Im looking into buying a 86 chevy 6.2 diesel in was a gas truck and then they put a diesel from a suburban im not sure what year yet but it does have a turbo on it.


I don't know much about diesels that much so if anyone has any information on it and can tell me anything i should like for in it let me know really im looking for anything good or bad about it. It runs good and started good so im hoping that its a good running truck so let me know thanks .

It might just be a good decent engine but check the cooling system for signs of a highly pressurized upper radiator hose after a cold start and any coolant being blown back in the recovery tank.If its driving coolant out of the recovery tank,your looking at replacing the head gaskets and worse case scenario........a cracked cylinder head.But usually head gaskets are the first to go when they become tired from high mileage,heat and stress.

Keep an eye on the harmonic balancer.Make sure it is'nt loose and if in doubt,its better to replace it.

Also check the condition of the engine oil.For not too much money you could get a oil analysis done to detect presence of coolant in the oil.

If its smooth running and does'nt burn any oil,it should be a nice engine.

Not too much really to look for, just the usual with any older engine. Watch out for smoke other than black, and knocks...

thanks for the feed back i appreciate it. I don't really know much about diesels so the more i find out the better i was told that there was a period of years that with these motors there were alot of problems with them if anyone knows these problems or what years it was i would appreciate the info. once again thanks for the info and more i can get the better.

They're all basically the same. There are variations of the engine, but from a reliability perspective they are pretty close to the same. Head gaskets can be an issue, but that is common to all diesels. The later model engines had a plastic retainer in the valvetrain that fails on occasion, but nothing to worry about really.

See how well it starts from dead cold, as in not ran overnight. Since diesels are ignited by the combustion itself...they do not have an ignition system per se...this will give you a little bit of an idea of the compression, condition of the glow system, etc.

In other words, once a 6.2L diesel is warmed up to operating temperature, it will almost always start just about instantly. If it's cold out and the engine is cold, and it still starts very quickly, good deal. If it takes more than 15-20 seconds of cranking altogether in the cold to fire up, something is probably amiss. Could be as simple as the glow plug system. Lots of very helpful threads on this topic are archived here. All the glow plugs are, are these heating elements that screw into the engine, that are either electronically or manually controlled. They heat the block up enough to let the compression easily start the motor.

Mine usually takes a few seconds of cranking to start from dead cold below 35-40 F, and it still runs well enough. Probably about 200K on it by now.

Of course, you can always do a compression test or pay someone to do it, but this is a little more involved.

Some guys on here say the non-turbocharged versions of these motors are about an exact replacement for a 305, but I think they have a little more grunt. Maybe about the same or a little less horsepower than a carbed 350, with about the same torque. The chief difference seems to be that the 6.2 diesel has usable torque pretty much most of the way through the RPM band. They pull slow on hills compared to modern diesels or high-horsepower gas motors, but they get the job done at the end of the day. With a turbo on yours, it probably pulls a lot better than the one I have. Turbos are said to shorten the lifespan of a 6.2, though, as they are pretty lightly built compared to say a Cummins, but much much more affordable.

Extremely simple motors, once you learn their quirks.

The DB2-4911 should be a DB2-831-4911, the 6.5TD injection pump - look on the side of the IP housings for a casting mark, indicating the year of the casting - that should give you an idea of the relative age of at least the IP, and maybe the engine - the DB2-4911 was not made prior to 1992 so it's max 16yrs old - also, the 6.2 IP's had a narrow neck between the flange and the body - '92 and later 6.2 and 6.5 IP's have a broad shoulder either side of the casting to stabilize the body and flange under higher pumping pressures
1982 C-code cylinder head is casting # 14028901. 1982 fuel-injection pumps include:
DB2829-4090 14050587 1982 LD C/K Truck C/K DB2829-4126
DB2829-4091 14050588 1982 HD C/K Truck C/K DB2829-4153
DB2829-4126 14050587 1982-83 LD C/K Truck C/K
DB2829-4127 14050526 1982 LD Truck
the 91 and newer block with casting # 10149599 rarely crack and use the later crank # 23502592 with a one-piece rear-main-seal.
BLOCK CAST INFO:
The numerical raised casting characters are on the back outside wall of the block, hidden by bell housing and flywheel. Look for an early one by date code below the RH cyl head on the block, rear vertical surface.
14022660,(82-91) This block is the most prone to cracking at the mains. Crankshafts for those engines are 14024236 or 23500245. Pull the pan and check. The only engine that came red is the 1982 6.2L. The bad is that if it still has the original heads, they have 1 yr only course threaded long injectors. The '82 blocks can be identified by the red paint and casting date by the block #. Check the heads, early heads have long injectors, late has short injectors.
10149599,(92-94) the 6.2 used the block which was also used in early 6.5s. Engines with the #599 blocks used the 23502592 crankshafts.
12552929,(95)
10237141,(95, 96, 97) decent block used in very late 95. Almost all 96's and 97 models produced in 96 had a 141 block. The only real change in the 141 block was the OPS was moved from the left rear of the block to the intake valley. They normally showed a lower oil pressure on the guage at idle since the oil pressure reading was being taken off of a lifter galley instead of the main supply feed. It did not have oil spray pistons in it. It is still a preferred block amongst GM blocks and it used 1/2" oil lines like the earlier blocks did.
12555506,(97) There were no piston sprayers until the 506 in 97. Early 506 blocks are prone to cracking, the main webs where too large where piston oil squirts were drilled, late 506s are OK. According to GM after 1997- all 6.5s with the #506 blocks had the smaller 10 mm bolts. But, some older 6.5s also had them. There is some gray area.
12552929, 10237141, and 12555506 use the smaller-bore outer bolts for the main-caps to prevent block cracking. 6.5 heads have the injectors set at different angles than the 6.2s.
The larger 12 mm bolts were used in all 6.2 blocks as well as 6.5s with #599 or #141 blocks.
The only difference in the 6.2-6.5 heads, other than injector length and angle, is the precups, and they all interchange so you can go for economy or greater power.