Duramax Diesel Duallys

[caminokid]

Ok its been awhile since I have been on the board. The sale of my 69 LWB Stepper pretty much was depressing. Sometimes you have to pay the bills. Now I am back in a situation where I can buy a workhorse. Now I have the chance to buy one of two duallys. First is a 93 6.5 turbo with and auto. Extended cab, 2 wheel drive, rebuilt motor. The other is a 96 6.2 manual, 4X4, 158,000, snow plow. I dont know which way to go. I dont know alot about diesel except for the fact they get better mileage. The 96 has my attention since it is a manual. The 93 has my attention since it has a rebuilt motor. I plan on hauling a 26 foot by 8 1/2 wide enclosed trailer. Basically hauling cars with it. You guys that have experience with these diesel truck...give me some advice. I have heard that turbo is expensive if blown....heard the 6.2 isnt the greatest.

[TennesseeZ]

Where you been man?

[clinebarger]

The Duramax didnt come out untill '01.
The IDI 6.2 & 6.5 Detroit/GM leave ALOT to be desired. Some run good, Some I swear are cursed.

[caminokid]

Originally Posted by clinebarger

The Duramax didnt come out untill '01.
The IDI 6.2 & 6.5 Detroit/GM leave ALOT to be desired. Some run good, Some I swear are cursed.

See...now you know how much I know about the diesels! LOL

So I could be running into a problem?

[caminokid]

Originally Posted by TennesseeZ

Where you been man?

Long story man. Between the heart attack and other misc problems...

[caminokid]

I thought about buying a Dodge with the 24 valve Cummins, But damn...these guys think a 96 with 400,000 miles on it is worth 10,000.00 plus here. Aint no way I would give that kind of money. Besides....I am a Chevy person. Wouldnt feel right in anything other then a Chevy.

[jerrymp]

A rebuilt is mega bucks - - upwards of 5 big ones. So if the 93 truly has a rebuilt motor, and you can verify that and it does not have a gillion miles on the rebuilt motor then that is the one to go for. Some things to check for would be blowby, block cracks, did the rebuilder to it locally or from a mail order place. Did they girdle the crank? Was the rebuild done to a good older block or the original block. When the rebuild was done, were cooling upgrades done? The 96, if it is late enough in the model year, then it will have the cooling upgrades. But 158K is getting to the end of the life of a 6.5. The 96 will be a 6.5, not sure if the 93 will be 6.2 or 6.5, but I'm guessing its a 6.5 also. An older truck with a rebuilt motor and a bad tranny is better than a newer truck with a good tranny and a bad motor. If these are 3500's with 4:10 gears then 7k to 8K is about the biggest you can pull. These are not powerhouses. But they are cheap to work on and simple. AMG sold the casting for the block and the new 6.5s in the military hummers are a world of difference from the ones in GM trucks. These are just starting to come available to the public but again, big bucks - - 10K for a new one. DO NOT buy a chinese rebuilt or block. They are CRAP. Beware of this issue on the rebuilt motor. Seller ought to be able to verify the block.

[clinebarger]

Originally Posted by caminokid

See...now you know how much I know about the diesels! LOL

So I could be running into a problem?

Very well could be, Dont pay alot if you do buy one, Injectors, Injection pump, Glow plugs & Injection pump module, harmonic balancer on the late 6.5's are common wear items on GM IDI's & can quickly add up to more than the whole trucks worth. & thats not getting to the bad stuff like Blown headgaskets, Cracked heads, Cracked blocks & Broken cranks.

A 93 could have a 6.2 or a 6.5TD.
A 96 will have a 6.5TD.

Originally Posted by caminokid

I thought about buying a Dodge with the 24 valve Cummins, But damn...these guys think a 96 with 400,000 miles on it is worth 10,000.00 plus here. Aint no way I would give that kind of money. Besides....I am a Chevy person. Wouldnt feel right in anything other then a Chevy.

The 24 Valve ISB didnt show up untill mid-year '98, A '96 will have a 12 Valve 6BT. They call for a overhaul every 350,000....The Cummins is a Great engine, Ive owned several Cummins powered Dodge's.....Only bad things were usually Dodge related.

Owning a Diesel will NOT save you money, Ive always had one because that's what I like to drive & tow with.

[caminokid]

Ok with all this said, Would I be better with a 454 5 speed 3500? I know where there is one of those.

[jerrymp]

In my neck of the woods, diesel is at least fifty cents more per gallon than gas. 6.5TD takes 7 or 8 quarts oil depending on the year model. Your 454 5speed will pull as well as a 6.5TD, perhaps better. And you can do things to the 454 to get better power and mileage. Having owned three ford diesels and two gm diesels, at this point I would go gasser. I think a gasser pencils out less per mile than a diesel, all things considered. Don't get me wrong, I love diesels and would have one if the money was there. But it is not and I don't.

[Ackattack]

Just swap in a cummins when the 6.5 dies.

I'm putting a 12v cummins in my 97 GMC.

[BarryB]

Originally Posted by Ackattack

Just swap in a cummins when the 6.5 dies.

I'm putting a 12v cummins in my 97 GMC.

yeap thats what I would do. one benefit to owning a diesel is you can make your own fuel if need be/or want to.
I have a friend that put a 12v in his 96 k2500. says hes getting roughly 25 mpg with the nv4500 transmission.
I'm biased when it comes to diesels. I own a 01 Dodge Cummins. dependable and can run almost forever before needing rebuilt. Cummins has been around a loooong time. and thats says alot in my book.

[wibilly]

just my opinion but short of a cummins i would get a vortec 350. dollar for dollar you cant beat the power and service they will give you

[special-K]

The '93 would be the one to get. No electronic injection issues. No issues with pump,injectors,or glow plugs. I got 200k out of mine before replacing. I now have 300k on my '92 6.5TD and going strong. It is cheaper to run that a big block,even at higher fuel prices. You can't go by that,anyway,because it constantly changes. Right now I'm pissed because all fuel went up last summer because of the drought...corn. Diesel doesn't even use corn and it went right up with gas. Now gas has dropped and diesel hasn't budged. It's total BS. But,at times,diesel is the price of regular. So,it is nothing stable to base a decision on and diesels get better mileage to offset the difference...especially if hauling loaded like I do all the time. My truck never weighs under 8000# and I get 15 mpg reliably.Mine's a 5spd manual. I have owned it since new...over 20 years now. Just a great truck,period.

Short vid the other (foggy) morning: