I'm trying to decide whether or not to swap in a new timing set in my truck. If I were to do this, what other maintanence/wear items are more easily addressed during this procedure?

BTW: The decision I need to make is whether or not to purchase a daily driver car or to spend the $ fixing up the burb while continuing to drive the family minivan -:t back and forth to work.

Water pump is the only other part involved in the R&R, Wade.

Might look at your serpentine belt, idler pulleys, Harmonic Balancer and Drive Pulley.

Check the radiator and t-stats, new antifreeze.

I know a lot of people here think I am crazy, but you can buy the old 93 model chain set a lot cheaper than the newer sets. Reuse the orginal bottom gear with the timing reluctor built on to it and save yourself a lot of trouble and cash. You won't have to pull the bottom gear and the job will go a whole lot easier. If your new to it, use whiteout or something to watch the pump timing gear so it goes back in the right place. Lot's of people have a problem with getting that back in time. Put loctite on the pump drive gear as it just barely meshes with the cam gear key. Bottom drive pulley will probably need replacement also. Have fun!

Thanks gmctd. I figured on changing the water pump and doing a coolant flush. I'm having my bro in law do the work for me cuz he's a mechanic and he works cheap for family, but like most mechanics he's not entirely familiar with a 6.5.

Does the fan and shroud come off? If so, it'd be a good time to clean between the AC condenser and the radiator.

My belt is only a year old, so that should be alright. But I think my power steering pump has a bit of a squeel to it.

I've eyeballed the harmonic balancer a few times and the rubber looks fine.

Other than that, I'm not sure what else to check out.

Bottom drive pulley will probably need replacement also. Have fun!

Bottom drive pulley.... are you referring to the pulley in front of the harmonic balancer?

thanks dp

Yep, that pulley does go bad. That rubber stuff just goes capoeey. I would have radiator serviced to since I was in there, if it were mine.

Now would be a good time to do the '97 cooling upgrade -

get the '98 HD water pump from napa

to the boneyard for a dual t-stat crossover and fan clutch

pair of new Robertshaw t-stats

Should come in at way more than a tad less than the 370 buck new price

My pre-owned dual t-stat crossover was maybe ten or twenty bucks - the new Robertshaws were about 15 bucks for the pair.

Are both stats on the dual xover stock 195'ers?

And, in case i can't find a dual xover, will the 98HD water pump work with a single xover?

I think it will, if you get the standard t-stat which does not have the bypass block-off valve, but with a caveat.

As you may remember, the '94 to '96 was a blocking bypass system, whereby the t-stat and the crossover bypass port form an auxiliary valve which allows full bypass when the t-stat is closed, and blocks bypass as the t-stat opens.

This was meant to force full flow thru the radiator for quicker cooling, but actually wound up creating hot-spots in the water jacket and heads, with considerable over-heating in the turbo motors.

It did prove suitable for the n\a engines, tho.

'96 saw a modified crossover with no bypass valve, similar to the dual but with only one t-stat, but was dropped in '97 in favor of the dual version.

Again, the single was workable for the n\a engine, but not with the turbo.

The HD w\p was added part of the new increased cooling capability, released ca '97-'98, iirc.

The HD w\p needs constant full bypass to handle it's 130gpm flow capability.

A single 'stat will not have the full capability of the dual, bottom line.

Almost fergot - one t-stat is 180deg, t'other is 195deg, but you can choose yer poison, there.

I'd replace the crankshaft seal up there & if your engine mounts have near 100000 miles do them & the trans mount also. Only GM OE though. Iv'e always expirenced that "like new smoothness" as a result of new mounts when the miles are up there. Do the cooling mods & use the year 2000 water pump,fan clutch & the 9 blade fan. Good Luck

sorry for the thread hijack.. but..
I dont suppose you have a part number handy do you? I was over there looking for the same thing, but they listed the same part for all years. and no mentions of capacity..

vince

Now would be a good time to do the '97 cooling upgrade -

get the '98 HD water pump from napa

to the boneyard for a dual t-stat crossover and fan clutch

pair of new Robertshaw t-stats

Should come in at way more than a tad less than the 370 buck new price

My pre-owned dual t-stat crossover was maybe ten or twenty bucks - the new Robertshaws were about 15 bucks for the pair.

I do not - should be only one part number after '98.

Check the wp casting, front side - should be a large HD above and to the right of the body extension for the shaft.

Napa sells the identical wp from the same oem that GM uses

GM
I think mine has HO stamped on it, you can tell if you recieved the high output or not by the price, HO= twice to three times the price of the 95 regular water pump

HO is more like it, so yeah - look for that.

BTW - mine's cw rotation with v-belts in the '70s-'80s body style