I was thiking of buying a 1995 1.5 ton truck with a 6.5 diesel in it. My questions are how much horse power/torq does it have and how reliable is it?

I was thiking of buying a 1995 1.5 ton truck with a 6.5 diesel in it. My questions are how much horse power/torq does it have and how reliable is it?

Kind of an open ended question...
Reliability all depends on the condition of the truck, miles, any mods, upgrades, how it was treated, etc... That truck I believe has horsepower @ rpm 190/3400, and Net torque@rpm 385/1700 at the crank...

Poke around on this site, look at the faq's http://dieselplace.com/forum/showthread.php?t=53309 and you can find a wealth of information.

Here are the horsepower/torqur curves for Chevy Engines:
http://www.gearvendors.com/cghptorque.html

This is a repost (slightly updated) from another thread:
http://dieselplace.com/forum/showthread.php?t=157644&page=2
I suggest you read the whole thread; I think you will find it useful.

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385,000 on my 94 Burb and I just love it. At least three Chevy-knowledgeable friends advised me NOT to get it. As far as I'm concerned, they just didn't know any better...they're GASSER guys, and all they know is the rumors they heard.

The 6.5 wasn't engineered quite right out of the factory. The 94's and 95's were the first two years of a new electronic fuel pump...and they were a disaster. They finally got the bugs worked out, and most all have been replaced by now. But the damage was done to the 6.5's reputation. Good for us, though...if you understand the quirks, they're good engines and you can get 'em cheap.

The compression ratio was too high at 21.7:1 (Cummins and FlowerCroaks were only 18:1) which translates to excess heat. Before 97, engine cooling wasn't adequate; you can upgrade a 92-96 to the '97 cooling mods for about 300 bucks. A 9-blade fan and low-temperature fan clutch don't hurt, either. While you're changing the water pump, you might also replace the timing chain with a Phaser gearset...the gears won't stretch like the chain; the gears will last the life of the engine and timing will stay more accurate.

You also need to relocate the PMD/FSD (Fuel Solenoid Driver, the black box on the side of the IP (injector pump)) because it overheats and shortens the life dramatically...you need to get it OUTside the engine compartment...mine is inside my front bumper.

Exhaust diameter was too small...an upgrade is a necessity.

That'll make it a good daily driver and light to medium hauler. If you want to haul heavy, you can upgrade power pretty easily by "chipping" it...replacing or reprogramming the PCM (Powertrain Control Module.) Before you do, you gotta have the other mods done (mentioned above) and also have a set of gauges installed...Exhaust Gas Temperature, Boost Pressure and Transmission Temperature, so you can monitor the effect of the extra power, and you know when to "back off" when climbing.

If you want to get *really* fancy, you can install 18:1 pistons.

The transmission will go at about 100-150k miles...when it does, spend an extra 500-700 bucks and get a Jet or other upgraded transmission, and you won't have any more problems with it with regular maintenance.

There are other mods you can make, but those will turn the truck into a reliable heavy hauler with great longevity.

Oh...and CHANGE THE OIL REGULARLY! 3000-3500 miles!!! I do, and I get my oil analyzed every fifth oil change...about every 15,000 miles...and they keep saying the engine is in GREAT shape.

My 2 cents...