what gas engine can I use inplace of the 6.5 diesel in '97 chyenne?

[klover]

I burned up my 6.5 (oil analysis shows high Fe, overheated, knocking) turbo charged diesel in my k2500 (automatic transmission).

I would like to put in a 4.3 L all cast iron gas engine in it's place. I plan to make a 4 wheel drive farm only vehicle out of this thing.

I found an old '93 1500 Chyenne pickup with a 4.3 in it, and would love to have an interchangeable engine for both trucks.

 

[Will L.]

Electrical for gas engine would be needed out of the donor truck. You will need to put in a manual throttle iirc I dont remember fly by wire on the 4.3. You will need the fuel tank and pump & fuel filter of the donor truck. Idk about the gauges, i would just go all manual for them. What tranny are using? Auto will require a stand alone computer, manual will take a different flywheel/clutch.

Do you have a rolled truck as a donor or something? This is an unusual exchange.

 

[klover]

Electrical for gas engine would be needed out of the donor truck. You will need to put in a manual throttle iirc I dont remember fly by wire on the 4.3. You will need the fuel tank and pump & fuel filter of the donor truck. Idk about the gauges, i would just go all manual for them. What tranny are using? Auto will require a stand alone computer, manual will take a different flywheel/clutch.

Do you have a rolled truck as a donor or something? This is an unusual exchange.

No, just the rest of the '97 is very nice and straight. I am very gun shy of the 6.5 with all I have read and experienced about it. What would be good is a very reliable/cheap 4x4 on the farm; power is not an issue.
Probably I would want to go with the automatic transmission already in the '97.
It is starting to sound as if I should get another 6.5 long block or get rid of the whole thing.
Thanks for your reply, and all others are very welcome.

 

[dka99burb]

Grab a 6.2L if you want cheap. Most everything should bolt up. Should make a good farm truck cheap.

 

[Ed HD]

4.3L would struggle in front of the 4L80E I'd think, that's a big trans to turn. You'd want at least a 350 (5.7L). Otherwise you'd be best off getting a good 6.5 put in, or selling it as-is and buying a gas or newer diesel truck. Every truck is going to have it's issues, you can build the 6.5 to be a good reliable engine, you just need to know what to do to make it that way, and the guys around here can help you with that.

 

[GM Guy]

do NOT be gun-shy about the 6.5L. we farm a couple hundred acres (boy doesnt that sound impressive 210 acres of dryland in dry-ass western KS is the reality. dont go thinking we are BTOs!), and have 6.5L farm trucks. they are very easy on fuel, wont catch a field on fire like a gasser, and if purely off road and on farm, can run on red diesel like the tractor. plus, with the guidance of the knowledgeable folks here, they are easy on cash too. if maintained, and not neglected (neglect is the biggest mistake that turns an otherwise reliable and economical engine into a bottomless moneypit that is also un-reliable and gutless) they can be repaired for not much money.

so basically, I have 10+ pickups, 5 are tagged, all are 6.5L diesel (and one 6.2L) and only one is a gasser, and that is the 91 C1500 chevy. so while I love the 4.3L, I would highly suggest keeping the 6.5L. search craigslist, put a lightly used AMG optimizer in for under 3 grand from teds on ebay, get a boyce 6.2L, etc.

The 6.5L is a great ol engine if used within its design, and if built properly or babied, it can be taken well beyond its factory recommended limits. I do the cheap, easy, and slow, which is baby it, and I have nursed my stock 6.5L's loaded to 18,000 lbs into california, nevada, etc. all over the west delivering farm equipment, and they have done nothing but serve well. I am running basically bone stock, and I change my conventional oil every 3,000 miles, as I know it gets a workout. I change dampers when they go bad, try to keep a clean cooling stack, etc.

the horror stories you hear are usually dummies who wire the wastegate shut on a wore out neglected pickup, change oil every 10,000 miles with no additional filtration or synthetic oil, and hook a giant trailer and plant it too the floor in OD and peg the temp guage, leave a failing damper on, dont maintain the WP t-stats and rad, then blow it up and bitch.

The best advice you will receive from the knowledgeable folks here is fix it up before hopping it up, as in repair, maintain, and lay the groundwork for power before adding power.

good luck!

 

[Will L.]

I am very gun shy of the 6.5 with all I have read and experienced about it.

Obviously you just experienced some damage, but what happened? How are you set up?

There is a lot diesel talent on this site, let them know what you have, and what your needing the truck to do. If the 6.2/ 6.5 is wrong for you they will let you know to sell it. Heck this is probably the best place to sell it if thats what you do.

Most of the information that is out there regarding problems and low reliability on the 6.5 is incorrect.
These engines will take a beating, trust me I've done my share of it and plenty of guys that play kill the humvee in the military.

 

[WarWagon]

:suicide: I'll take a 6.2 NA any day of the week over the TBI 4.3L anemic V6. Fuel economy is way better on the 6.2. A 6.5 is a pleasure over the 4.3L TBI. The Port injection Vortec was a better V6 for power. The V6 just has to work too hard and sucks fuel doing so. With any luck that 93 you found isn't the gutless POS one I owned...

You can slam a military take out 6.2 longblock in place of the 6.5 for $2K with headstuds and a new starter.

Gas to diesel or other way around are $ black holes for electrical, sensors, computers, fuel pumps, fan shroud...

 

[DieselSlug]

Here in New York State it is not allowed to convert a newer vehicle that is OBD-2 to OBD-1. The truck your looking into getting will be OBD-1 thus pre-emissions, the 97 your installing it in is OBD-2. The harness form your 93 will not work correctly with the emissions equipment needed, and might not plug into the 4l80E connectors because that engine was only offered with the 4l60E transmission. You would need a PCM out of a newer truck to make it work also. Then again if you were not to drive this vehicle on the road then emissions wouldn't matter. Way too much work involved to be worth any negative gains like that.

It would be way easier to find a 96 and up truck with a 5.7 gasser like said. There are more to come by plus you can use the harness and PCM from that truck too.