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99 6.5 TD Burb, I'm buying unless I get a good reason not to!!!

It looks like a nice Suburban, but read the eBay ad with "motor has XXXX miles, barely broken in..".

I know firsthand that these diesels are not like the better built current diesels. We barely got 200,000 out of three of them before they needed alot of work.

We didn't rebuild them, but they needed new (not rebuilt) heads, injection pumps, turbo's, some other stuff, and we got another 100,000 miles out of them before the rigs were wore out (dash gauges quit, transmissions were wore out after 2nd rebuild, rearends were toast, interior parts broken or malfunctioning,...).

$4,500 doesn't seem like too bad a price.
 
I was looking at 6" lifts on ebay, and the Pro-Comp one says it may have mild to severe driveline vibration, but the other companies don't say that. Does Pro comp suck, or do the others just leave that part out? Any experience with an IFS 6" lift?
If I do a 4" lift and trimming, can I clear 37's?
I'm not too interested in a SAS, as there isn't much good rock climbing around here and I wouldn't benefit much from the extra flex.
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With 37" tires, the IFS front end will not last long at all. For that reason alone you'd be better off with a SAS.

From the ad:
With this miles this motor hasn't even broken in yet!
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At 199k, that statement is ignorant, and it torques me off every time I see that written about a 200kmi diesel. Get it up to temp, pull off the oil fill cap, and see how much blowby (wisps of white vapor) it's producing - I bet it will be noticeable. Not necessarily terrible, but noticeable. I'm sure if it was maintained properly, it could go another 100k, but these engines are very sensistive to proper maintenance.

Figure on needing a new harmonic dampener, crank pulley, belt tensioner, a kit to relocate the FSD/PMD out side the engine bay (versus the side of the injection pump), a new oil cooler kit (the factory hoses and block fittings are notoriously weak, can easily fail, and will drain your oil in about 5 seconds on the highway). Also check for proper wastegate control system operation (the vacuum pumps have a tendency to fail) - see if you can wiggle the wastegate control arm at idle - it should be rock solid.

These trucks also had cooling issues, expecially when towing. Anything over 210°F (sustained) is too hot for that engine. Being a '99, it should have some factory cooling upgrades. You obviously don't have a way to know if it ever got overheated, but check the coolant for oil (head gasket) and oil for coolant contamination. If you do plan to tow, run huge tires, or pull mountain grades, then plan on further cooling upgrades like a duramax fan and severe duty low-kick-on-temp fan clutch.
 
Holy Moly! Look at those mirrors MAN! Am I the only one who caught those things? From certain angles they look huge, maybe I'm just used the the nice factory styles
 
Couple things about IFS lift kits.

Alot of people don't know or realize that the 6" lift kits that use new knuckles and don't drop the upper control arm, also don't drop the differential the full 6" either. These kits drop the differential ~4.5", which means that your cv joints are running at a steeper angle. Kits that drop the upper control arm drop the diff the full 6".

I have a 97 K1500 with a 6" Pro Comp lift and I hate it. There are so many bolts holding all the brackets together that, short of welding everything together, there is now way to keep everything from moving around. I pretty much have to tighten everything every oil change. I have had major components (control arm bracket, crossmember) break due to the bolts loosening up. Alignment will not hold and is always terrible. Also, I run 35's and have to replace upper balljoints about every 8 months and this truck is 90% street driven and only gets driven about 3-4 times a month. 37's will wear things out faster. It has literally gotten to the point with my truck that my wife has suggested putting a new different lift kit on the truck so I don't have to constantly fix it, SAS :whistle:.
 
Cornfield creations said:
Holy Moly! Look at those mirrors MAN! Am I the only one who caught those things? From certain angles they look huge, maybe I'm just used the the nice factory styles
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Aftermarket add on towing mirrors. They are huge.
chevydan3 said:
Couple things about IFS lift kits.

Alot of people don't know or realize that the 6" lift kits that use new knuckles and don't drop the upper control arm, also don't drop the differential the full 6" either. These kits drop the differential ~4.5", which means that your cv joints are running at a steeper angle. Kits that drop the upper control arm drop the diff the full 6".

I have a 97 K1500 with a 6" Pro Comp lift and I hate it. There are so many bolts holding all the brackets together that, short of welding everything together, there is now way to keep everything from moving around. I pretty much have to tighten everything every oil change. I have had major components (control arm bracket, crossmember) break due to the bolts loosening up. Alignment will not hold and is always terrible. Also, I run 35's and have to replace upper balljoints about every 8 months and this truck is 90% street driven and only gets driven about 3-4 times a month. 37's will wear things out faster. It has literally gotten to the point with my truck that my wife has suggested putting a new different lift kit on the truck so I don't have to constantly fix it, SAS :whistle:.
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Thank you!
 
chevydan3 said:
Couple things about IFS lift kits.

Alot of people don't know or realize that the 6" lift kits that use new knuckles and don't drop the upper control arm, also don't drop the differential the full 6" either. These kits drop the differential ~4.5", which means that your cv joints are running at a steeper angle. Kits that drop the upper control arm drop the diff the full 6".

I have a 97 K1500 with a 6" Pro Comp lift and I hate it. There are so many bolts holding all the brackets together that, short of welding everything together, there is now way to keep everything from moving around. I pretty much have to tighten everything every oil change. I have had major components (control arm bracket, crossmember) break due to the bolts loosening up. Alignment will not hold and is always terrible. Also, I run 35's and have to replace upper balljoints about every 8 months and this truck is 90% street driven and only gets driven about 3-4 times a month. 37's will wear things out faster. It has literally gotten to the point with my truck that my wife has suggested putting a new different lift kit on the truck so I don't have to constantly fix it, SAS :whistle:.
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Very good points. Did a little research and fabtech offers a spindle 4.5 lift, and is the only one with a spindle lift for what I found.
 
you can fit 34x12.5s and trim with a 2 inch lift.we did that to my buddys suburban.im guessing it has the stronger axles because of the big diesle thats in there.if it is just for looks,id go with a 2 inch tortion bar lift and rear add a leaf or zero rate block in the rear,and 33x12.5. more than that and you are gonna have a lot of trouble with the ifs and steering components.they have small tie rod ends and the bearings can wear out quick in the front unitized hub and large tires.
 
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I wouldn't even do the torsion bar twist. That gave me all kinds of trouble.

You want to go higher put a body lift on and/or cut the fenders. Don't touch that suspension.
 
I only have 33's on my dmax and I cant keep an alignment/ inner and outer tierods more thatn 5 months. IFS sucks
 
Those 6.5's are good engines, it's a pity their injection pump is a weak link. They are a constant issue on the 6.5's. The pump mounted driver is the cause sometimes, but the other issue is since they went to low sulfur diesel in 2007, the process to make diesel with a lower sulfur content also removes valuable lubricant. The 6.5's injection pump relies on the lubricant in the fuel for it's moving parts to be lubed, and if you don't run a fuel supplement everytime you fill up to make up for it, the pump's life is short lived.
Pump itself is $750-$1000, and you have to remove the intake manifold to change it. The turbos also have about a 200k lifespan on most of these engines, mine crapped out at 210. Another $850.
Keep the fuel filter changed and keep lube in your fuel and they can do ok.
I would ask if they've been running a supplement in the fuel if the injection pump has ever been replaced.
 
I use to drive a 1998 C3500HD dually service truck with a 6.5TD. I blew up the third engine in it at around 260,000 miles.

Martin
 
I'm not knocking the 6.5 TD Burb, but after my last one I don't see any reason to have one (Diesel) myself.

My '96 6.5 TD got around 20.4 mpg when driven right. My '97 5.7 Vortec Burb gets 19.9 mpg, and has way more power for towing. Plus, gasoline is cheaper and the gas engine is less expensive to maintain.

(Both were 2wd.)
 
-----Update-----
Not buying that one after all. I had the deal all set up and ready to go when I found a clean 96 with 136k with a new motor, injection pump, lower compression pistons, studded heads, main braces, and a bunch of other goodies for 5000. I'm goin' for it!

Also it has an NP241 instead of the Autotrak, so one less thing to worry about when I do my SAS.
 
alexsdad said:
I'm not knocking the 6.5 TD Burb, but after my last one I don't see any reason to have one (Diesel) myself.

My '96 6.5 TD got around 20.4 mpg when driven right. My '97 5.7 Vortec Burb gets 19.9 mpg, and has way more power for towing. Plus, gasoline is cheaper and the gas engine is less expensive to maintain.

(Both were 2wd.)
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How the hell did you get 19.9 mpg in a 5.7 gas suburban? Your speedo had to have been off.....
 
Part of the diesel idea is that when you lift it and put on big tires it doesn't cut your fuel mileage in half, like gas does. My old 350 K5 on 35's got less than 10 mpg. My 6.2 K5 gets 22.
My brother had a 6.5 TD Z71 that got 21 mpg. He lifted it and put on 38x16.5 (I think...could have been 14.5) Swampers and lost 2 mpg
Another reason for the diesel is waste vegetable oil. Burbs have a nice big piece of real estate under the truck where the gas tank would be if it was a truck where I could mount a WVO tank.
3rd reason... Diesels are cool.
4th reason.... Diesels live in a world without spark knock. Without having to pull timing or spray meth/water. A world where you can just turn up your boost and fuel and its ok as long as your EGT's stay under 1100.
I am a gearhead first and an off roader second. Coming from building powerful gas engines and knowing their limitations, it is a wonderful place to be without those. I know a diesel has its own limitations, and at that a 6.5 ain't no Cummins, but all in all I think this is my best option for my new all purpose battlewagon.
 
I also used to think Diesels were "cool". Then I owned 5 GM Diesels 6.2's - 6.5's. They had no power for real towing, and offered only a slight mpg difference. And since Diesel is more expensive, they cost more to drive. I'll take my 5.7 Vortec any day over a non-Duramax GM diesel.

Diesels are also expensive to buy and maintain, so for me, they don't make any sense after all my experiences having both.

And to all of you- yes, my 5.7 Burb really does get 19.9. My c1500 extended cab pickup, 5.7 Vortec, gets 20.1, and does so with 230K miles on it, no engine work, just one fuel pump.

:waytogo:
 
alexsdad said:
I also used to think Diesels were "cool". Then I owned 5 GM Diesels 6.2's - 6.5's. They had no power for real towing, and offered only a slight mpg difference. And since Diesel is more expensive, they cost more to drive. I'll take my 5.7 Vortec any day over a non-Duramax GM diesel.

Diesels are also expensive to buy and maintain, so for me, they don't make any sense after all my experiences having both.

And to all of you- yes, my 5.7 Burb really does get 19.9. My c1500 extended cab pickup, 5.7 Vortec, gets 20.1, and does so with 230K miles on it, no engine work, just one fuel pump.

:waytogo:
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Well sure, but but some 37's on it and watch your mileage go from 20 to 12. A diesel won't. You can't run a gas motor on free fuel (WVO). Most 6.5's go far beyond 230k. Many go to 350k. Sure you only hear about the ones that blew up, but I know of PLENTY of 350's that couldn't make it past 90K. And you're talking to a guy who is a fan of the tried and true small block Chevy.
 
dhcomp said:
How the hell did you get 19.9 mpg in a 5.7 gas suburban? Your speedo had to have been off.....
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all stock,my 94 blazer sport 5.7L gets 20 mpg.if youre easy on em it can get gtood mpg.my buddys 92 sub 5.7 got 18.5.mine is better than the 4liter i had in my lil jeep cherokee that got 17.2 mpg.
 
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