What's the most amount of miles one could expect from a 6.2? I know there are a lot of them with over 200,000 miles, but are there many out there with 300,000 or more? I am also looking for tips on how to make them last longest, in terms of basic types of maintenance that do not require a professional mechanice like major modifications, etc.
thanks,
Paul

My first 83 GMC 6.2 is still running with 325,000 miles on the clock. It belongs to my dad now and served well while my brother drove it in his college days. I have a friend that has an 82 GMC and when his engine had about 300,000 miles he asked me,(How long is this thing going to last?) and I told him, probably until something breaks. One month later, a wrist pin broke and trashed the block. I installed a crate 6.5 and he is still going strong.:cool2:

One of my neighbors has an 82 1/2 ton. Now, you have to understand that this guy treats his stuff badly. There is not a panel on it that's not crunched and rusted. It's pulled a gooseneck all of its life and has over 300,000 with no signs of slowing down. That is the very pickup that sold me on the 6.2L.

one of mine has almost 500k on the clock. been thru a few trans.
but motor going strong.
other one the speedo quit years ago, had around 300k on it if i recall right. but speedo hasn't worked in probably 8 or 10 years:-)

Wow, 500K, can you give any tips on how i could get that out of mine?
Mine has less than 20K, at least as far as i can tell and i would really like to see it go the distance.
thanks,
Paul

Following your scheduled maintainence is the most important thing. Clean high qualitly fluids and good often changed filters will do wonders. Repair problems as soon as they are identified, particularly overheating. Replace your timing chain set, you will recover lost HP and your engine should run a little cooler. Just pay close attention to it, check the oil even though its not using any just so you will notice when it does.

Years ago, we had a customer bring a 6.2 truck in, I dont remember what year, but I remember seeing 47x,xxx miles and he still had the original engine, pump and injectors! Ran like crap when he came in, no doubt it hadn't been right in a while, but we fixed his fuel system and it left running like a champ!

Tex,
could you elaborate a little on this if possible?
I change oil every 3000 miles using 2 gallons Shell Rotella and 1 quart Lucas oil stabilizer and just a regular oil filter from autozone, probably an STP brand.
As far as the air filter and fuel filter, how often should they be replaced?
I usually run between 190 - 210 F as far as engine temp goes, and i just put a 180 F thermostat in for the summer so i don't think it is over heating.
As far as timing chain goes, my engine has very low miles on it so i would think the timing chain is alright but i don't know for sure. They put a new engine in my rig around 2000 - replaced the 6.2 with a 6.5. In those situations is the timing chain usually replaced as well - i mean is it considered part of the engine?
Any other info greatly appreciated!
thanks again,
Paul


Following your scheduled maintainence is the most important thing. Clean high qualitly fluids and good often changed filters will do wonders. Repair problems as soon as they are identified, particularly overheating. Replace your timing chain set, you will recover lost HP and your engine should run a little cooler. Just pay close attention to it, check the oil even though its not using any just so you will notice when it does.

Years ago, we had a customer bring a 6.2 truck in, I dont remember what year, but I remember seeing 47x,xxx miles and he still had the original engine, pump and injectors! Ran like crap when he came in, no doubt it hadn't been right in a while, but we fixed his fuel system and it left running like a champ!

I would assume if they put a 'new' engine in it did come with a 'new' timing chain, so you shouldn't have to worry about that for a good while.

I don't know what you want me to elaborate on? I wouldn't use this guys maintainence schedule as a guide line if I were you, he represents the extreme end of longevity, but its hard to call it that, he neglected the truck, and it ran like crap for a LONG time, he's just lucky he didn't do some serious damage.

well, i meant could you elaborate on what you consider a good maintenance schedule, what fluids to use and how often to change them, what kind of additives, etc. Stuff like that. I am just curious as to why some of these engines last so long but others not so long. The guy i bought my step van from was buying entire fleets of them from the US post office - he said one of the ones he had for a while had 500,000 miles on it, original 6.2 motor. But then the one i have had a new motor put in a few years before i bought it :ro) which means it probably only had about 80,000 on it when they replaced it (probably around 2000 -2001) since it had 94,000 as of last summer when i bought it.
Basically, i am out to set a record for how long a diesel engine of this type can last given the best care you could give it, within reason, and just want to know as much as possible. With less than 20,000 on the engine, i have a long way to go....
thanks,
Paul

Additive goes in every tank, you have to treat the fuel, thats the problem.
Whether you coallate pump life to engine life will affect your longevity greatly, pump will go 100k or more easy if you look after it by changing filters and treating fuel.
Engine should go half a mil with regular oil/filter changes, excluding minor problems.