• Welcome to The Truck Stop! We see you haven't REGISTERED yet.

    Your truck knowledge is missing!
    • Registration is FREE , all we need is your birthday and email. (We don't share ANY data with ANYONE)
    • We have tons of knowledge here for your diesel truck!
    • Post your own topics and reply to existing threads to help others out!
    • NO ADS! The site is fully functional and ad free!
    CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!

    Problems registering? Click here to contact us!

    Already registered, but need a PASSWORD RESET? CLICK HERE TO RESET YOUR PASSWORD!

Basic tune up on a 6.5???

heavrolet98

heavrolet98

New Member
Messages
41
Reaction score
0
Location
Sebring,FL
I'm picking up my first diesel ever in about an hour. Its a 97 K2500 with a 6.5TD. I want to do a basic tune up and just make sure its running as good as it can be. What all is involved in a tune up for a diesel? I do know that I want to change the fuel filter, what is a good replacement filter for this motor?
 
Hi Heavrolet!

There isn't much to tune-ups for these old girls... unless you need to do some serious maintenance.

Basic stuff, go ahead and change the fuel filter (I use Wix).. make sure you keep the GM ring and housing if the filter you buy has the all-in-one cap. (you might need the original one at some point)

You're done.

Just kidding...

Print out the checklist in my signature and use it as a guide... it tells you about most of the stuff you need to do. Fill it out as you go, ask about things as you go along, we'll help you out.

Stuff you want to make sure of, this time of year:

-- check your coolant level and concentration (on, I see you're not int he real world... not as big a deal down there)
-- clean all battery terminals - you should do the battery post mod
-- check your serpentine belt - small, lateral cracks on the inside are ok as long as they don't go right through, any longitudinal cracks mean you need to change it, check the tensioner to see if it is between the marks
-- clean grounds!! pay special attention to the strap at the back of the engine, passenger side
-- check your air filter, blow it out with air
-- pull your fuses, one at a time, clean the spades and clips, put 'em back. NalOx works great for this
-- ohm out your glow plugs and clean the spades
-- check your starter bolts to make sure they're tight... make sure you have the front bracket on the starter that holds it tight to the block
-- clean your radiator through and through (external) - use some foaming cleaner and a garden hose (not a pressure washer). Wash from back to front, take your time and let it soak. If you have overheating issues, we'll walk you through how to REALLY clean it.

That's all I can think of, off the top of my head. Once you have the whole checklist filled out, come back and post your findings here in this thread (copy/paste a checklist in a new post, then fill in the blanks with a different colour) and we'll all be able to 'see and hear' what you've done. More ideas by then, I'm sure.

Welcome to 6.5 country!
 
It is never clear, but, to clean the radiator you have to remove the grille and pull the oil coolers away from the condenser to clean the mat of built up stuff trapped between the oil coolers and condenser blocking airflow.

Fan clutch should be inspected and replaced if it is covered in it's own silicone blood. 5 years and fan clutches are shot anyway. Do not let your engine get over 210 degrees as this is a known max operating temperature before things start to crack. GM's gauge is calibrated for looser gas engines...
 
Well I picked her up today and everything looks good so far. I'll start going through that list tomorrow. For some reason the truck has 1.5inch spacers on the rear axle only and the wheels look even with the fronts. Theres no lift on it though so I can't figure it out. Are the DRW and SRW axles the same width? Heres the first pic I took.

2011-10-16164955.jpg
 
NVW said:
Nice looking truck!
Click to expand...
x2!

Looks like the front fenders have been drilled for flares; you might want to do that to the rears, too. Looking at the pic (hard to tell) it looks like the rear is riding a bit low, compared to the front. You want to check and make sure the axle stops won't let your tires hit your box, being offset like that.

As for anything else you find that needs attention, you won't find better technical resources than the guys around here; what they don't know, you don't need.

You are gonna have some fun with that truck, I think ... congrats!

Oh, and pics.. we like pics!
 
I had to increase the pic size for these old eyes to make sure, but there are holes in the rear fender for flares. I'm missing the drivers side front flare (have it but not installed yet) and get a huge amount of mud and crud all over the fender and mirror. With those wide tires you'll get the same mess so you may want to check into some flares.

Nice looking truck.

Don
 
Ya it came with the factory fender flares on it but the previous owner removed them and bought some aftermarket ones. He gave them to me, brand new in the box. I took one out once I got home just to see that they are cheapos that don't even cover the factory holes in the fenders. Where is a good place to pick up some factory flares? Besides the junk yard.
 
My normal maintenance, in the order of importance, is
Air filter
Oil change
Fuel filter

If you don't know when it was last changed, change the coolant.

Then you have the list of things to take care of

Relocate PMD to behind the front fender
Get rid of the plastic "snorkle"
Clean battery terminals. Whenever practical, replace stock connectors with the Bolt mod. If any of the cables look suspect, replace
Do something about the lift pump - relay mod, wire it to an override switch, or whatever
Block off vacuum to egr if equipped
Replace the leaking engine-to-heater house that has that quick disconnect fitting with a brass fitting and bulk hose
Change transmission fluid and filter. Mobil-1 full synthetic is the way to go

If I think of anything else ill post
 
my old truck is actually pretty nice. It has a ton of mods and its pretty fast. I guess he just wanted something different.
 
Both trucks are nice, I think you had a good trade though.

DieselCash said:
Yeah but, nothing is better than a Diesel! :agreed:
Click to expand...

Id have to agree, I dont really give a truck or tractor much of a look if it isnt a diesel. And thats because of my own experience.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top