6.5 Turbo Diesel any good?

char · December 2, 2004

I am looking at a 1999 Suburban 4wd with the 6.5 Turbo diesel with 82K on it. Does this engine have any problems I should be aware of? What sort of MPG should I get out of it? What sort of life span? They want $16K for the truck. It is VERY clean.

thanks

GM-Tech · December 2, 2004

The engine mechanically has been very good. The injector pump is another story. The pump is the biggest POS ever made. We've had trucks that have had 3, 4, 5 pumps replaced in them.

Personally, I wouldn't buy a 6.5L turbo on a bet.

MS3DALE · December 2, 2004

Yep,I would have to agree with GM-Tech,We here to at our dealership have gone through countless injector pumps on trucks and vans,If you could find a good aftermarket pump that is somewhat "bulletproof" its a darn good engine,And when there running at top-notch they run great.

Shawn T · December 2, 2004

You might want to post in the HD forum. There are a few guys that are very educated on these engines. If I remember right GM has some kind of clause that gives a 200K mile warranty on the pump replacement itself. There is probably an aftermarket company that makes a good pump too. 16K sounds pretty reasonable for a Sub that only has 82K on it. Is it loaded? Is it in good condition? Like I said, post this topic in HD and see if you can get some detail(not saying there is no one here with tons of experience with this motor). I just remember this topic over there and it got tons of really good responses. Good luck!

GM-Tech · December 2, 2004

If I remember right GM has some kind of clause that gives a 200K mile warranty on the pump replacement itself.
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You're thinking of the injectors on the Duramax. Have had a lot of problems with those leaking and they're covering those to 200k. The 6.5 Turbo also has a special policy on the injector pump, but it's only to 120k.

The worst part is, we have to call and get approval to replace the 6.5 pump and that's not always easy. We have to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the pump is bad. Most are intermittent problems and difficult to give them the data they want. Not too long ago a guy with a landscaping company left his truck with us for two weeks while I battled to get a pump for it. They sure ran me through the hoops and I talked to 4 or 5 different reps, team leaders, etc. They finally relented and sent me a pump, but he was without his truck for two weeks while this went on.

So the extra warranty on the pump is nice... if you have a hard failure that is easy to prove.