Our volunteer fire department is thinking about buying a 95 Grumman van body with a Naturally aspirated 6.5L in it. It won't get very much use. Can anyone tell me if there are any things to look for with this motor. It is mated to a 4 speed Allison. Are there any common problems to look for? It has 100,000 miles on it.


We are a small town and can't really afford much more then this. We can't afford to make any mistakes. We plan on converting it into an equipment hauler. It will sit for months at a time but when it is needed it has to be able to handle cold starts and up to 20 mile trips as fast as it will go.


Any help will be greatly appreciated.


http://www.canadatrader.com/trader/result/affich.asp?rubno=4 (http://www.canadatrader.com/trader/result/affich.asp?rubno=4100&r=%27MAN%27&ste=&sid=&issr=1 &yfr=0&yto=0&kfr=0&kto=0&pfr=0&pto=0&dm=1&dp=8&mk= &md=&kw=grumman&or=0&oby=7&pg=1&vid=2158271) 100&r=%27MAN%27&ste=&sid=&issr=1&yfr=0&a mp;yto=0&kfr=0&kto=0&pfr=0&pto=0&dm=1&am p;dp=8&mk=&md=&kw=grumman&or=0&oby=7&amp ;pg=1&vid=2158271Edited by: Max Power

Hmmm.... Sitting for a month at a time won't help it to get there as fast as it can but These trucks do start a little eaiser with their higher compression ratios (21.3:1). The maintainence on the fuel system could make or break it.

Geared properly I assume this van shouldn't have any trouble doing 60mph? I've never driven a NA 6.5L.

N/A 6.5, most likely a 5088 pump, they actually make surprisingly comparable power compared to the turbo models. Check startability hot and cold, check for smoke, if everythings checks out there then motor/fuel system should be OK. Its a pretty reliable setup.

YEA What he said

Thanks guys. Would you consider this to be a fairly reliable motor? We don't ask a lot of it but when we need it, we need to make it to the scene.

Just read this page and you can beat most problems this engine will have. It's mostly sensor that will fail.

if it were mine and it was going to sit around a lot, i would still try to drive it a little once a week or so.

Thanks guys. I am going to pop in unannounced and see how this things starts cold. If I call I am sure they will start it before I come.


We are going to try our best to run these trucks every week or so.

correct me if im wrong guys, but the doesnt the military use these engines in the humvees, a little differnt than the na 6.5 but they must be fairly reliable.

Reliable, relativly inexpensive for a TD and available in numbers. Contractor's dream.

Mechanical Pump, much less likely to have problems with, and cheaper when you do, and no turbo to fail, means longer engine life. I don't think you can beat it for what your looking for.

As for the 6.5s use in military applications, I think one phrase sums up everything the military buys, lowest bidder.