Chev HD 3500 Diesel ???

[Builder]

Check the origin of the engine. GM bought it. That is all I was saying. GM did not design this engine.

I currently own my 4th Duramax, so you're singing to the choir.

The first three LB7 engines speak for themselves with the fuel injectors. Finally the 2007 LBZ is troublefree so far.

Thanks for playing. NEXT!

I'm sorry, but the game isn't over yet. The DMAX was designed by GM & Isuzu together. GM was looking for a clean sheet design for a V-8 light truck diesel. Yes, Isuzu built it originally, but with GM input at the design stages. I remember reading that GM engineers were in japan working with Isuzu a year before it was in GM trucks. Look at it this way: what other trucks use the Duramax? None. That tells me that Isuzu built this engine with lots of input from GM. If GM had no input, then why would Isuzu build it? No one else uses it.

Have a good one.

 

[artfull dodger]

Every diesel has had its teething problems, My 6.5L turbo diesel suburban will tow quite well, keeping in mind its not a powerstroke or a cummins. The biggest down fall I find on my burban is she will heat up when pulling a long grade if I dont keep up to interstate speed. My Suburban is a 97 so it has all the latest cooling mods that GM did for the 6.5. She really needs an intercooler to cool down that hot air coming from the turbo. Everybody has there favorite diesel, The old 6.5 is one of the cheapest to maintain if you dont need a HD diesel or want a suv with a diesel. I have owned both a cummins, loved the diesel, hated the truck, and an early 7.3L power stroke, loved that one. My perfect set up would be a 2500 Suburban 4x4 with an Allision auto and a 5.9L 12v cummins in it. Any older diesel is better than whats on the market now. You cannot even see the diesel under all the crap under the hood of a new superduty. Way to much electronics on the newest diesels. I remotely mounted the PMD/FSD driver on my 6.5L and its been a very reliable daily driver and light duty towing machine. And she has 199K on the clock and running strong! Keep in mind that the 6.2/6.5L diesels were designed by Detroit Diesel for GM, and were never ment to be a high boosting or high HP diesel engine. Now that AM General has gotten ahold of it, they have turned over block and head casting to Navistar, redesigned the heads, added a lower end girdle and splayed main caps. They now have it safely producing 250hp for the up armored hummers. You can buy them for your truck, they are called the Optimizer 6500. Not a cheap date, but some of us like the classic look of the GM trucks of that era, and the price is no worse than replacing a blown up 7.3L with a new one. Cheers Mike

 

[KICK]

Too bad GM cant build a dicent diesel. ).

GM could have if they wanted too, people forget about Detroit Diesel and the Electro Motive divison being the generals former labels.

having owned a 95 with the 6.5, I'd stay away from one. only problem I really had with mine was the electronic injection pumps but they dont match up with the powerjoke when it comes to power and reliability

 

[Builder]

Every diesel has had its teething problems, My 6.5L turbo diesel suburban will tow quite well, keeping in mind its not a powerstroke or a cummins. The biggest down fall I find on my burban is she will heat up when pulling a long grade if I dont keep up to interstate speed. My Suburban is a 97 so it has all the latest cooling mods that GM did for the 6.5. She really needs an intercooler to cool down that hot air coming from the turbo. Everybody has there favorite diesel, The old 6.5 is one of the cheapest to maintain if you dont need a HD diesel or want a suv with a diesel. I have owned both a cummins, loved the diesel, hated the truck, and an early 7.3L power stroke, loved that one. My perfect set up would be a 2500 Suburban 4x4 with an Allision auto and a 5.9L 12v cummins in it. Any older diesel is better than whats on the market now. You cannot even see the diesel under all the crap under the hood of a new superduty. Way to much electronics on the newest diesels. I remotely mounted the PMD/FSD driver on my 6.5L and its been a very reliable daily driver and light duty towing machine. And she has 199K on the clock and running strong! Keep in mind that the 6.2/6.5L diesels were designed by Detroit Diesel for GM, and were never ment to be a high boosting or high HP diesel engine. Now that AM General has gotten ahold of it, they have turned over block and head casting to Navistar, redesigned the heads, added a lower end girdle and splayed main caps. They now have it safely producing 250hp for the up armored hummers. You can buy them for your truck, they are called the Optimizer 6500. Not a cheap date, but some of us like the classic look of the GM trucks of that era, and the price is no worse than replacing a blown up 7.3L with a new one. Cheers Mike

My kid and I would like to buy a surplus H-1 Humvee someday. I wonder if the Optimizer 6500 would be a drop-in GM diesel? Sounds like a nice compliment to the Hummer.

 

[Rara Avis]

My kid and I would like to buy a surplus H-1 Humvee someday. I wonder if the Optimizer 6500 would be a drop-in GM diesel? Sounds like a nice compliment to the Hummer.

That will never happen...Millitary Humvees are not certified for US Highway operations...go to the following website...it gives all of the bad news...

JEEP AND HMMWV GOVERNMENT SURPLUS AUCTIONS

 

[hudr]

Paul, who said the H-1 would have to be used on the highway? Buddy of mine had an old surplus 2-1/2 and we kept it running just well enough to blast around in the pasture. It made a great hay-hauling truck.
But, after looking at your link, I see your point. Hard to make even a pasture pounder out of a cube of scrap.
And Builder... the Optimizer 6500 is basically the latest 6.5 block w/ all the improvements and then some. I *think* they (GEP) may have even changed the metallurgy a bit. It seems the 6.5 is marketed pretty heavy for re-powers on marine applications where the original is a V8 gasser. But I am not into boats so I don't know how much of that is pure propaganda.

Hmmmm.... what was this thread about, again?

 

[Builder]

That will never happen...Millitary Humvees are not certified for US Highway operations...go to the following website...it gives all of the bad news...

JEEP AND HMMWV GOVERNMENT SURPLUS AUCTIONS

Thanks for the link....we're probably content to run it off road on the dunes, off road, etc. I may rethink buying a civilian version though, just to have another truck in case one of mine goes down or I need to run on the road.

Sorry to get off topic! Carry on!

 

[Rara Avis]

And now for the commercial...
2007 GMC Sierra 3500 Classic Pricing and Information

 

[John White]

So basically a 6.5 with 117000 miles, how many more miles is it good for before having problems. What will go first, injector pump? Are they prone to failure. Or will I be replacing head gaskets soon? Will it heat up when pulling my trailer? Will it have enough power on hills to keep up with traffic reasonably well? 117000 miles is nothing for a 7.3. One of my tow trucks with the 7.3 had over 250000 with not much more that a glow plug, oil, filters, and I think I had to flush the block out and add some addative that they recomended on the first 7.3 as they had some corresions problems.

 

[Rara Avis]

So basically a 6.5 with 117000 miles, how many more miles is it good for before having problems. What will go first, injector pump? Are they prone to failure. Or will I be replacing head gaskets soon? Will it heat up when pulling my trailer? Will it have enough power on hills to keep up with traffic reasonably well? 117000 miles is nothing for a 7.3. One of my tow trucks with the 7.3 had over 250000 with not much more that a glow plug, oil, filters, and I think I had to flush the block out and add some addative that they recomended on the first 7.3 as they had some corresions problems.

I'd post on one of these three forums...these guys live and breath this stuff...

TheDieselPage.com Forums - Powered by vBulletin

Diesel Place - Duramax Diesel Discussion Forums

http://www.duramaxforum.com/forum/

 

[Ryan03]

The 6.5 td is not neccesarily a bad engine, it is just that when compared to the offerings at the time from Ford and Dodge, the 6.5 was much less powerful and had a life expectency similar to what could be found in many gas engines of the same vintage. By far what most commonly plagues these engines is the DB4 drive by wire injection pump found on the 1994 to 2000 model year engines. The F.M.U. [fuel management unit ] would often take a dump as early as 40k miles and most often by 90k., resulting in a ride on a hook to the nearest service garage for an injection pump replacement, $$$$$$. If you do buy this truck, and end up replacing the injection pump, I would strongly recomend doing what I have done with several of my fleet customers and swap on a earlier 1992 to 1993 6.5 td mechanical injection pump, stanadyne model number DB2, you will also have to obtain the gas pedal and all throttle linkages and brackets from either a salvage yard, or your local G.M dealer, but it is a direct bolt on swap, all fuel lines as well as the injectors and mounting arrangement, timing mark, etc are identical to the electronic pump. The mechanical pump is usualy good for 100 to 125k without problems, hope this helps

 

[Builder]

So basically a 6.5 with 117000 miles, how many more miles is it good for before having problems. What will go first, injector pump? Are they prone to failure. Or will I be replacing head gaskets soon? Will it heat up when pulling my trailer? Will it have enough power on hills to keep up with traffic reasonably well? 117000 miles is nothing for a 7.3. One of my tow trucks with the 7.3 had over 250000 with not much more that a glow plug, oil, filters, and I think I had to flush the block out and add some addative that they recomended on the first 7.3 as they had some corresions problems.

You're asking questions that are literally impossible to answer. When a diesel engine will begin to give the owner problems is a wild guess. How much it will heat up or how fast it will tow depends on how steep the slopes are and how heavy the trailer is plus about a dozen other minor factors. Injection pumps are super expensive on the 6.5TD. I've seen them run 250K with good maintenance, but they're no 7.3L or 5.9L.

The additive you speak of for your 7.3 is an anti cavitation additive that needs to be checked every oil change by sampling your anti-freeze. FW-16 is the Motorcraft part #.

 

[Renze]

The mechanical pump is usualy good for 100 to 125k without problems, hope this helps

hmm... I've never had to even touch a fuel pump, on 250.000 km+ cars or 10.000+ hrs tractors... Nor did my brother, on his 1983 Mercedes 300D which ran over 835.000 km...

 

[Ryan03]

hmm... I've never had to even touch a fuel pump, on 250.000 km+ cars or 10.000+ hrs tractors... Nor did my brother, on his 1983 Mercedes 300D which ran over 835.000 km...

That must be the reason that I have never changed a Mercedes diesel inj. pump, LOL.

 

[KICK]

mostly been my experience that no injection pump has a failure, of its own accord

if water manages to get past the fuel filter, its another story, but that story is one of lack of maintnence or RCI.

 

[workinallthetime]

im going to go out on a limb here and say i have probably been inside more 6.5 engines and 6.6 d-max engines than anyone on tbn. As a GM tech for the past 12 or so years, 6 of that was spent in a medium duty shop. the 6.5 is a good engine, maybe not as neer as powerful as todays truck's but the engine is pretty solid. 9 out of 10 engines i replaced were due to loss of oil either by blown oil cooler lines or some one not ever changing the air filter thus causing the cdr valve to drain the crankcase. the electronic pumps fail mostly due to metal contamination cause by the lift pump seperating, most pumps can be had had for about 500 from your local rebuild shop or about 1500 from gm. stanadyne performance formula should be run in every tank with the 6.5. clean fuel and change the fuel filter every 6 months and it should last another 100k. down here you can by just about any form of 6.5 truck for 3-5k flat bed 1 tons to 3/4 tons. I woked on some bread trucks that had over 300k on the original motor.
as for the d-max, yes it was an isuzu design but the design was used in a 4 and 6 cylinder unit not a v-8, the v-8 was built and desined for gm and now gm is going to have a smaller 5.9 liter for 1/2 tons soon and maybe even cars since the demensions are the same as a 5.3 gas burner.

i would advise you d-max owners to use either the gm or racor fuel filters if you want to extend the life of your fuel system, i quit counting at 30 after market filters to 1 gm filter while doing injector jobs on the lb7 engines.

 

[artfull dodger]

The injector pump on the 6.5 is no worse than the cost to rebuilt the cummins pumps. None are cheap if you have to pay to have it done. A replacement DS4 electronic pump is around $600 from ssdieselsupply ect. Its the labor to R&R it on the motor, then retime the engine. The optimizer is a drop in replacement all the 6.2l and 6.5l applications. You can get a reman unit from Kennedy diesel for just under 5k right now. They use the optimizer block and heads in the reman process. Thats the route I plan to take when the 6.5td in my suburban bites the dust. She is at 199k and running strong. She got new injectors and a IP at 170k, has very little blow by. I plan to upgrade to a fluid damper on the crankshaft, I already relocated the IP electronics to a heat sink on the intake with the ssdieselsupply.com kit. That solves most of the electronic pump issues. If the truck is an auto, going to a manual pump requires a stand alone computer to control the transmission shifting, and those are not cheap. I would rather have a cummins, but I dont care for the dodge truck around it. The Ford 6.9/7.3 is a great engine, but more expensive to replace when it does go boom. It all goes back to how its been treated in its prior life. At the min you will be looking at a injector pump and injectors soon if they havent been done yet.