Okay so I have had my truck for about 8 months now and I have done a lot of work to make it a lot more powerful and reliable truck but, I got out my 24 foot sled trailer loaded with four sleds and went up snowmobiling; it tows better but not that great. The trailer is only 2400 pounds and then four sleds at about 500 pounds a piece so 4400 pounds plus more for four passengers and gear. My question is with all the mods going 65 down the highway required 10 pounds of boost and between 800-900 EGT; then I got to the big hill. I had to drop the tranny down a to third then second a father up the hill, but I was reaching about 1200 degrees and pushing about 15 pounds of boost and I could only go up the hill at 40 miles an hour. Does this sound right for only this much weight, I have read about people pulling way more with there 6.5. Do I need to look at water/meth injection or maybe propane. Oh yea the truck has PMD, 4" exhaust, intake, chip, gauges, cooling upgrades all from SS Diesel Supply. Sorry for the long post any help is appreciated. Oh and the motor never got over 200 degrees on the big pull, cooling upgrades did awsome. Just need more power.

you could have something wrong....but i doubt it.

Pulling snowmobiles is for some reason one of the hardest things to do....dont know why.

I was pulling a 2 place trailer with 2 sleds on it out to WY with my dmax with edge chip on level 4. I got an engine code and it called out for overboost. I tried level 2 and then stock setting but still was pulling hard.

It was really windy and i was a 20-22 psi of boost trying to maintain 65-70 mph. We stopped and got the code read, put in a new fuel filer, got back on the interstate and same thing. I got about 10 MPG on that trip. Its pulled and worked fine before and after the trip.

Total weight being pulled was around 1500 lbs. Crazy aint it??

I can pull our skidder (8500#) no problem when windy.

Has something to do with the 8' wide trailer or something.

The intake is likely hurting more than helping.

Should I go back to the stock intake, or does someone make a cold air intake?

Gotta like all those SSD things...

You are pulling in cold air, which will actually make your SSD air intake almost work right, but yeah, it isn't really helping you out all that much. Try putting the stock one back on... The 80 hp chip isn't, either.

With a 3500, you should have decent rear-end ratio; your truck should NOT be having that much problem with that little load. What are your trailer tires/axles like? Lots of people have issues with snowmobile trailers that are caused by the trailer, not the load.

For what it's worth, I pull a 30' fifth wheel, big high front with lots of wind resistance, with less problems than you describe. With the truck in my sig.

About the only thing to consider (other than trailer drag) is the lower cetane rating of winter fuel... and you can put in some additive to correct for that.

Just another thing i forgot...

My boss pulled the same 2 place with his 5.3

It was in and out of OD constantly with a occasional downshift to 2nd....getting 6 MPG pulling these sleds....70-75 MPH..... It almost doesnt seem right when the tach bounces up to the 5200 mark.....screaming like crazy.

Trust me....its the sleds....like i said i have no problem pulling a skid loader.

Going sledding usually means you're gaining altitude to reach the snow. All uphill can really knock your speed back. I tow strong with four sleds, horses or whatever until the going gets steep and then its time to sit back and enjoy the scenery. The only advantage to pulling sleds is the air temp is usually lower, so it takes longer to max out my EGTs. Mileage usually suffers, but my foot is pretty deep in the throttle. Did you notice any difference going home? I'm usually tired and not in so much of a hurry.

Trust me....its the sleds....like i said i have no problem pulling a skid loader.

Oh, I believe you, Jodean... just can't figure out a good reason WHY. Do you pull your loader in the same hills, and with the same trailer?

The altitude will be the same, the lower ambient temperatures will HELP... and sleds have no wind resistance.

Just sounds wrong, ya know?

They way home was the same story also, 10 psi of boost and between 800-900 EGT temps. It just seems like the truck has to work to hard. In town I can even get on it(2/3-3/4) pedal and I will see 1000-1100 degrees in seconds on the EGT's and thats completely empty in town. If I remember right going down the freeway at 65 empty it was around 3-4 psi of boost and more like 600-700 on the EGT. I guess mainly I am wondering if there is something wrong I need to fix or if I should look into the water/meth to keep EGT's down, and propane for the extra power on the hill. Thanks

They way home was the same story also, 10 psi of boost and between 800-900 EGT temps. It just seems like the truck has to work to hard. In town I can even get on it(2/3-3/4) pedal and I will see 1000-1100 degrees in seconds on the EGT's and thats completely empty in town. If I remember right going down the freeway at 65 empty it was around 3-4 psi of boost and more like 600-700 on the EGT. I guess mainly I am wondering if there is something wrong I need to fix or if I should look into the water/meth to keep EGT's down, and propane for the extra power on the hill. Thanks

Honestly i'd say look into a Heath chip for towing. He has one specially made for towing, the GLE. it will keep both your EGTs down(i've got the GL4 performance one and i can't get EGTs over 900 without really holdign the pedal to the floor) and adjust your fuel curves and trans shift points to keep the engine in the powerband.

Well this trip was from SD to WY

We got 10 MPG pulling 2 sleds with a dmax.

With the same truck ive pulled a 24' gooseneck with two jeeps on it both with lifts and big tires. I get around 11-12 MPG pulling this setup. This trip is shorter though, all the way across SD, but that includes the hills past Rapid city.

Sleds on a trailer are about the least aerodynamic thing you will ever tow. Ever pull a four place with the covers over your sleds? The will be shredded in 50-100 miles from all the buffeting wind. Look to see all of the places snow will get trapped in the sleds as you go home!
Also, it wouldn't hurt to check the trailer's will bearing and brakes. It doesn't take a lot of brake drag to trash your mileage and power...

I'll be darned. I never pull a trailer with sleds, just this big-faced 5er and a gooseneck with a bobcat on it. Oh, and some horses for a friend, once... now THOSE are heavy.

I never figured sleds would be that much of a drag. Now I'm gonna have to go out and borrow somebody's trailer and sleds and try it out!

Ya thats something I would like to know to, cause I always thought the sleds would be nothing cause there light compared to the stuff other people are pulling......but duramaxwannabe is right covers will shred in no time at all.

oh yea......so would an enclosed 4 place be easier to pull? I haven't bought one because they are about 1100 pounds heavier empty than the open deck 4 place. I guess that might be the way to go if it pulls easier.

What elevation are you at? That's gotta make a difference.

oh yea......so would an enclosed 4 place be easier to pull? I haven't bought one because they are about 1100 pounds heavier empty than the open deck 4 place. I guess that might be the way to go if it pulls easier.

The enclosed will pull easier than a 4 place open. Get a short (height wise) one if you can....most guys want a full 7' tall one so they can use it for other things. Plus the open trailer gets your sleds all dirty on the way there.

I agree with checking the wheel resistance of bearings and brakes. Sled trailers take a lot of abuse, wet, cold, salt, then sit for 6 months. My brakes were trashed in about 5 years, rusted out, not worn out.

When I was in Alaska everybody I saw that had snowmobile trailers had flatbeds that were low to the ground and very wide. The snowmobile's depending on vehicle never stuck out higher than the truck, maybe wider.

What am I missing here? Have they changed these trailers? I did leave Alaska in 1999. Anybody got the style of trailer you are talking about in a picture?

Thanks,

Do you have trailer tires or car tires on there?
No way should it be harder to tow than the skid steer.
Aerodynamics on the loader are way worse, need to check the trailer out.

Ill try to load a pic of my trailer tonight, it has 15" car tires on it. My elevation here is just under 5000 and we climbed to about 6800.

Heres what gave me the god awful 10 MPG

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m92/JodeanSS/IMG_0551.jpg

And no its not a problem with the truck, i normally get 16-20 MPG empty and like said 11-12 MPG pulling a 24ft gooseneck with 2 rock crawlers on it....est weight of 12,000 lbs.

And heres what most guys pull......i couldnt fint a pic of the 4' tall enclosed.

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-2009-4-Place-8-5-x-25-V-Nose-Snowmobile-Trailer_W0QQitemZ180308191686QQihZ008QQcategoryZ95 495QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I do not have the elevation or the fancy gauges, but I have pulled 4k plus of scrap iron and have had no problems, 4k in scrap cable that was pile over 10 feet high on my 16 ft trailer and no problems. WIERD

Were you in 4wd or 2 wd? 4 wd sucks a lot of fuel and horsepower. Running in snow also causes lots of drag.

I won't argue that the aerodynamics of the sleds on an open trailer is bad, but I can't imagine your loader having super sleek aerodynamics either. I still keep going back to the trailer. You might have wheelbearings going bad, or an alignment problem with an axle you could be creating drag. I know those flimsy axles don't need much of a bump to bend them. Any unusual wear on the tires? That's another thing to consider, I asume you have those little fat tires made to go under the deck and keep it low? Those tires are crap, they are not made as well or as round as regular tires, and are made to keep the weight down, not to ride nice. Nobody balances trailer tires, but if you had regular 14 or 15" wheels on there I'd say try it, it couldn't hurt. And if you think about it, those little wheels are spinning a million times faster than your truck tires. Which is why they don't last
.
First I'd pull all the wheels and inspect the bearings. Replace or repack as needed. Inspect the tread for unusual wear. If you can, crawl under and take some measurements diagonally, to see if the axles are "square" to the truck and each other. If it's not towing straight you're dragging it. Weight distribution is very important also, but I'm sure you already know that if you tow a loader.
Lastly, I'd sell that trailer and buy a nice enclosed V-nose like in that ebay picture. If you can get away from those crappy little tires and axles, and get some aero at the same time, it's going to work in your favor. Not to mention the security and protection the enclosed offers.

I've had the same experience. I get about 10 pulling an enclosed 2 place and it seems to be easier to pull loaded as than empty. I get the same pulling a 30 foot gooseneck at 16K(loaded with skidsteer and attachments). I'm convinced that lack of inertia is the problem. If your tires could hold it adding about 5K to the trailer would probably help. The wind resistance and the light weight of the trailer is no good. The skid steer's weight helps push itself though the wind. Harder to get going but easier to maintain. Assuming your not pulling a hill the whole time.

Your power and egt's sound normal to me .

Heres what gave me the god awful 10 MPG

http://rover.ebay.com/ar/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?mpt=208010229&adtype=1&size=1x1&type=3&campid=5336116667&toolid=10001 http://cgi.ebay.com/New-2009-4-Place-8-5-x-25-V-Nose-Snowmobile-Trailer_W0QQitemZ180308191686QQihZ008QQcategoryZ95 495QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Oh OK! The trailer in the pic is the same they used when I was in Alaska.
The one on fleebay is not!

What about head winds? I know wind will play havoc on everything!

Wish you luck on fixing the problem! Thanks for the pics!!:)

I'll be darned. I never pull a trailer with sleds, just this big-faced 5er and a gooseneck with a bobcat on it. Oh, and some horses for a friend, once... now THOSE are heavy.

I never figured sleds would be that much of a drag. Now I'm gonna have to go out and borrow somebody's trailer and sleds and try it out!


Let us know how that goes.
Thanx
Joe

A very interesting premise that sounds quite plausible. It would be a nifty thing to put to the test but I'd have to substitute something for the snowmobiles around here...

It's curious to me that snowmobiles could produce so much drag when it seems they are designed to be aerodynamic. I could see how those extremely wide trailers on short little tires may produce a fair amount of suction (drag) on the road, though.

I know my 20' equipment trailer w/ ramps up and hauling a tractor w/ FEL, tillovator, and sporting a full glass cab rolls pretty easy and it's not particularly aerodynamic. It's between 9k and 10k running 65mph to 75mph on the flats and 45mph on hills - with 3.42 gears. 14.6mpg. Trailer tires are about 32.5 inches tall and very narrow w/ 70lbs of air.

I vote you ditch the toy trailer and get an equipment trailer :D.

Chaser

I'm convinced that lack of inertia is the problem. If your tires could hold it adding about 5K to the trailer would probably help. The wind resistance and the light weight of the trailer is no good. The skid steer's weight helps push itself though the wind. Harder to get going but easier to maintain. Assuming your not pulling a hill the whole time.

Do you guys think my lift pump could be not working? Or would it not even do what it is doing with the lift pump not working? I will probably check it out over the long weekend just to make sure.

Okay I checked everything on the trailer, bearing seals, tires(which are 15") and made sure everything was square. Everything checked out good. I am going again this weekend with the same setup, I will take more notes and get some pics. I went last weekend and took my 2 place and only 2 sleds and things were about the same getting there as far as boost and EGT but I flew up the hill at 60 and it didn't even really phase the truck. SO I am going to try it all again with the four place and four sleds and I will keep you all posted. Thanks.

Also how much of a drag do you think my shell is creating?? It is one of those high top ones that goes above the height of the cab.

You should may be put an intercooler, or upgrade to the ******* turbo : more boost, less high EGT

Have you tried swapping out that 80HP chip for the stock one?
I had a friend who's truck never ran right with that chip in it.
Free to check......

You should may be put an intercooler, or upgrade to the ******* turbo : more boost, less high EGT
Now what do you know about the ***, you haven't got yours yet.:p:

Now what do you know about the ***, you haven't got yours yet.:p:

I told you I hate you :gr_grin:
and the post office too, and the customs too for making things so long---:whip:

I told you I hate you :gr_grin:
and the post office too, and the customs too for making things so long---:whip:
Patience is a virtue. Living where you do you must need it. On the bright side, I would trade you my *** for your weather right now.:) Leo

If I load my car hauler tounge heavy To make the truck carry to much it will pull hard. How level is the deck when loaded? It could act like a wing adding a lot of tounge weight. The faster you go the worse it would be. The deck it self if flat should cut the air with little effort nose down you might get down force. Tail down might lift the whole trailer that would be 4400# on the ball. Over loaded tires are hard to roll.

Have you tried swapping out that 80HP chip for the stock one?
I had a friend who's truck never ran right with that chip in it.
Free to check......

Who's chip was it?

I had the same experiance in my old trans am I had. It ran a little faster at the track without the chip in it. Of course, I was using the Hypercrap chip.

I've had the same experience. I get about 10 pulling an enclosed 2 place and it seems to be easier to pull loaded as than empty. I get the same pulling a 30 foot gooseneck at 16K(loaded with skidsteer and attachments). I'm convinced that lack of inertia is the problem. If your tires could hold it adding about 5K to the trailer would probably help. The wind resistance and the light weight of the trailer is no good. The skid steer's weight helps push itself though the wind. Harder to get going but easier to maintain. Assuming your not pulling a hill the whole time.

i got to thinking about this yesterday, as i have had a similar issue. then it occured to me just as it did to busterman. Inertia or momentum. it was much easier to pull our 28' enclosed trailer with race car totaling about 8k or 9k lbs. than it was to pull an open trailer weighing 3k or 4k. then i recalled that it took a lot less go pedal to keep the load moving. this was in my 02 6.0 gasser. never measured mileage on a light trailer as i never went far, but the 28' trailer brought me to about 9 mpg. yes teh 28' was hard to go from a stop but again, didnt take as much power to keep it moving once i was up to highway speeds, 60 - 80mph. (96kph - 128kph)

Well it was weird but the truck did better, not great but better. It was the same story going there 10 PSI of boost and 800-900 EGT's but on the hill I left it in 3rd and gave it more pedal than last time to keep from dropping to 2nd. The EGT's raised and raised but I keep a close eye and stayed on it. The EGT's leveled out at 1200 and I maintaned 50 miles an hour. At one spot where the hill got steeper my speed dropped to 45 but climbed back to 50 once I got up it. I was only at 1200 for about 2 minutes total, so hopefully that was okay. I am going to get some new injectors soon and hopefully water/meth injection. The only thing I keep thinking about though is that suburban in Maxxtourque; with all that weight they were able to do 68mph going up hill!! I was lucky to do 50 with half the weight. Oh ya, and I was around 3/4 pedal but didn't dare step on it with the EGT already that high.

Well it was weird but the truck did better, not great but better. It was the same story going there 10 PSI of boost and 800-900 EGT's but on the hill I left it in 3rd and gave it more pedal than last time to keep from dropping to 2nd. The EGT's raised and raised but I keep a close eye and stayed on it. The EGT's leveled out at 1200 and I maintaned 50 miles an hour. At one spot where the hill got steeper my speed dropped to 45 but climbed back to 50 once I got up it. I was only at 1200 for about 2 minutes total, so hopefully that was okay. I am going to get some new injectors soon and hopefully water/meth injection. The only thing I keep thinking about though is that suburban in Maxxtourque; with all that weight they were able to do 68mph going up hill!! I was lucky to do 50 with half the weight. Oh ya, and I was around 3/4 pedal but didn't dare step on it with the EGT already that high.

My father had my truck and used it to tow a 26 5th wheel the water meth was to help with exhaust temps. Its is a snow performance set up. The mod starts to run the pump at 7psi and would have it run full on at 30psi.
With an 8 gal tank and the 5th wheel 1 tank of diesel to 8 gal water meth.
normal driving in the city it is 3 tanks diesel to 8 gal. eway 2-1. Water meth helped with temps. But he felt that he would need to take 50 gal of meth for much of a trip. I like it more for power than a cooler.


The mix that has been used was a 55 gal drum of washer solivent way strouger than store bought. 2 gal sol to 6 gal of water. For store bought -20deg f 1 gal sol to 2 gal of water. Any more meth and the engine sounds bad.

I am hoping to use it to cool the EGTs then I could use more of my pedal, if I get a little more power that would be good to but I mainly want it to cool.

it dose work for cooling but i would rather have an intercooler to bad they dont fit the way I use my 4x4

The chip is from SSDiesel and I cant swap with the stock one to compare because I had to send it in for a core charge. I just keep reading that article from maxxtorque and cant belive that suburban pulled up hill 9000 pounds at 68 miles an hour!! Something has to be wrong with mine. I am thinking I will get the injectors and maybe the crossover pipe and check it again and then hopefully I will have the money for the water/meth. I also think tommorow I might call Bill Heath and see what he has to say; might get some good insight. I will keep everyone posted.
Also where do I find info on the *** turbos?

Also where do I find info on the *** turbos?
PM Statesman
Leo

The chip is from SSDiesel and I cant swap with the stock one to compare because I had to send it in for a core charge. I just keep reading that article from maxxtorque and cant belive that suburban pulled up hill 9000 pounds at 68 miles an hour!! Something has to be wrong with mine. I am thinking I will get the injectors and maybe the crossover pipe and check it again and then hopefully I will have the money for the water/meth. I also think tommorow I might call Bill Heath and see what he has to say; might get some good insight. I will keep everyone posted.
Also where do I find info on the *** turbos?

You keep throwing money at it, but you shouldn't have trouble pulling
that trailer even if you were bone stock, much less with all the upgrades.
Do you know someone else near you that would be willing to hook up to
your trailer for a test pull? My trucks stock, except for a home made TM,
and I doubt I'd even notice that weight behind it.

You keep throwing money at it, but you shouldn't have trouble pulling
that trailer even if you were bone stock, much less with all the upgrades.
Do you know someone else near you that would be willing to hook up to
your trailer for a test pull? My trucks stock, except for a home made TM,
and I doubt I'd even notice that weight behind it.

I know I keep throwing money at it, I I keep wondering what the deal is!! I don't know anyone close with a diesel but my brother has a 97 chevy that is a gasser, are you just thinking to have someone try it to see what kind of results they see, to see if it is the trailer or not?

I would also be very suspect of the inside tube of the crossover pipe being collapsed.

Well I just got off the phone with Bill Heath(heck of a guy by the way) and I gave him the run down on what was going on. He very nicely told me to get rid of my chip and use on of his programed with the GLE towing tune, he had lots of good reasons. He also said that I need to get new injectors ASAP and get the OEM replacment not the high output cause they just create more heat. He also recomended that I replace my crossover pipe and install a turbo master. All in all I think all his suggestions made alot of sence and he had good reasons to support them all. One question that I do have though is my vaccum system works fine and I get good boost but he still reccomended the turbo master; what are everyones thoughts on that? Thanks Oh ya and he also told me that a sled trailer has the most drag out of anything you will pull, which we talked about but that is still crazy to me!!

I really didnt want to go with a turbo master. I liked the way my boost worked. I thought that i would be giving up perfomance of the chip to a spring. Well I was wrong not to do it a long time ago. The only thing that I lost was the 16 psi spike. It used to just for a split second hit 16 psi. And then drop like a rock to 12 psi. I dont miss that spike at all. If my foot is in it I HAVE BOOST. Now the only reason my vac pump is still on the truck is to keep from setting an egr code. But I will get a new chip as soon as I have some money. So sound like I stuck with the pump.
My turbo master is home made with stuff I had. It was free other than my time. And really easy to do.

are you just thinking to have someone try it to see what kind of results they see, to see if it is the trailer or not?

I'd at least try, if the gasser has trouble too, you know it's the trailer

Well I have a great wife and for christmas she got me the Devils Own water/meth injection system!!!!!:D:D It is there new EGT based system, so as soon as I put it on I will post my towing results.

With water meth there is a few thing to rember water to steam is 16000\ 1. and to much meth and it will light to easy. Do the water meth thing will kinda act like more compression. And the meth is a fuel that also cools. Dont get carred away with it to much meth and it will sound very bad to little and it wount cool or give the little kick. Altogether to much at a time could spell hydrolock.
My system is set to come on with boost and wont go to full on till the day I hit 30 psi. So my system could do a lot more than I have tried But I dont want to brake it so this is where I will stop The pump will never go all on It just Runs as fast as 12 psi will let it. And that has shown to be great. Enjoy the new toy.

I still think there is something wrong with your truck pre water meth. I tow a 5th wheel as well. Except mine is 40 ft long and has a dry weight of 16k lbs. I live in it fulltime with my wife so ALL of our belongings are in the load when we move it. Motorcycle/washer drier etc...I have no idea what my actual load weight is but I am sure I am damned close to 20k lbs. My 96 with 4:10 gears has never pulled less than 45mph up hills with this monster behind it.......either I got one of the best of engines of it's type or my 5th wheel Box riding way taller than my truck is a heck of alot more aerodynamic than I thought.......or maybe my truck has mods from the previous owner that I don't know about....doubt it though, no gauges, stock exhaust etc.

It does get pretty darned hot though, I know this much. I typically pull onto a rest area and let everyhing cool down for awhile after climbing a grade that causes my to drop below 50 mph floored for more than 5 minutes..Yes I know I know, gauges were just ordered ( optix 3 gauge from Heath) and I have some other mods planned as well starting with exhaust and cooling system then some other heath hop ups (chip,turbomaster etc)....exhaust first only because I plan to have everything done before I pull this rv again. So far I have only had to move it twice, the first time from Charlotte NC to Newport News VA and then from there to VA Beach ( 40 miles). It was these two towing experiences that put truck mods on the high priority list for any extra money after the bills goes into the truck ( I also have a few more cosmetic changes for her too) I hope to have her made into "My truck" by the end of spring.

Read in the FAQ's that 6.5's are best left stock? It also stated that they don't really compare to their Ford or Dodge counterparts in terms of performance, but are easier on the pocketbook when it comes to repairs.

Read in the FAQ's that 6.5's are best left stock? It also stated that they don't really compare to their Ford or Dodge counterparts in terms of performance, but are easier on the pocketbook when it comes to repairs.

What FAQ's are you reading?

The one here the introduces people to the 6.5.

I don't think I've ever read anything that says to leave the 6.5 stock. It is far from GM's best piece of work, and there's a lot that we can do to make it as good as a late 90's truck.

Under "Things To Consider" in the FAQ .

Don't see anything there saying it's best left stock.

I know the guys at Heath Diesel say not to upgrade any 6.5 with major mechanical issues(massive blowby for one example). Other than that, stock my truck was a dog, and i'm sure many others will agree with that statement.

Just said under things to consider, that 6.5 were almost all they could be off the assembly line? But hey, who am I to say?:(

Just said under things to consider, that 6.5 were almost all they could be off the assembly line? But hey, who am I to say?:(


There are a few things that can be done to them, but sincethey are Indirect Injected engines they can only be upgraded so much over factory.Sure they can be purpose built, but a factory engine can onyl take so much, the 21.5:1 compression ratio doesn't help much either, as its high compared to other diesel of the same era.

So you'd have to put in a lot to get that little extra.

So you'd have to put in a lot to get that little extra.

Yup. Whole lot. Going to take at least $50,000 USD to get it to where it can take that little extra.

Second mortgage! Outa my league!:(

Yup. Whole lot. Going to take at least $50,000 USD to get it to where it can take that little extra.


Don't mind RC, he's cranky. :p:

you don't have to put that much into it, but you do have to put some $$ into it to get something out of it. There are free mods you can do, like open up the exhaust(cut off the muffler, etc) open up the intake so it can take in more "cold" air(not hot underhood air).


I"m a broke kid in college, and manged to do a few things to my truck and its definitely a night and day different over bone stock.

Sounds like something that would be cool to do! When I first bought the truck(5 years ago) I don't think I knew what a glow-plug was, LOL! just thought diesels were those trucks that you just turned the key and they went forever! WRONG! Sure have lots to learn.

Sounds like something that would be cool to do! When I first bought the truck(5 years ago) I don't think I knew what a glow-plug was, LOL! just thought diesels were those trucks that you just turned the key and they went forever! WRONG! Sure have lots to learn.


Have a look at the FAQs if you haven't already. Lots of good stuff in there. Its where we all learned from, and where we all continue to add new info to.

Thanks man!

These diesels are no different than any other, IMO, when it comes to longevity. But you reap what you sow. These motors got a really bad rap because they are IDI, plus there are some weaknesses in the block castings. However, every motor out there, gasser or oil burner, is capable of extremely long life, just as long as you take care of it.

IMO, the 6.5 is a FANTASTIC motor, for what it was. If you look at the comparisons, the 98-99 6.5 had the same HP and torque output as a stock Cummins of the same year.

The real big issue comes with the DI vs IDI setup. Couple that with the odd headbolt pattern that GM used (I mean, seriously, 17 head bolts? They should have used 20 and had 4 bolts per cylinder. But I digress) and the high compression that they used, it's really hard to really max the power out. Also, having a rotary style pump like our rig uses doesn't help fuel output, either.

All in all, for what our motors were designed for, light duty applications, these are great motors. Just keep on top of the PM, don't push her beyond what she was designed for and she'll pay you back 10 fold.

I, for one, am not planning to ever get rid of my rig. Unless I happen to get an LLY Dmax motor w/ harness AND a ZF6 tranny at a price that I'd be insanely stupid to refuse. In that case, I'll just have to find a 98 or 99 'Burban to drop my 6.5/NV4500 combo into.

Have you done the EGR mod? I didn't notice in your sig if your engine was an S or F intake?