6.5t trucks what were the good years

[muddyblzr]

im looking at buying a 6.5t 1 ton and i was wondering what years to look for and which ones to avoid.
im hoping for crewcab longbed dually, automatic, 2wd or 4wd.
also what components should i look for and what should i avoid

 

[diesel4me]

older ones??

I heard the older 6.5's that still had mechanical injection were the best ones..the 1993's had the turbo,and still had the "old" injection setup..newer ones are computerized,I read they have lots of problems with the injector pumps and its controller the "PMD"..it overheated and caused stalling and no start problems..expensive to replace..

My brother had a '93 GMC K2500 that he sold about a year ago--it had the desireable 5 speed manual tranny with the extra low first gear (a one year deal I'm told..) and despite it being quite rusty and had over 100,000 miles,he had no problem getting 3500 bucks for it!..had a plow too!..

That's all I know about 6.5's..I'm sure others here who have more info will be willing to share it...

 

[Pookster]

92 was also one of those years, but it was a transition year- so some (like mine) had the 6.2, and even more some, had some 6.5 NA. It also had the ultra low granny first gear in the NV4500.

There are variations of the 1 ton however- I believe there was no one ton in that body generation until 92, as I also believe the 1 ton bodies had a longer run than the regular pickups did.

 

[muddyblzr]

so the early years are the better ones?
anything else i should look for?

 

[yellowK20]

My 93 K3500 went 422,864.7 trouble free miles went it gave up, wife was driving and she says she didn't over rev it. But I think it seen about 6000 rpm and then went boom she was pulling a Gooseneck trailer full of hay down a pretty steep hill with out hooking up the trailer brakes. Now theres dents in the oil pan I have a 98 3500 with a 6.5 and it only has 140,ish and its been broke twice since I got it stupid electronic crap

 

[muddyblzr]

damn. hmm what year did they switch to electronic? seems like i need to find me a mechanical one. the 4l80e sounds nice also but i can live with a manuel. (just gotta learn how to drive it better)

 

[yellowK20]

Ask tRustyk5 hes a moderator here he would know for sure but I think 93 was the last year for mech injection

 

[muddyblzr]

i cant pm on this board but hopefully he'll see this and shed some knowledge.

 

[Pookster]

the electronics were able to be cranked up more. that said, I think if you just up the boost and fuel, you do virtually the same.

422k!!! Amazing! Overrevving is always a possibility I guess if you go downhill too fast..

 

[73k5blazer]

Well, the later years got a revised PMD, upgraded cooling (you can easily retrofit an older 6.5 with the newer setup though), and a few other refinments. My '97 has almost 200,000mi, and runs strong. I didn't have the revised PMD until it got replaced under warranty in 1999. Other than general maint., not a lick of trouble with the motor. My uncles got a 2000 crew (last year for the GMT400 body style) with a 6.5t, he's never had his PMD replaced, he's got 180k on his.
So mabey just the first couple years that the electronic pump was used is bad? I think most were replaced under warranty though.

 

[85-m1028]

97- UP got a revised block and cooling upgrades, 130gpm high flow water pump with dual thermostat crossover. add to this the duramax fan conversion and voila not to shabby!!!

These engines can be cranked up to about 250 hp pretty reliably. AM General did a further redesign toward the end of 2001 making the best vesion available, but most of these engines are used in hmmwv's.

You can however purchase an AM General long block an dump it in any truck you get with a 6.2 or 6.5!! You may find a truck that has already had this done!! These blocks can handle 300hp!!!