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reliable 6.5td

H

haakon

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HI,im reading about a lot of 6.5s here blowing up..will it happen to an original motor? lots of 6.5s i know has high mileage and ive never heard any of em blow..how reliable will my late 99 6.5td be in the future? its got 200000 miles on it now,only changed glow plugs..will it run another 200kmiles? no oil consumption..:)
 
Will it happen to an original motor - yes it can...but it might not.

My crystal ball is not working today, so I can't tell you how long yours will last...

I have had everything from headgaskets blowing out to blocks cracking to absolute catastrophic failure.

Some of the engines were completely stock and some were pushed beyond the limits of what a stock bottom end can handle....
 
It certainly has the ability to do it, especially seeing as it sounds like yours is good shape. But, like Chris said, it could blow up today.
 
some dieselguy told me its a good sign if a diesel sounds like a diesel and if its silent like a gasser it is probably worn out..
 
the 6.5 is probably a 350k mile rebuild. could be longer or shorter-but its a good engine. keep in mind no engine is perfect. from powerstrokes to cummins, they all have their faults and horrendous failures. they are no different than gassers, they will fail depending largely on how good a care you take of them.
 
The real question is what would you do if it blows up? Look at the cost of a used one, rebuild, install labor etc. Then look at the value of the vehicle and it's use.

Everyone has a good reason for pushing a vehicle over 200K. The best question and answer is if it is cost effective?

Before major repairs like an injection pump knowing it's condition is a factor in the decision. Oil samples and overall condition help you make that choice.
 
You got a good engine. Keep it and it will run for a long time.

My dad has one with over 300k and drove it around 30k to 50k a year. He has a piston rod gone out a couple of time but he got it fixed and keep running. When they open it up, there are some hairline crack on the head but it has not affect anything. It helps to have knowledge on what to fix and how to fix it though. Between he and I, we usually puts our head together if something seems wrong.
 
Generally if you keep up the maintenance and treat it nice, it will stay running, there are some motors that tend to go early, but generally if it has already made it to 200K it will be fine.
 
I bought mine with 148000 on the clock,, owned it 1 week and the crank became a 3 piece unit. It sill ran, but VERY rough. with that many miles,, I'd say check the harmonic balancer and replace it if needed, It should last along time.
 
no point in saying it again but im ganna if you treat it nice and maitian it will run for a long time. Im not sure what the failure is yet in mine its went last week and im ganna start taring into it on sat
 
Mine has 260,000 and runs like a top. " So Far" Ive only owned it for 3 months but it runs like a beast. I sold a 2005 Chevy 2500HD for a 1997 GMC K3500 dually diesel and haven't regretted it yet!!! I'm a converted diesel man now baby.....:dr:
 
My first one a 1994 6.5 non turbo went for 470000 and then sold it and its still running bought a 1998 6.5 turbo with 100000 with an brand new drop in engine and crank broke 3 pieces with about 3500miles on it. Not sure why??? rebuilt another block i had and stuck it in. They seem like they are good or a ticking time bomb
 
There are plenty of tales of guys getting 350K to 400K+

Do the reliability mods -

FSD relocate (preferably with Heath's kit)
Open the Exhaust up
Put on sway bars (my personal favorite mod)
Put on gauges

Stay conservative on your driving style.

Change the oil in a timely manner!

Change the oil in a timely manner!

Change the oil in a timely manner!

Yes, I meant that.

I am a bigger advocate of this than probably anything else. I have held off on doing extra filters and using synthetic because I have seen a lot of rigs with HIGH miles with NO problems, because they
Change the oil in a timely manner!
Change the oil in a timely manner!
Change the oil in a timely manner!

-Rob :)
 
Rob how about elaborating what a timely manner is...Please?

I run mine avg 500 miles a week. I just added my 2nd qt, the oil now has almost 5K on it, I was planning to change it every 6~7K. I am running 15/40 dino oil.

Is that too long between changes?

Most all of my miles are on the expressway, not towing anything, this is my daily driver, approximately 95 mile round trip a day to work.
 
I change mine every 3k miles, I have a lot of short trips though. With 500 mile weeks you are probably fine with 5-6k oil changes.
 
Yep... short trips, working them hard, dust and dirty conditions, all those things shorten up the intervals. It would be nice to have an FS2000 and easy oil analysis, but ya know, it's easier just to change the stuff a lot.

***on edit: Especially if you have a nice big shop like my good friend Leo has! :D
 
Crankme69 said:
Rob how about elaborating what a timely manner is...Please?

I run mine avg 500 miles a week. I just added my 2nd qt, the oil now has almost 5K on it, I was planning to change it every 6~7K. I am running 15/40 dino oil.

Is that too long between changes?

Most all of my miles are on the expressway, not towing anything, this is my daily driver, approximately 95 mile round trip a day to work.
Click to expand...
If you aren't using any oil between changes and with nearly all highway driving, you should be good at around 6k using 15W40 (Rotella or Delo I presume). You could PM Ashton (Wrecker) "the oil geek" and ask his opinion as well... Wealth of knowledge there. I run 95% highway with my Dmax and make my Rotella 15W40 changes at 6-7k. Same weather as you obviously.

Just a note: If you have an electronic odometer, with everything off, hold the trip button in for 5 seconds or so to see your hours. Divide miles by hours to see the average mph. If it's around 40 you have a highway truck. It should live longer than say, one that idled alot and averaged 25.
 
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