New 6.5 1500 Suburban

[375 H&H]

it does make for some nice options. the 4L80e, hydroboost, and heavier brakes that comes with the 8 lug hubs are all good stuff

 

[hillbilly deluxe]

I wonder if a diesel suburban exists without 8 lugs. It definitely has the 14bsf, 1500 series gassers should have 10 bolts. I'd be really curious to see that spec page for '96. Now I wanna measure my frame... Maybe I'll get a cheapo caliper next time I'm at HF, would be good for checking brake parts anyway

The truck now has 265/75/16's on it. According to this calculator: http://www.1010tires.com/tiresizecalculator.asp?err=98&rsn=usr-snt-emty-str the tires I have on there now are just over an inch taller than stock.

I need to get my GPS and check the speedo, prolly off 5mph at 75. I noticed when I set the cruise at 75 I was passing everybody. My tach shows 2200 at 75mph, my K3500 with NV4500 and 4.10s shows 2500 at 75 IIRC (the speedo quit a year ago...)

I know this, commuting my K3500 to work I had time to expiriment with mpg. My commute was about 3/4 highway, 24 miles each way. I usually had to put in 28 gallons each fill up. If I did 75 on the highway I got 430 miles out of a tank (15.36mpg). If I drove 65 on the highway I got 500 miles or more on a tank (17.86mpg). Dropping speed to 55 improved it about one more mpg, but not enough to justify going that slow! I measured this on commuting alone, I didn't drive the truck anywhere else.

The 3.42 gears should be able to top those numbers, no problem!!

edit: I just figgered out what my truck is, it's a 5/8 ton! Maybe even 11/16 ton, but it's definitely not 1/2 or 3/4

 

[Big Ray]

Why do you call it a gov-bomb?

The gov-lok has a bit of a reputation for grenading. I did o.k. with the one I had, but it was my DD so I never really dogged it.

The are designed, IIRC, to spin a bit at first before locking up. You can imagine where that would be a problem with bigger (heavier) wheels & tires.

I reckin they do o.k. as long as you don't try any "extreme" 4 wheeling.


And, btw, you have an excellent truck!

P.S. what model snorkel do you have on the white 'burb?

 

[hillbilly deluxe]

Thanks! I saw a diagram of a gov-lok a long time ago but never had one in a truck before I got these last two. Funny I got two in a row that have them. It has a spring loaded weight so it takes some speed to get em to lock. Definitely the story on my K3500.

I forget exactly what model snorkel it is, but it's a Safari Snorkel I bought used from a member. I think it's for a land cruiser. IMO it's the best air intake you can get. I'd put one on the new '96 burb but there's no place to put the bracket on the a-pillar unlike the '73.

 

[kennyw]

I will have to see if I can see the specs on the pickups from the 70's and 80's again. I am pretty sure the 1/2 and 3/4 ton long bed truck frames were the same. I am not as familiar with the suburbans. Could just be CRS setting in too.

But, back to this Suburban... it sure sounds like an odd duck to me. If I would have looked at it, I would have assumed someone swapped parts based on the way it is setup. Were these part of a special government bulk order? I have seen some odd stuff on the Government auctions over the years.

 

[1BEATK5]

They are pretty common ( as far as diesel burbs go). I know of 3 of them. One my buddy owns.
No gov. Or wierdness. I can't remember seeing one of that vintage with 6 lugs

 

[hillbilly deluxe]

I went out and tested the "limited slip". It works great! It didn't take much wheel spin at all, in fact the first time it locked it did it so fast I didn't even notice it. Not like the one in my '93, that one takes alot of wheel spin before it locks and is very noticable. I think I'm gonna take it camping this weekend and test it out a bit.

 

[6.2Blazer]

Every 8-lug version of those era trucks I have every seen had the larger 9.25" front carrier, vs. the 8.25" version used in the 6-lugs (both 1/2 tons and the LD 3/4 tons). You can't simply swap the fronts between 6 and 8 lugs by changing the hubs like the older solid axles....at least in the ones I have seen. There are several parts that are not interchangeable. It's been discussed quite a bit on other forums that concentrate on the '88-newer IFS trucks (and you know everything on the internet is true).

Guess it could be some unique factory version that used the smaller 6-lug components with 8-lug hubs, but not sure why the factory would go to the hassle when they could just start from the beginning using the standard 8-lug stuff. Otherwise I would find it highly unlikely that somebody spent the time and money to convert it over to 8-lug because it's a very involved process that requires custom fabrication.

 

[hillbilly deluxe]

Guess it could be some unique factory version that used the smaller 6-lug components with 8-lug hubs, but not sure why the factory would go to the hassle when they could just start from the beginning using the standard 8-lug stuff. Otherwise I would find it highly unlikely that somebody spent the time and money to convert it over to 8-lug because it's a very involved process that requires custom fabrication.

I'm sure you are right. Everything on the inner-nets is always true

Took the beast camping over the weekend. All was good until we went wheeling on saturday. The motor started stalling and I had to take it back to camp. Guess the PMD is f-d now too.

 

[longbedder]

You're going to want to move the PMD somewhere besides the top of the intake (preferably out of the engine compartment entirely). Collective experience says that inside the front bumper is a good spot. Mine is mounted behind the license plate.

The PMD is a shaky design to begin with and heat is what eventually kills them. While not quite as hot as attached to the injection pump, on top of the intake is still not a cool location (especially after engine shutdown).

 

[eclipse85k10]

Nice looking td suburban. I didnt see if you fixed that hotair intake but S&B makes a nice airintake setup for the 6.5s

 

[hillbilly deluxe]

You're going to want to move the PMD somewhere besides the top of the intake (preferably out of the engine compartment entirely). Collective experience says that inside the front bumper is a good spot. Mine is mounted behind the license plate.

The PMD is a shaky design to begin with and heat is what eventually kills them. While not quite as hot as attached to the injection pump, on top of the intake is still not a cool location (especially after engine shutdown).

Got any pics of how you did it? How long of a cable did you get? Doesn't it get messed up if you hit puddles? When I bought the truck the guy I bought it from said the PMD was in the bumper and he went to a carwash and it got wet and died. He then installed the manifold unit, which is now croaking. Lift pump works fine, you can hear it running when waiting for the glow plugs and it pumps lots of fuel out the bleed hose while it's running.

I definitely want to put it outside the engine compartment. Everything under the hood was hot as hell when I opened the hood. I think if you're always moving down the road the manifold mount may be okay but it definitely can't creep along trails...

Funny I didn't notice, but it appears this truck is on it's (at least) third PMD. I thought the one over the driver's wheel well was a second computer, it's a dead PMD with the cable unplugged at the manifold.

Dying PMD. Note disconnected cable which leads to wheel well unit.


Dead PMD.

It's be nice if that cable was long enough to reach the bumper but it doesn't seem like it.

Nice looking td suburban. I didnt see if you fixed that hotair intake but S&B makes a nice airintake setup for the 6.5s

Thanks, I think it's gonna be a great rig for me after I get done doing all the maintenance the PO didn't.. I cut the elbow so it's not RIGHT next to the turbo anymore. I'm gonna get a turbo blanket too. Seems like a good way to reduce underhood temps and some people say the turbo spools faster.

 

[longbedder]

I don't have any pics currently, but I can probably take some this week. I got a 6-foot extension cable.

I haven't had any trouble with moisture. The PMD is sealed to the heatsink with a rubber gasket and water should not get in.

 

[hillbilly deluxe]

That'd be great, but don't trouble yourself. How long has you PMD lived in the bumper? I did a whole lot of reading after my last post and most people say it's the way to go. A few said they died anyway and blamed it on the 6' cable. Sounds kinda shaky to me, six feet is not that long. Kinda the opposite with engine compartment mounting, most said it was no good and a few said it worked fine.

BTW, I went out and pulled the cable off the dead PMD and it is 6'.

 

[hillbilly deluxe]

I installed some louvers to help it cool. They seem to work well. When you shut it down heat rolls out of them, and when it's running the fan forces air out of them. I'm sure folks will have differing opinions about how they look. I like them



I moved the PMD over to the wheel well. I know the bumper is better but this is easy access if it dies. Got a spare in the console now. With the louvers it doesn't sit there and get baked by the engine when I shut it down. Not sure why they thought the manifold was a good location.

 

[hillbilly deluxe]

Got these clear glass lens headlights on ebay for $80. With these and new low beams the headlights seem about twice as bright. I recommend.

 

[hillbilly deluxe]

No more hot air intake. Found a used box for like $30 on ebay. I know everybody says these don't flow enough but I can't figure a better way without spending a lot of money. I removed the coolant filter for now. It trapped a lot of crap. I will re-install it later, gonna need a good new location.

I also wrapped the turbo and the downpipe with some leftover exhaust wrap I had sitting around from the '73. It feels noticeably cooler under the hood.

 

[hillbilly deluxe]

Last but not least...

I bought Heath Diesel re-flashed PCM. It's awesome. Before I had it the truck would lose power climbing hills. It had the turbo master installed when I bought it. I cranked it up so it would make 14 psi and the truck ran awesome, mostly. Later I found out the the factory computer will cut the fuel if it sees more than 10 psi for a certain amount of time. So, cruising around town it was fine, but trying to climb passes sucked. I would start climbing the hill and it would run great then shut down. Couldn't get over 55-60 mph. And it would get warm... With the new PCM I can go 75 up Vail or Eisenhower pass AND it runs cooler! Amazing what a proper program can accomplish. No improvement in fuel economy, but I'm not suprised. Now that it runs better I probably put my foot in it more. Drop the hammer and you get a cloud of smoke followed by the whoosh of the turbo. I think if it had 4.11s it would squeal the tires. Now it runs like a turbo diesel!!

 

[campfire]

Lookin' sharp! That turbo does make a difference.
You have that EGT sensor hooked up to anything yet?

 

[hillbilly deluxe]

No EGT gauge yet I just never got around to it. I need to order another gauge and pod. I want to make sure the probe works, I can use the gauge out of my '93 to check it.

Gotta admire your dedication to the GM diesel! I think I'm gonna stop at two!