Purchasing 1994 K2500 with 6.5

[roddy]

Was all set to buy 1994 K2500 5 speed 4X4, until i started to read this forum...
Did not realize that 6.5's had so many problems...
Maybe i should spend more $$$ and get a Ford Powerstroke?
As a first time buyer of a 6.5, what should i check for?
Vehicle has 179,000 miles. Its in good shape and does not look like it has been abused.
Owner says everything is in good shape, and has updated fuel injection system.

Rod

[suburbanK-2500HD]

Hi

I own a 1994 K2500, and its not worse than any other cars.
Injection pump, and PMD is probably the most common failure i guess.
As with all cars, dont overheat when towing.
The transmission is strong, so is the engine if taken care of.

"Owner says everything is in good shape, and has updated fuel injection system"

Do you know what it done to the truck...

[Edahall]

Was all set to buy 1994 K2500 5 speed 4X4, until i started to read this forum...
Did not realize that 6.5's had so many problems...
Maybe i should spend more $$$ and get a Ford Powerstroke?

Rod

No, buy a Tundra. They never have problems.

[roddy]

Do you know what it done to the truck...

Owner bought truck from GM dealer in 2000.
Truck pulls 17 foot boat or 23 travel foot trailer, other than that its his daily driver.
Owner says head gaskets are stock, never had heads off. Never overheats.
2002 Rebuilt starter, 2 new battery's
2003 Complete brake job rotors, drums, cylinders
2004 Turbo rebuilt, racor fuel & water separator installed
2006 New ECM, rebuilt injectors, replaced glow plugs
2008 New upper & lower ball joints
2009 passed emmission test

[suburbanK-2500HD]

Does look like what expected of a truck at that KM.

Wery similare to the things i have done too.

:)

[JohnC]

Did not realize that 6.5's had so many problems...

Remember, very few people log in here to complain about how great and maintenance free their trucks are...

Call it the lightning rod effect.

If you like the sound of a cement mixer, you'll love the powerstroke! ;)

[roddy]

If you like the sound of a cement mixer, you'll love the powerstroke!


Well they may be noisy... But they don't have a reputation for cracked blocks, weak heads, and PMD's, unless chipped up or abused. 7.3's are not perfect they have issues with injectors and cavitation erosion in the block and and a weak E4OD... Should i spend $4 0r 5000.00 more to get a stock Powerstroke, that is the question?

Secondly, i was under the impression that GM learned their lesson with Olsmobile V8 diesel... The same lesson Ford is learning with 6.0 and 6.4 Powerstrokes.
Reading forum posts here it seems to me that GM decided to produce the 6.5T as stop gap for those who want 'diesel option' until Duramax was ready for prime time...

Thirdly, I,m not knocking 6.5T's, I just trying to get a feel for how common major problems are... If i purchase a well maintained, never abused and stock 190 hp with 179,000 miles, will it go another 100,000 without cracked block or heads?
Thanks

[JohnC]

If i purchase a well maintained, never abused and stock 190 hp with 179,000 miles, will it go another 100,000 without cracked block or heads?


I have consulted my crystal ball and can tell you unequivocally, "maybe".

If you or the previous owner over heat it or drive it with a failed harmonic dampener, probably not.

The real question is, will the extra $5000 for the ford buy you any more miles?
I had to replace the water pump and front brakes on my ford before the clock hit 50K.

[crashz]

I have not had a catastrophic failure with any of my 6.2L engines, and both of my 83's were driven to 300K+ before taken off the road. In one case (the truck in my sig), I sold the motor as I was starting college and wanted a 454 back when gas was cheap. The other 83 was driven to 323K and was just too rotten to fix. The frame was paper thin. The 87 is far to young to tell (22K miles)!

The 6.5L engines were based on the same block I think. So driven sparingly, I see no reason not to asume you'll at least get your money's worth. I would say, given typical maintenance, any brand of truck you buy with 180K on the clock is going to have similar risk. Even the beloved Cummins has a few weak links in its armor.

If the truck looks like a cream puff, its probably been meticulously maintained and driven gently - go for it.

[6.5 Detroit Diesel]

As was said, it's like many other vehicles. That's why there is forums like this to help out. I would like to point out that many of the problems have as much to do with clueless/crooked mechanics as actual engine problem. PMD gone? Replace the IP. That will be 2K. My truck now has over 250,000 miles on it, is still going fine.

[dieselrealtor]

The burb in my sig now has 160k, bought it at 80k.

I think the pmd went out yesterday but other than that,
I have done an alternator, tires, fuel filters, oil changes, stainless battery bolts, axle seal, brakes & other msc maintenance.

I have to say that my burb may be the most reliable vehicle I have owned (it has towed over 10k miles) Comparable in reliabiliby to Toyotas, Mitsubishis, Nissans, & others that I would have to really think to remember (I used to be an ASE certified master technician (gas not diesel), service advisor then service manager) I have owned a LOT of vehicles over the past 25 years.

My father-in-law is a Ford man, 7.3 powerstrokes which have served him well, he purchased 2 new (93 & 2000)& really took care of them, but they weren't free of problems.

I believe the 6.5 with minor mods & an intercooler is very comparable to the 7.3 powerstroke.

I am currently looking for an ext cab or crew 4x4 diesel, I prefer a 95 (interior preferances) myself. Considering Fords as well.

Good luck with whatever you decide & spend your hard earned dollars on.

[roddy]

Thanks for all the replies!
This is a great forum and even greater members!
Now i can see that buying 1994 K2500 6.5T is not such a scary deal after all!
Thanks

[Robyn]

Owning a vehicle Period is a scetchy proposition in and of itself :eek:

There is virtually nothing (Brand and model) that is trouble free.

I have owned vehicles from all the big 3 and a couple of the off the wall ones from ages past.

Owned a Hudson once and a Willies and when I was in High school I had a DKW

Overall I have been extremely pleased with the GM rigs

Owned Fords until the late 70's then switched to GM through the 80's to present with a couple wild dashes to try a Dodge V10 and a Ford power stroke.

Nope, bum jump, back to Ma General I am.

I am still fascinated by some of the overseas made stuff, but not enough to buy a new one.

You can't go wrong with a GM truck.

The 6.5 has had its issues but overall still not too bad of an engine.

I would buy a new GM rig with a 6.5 If they were available.

The new/redesign of the 6.5 by AMG has made it a fine engine.

My biggest reason for owning these now is the fact that soo many can be had CHEAP $$$$$$$$$$ :)

So many folks are scared to death of them.

Cheap is a good thing :D

I can buy a lovely truck and enjoy good economy and comfort and do so at a very affordable price.

I dont read consumer reports either and never have. :eek:

My advice though if your gonna own one of these is to be good with doing your own work.

Far too many mechanics dont have a clue about fixing these things and doing it right.



Missy

[DmaxMaverick]

No, buy a Tundra. They never have problems.

You may very well be right. I have never seen a Tundra with a large 5th wheel, toy hauler or gooseneck broke down on the road side. I have, however, seen a few Ford, Dodge and GM trucks on the shoulder with the hood up. Fairly conclusive evidence that Tundras are better.

Yep. Buy a Tundra and you'll never have this problem.

[Robyn]

Reading between the lines here, I concluded that the Tundra won't even come close to hauling a trialer of any size :D

Sort of like a 5er behind a Honda Civic :eek:

Came across a smaller Pickumup the other day with the truck on its side and the boat it was pulling upside down in the road.

Nobody had a clue as to why this happened either?????? :rolleyes:

Missy

[jerry598]

Just can't resist throwing in my 2 cents worth.

Considering the replacements and history of the truck you're looking at, it sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

I bought my 95 6.5TD with 94,000 miles on it, and yes, I've had some problems - BUT, it's never left sitting by the side of the road, even after putting another 30K miles on it.

As far as I know, there is no data available anywhere as to the probability of breakdowns or catastrophic failures with either the GM, Ford or other diesel engines. Even a brand new rebuilt engine could leave you sitting roadside due to something minor like a bad wiring harness or other electrical problem that can't be found until its in the shop. Gassers are the same. The worst part about the gasser trucks is the fuel economy! And when was the last time you ever heard of an original gasser engine going for 250K without using a quart of oil every 50 miles?

There also isn't any data on how long a 6.5 might run with a crack developing somewhere in the block or the head. Could be a hundred K miles or even more before it dies, if ever. I don't think anybody really knows.

My sister bought a 2002 Ford powerstroke brand new. She rarely used it to tow anything. At 32,000 miles, the auto transmission went down for good on a 2000 mile road trip, pulling an unloaded lightweight horse trailer! We were stuck for a week 800 miles from home waiting for the Ford dealer to get it back up and running! No, I'll never buy a Ford truck unless its practically given to me for free.

I am nothing more than a self-taught mechanic, and after doing lots of repair work and upgrades on my 95 6.5 (which did require some considerable study and learning) with just simple hand tools, I KNOW NOW that I can fix most future problems, and do all the maintenance myself, and that I won't be at the mercy of a dealership mechanic that might not even know as much about the 6.5 as I do.

As an example, I remote mounted the PMD on my 6.5 shortly after buying the truck. Later I took it to the dealership because the computer was throwing a code that suggested a problem with the injection pump. I had to argue with them that the engine code was coming from the IP, and not from a bad computer chip or some other place. The young mechanic looked at my remote mounted PMD with disbelief! He said he didn't understand how the PMD could do its job without being mounted directly on the pump! Can you believe that? To top it off, they replaced the computer board and one of the glow plugs before they decided that yes, I was right, the problem was in the injection pump! (They replaced the pump, which was still under warranty, and the problem code went away.)

Without The Diesel Page forums, and all of the great information available here (and also the tech stuff available from ALLDATA), I might well have gotten rid of my 6.5 years ago. But with all the great help here, I intend to drive my 6.5 and do all of the maintenance and repair work myself for at least another 20 years or more, or until I win the lottery (HA!), whichever comes first!

[a5150nut]

As far as I know, there is no data available anywhere as to the probability of breakdowns or catastrophic failures with either the GM, Ford or other diesel engines. Even a brand new rebuilt engine could leave you sitting roadside due to something minor like a bad wiring harness or other electrical problem that can't be found until its in the shop. Gassers are the same. The worst part about the gasser trucks is the fuel economy! And when was the last time you ever heard of an original gasser engine going for 250K without using a quart of oil every 50 miles?

Now I have to add my $0.02 worth.

Bought a 74 c2500 with 64k on it. Had a friend rebuild it at 169k. It was just north of 400k when I parked it. Front end worn out and body rot took over. Other than that it ran great. But 1o mpg was killing me too.

Replaced it with my present 94 k2500 bought with 67k on it.

So now I have owned a 54 Ford 1/2 ton with a 283 Chevy in it. A 74 c2500 and now a 94 K2500. So I guess the next one will be a 2014 K3500! :eek::D:D

If I last that long. . . .:rolleyes:

[twaddle]

Hi Rod,
I would say if the truck is as good as it seems and it has had the work and parts that the owner claims, then go for it.

You will probably find that it will burn a little oil between oil changes but both the 6.2 pick ups I had and the 6.5 suburban that I have just now did this. I would advise carrying a bag of wrenches and a small selection of new parts (just in case), new PMD, fuel lift pump and an oil pressure switch (which powers the fuel lift pump).

I have owned 2 6.2's one of which did almost 200,000 miles of hard work in six years. The other 6.2 was an ex military K30 and I used it for 10 years for my work as a Cat Mechanic.

The 1996 Suburban 6.5 which I bought in Houston Texas with 92,000 miles on her and shipped to Scotland. It did give me hassle at first with intermittant stalling (every 7 weeks or so) which eventually turned out to be a faulty ECU although there was other issues such as poor ground cables and connections.
With the help and support of many great members in the Dieselpage and the truck load of information found here I have managed to get the suburban to be reliable vehicle (touch wood quickly). So much so that last year when I moved from Scotland to Alberta, Canada I shipped the Suburban with all our stuff. By the way, the Suburban now has almost 190,000 miles on her.
I have just started using the Suburban to commute from my home to the east side of Edmonton which is one and a half hours driving each way and has been adding up to about 800 miles per week. Hopefully the old girl will remain reliable with some tender loving care for some time as my daily commuter even in the 6 months of winter that we get here in the frozen north. The Suburban also gets used for pulling a 20ft flat bed trailer when we buy in hay for the ponies.

If you do buy the 6.5, good luck and post us some pictures.

Jim
Formerly Biggar, Scotland.
Now residing in Alberta, Canada