I dont recall saying the 6.2's were "junk",I did say they were only slightly better than the POS 5.7 Olds based diesels because of their high rate of failure from crankshafts breaking or the webs in the block cracking..they weren't GM's best diesel,but not the worst by any means either...Some people still feel GM has yet to make a "good" diesel engine,they had to go with Isuzu to make the Duramax,and even those have their problems,at least the early ones did..and I hear they suck to work on..
I know not every one fails at low mileage,but many did,owner neglect and abuse may be a factor,maybe not...I suppose if they were THAT prone to failure,the military wouldn't have wanted them,when soldiers lives depended on their trucks,and knew they would be abused badly..--or maybe GM was just the lowest bidder--I dont know..
I do think the 7.3 IHC and the Cummins are much better engines than the 6.2,there is no comparison...but for what they are and were intended for,they do OK I guess...
I dont "hate" my diesels,if I did,I would not have bought another truck with one ...I really regret selling the VW Jetta diesel I had,it was a stupid move..
However,as far as the 6.2's go,I'm not thrilled about the fact you must replace glow plugs in them sooner than I'd like when you use the trucks for short trips,at 100 bucks a set,or they can be a pain to get started in extreme cold like we've had this winter,and in a full sized truck,and I dont see the "savings" from getting only maybe 5-7 mpg more than a gas V8 gets,especially since diesel fuel went up to 4.25 a gallon,and gas is still 3.45 a gallon...
Having 140 HP,slower acceleration and hill climbing ability and a noisy engine makes my truck less pleasurable to drive ,it feels like your driving a big rig and makes a short trip feel longer to me somehow,than a similar gas powered truck would..but in it's own way,it is kind of neat too,but the novelty can wear thin in a hurry when you need to go somewhere an hour or more away..but diesels do seem to like being driven longer distances and hold up longer,rather than short trips or stop and go city driving--like any other engine,MPG will suffer when you are going short distances and starting cold too....so for me,thats probably why I'm a bit less enthusiastic about having one now..
I will say this,my 6.2 powered plow truck by far,is the best I've had as far as pushing snow easily,with no wheelspin--I dont know if the weight is a factor,or the low rpm torque,or the lack of HP!..all I know is its like a bulldozer compared to the three other similar trucks I plowed with that had 350's or 400SB and a 454...and it does consume less fuel than the gas V8's did when plowing too...
So far I've gone thru 3 sets of AC G60's and they rust away to nothing long before they wont "glow" any more,the wire terminals rot right off them,and they whittle away like a rusted brake bleeder screw,and the original 9G's often wont come out of the heads...while a set of spark plugs for a gas V8 costs maybe 15 bucks,and can be left in for years...and the gas engine will start a lot easier in winter without needing a block heater plugged in ..
Things like the injector lines can rust or break and are hard to find and expensive too,and you'd need to remove them if a glow plug breaks,or the valve covers needed gaskets...so when those kind of things fail,it can eat up any savings you got from using less fuel..
I'd rather put a water pump or valve cover gaskets on an old small or big block gas V8 any day,or a timing chain,than a 6.2 also--though I have yet to have to do any of those repairs on my diesels,it certainly doesn't look as simple or as quick to do on the 6.2..maybe I'm just intimidated because I haven't ever pulled an injector pump off before,or the front cover..but I'd be leery of attempting it myself..
In short,I'm saying the 6.2 diesels are OK,but for someone like me who only putts around town and doesn't go far often,the diesels aren't for everyone..
I'm not bashing them,I'm just pointing out some of the pro's and cons of owning one..I really cant diss mine,I have not had to do much of anything to it other than glow plugs,oil changes,and for that I'm gratefull...had I used it every day as a commuter rather than a "yard truck" most of the time,I might be more unhappy with it though..
I know not every one fails at low mileage,but many did,owner neglect and abuse may be a factor,maybe not...I suppose if they were THAT prone to failure,the military wouldn't have wanted them,when soldiers lives depended on their trucks,and knew they would be abused badly..--or maybe GM was just the lowest bidder--I dont know..
I do think the 7.3 IHC and the Cummins are much better engines than the 6.2,there is no comparison...but for what they are and were intended for,they do OK I guess...
I dont "hate" my diesels,if I did,I would not have bought another truck with one ...I really regret selling the VW Jetta diesel I had,it was a stupid move..
However,as far as the 6.2's go,I'm not thrilled about the fact you must replace glow plugs in them sooner than I'd like when you use the trucks for short trips,at 100 bucks a set,or they can be a pain to get started in extreme cold like we've had this winter,and in a full sized truck,and I dont see the "savings" from getting only maybe 5-7 mpg more than a gas V8 gets,especially since diesel fuel went up to 4.25 a gallon,and gas is still 3.45 a gallon...
Having 140 HP,slower acceleration and hill climbing ability and a noisy engine makes my truck less pleasurable to drive ,it feels like your driving a big rig and makes a short trip feel longer to me somehow,than a similar gas powered truck would..but in it's own way,it is kind of neat too,but the novelty can wear thin in a hurry when you need to go somewhere an hour or more away..but diesels do seem to like being driven longer distances and hold up longer,rather than short trips or stop and go city driving--like any other engine,MPG will suffer when you are going short distances and starting cold too....so for me,thats probably why I'm a bit less enthusiastic about having one now..
I will say this,my 6.2 powered plow truck by far,is the best I've had as far as pushing snow easily,with no wheelspin--I dont know if the weight is a factor,or the low rpm torque,or the lack of HP!..all I know is its like a bulldozer compared to the three other similar trucks I plowed with that had 350's or 400SB and a 454...and it does consume less fuel than the gas V8's did when plowing too...
So far I've gone thru 3 sets of AC G60's and they rust away to nothing long before they wont "glow" any more,the wire terminals rot right off them,and they whittle away like a rusted brake bleeder screw,and the original 9G's often wont come out of the heads...while a set of spark plugs for a gas V8 costs maybe 15 bucks,and can be left in for years...and the gas engine will start a lot easier in winter without needing a block heater plugged in ..
Things like the injector lines can rust or break and are hard to find and expensive too,and you'd need to remove them if a glow plug breaks,or the valve covers needed gaskets...so when those kind of things fail,it can eat up any savings you got from using less fuel..
I'd rather put a water pump or valve cover gaskets on an old small or big block gas V8 any day,or a timing chain,than a 6.2 also--though I have yet to have to do any of those repairs on my diesels,it certainly doesn't look as simple or as quick to do on the 6.2..maybe I'm just intimidated because I haven't ever pulled an injector pump off before,or the front cover..but I'd be leery of attempting it myself..
In short,I'm saying the 6.2 diesels are OK,but for someone like me who only putts around town and doesn't go far often,the diesels aren't for everyone..
I'm not bashing them,I'm just pointing out some of the pro's and cons of owning one..I really cant diss mine,I have not had to do much of anything to it other than glow plugs,oil changes,and for that I'm gratefull...had I used it every day as a commuter rather than a "yard truck" most of the time,I might be more unhappy with it though..
