Mdcallerrb
Registered Member
I'm so torn... Don't know the advantages and disadvantages.... HELP!
CK5
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1983 diesel or gas and why?
- Thread starter Mdcallerrb
- Start date
?
If you have a diesel engine you should put diesel in your fuel tank.
If you have a gas engine you should put gas in your fuel tank.
Edit: I thought this wasn't a real person asking about putting diesel or gas in their 1983 truck
If you have a diesel engine you should put diesel in your fuel tank.
If you have a gas engine you should put gas in your fuel tank.
Edit: I thought this wasn't a real person asking about putting diesel or gas in their 1983 truck
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Diesel:
Cons
1. Slow
2. Loud
3. Hard Starting in the cold
Pros
1. Awesome fuel economy
2. Does not get any slower with a load hooked up
3. Loud (love the 6.2L rattle and they sound sweet straight piped!)
Gas:
Cons
1. Bad fuel economy
2. Slow down tons with a load
3. Spark plugs
Pros
1. Quiet operation (with mufflers)
2. Find fuel anywhere
3. Cheaper to maintain
You decide, but I don't think any real truck should have spark plugs. Gutless or not!
Cons
1. Slow
2. Loud
3. Hard Starting in the cold
Pros
1. Awesome fuel economy
2. Does not get any slower with a load hooked up
3. Loud (love the 6.2L rattle and they sound sweet straight piped!)
Gas:
Cons
1. Bad fuel economy
2. Slow down tons with a load
3. Spark plugs
Pros
1. Quiet operation (with mufflers)
2. Find fuel anywhere
3. Cheaper to maintain
You decide, but I don't think any real truck should have spark plugs. Gutless or not!
Gunnar1971
1/2 ton status
Main reason to get a diesel would be no smog. If you have owned older cars, you know what a PITA they are as our smog nazis pass tougher and tougher regulations and raise the bar for the older vehicles to run cleaner every year.
Mdcallerrb
Registered Member
That's a hell of a point!
I've got a nephew who is a diesel mechanic and he told me something I don't know if it's true as I'm not a doctor. He said if you pulled your garage door down and ran your diesel (like someone committing suicide) you would get really sick but not die like you would with a gasoline vehicle. Of course with the old 6.2 idling I don't think I'd even get to sleep before my eyes started burning and I began puking!
I'd go with the diesel. I had a 6.2 once, and loved it. I have a 5.7TBI now, and it's not any faster or more powerful than the 6.2 was. If you're going to wheel it, the 6.2 is a great engine. And, it's fuel injected. Since I like to wheel, and didn't want to deal with off-camber problems with a carb, I was only looking at TBI or Diesel rigs - but diesel rigs in good shape are hard to come by. If I could've bought my current truck as a 6.2, I would've done it in a heart beat.
SO..scratch diesel off the list if your suicidal ??... 
..
Thats probably true,bad as diesel fumes stink,I too have heard they are much less harmfull to you than the fumes gasoline makes (or leaves behind) after its burned,more CO and hydrocarbons,and the ethanol and wahtever else they add to it would probably snuff you out quicker..
Personally I find my diesel pickup much more tiring to use for local runs and trips than the gasoline powered ones I've owned did..
I dont know why,it just feels like every ride is an excursion in it,instead of a short trip--maybe its the noise,the vibration,and droning of the exhaust,makes it feel more like a tractor or big rig,than just a pickup truck ..makes a short trip seem a lot longer somehow..
I never hesitated to take any of my gas powered trucks on long trips,but the diesel,I dont know,it just gives me the feeling its not going to hold together that long or something,and I find myself wishing I had something else to drive instead....maybe I just dont trust it,I dont know..that uneasy feeling is getting worse now that it is making some more disturbing noises than usual..the reputation the 6.2 has for busted cranks doesn't inspire much confidence in it for me either,even though I know every one doesn't do that..
My 77 GMC K2500 with a 400 small block and 4:10 gears wasn't exactly a great highway cruiser either though..I liked my '79 C10 better to go on a long trip,it rode much smoother and got better mileage,was quieter,etc..but it also sat lower than my 4x4 trucks and visibility wasnt as good..it felt more car-like than a "truck"...my 82 K2500 diesel feels like driving a 10 wheeler compared to the C10..
..Thats probably true,bad as diesel fumes stink,I too have heard they are much less harmfull to you than the fumes gasoline makes (or leaves behind) after its burned,more CO and hydrocarbons,and the ethanol and wahtever else they add to it would probably snuff you out quicker..
Personally I find my diesel pickup much more tiring to use for local runs and trips than the gasoline powered ones I've owned did..
I dont know why,it just feels like every ride is an excursion in it,instead of a short trip--maybe its the noise,the vibration,and droning of the exhaust,makes it feel more like a tractor or big rig,than just a pickup truck ..makes a short trip seem a lot longer somehow..
I never hesitated to take any of my gas powered trucks on long trips,but the diesel,I dont know,it just gives me the feeling its not going to hold together that long or something,and I find myself wishing I had something else to drive instead....maybe I just dont trust it,I dont know..that uneasy feeling is getting worse now that it is making some more disturbing noises than usual..the reputation the 6.2 has for busted cranks doesn't inspire much confidence in it for me either,even though I know every one doesn't do that..
My 77 GMC K2500 with a 400 small block and 4:10 gears wasn't exactly a great highway cruiser either though..I liked my '79 C10 better to go on a long trip,it rode much smoother and got better mileage,was quieter,etc..but it also sat lower than my 4x4 trucks and visibility wasnt as good..it felt more car-like than a "truck"...my 82 K2500 diesel feels like driving a 10 wheeler compared to the C10..
The fuel savings is getting narrower every year it seems...but comparing old skool to old skool the difference is significant. The newer stuff in gas gets better mileage with cheaper fuel and easier starts.
Just drove 350 miles in my Diesel Jimmy. 35s 4.56s and a 700.
Got 19 mpg.
But diesel is way more expensive than gas. But my experience with a gas motor in a similar truck returned less than 12 so take it for what you will.
My 6.2 is old and tired it seems. But it will do 75 on the highway. Do like I am doing and just eventually get a turbo for it. Will take away the slow problem and improve mileage.
I really dig my 6.2 and yes I wish it had more power.
Also in the year you are looking at its a carbed gas engine, diesel or FI win everytime for me
Got 19 mpg.
But diesel is way more expensive than gas. But my experience with a gas motor in a similar truck returned less than 12 so take it for what you will.
My 6.2 is old and tired it seems. But it will do 75 on the highway. Do like I am doing and just eventually get a turbo for it. Will take away the slow problem and improve mileage.
I really dig my 6.2 and yes I wish it had more power.
Also in the year you are looking at its a carbed gas engine, diesel or FI win everytime for me
Around here the price difference between gas and diesel ranges between 10 and 50 cents per gallon. Typically, if the price of gas drops, the diesel price doesn't drop as much. Right now it's at its largest price gap that I've seen in a couple years: $3.40/gal for gas vs. $3.90/gal for diesel. That means that gas is 87% the cost of diesel - not really that big of a difference. You'd only save $50 per 100 gallons of fuel by buying gas.
In contrast, let's use some "generous" numbers for mpg comparison: 14 MPG for a carbed K5, and 19 for a diesel one. The carved truck only gets 74% of the mileage of the diesel truck. If you only get 12 MPG then you're only getting 63% of the mileage of the diesel rig.
You'd have to get 16.5 MPG with the gas truck to break even with the diesel truck, even with a price disparity of $0.50/gal - using the prices I posted. Not going to happen.
I miss my 6.2.
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Good fuel use/price comparison. My M1009 gave me 22mpg highway on good fuel. 19 on the new crappy pump diesel, and 20-21 on B100 a farmer friend makes. So the savings would actually be even more with that truck. This is why I'm building my truck right now. For years I heard guys complain about the 6.2 yet it seemed they didn't even own one. When you found a guy who actually had one all that guy did is brag while the others told him he was lying. The majority of the bad crap about the 6.2 stems from GM's original go at a diesel which was a converted V8 gas engine. The 6.2 was a dedicated block for diesel. I really love every single NA 6.2 I've owned. Yes, they don't start as easy as my Duramax or a new diesel does but they start better than a Mercedes 300d and those were great engines/cars still admired and sought after today. I owned a 79' 300CD (sport coupe) that I wish I still owned, awesome driving car, 25-27mpg highway.
I am in the position to have my choice whether to go gas or diesel. I've gone diesel. Like what was said in another post, the brand new stuff, gas vs. diesel, the mileage is a lot closer. But with the older stuff like our K5's and the pickup series, the diesel is a better option for a driver. Towing heavy not so much unless you're from down south. They're favorite saying is, "if it don't get done today, it'll get done tomorrow". That applies because it's going to take you twice as long to tow that trailer to wherever you're going with that 6.2!
I am in the position to have my choice whether to go gas or diesel. I've gone diesel. Like what was said in another post, the brand new stuff, gas vs. diesel, the mileage is a lot closer. But with the older stuff like our K5's and the pickup series, the diesel is a better option for a driver. Towing heavy not so much unless you're from down south. They're favorite saying is, "if it don't get done today, it'll get done tomorrow". That applies because it's going to take you twice as long to tow that trailer to wherever you're going with that 6.2!
MrSchaeferPants
1/2 ton status
Diesel for all the reasons listed.
More MPGs, but cost of diesel is higher, and I also spend yet a few bucks more on diesel additive to lube the injection pump.
6.2 IMO, has the same 'feel' of power as a 350, which a K5 will most likely have or a 305. I don't care about street speed, which is where the 350 would out perform, but off road, all that power is low rpm, and like mentioned, FI is the bee's knees when going off road.
Plus, with the lower rpm powerband, I get better milage than gassers (even smaller displacement rigs) while out all day crawling. They bring a fuel can 'just in case', I show up with a 1/2 tank like it ain't no thAng
More MPGs, but cost of diesel is higher, and I also spend yet a few bucks more on diesel additive to lube the injection pump.
6.2 IMO, has the same 'feel' of power as a 350, which a K5 will most likely have or a 305. I don't care about street speed, which is where the 350 would out perform, but off road, all that power is low rpm, and like mentioned, FI is the bee's knees when going off road.
Plus, with the lower rpm powerband, I get better milage than gassers (even smaller displacement rigs) while out all day crawling. They bring a fuel can 'just in case', I show up with a 1/2 tank like it ain't no thAng
Mdcallerrb
Registered Member
Around here the price difference between gas and diesel ranges between 10 and 50 cents per gallon. Typically, if the price of gas drops, the diesel price doesn't drop as much. Right now it's at its largest price gap that I've seen in a couple years: $3.40/gal for gas vs. $3.90/gal for diesel. That means that gas is 87% the cost of diesel - not really that big of a difference. You'd only save $5 per 100 gallons of fuel by buying gas.
In contrast, let's use some "generous" numbers for mpg comparison: 14 MPG for a carbed K5, and 19 for a diesel one. The carved truck only gets 74% of the mileage of the diesel truck. If you only get 12 MPG then you're only getting 63% of the mileage of the diesel rig.
You'd have to get 16.5 MPG with the gas truck to break even with the diesel truck, even with a price disparity of $0.50/gal - using the prices I posted. Not going to happen.
I miss my 6.2.
Nice work!
Edited the $5 typo in my post. Should've been $50.
