Getting my first diesel tomorrow

[75-K5]

Woohoo I'm going to pick up my '95 G30 van tomorrow with a 6.5! In case someone didn't read my other thread, I plan on swapping the 6.5/4l80e into my '78 American Clipper motor home on a G30 chassis (which just arrived yesterday from being in my cousin's back 40 for the past six years). I also might stop by and pull a 6.2 I bought from a member here that I plan on swapping into the K5. I'm excited. Pics, etc. to come soon.

 

[diesel4me]

sounds like fun..

I think you'll like the 6.2's!...my 82 K20 was the first GM diesel I've ever had,and though I haven't been driving it much since winter ended,I like it a lot..they are a bit quirky compared to gas motors,but you adjust quickly..

I dont envy you as far as doing a motor swap in a van though...took me a month of weeknights to rip out the 250 six in my 81 G10 and convert it to a V8-(307 from a 73 chevelle)..the neat thing about chevy's is the fact almost ANY gm motor can be installed in their trucks.

.I've put everything from Olds motors to Caddy and Buick motors in them without a huge headache...but the vans are a suck pill to work on..hard to get at a lot of bolts and no clearance!..but I'm sure once your done you wont regret swapping the diesel in..until you fill it up for 2.49 a gallon!...but the mileage increase will help offset the higher price of fuel...and being able to run the 6.2 on used fryolator oil is a plus too..good luck,and post up your progress as you proceed!..

 

[75-K5]

Well I got the van, I didn't have time to go pull the 6.2 though. I must say I really like the van and the 6.5. At highway speeds you can't even hear the engine, it sounds and feels just like a gasser, but at idle it sounds awesome. I noticed the oil pressure hovers around 10-20 psi, is that too low? The gauge reads 80 max so I was worried that that was a little low. It needs an oil change though, I checked the oil before I drove it home and it was 2 quarts low and pitch black. Depending on what kind of mileage this things gets, I may use it as my commuter vehicle until I tear it apart to steal the engine.

 

[tRustyK5]

Probably a bad gauge or sender. My gauges showed my 6.2 had no oil pressure at idle and only 10 psi on the highway... yet there were no other symptoms of catastrohicly low oil pressure. I swapped gauge clusters and the new guage reads 55 psi cold at idle, ~70 psi while driving. When it's warm it makes 30-35 at idle and 45-50 on the highway.


I am going to switch to aftermarket guages just to be sure though...

Rene

 

[joez]

IIRC the later 6.5's have piston oil squirters that keel oil pressure low at idle. Not positive on this, but i do remember hearing it many times.

 

[diesel4me]

oil pressure..

My 82 K20 has a "bouncy" needle on the oil pressure gauge--it flutters wildly between 20-30 psi at idle,and after about 2000 rpm's it stops bouncing and reads steadier at 40 psi...I hope its just the gauge!(or sending unit)..its been like that since I bought it,so I doubt its a serious problem...I might swap in an aftermarket gauge someday,just to see if its the gauge itself..I drove it today for the first time in 2 months..helped a friend do a dump run--he was impressed at how quiet it runs!..

I really need to get busy finishing the body work I started--its got HOLES already,and it was rust free 2 years ago...