. Is that even reasonably possible?

I agree with 454cid, they are a great -sounding- engine!

Their problems are very widely documented if you take a little time to research. Even a 6.5td enthusiasts group post about having a meet-up quickly turned into joking about getting group rates on towing services.

Anything mechanical will eventually wear out; no vehicle is perfect, etc. But the 6.5td has its issues that can take it out sooner than one might expect, and many of those issues are very expensive to repair. Bad injection pump, cracked heads, cracked blocks, broken crank, etc. you can dump thousands into them and still end up with a ticking timebomb.

The engine bay pic I posted earlier is from one I owned for a short while (a custom '58 Apache on a '94 C3500 chassis) that ran OK but left me walking a couple times so I dumped it instead of going down the rabbit hole...not before first buying up all the parts to convert it to the more reliable '93 mechanical injection pump setup, most of which I later sold. The guy that bought the truck from me already had most of those parts and did the conversion I had planned on doing.

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You're getting good advice in here so far, just know that caring for these takes more attention and experience than most of us gas-engine guys are used to. You'll want to jump onto the diesel-specific forums for more in-depth knowledge.

Richard

 

[smokymtn65]

As stated above, I still have one 6.5 and one 6.2. If you treat it accordingly it will do you a good job. go to TTS for more engine specific forum you will get good info there. AS for cooling i did the high flow spin on water pump upgrade with a electo-viscus fan clutch and eliminated my overheat problem pulling a 26ft travel trailer in the burb. I will not screw around with the thermal clutch again! if your vacuum is dead or removed and you do the mechanical waste gate control it will drop fuel mileage some 1-2points on highway. and if you turn the boost more and 10ish it will kick a CEL and de-fuel that will reset with a key cycle.

 

[Aelfred-cyning]

Thank you all for the information. I am heading over to get some more specific info.

I am aware of the more general gmt400 maintenance items, this will be my 5th one and I just love them to pieces, sometimes literally lol

I am overall very excited to get the truck. I will post some pics and vids when I get it.