Hi all...
I will be making my final selection on my truck with-in the next 2 wks. I've looked at a 2000 F250 crewXLT w/V10, a 99 2500 Chevy crew w/6.5lt diesel, and a Dodge 2500 quadcab w/Hemi. (2003)

Now I found this 2000 Chevy dually crewcab with the 454. Its a very nice looking truck and probably has one of the better rides inside.. (comfort wise)
My questions are this: Does anyone know what the specs are on this year's 454? (2000)(HP and TQ)?
Does anyone know what kind of gas mileage I can expect? Atleast equal to the Ford's V10?

I pull a 7k lb TT about 8 - 10 times/year and a 5500lb cargo trailer at work about 12 times a year or so....

Other than that, I do alot of driving for work that doesnt require such a big powerhouse (gas sucker)....
So, i'm trying to find a happy medium....
Thanks!

Any other truck you all would recomend I look at? It's gotta be a crew cab and i'm looking at used in my attempts to stay under $22k....
Thanks again..

out of the 4 trucks you have described, the 99 chevy with the 6.5 will probably suit you best. the 6.5 has plenty of power to pull what you need and there are tons of mods you can do and you will get regularly between 16-20 mpg. the 454 will get probably half the mileage that the 6.5 will get. if you go gas then i would definately say the 454. ford and dodge v10's cant hold a candle to a chevy big block.

Thanks for the quick responce..
I really liked that 99 Chevy but I was told that it would barely have enough power (190hp) (? tq) to do what I would need it to do...
Also I was turned off by all the talk of having to relocate the PSD(?) or whatever to a different place on the engine, and then all the talk about Chevy Injectors on certain year diesles being problematic....

Thanks for the quick responce..
I really liked that 99 Chevy but I was told that it would barely have enough power (190hp) (? tq) to do what I would need it to do...
Also I was turned off by all the talk of having to relocate the PSD(?) or whatever to a different place on the engine, and then all the talk about Chevy Injectors on certain year diesles being problematic....


GM went to a electronically controlled injector pump on the 6.5 in the early 90's and it had some teething issues. All diesels have injector pump problems sometime in there life, it is the nature of the beast. The 6.5 is a improved 6.2 and mechically it is a stout and proven engine. HP ratings can be misleading because its 190 hp is developed at a little over 3000 RPM and at that same rpm a stock 454 does not really have any more power either so that 190 hp can do a lot of damage so to speak.

I'd go with the 2000 454 Dually.

It is a 290hp and 410Tq Vortec engine.

Assuming it has 4.10's and stock tires, you can expect 12-15 highway, and 9-12 towing, depending on your load and how heavy your foot.

The reliability of the 6.5 isn't up to where I'd feel comfortable with it. You can spend a lot of extra money on gas to pay for just one injection pump (when it's out of warranty). The last years of the 454 were their best, and a lot of little nuances that earlier TBI's had are all gone with the Vortec's.

Good Luck

The reliability of the 6.5 isn't up to where I'd feel comfortable with it. You can spend a lot of extra money on gas to pay for just one injection pump (when it's out of warranty).


Not so sure about that, I was in another forum a few days ago where a guy had nearly 230,000 on a 96 6.5 and was just starting to have pump problems. They all have pump problems sooner or later as that and injectors is their weakness. My Vet has owned a few (he works with livestock too) and he has put over 150k on a few of them with no problems. He is due a new truck but is switching back to gas because he cannot justify the hefty price increase on Dmax over what the 6.5 costed in the past.

Stick with the 2000, 454. I had a 1999 crew cab dually with the 454. I put 100,000 miles on that puppy towing and plowing snow and it never missed a beat. I averaged 14mpg city/hwy empty. When towing my enclosed race trailer, slightly over 10,00lbs loaded, I would get 8 to 9mpg running 75 to 80 mph on the freeway.


Before that 454 I had a 1997 crew cab dually 6.5t.d. and it was nothing but problems. Stay away from the 6.5's if your going to do regular towing. I had 2 injection pumps replaced on mine within 50,000 miles of each other. Sold that truck at 100,000 miles also.


I now have a new lly max, and love it so far. I only have 12,000 miles on it so I can't attest to its longjevity yet. but it has ALOT of power.

Not so sure about that, I was in another forum a few days ago where a guy had nearly 230,000 on a 96 6.5 and was just starting to have pump problems. They all have pump problems sooner or later as that and injectors is their weakness. My Vet has owned a few (he works with livestock too) and he has put over 150k on a few of them with no problems.

There may be a few, but generally, those high milage examples are EXCEPTIONS.

The GM Diesel Fourms (all of them) were generally started to deal with the PROBLEMS that these engines develop.

* Injection pump
* Injectors
* FSD
* Cooling issues
* Head Gaskets
* Glow Plugs
* Broken Crankshafts! (When's the last time you heard of a 454 BREAKING its crankshaft in half!?)

Modifications were developed to improve said problems, but most are a band-aid rather than a total cure.

Ask anyone who has owned a 6.5 long term, and then switched to a Duramax or another brand diesel if they would recommend a 6.5 over a 454 wholeheartedly.


I'm not bashing the 6.5, just stepping back and looking at the "whole picture". http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Hug.gif

I know a guy that switched for a 6.5 to a Dmax and blew two of them in a year towing a bob cat! I know of several old 6.2 and 6.5 plugging around here. Jury is still out on where the Dmax will be 5 to 7 years from now in overall reliabily as the oldest ones are coming up on only 4 years old. Time will tell and everything breaks sooner or later.

you have to remember that the dmax is a relatively new motor and will have a few bugs to work out. It was built and designed from the ground up. The manufacturers do a lot of testing off the camera but end up getting most of the tests done via the market. That is why we get so many updates as the years go by. I currently own a 93 chevy suburban with a 454 that has over 200k on the drive train. However, the 6.5 is merely an improvement over the 6.2.


I have been passed time and again by 6.5's towing similar loads. It really depends on how one feels about gas or diesel. I have had success with both and use them to handle loads as the situation depicts the most suitable vehicle. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/HiHi.gif


I guess what I am trying to say is that you can modify any engine to perform the way that you want it to. it just depends on how much of the green stuff you are willing to part with. I could easily set the 454 to out perform a 6.5 with the right mods as well as the other way around.


good luck on your choice


Robert