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6.2 What's it good for? Just about everything.

Thanks guys, the thing that scares me is the previous owner wasn't a very good mechanic based on the Mickey Mouse fixes I have found, I have never seen the temp go past 210 it always comes back down but that's because I put a new hd fan clutch on when I replaced the waterpump.
It's not the fact that I have to baby it actually it's more the issues with being stuck somewhere with a pretty substantial load. If this was a cummins or it's a lot less likely to suffer a failure when well cared for vs a 6.2 that's well cared for, one is just heavier built for the intended purpose.
The other thing is this truck felt out braked and just too light around these hills and in the wind to take this sort of load, figure the only thing I tow is 4-6klb trucks with trailers 2-3k empty. My burb has more weight overall, my 92 is longer and close to the same weight. But feels the same.
I just think it's wiser for me to find a bigger truck to do what I want and feel comfortable about it.

One thing I want to point out is if I suffer that kind of catastrophic failure towing my own vehicle it's one thing but for it to happen to me while towing a customer vehicle is another. Not saying a cummins dodge or swapped Chevy won't do that it's just a lot less likely than the setup I am using now.
@secutright has a 93 dodge cummins, my mom has an 2004 also and it's been stellar. I've been around them a decent amount with other people I know and they all swear by them. Second place is a powerstroke and last being duramax and most of that's related to cost because those trucks are newer.
 
If you want Cummins power and reliability, then yeah the 6.2/6.5 won't ever get to that level . A really good turbo 6.5 is about as good as a stock 24-valve.
 
sreidmx said:
Thanks guys, the thing that scares me is the previous owner wasn't a very good mechanic based on the Mickey Mouse fixes I have found, I have never seen the temp go past 210 it always comes back down but that's because I put a new hd fan clutch on when I replaced the waterpump.
It's not the fact that I have to baby it actually it's more the issues with being stuck somewhere with a pretty substantial load. If this was a cummins or it's a lot less likely to suffer a failure when well cared for vs a 6.2 that's well cared for, one is just heavier built for the intended purpose.
The other thing is this truck felt out braked and just too light around these hills and in the wind to take this sort of load, figure the only thing I tow is 4-6klb trucks with trailers 2-3k empty. My burb has more weight overall, my 92 is longer and close to the same weight. But feels the same.
I just think it's wiser for me to find a bigger truck to do what I want and feel comfortable about it.

One thing I want to point out is if I suffer that kind of catastrophic failure towing my own vehicle it's one thing but for it to happen to me while towing a customer vehicle is another. Not saying a cummins dodge or swapped Chevy won't do that it's just a lot less likely than the setup I am using now.
@secutright has a 93 dodge cummins, my mom has an 2004 also and it's been stellar. I've been around them a decent amount with other people I know and they all swear by them. Second place is a powerstroke and last being duramax and most of that's related to cost because those trucks are newer.
Click to expand...

Your earlier post made it sound like you were wanting to cummins-swap this truck. But that doesn't solve the real problem (brakes). If you're not happy with the stopping ability, engine really doesn't matter.
 
Newer trucks win on towing.

The 6.2 was always advertised as the milage motor.

If I was spending money I doubt I would choose a 6.5/6.2.

Actually I would for a 6.5 I have driven a couple of those in good shape. Like Gus said a first gen Cummins is about the same.

I just haven't seen the reliability issues you always hear about with my 6.2s

I really like driving my cousins 04 Cummins with a G56
 
I dd my 6.2 and I really am liking it as if late. I get in my 06 cummins g56 and I feel like I am driving a rocket. Even on 3.73 and 37s. Literally 3 times the horsepower lol
 
I still like the truck but for it's just get around and do normal stuff besides towing heavy it's fine.
And for the 6.2/6.5 comparison, I'd like a little more just because I know it's possible without blowing everything to smithereens.
 
my 6.2 has 286k n/a miles on it....
I have a turbo kit sitting in the garage for it...
 
After the experience I just had with my 6.2,I'm ready to answer the question "what are they good for" with the answer "a good boat anchor"..:surepal:

No I'm not a "hater",but my enthusiasm for these engines has diminished greatly over the years...they seem to have a reputation as being the "second worst GM diesel" ,with the Olds 350 taking the #1 spot..

Yes,I have owned this truck 13 years,had practically no issues with the engine other than glow plugs,and frustrations with a rotted oil pan,I admit I didn't maintain it exactly wonderful,and it wasn't till a few weeks ago it finally left me stranded when the fuel filter finally clogged,which had been on it since I got the truck in '03,but looked fresh then,and I only drove it 7500 miles since..for the abuse I received I cant complain about it..

My biggest dislike of the 6.2's are they seem to hate me when it comes time to work on one..many things are a sucky design on them..

Things that appear easy to reach aren't,and a lot of delicate expensive parts like injector lines are easily damaged or destroyed, and many parts I've attempted to remove like glow plugs are "stuck",swelled up,and I never liked the vacuum pump idea to run the transmission modulator and other accessories..

I've put three starters in this truck so far..the Delco direct drive one is great for crushing your fingers,its a battle holding that 40 lb ingot up while you struggle to get a bolt started..(and if your lucky both bolts holes are still there,not stripped,or a chunk of the block broken off there!)..

I have an '87 parts engine that snapped a crank--it ran perfectly till the big "whack"--it was in a C30 ramp truck though,and was likely tired and abused...good thing I snagged it,because the exhaust manifolds alone for a 6.2 ,if you can find any new ones,are close to 400 bucks..


It took me 4 days of 5 hours each to remove all 8 exhaust manifold bolts on the drivers side of my 6.2,which required much torching,had to cut every bolt head off (they were like rivet heads due to rust)..then cut grooves in each bolt boss,then the manifold still refused to budge even prying with a 4 foot bar (and I bent it!)--it felt like it had welded itself to the head...finally I resorted to using a long hunk of 1" round stock and a 5 lb hammer to get it off the remains on the bolts..

Whoever designed the manifolds to mount to the heads at a 45 degree angle,and have all the bolts point right at the frame rail deserves to be shot--cant use anything but a box end wrench on them,except the two rear most bolts--the bolts in the center are so long the new ones hit the frame rail,and had to be coaxed in with hammer blows..

(I think it might have been easier to just pull both heads off,and plop the ones off my parts engine with the manifolds still bolted on,or pull the engine out,that do a manifold "in the truck")..the bolts on the parts engine came right out,and could have been re-used,but I opted to buy new bolts for 12 bucks..

I had to braze 7/16" nuts to the remains of each torched off bolt,and could only use a open end wrench to try getting the remains out without breaking them off in the head..the two rear most bolts sucked the worst,and I was amazed all 8 bolts actually came out..but not without a great deal of effort and discomfort..It took about one hour per bolt,with much heating and cooling cycles before they came free..

Holding a 20 lb ingot manifold in place for 30 minutes after it taking that long just to thread it in there like a needle and get a bolt started,thanks to the manifold being "angled" I think took 10 years off my life--every muscle I have aches so badly now I'll be sore for a month at least..

I've sworn off any more diesels..

I dont "need" one,I only bought the pickup because it was very cheap and didn't run when I got it,and at first owning a diesel was "fun"--- why I went and bought an '85 Burb with a 6.2 in '09 I dont know,temporary insanity maybe--?..or I figured if nothing else it'd be a good parts truck for the pickup..but now I'm soured on them enough to not even want it now..

I would much rather have a good old 350 or 454 ,or any other gas small or big block...if my 6.2 ever needs a water pump ,or injector pump replacement or repair,I'm just going to either scrap the truck or pull the engine and swap in a gas one..I've always hated any engine with the water pump setup they have,with a plate behind them that can let coolant into the crankcase..(Caddys,Buicks,Fords,Etc)--I like the gas engines water pumps and straight sixes--4 bolts and a 1/2 hour and your back on the road..

I would hate to be a soldier in Iraq or Afganistan that had to depend on a 6.2 to get me out of a bad spot..
I think the main reason the military chose them is the fact GM was willing to make millions of them and sell them cheap,and the military considered them disposeable..

I have read the average life span on a 6.2 in combat conditions was 1000 miles..:shocked:...after working on mine I would say pulling the engine out and dropping a "good" one back in would be a hell of a lot faster and easier than trying to repair one in the chassis..

Like I said,I'm not a hater,but I'd like my 6.2's a lot more if they had been designed differently and easier to work on...I think they make a better engine for farm or industrial machines than a road driven vehicle...I sincerely doubt I'll ever buy another diesel powered vehicle,excepting perhaps a VW or old Mercedes...I do miss my VW Jetta diesel,but that also sucked to work on..also all diesels are "interference engines".so if you lose a timing belt or chain,the rest of the engine gets destroyed...no thanks..:doah:
 
I think the attraction to the low amount of upkeep and cheap maintenance parts along with great mpg are what attracts most to them, but even when cared for amazing they tend to crap out on you just when you need it.
I just keep putting miles on mine, I am literally waiting for the crank to exit the block.. it may never happen, or it could happen tommorow. For some reason I've had excellent luck with all the sbc engines I've had and push them damn hard and never once worried about that. If it had oil pressure and wasn't hot it got worked hard. That is what the engine was for right? I don't think I should have to baby it if the rest of the truck was up to it? I don't lug any of my motors so maybe that's why I don't have as many issues but I also make sure all surrounding stuff like cooling, oil and fuel systems are working properly..
 
diesel4me said:
After the experience I just had with my 6.2,I'm ready to answer the question "what are they good for" with the answer "a good boat anchor"..:surepal:

No I'm not a "hater",but my enthusiasm for these engines has diminished greatly over the years...they seem to have a reputation as being the "second worst GM diesel" ,with the Olds 350 taking the #1 spot..

Yes,I have owned this truck 13 years,had practically no issues with the engine other than glow plugs,and frustrations with a rotted oil pan,I admit I didn't maintain it exactly wonderful,and it wasn't till a few weeks ago it finally left me stranded when the fuel filter finally clogged,which had been on it since I got the truck in '03,but looked fresh then,and I only drove it 7500 miles since..for the abuse I received I cant complain about it..

My biggest dislike of the 6.2's are they seem to hate me when it comes time to work on one..many things are a sucky design on them..

Things that appear easy to reach aren't,and a lot of delicate expensive parts like injector lines are easily damaged or destroyed, and many parts I've attempted to remove like glow plugs are "stuck",swelled up,and I never liked the vacuum pump idea to run the transmission modulator and other accessories..

I've put three starters in this truck so far..the Delco direct drive one is great for crushing your fingers,its a battle holding that 40 lb ingot up while you struggle to get a bolt started..(and if your lucky both bolts holes are still there,not stripped,or a chunk of the block broken off there!)..

I have an '87 parts engine that snapped a crank--it ran perfectly till the big "whack"--it was in a C30 ramp truck though,and was likely tired and abused...good thing I snagged it,because the exhaust manifolds alone for a 6.2 ,if you can find any new ones,are close to 400 bucks..


It took me 4 days of 5 hours each to remove all 8 exhaust manifold bolts on the drivers side of my 6.2,which required much torching,had to cut every bolt head off (they were like rivet heads due to rust)..then cut grooves in each bolt boss,then the manifold still refused to budge even prying with a 4 foot bar (and I bent it!)--it felt like it had welded itself to the head...finally I resorted to using a long hunk of 1" round stock and a 5 lb hammer to get it off the remains on the bolts..

Whoever designed the manifolds to mount to the heads at a 45 degree angle,and have all the bolts point right at the frame rail deserves to be shot--cant use anything but a box end wrench on them,except the two rear most bolts--the bolts in the center are so long the new ones hit the frame rail,and had to be coaxed in with hammer blows..

(I think it might have been easier to just pull both heads off,and plop the ones off my parts engine with the manifolds still bolted on,or pull the engine out,that do a manifold "in the truck")..the bolts on the parts engine came right out,and could have been re-used,but I opted to buy new bolts for 12 bucks..

I had to braze 7/16" nuts to the remains of each torched off bolt,and could only use a open end wrench to try getting the remains out without breaking them off in the head..the two rear most bolts sucked the worst,and I was amazed all 8 bolts actually came out..but not without a great deal of effort and discomfort..It took about one hour per bolt,with much heating and cooling cycles before they came free..

Holding a 20 lb ingot manifold in place for 30 minutes after it taking that long just to thread it in there like a needle and get a bolt started,thanks to the manifold being "angled" I think took 10 years off my life--every muscle I have aches so badly now I'll be sore for a month at least..

I've sworn off any more diesels..

I dont "need" one,I only bought the pickup because it was very cheap and didn't run when I got it,and at first owning a diesel was "fun"--- why I went and bought an '85 Burb with a 6.2 in '09 I dont know,temporary insanity maybe--?..or I figured if nothing else it'd be a good parts truck for the pickup..but now I'm soured on them enough to not even want it now..

I would much rather have a good old 350 or 454 ,or any other gas small or big block...if my 6.2 ever needs a water pump ,or injector pump replacement or repair,I'm just going to either scrap the truck or pull the engine and swap in a gas one..I've always hated any engine with the water pump setup they have,with a plate behind them that can let coolant into the crankcase..(Caddys,Buicks,Fords,Etc)--I like the gas engines water pumps and straight sixes--4 bolts and a 1/2 hour and your back on the road..

I would hate to be a soldier in Iraq or Afganistan that had to depend on a 6.2 to get me out of a bad spot..
I think the main reason the military chose them is the fact GM was willing to make millions of them and sell them cheap,and the military considered them disposeable..

I have read the average life span on a 6.2 in combat conditions was 1000 miles..:shocked:...after working on mine I would say pulling the engine out and dropping a "good" one back in would be a hell of a lot faster and easier than trying to repair one in the chassis..

Like I said,I'm not a hater,but I'd like my 6.2's a lot more if they had been designed differently and easier to work on...I think they make a better engine for farm or industrial machines than a road driven vehicle...I sincerely doubt I'll ever buy another diesel powered vehicle,excepting perhaps a VW or old Mercedes...I do miss my VW Jetta diesel,but that also sucked to work on..also all diesels are "interference engines".so if you lose a timing belt or chain,the rest of the engine gets destroyed...no thanks..:doah:
Click to expand...


I think you qualify as a diesel hater by this point (based on your many rants). But that engine has taken heaps of abuse and simply refuses to quit. Can't call it an engine failure if a decades-old plugged fuel filter cut off the fuel supply. That's neglect, not the truck's fault.

Yes, the manifolds are a pain, no argument there.
 
The main reason I had to replace the exhaust manifold was because it rotted away enough to lose a 1" or so chunk near the center of it,and my attempts to patch it by brazing only resulted in making the small hole a gaping one..

I tried using a bolt brazed to a large washer to cover the hole,but the braze refused to adhere well,only one spot looked like it made a good bond,and I was unable to access the underside of the manifold to braze it,so it couldn't be trusted to last,it was still leaking enough to be annoying--and I knew any of the "Pyro-Putty" type stuff or furnace cement would be a waste of money & time..

If not for the fact those stupid rubber return lines that loop from injector to injector would likely get hot enough to catch fire with hot exhaust gases blowing on them from the manifold leak,I'd have just kept right on driving the dam thing..those hoses are a potential disaster waiting to happen,how dumb it was to have them located right over a nice hot exhaust manifold --one fails,diesel sprays on the manifold,and whoof...

Oh well,at least you wouldn't have to FIX the truck,if it burns to the ground I guess..:surepal:..

I've said it before--I liked old school straight sixes a lot..sure,they sucked as far as having limited HP and towing ability,but they were for the most part a very easy to work on,indestructible ingot..
I wish I had bought one I'd seen advertised of craigslist recently for 300 bucks,its sold already..a 1970 Nova one,the "best" year for highest HP and compression,that ran excellent,and was only pulled to put a BBC in the car..even if I never used it in my diesel trucks ,it would be a good engine to have in ANY old GM car or truck..
 
campfire said:
I think you qualify as a diesel hater by this point (based on your many rants). But that engine has taken heaps of abuse and simply refuses to quit. Can't call it an engine failure if a decades-old plugged fuel filter cut off the fuel supply. That's neglect, not the truck's fault.

Yes, the manifolds are a pain, no argument there.
Click to expand...


The manifolds are just one of many more diffucult things to replace or repair on a 6.2..I hope the lift pump never dies on either of mine,those look to be a suck pill to get at..like they picked the worst possible spot,and said "lets put it there"...the designers must hate mechanics..in comparison a fuel pump replacement SBC or BBC is a cake walk..

In comparison to the gas small or bbc manifolds,this job was THE worst I've had so far--and I had a few 350's snap off 4 out of 6 bolts in the heads in the past--at least you can drill them out,being "straight on" instead of pointing at the ground..you take off the tire,drill them out via the wheel well..not fun,but at least its POSSIBLE..
If more than a few of my bolts had broken,that would have spelled the end for the truck--or at least the 6.2...

Again,the retarded design of the 6.2 from a serviceability point of view is my biggest rant...not so much its other faults like low HP and the fact many decide to grenade with no warning..diesel fuel costs more,they dont always start in cold weather--..

I did say it was my fault the filter plugged and it left me stranded--that I cant say was the engine's fault..that was just a failure waiting to happen I could have avoided..it was an expensive lesson,having to pay 100 bucks thanks to a plugged 15 dollar filter..:doah:..

Like Sreidmx though,I fear every day my engine will take a sudden "dump" and fail catastrophically ,and if it did,I know it would be partly my fault for not doing religious oil changes,etc..

I especially fear that happening after the agony I put myself though replacing this manifold.

What sucks most is it does nothing to improve the engine's performance or reliability ,it just might make it quieter and keep it "legal"...
I dont like doing so much diffucult labor for no real "improvement"..
 
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