Anyone other GM 6.5L turbodiesel owners?

pkhoury

That guy with the goats
Joined
Nov 30, 2010
Location
Medina, TX
TDI
2013 JSW, 2003 Jetta Ute, 2 x 2002 Golf, 2000 Golf
Just wondering if anyone else on here owns a 6.5L. Picked up two more diesels at auction - a 1995 GMC Sierra 3500 with a 6.5L turbo (110K miles when I got to my street, 109K when I bought it), and a Lombardini 1 cylinder generator that I seized, thanks to the $hitty manual not really telling me how much oil to add on an oil change.

Thankfully, this truck is easy to work on, and I found that I have some uses for it, since I can't always be towing 20 foot tandem axle trailers and 1200 pounds more than the towing limit with my Jetta (although when I do, people are always taking photos with their smartphones).
 

pkhoury

That guy with the goats
Joined
Nov 30, 2010
Location
Medina, TX
TDI
2013 JSW, 2003 Jetta Ute, 2 x 2002 Golf, 2000 Golf
I have had a few....still have my 97 K3500 dually crew.
Nice. What kind of fuel economy do you get on yours without a load, or even while towing? So far, I've only upgraded the lift pump, and I'm fixing to upgrade the oil cooler hoses tomorrow. Eventually, I'd like to add a new turbo, intake and exhaust, replace the valve covers and gaskets, get a tune, and get a new bed (it has a service bed now, but a flat bed is more suited for farm work
).

I think mine might also be considered a K3500 as well, and it is also a dually.
 

tdidieselbobny

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 4, 2005
Location
Stafford,NY (WNY)
TDI
'03 Galactic Blue Jetta TDI, '15 Silk Blue Golf Sportwagen TDI
I had a 94 Chevy 3/4 ton w/ 6.5. I think I got high teens for mpg not towing anything, maybe low 20's a few times. Don't forget to replace and relocate the PMD if it hasn't been done -they fail regularly. I relocated mine to the drivers side fender under hood.Some people relocate them to inside the cab...
 

pkhoury

That guy with the goats
Joined
Nov 30, 2010
Location
Medina, TX
TDI
2013 JSW, 2003 Jetta Ute, 2 x 2002 Golf, 2000 Golf
I had a 94 Chevy 3/4 ton w/ 6.5. I think I got high teens for mpg not towing anything, maybe low 20's a few times. Don't forget to replace and relocate the PMD if it hasn't been done -they fail regularly. I relocated mine to the drivers side fender under hood.Some people relocate them to inside the cab...
That's actually the first mod I did. Relocated it to the front fender. I thought of inside the cab, but I need to get my HVAC working first. I've since replaced the oil cooler hoses, installed a Carter lift pump (big difference just with a better LP), and whenever we have a break in rain, I'm fixing to replace injectors, glow plugs, glow plug harness, and valve covers and gaskets, plus replace rubber hose where I have leaking fuel from the fuel filter (I had the same problem on my Golf, and it's a pain in the butt).
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Tech here has an old beat up K2500 with the "bag of hammers in a washing machine" engine. :p

I think those were pretty unloved, because unlike the diesels on offer from Dodge and Ford, were not quite as powerful and had a few more weak spots. But really, they are not THAT bad of an engine. And since AM General took over manufacture of that engine from GM some years back, and continued to develop and improve it for military use, there are lots of upgrades (and even whole new crate engines with MUCH improvements) available for them. It'll never be a Powerstroke or a Duramax for raw power, but can at least be made reliable and efficient and able to get the job done.
 

pkhoury

That guy with the goats
Joined
Nov 30, 2010
Location
Medina, TX
TDI
2013 JSW, 2003 Jetta Ute, 2 x 2002 Golf, 2000 Golf
Tech here has an old beat up K2500 with the "bag of hammers in a washing machine" engine. :p
I think those were pretty unloved, because unlike the diesels on offer from Dodge and Ford, were not quite as powerful and had a few more weak spots. But really, they are not THAT bad of an engine. And since AM General took over manufacture of that engine from GM some years back, and continued to develop and improve it for military use, there are lots of upgrades (and even whole new crate engines with MUCH improvements) available for them. It'll never be a Powerstroke or a Duramax for raw power, but can at least be made reliable and efficient and able to get the job done.
I don't think it could be better summed up, Brian. I swore up and down I'd never buy another automatic as well, but I actually like driving this truck, and like working on it, even though I get to utter curse words to the wonderful GM engineers, who, in their infinite wisdom, did some pretty f***ing stupid things in the design of this platform. But parts are cheap and easily available, and I understand they were known for decent fuel economy.

And yes, it definitely has a very distinct sound when cranked up.
 

Mozambiquer

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Mar 21, 2015
Location
Versailles Missouri
TDI
2004 VW Touareg V10 TDI, 2012 Audi Q7 V6 TDI, 1998 VW Jetta TDI. 1982 VW Rabbit pickup, 2001 VW Jetta TDI, 2005 VW Passat wagon TDI X3, 2001 VW golf TDI, 1980 VW rabbit pickup,
I've got a 6.5 though it's currently on the project list, since it needs an engine... 450k miles before it snapped the crank. Not too shabby! It was my younger brother's truck, and then my dad inherited it when my brother passed away in a swimming accident in the beginning of 2018. My dad drove it until he was driving back from Chicago with a passat wagon that blew the egr cooler, and made it to saint Louis before it started to clatter very badly. He stopped and it never started again.
I drove up with the tow truck and brought it back then when we pulled the tranny, the flywheel would rock back and forth... Yeah, not supposed to do that. My dad was going to scrap the truck. I said I would buy it, since I couldn't stand to see the truck that was my brother's pride and joy get taken to that place! ?
It used to be automatic, but my brother swapped in a nv4500, then he also swapped to a manual injector pump with bigger injectors and a turned up pump. He had gotten a water to air intercooler to install, but never put it in. I plan to build it soon, whenever I get some of the other ones done...
 

Pat Dolan

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 19, 2002
Location
Martensville, SK
TDI
2003 A4 Variant, 2015 Q7
My DD and farm chore truck for last many years was a '97 K15 6.5. Didn't matter what I did, I could not get it over 18 US mpg and when towing much of anything, it guzzled at a staggering rate. Over the last year, it started losing power and economy, so had to park it at 360,000 kms (223k mi) as no time to work on it. No oil consumption, no mechanical sounds, just lost two cylinders (probably at valves). Not sure I will fix it as body suffering from advanced cancer...the truck body, not mine. Good engine, great transmission and so-so transfer case (just rebuilt one, parts getting scarce). If it was a K25 with 8' box, would be driving it now.
 
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