[Boomdog]

Greetings All,

I'm new to the world of diesel but I am considering letting my 01 gas silverado go and picking up an 86 former military 6.2L diesel 4X4. Body is in pretty good shape (minor rust and dings), motor has only 42000 miles, automatic (the ad states auto with long shift pattern - but I don't know what that means. Vehicle runs but has a minor coolant leak.

Here is the question: I am an older truck fan and I like the possibilites with this truck. I haven't driven it and know little to nothing about this model of diesel truck. Are they reliable/fixable/reasonably inexpensive to maintain? Would it be worth it if I rarely tow or drive less than 14000 miles a year? Thanks in advance!

 

[High Sierra 2500]

Welcome to the forum! :welcome:

These engines are easy to work on and very reliable, but parts are not cheap. In particular there are a few parts that are diesel-specific and are expensive... The injection pump ($400-$500 depending on where you buy it), fuel injectors (price varies, but expect to pay $300 or so for a set of rebuilt ones), and the radiator ($400 for a U.S. made one, $250 for a Chinese one). The rest of the truck is pretty cheap to maintain, however, and the parts I mentioned above usually last a long time (often 150,000-200,000 miles or more).

Whether it is worth it or not depends on whether or not you actively want to have a diesel.

You will be making some sacrifices... You can't just jump in and go, for one thing. When you go to start a diesel there is a 10 second wait time before you can start the engine to allow the glow plugs to warm up. Also, cold weather starting can be difficult unless you park in a heated garage or plug in the block heater.

There are advantages to having a diesel, though... The fuel economy is SO much better than a gasser (not surprising since a diesel is ~40% more efficient than a gas engine). Diesels sound cool and they have a lot of torque. They are very simple engines... No spark plugs to worry about, distributor caps to wear out, electronic controls to deal with. They are also very easy to work on.

There are a couple of things to be careful about with the truck you are looking at...

The transmission is the biggest thing. Sounds like it might be a little bit suspect. Be very careful about a truck that has anything wrong with the transmission because the cost a small fortune to have rebuilt (although if you are mechanically inclined you can rebuild it yourself).

The coolant leak. Verify that it is leaking coolant not burning it. Diesels are a little bit more prone to head gasket failures than gas engines because of the high compression ratio.

Take it for a test drive and make sure it runs good. If you can, get them to start it cold for you and make sure it starts all right. Also make sure you like the way it drives... You will find that it has a lot of torque down low which I think you will like, but some people don't like that... I guess it catches them off guard after driving these modern gassers that don't have any torque... ):h In general, though, you should find that it drives like a normal vehicle.

Hope this helps! Welcome again!

 

[05' Ditry Duramax]

dude, to be honest, i wounldn't buy a single thing from old uncle sam!!!!! I just got out of the army and was a mechanic. I worked on a lot of that junk. It's not so much the equipment as much the other people working on it. Horrible is all i can say. the only thing it would be good for is the axles. which are 4.56 gears with a eaton locker front and rear. if you need a 3 speed, maybe the tranny, because it is a turbo 350. other than that, you don't want the head ache and mess. oh, the head gasket and fuel injection pump will go out. I guarantee it!!!!!! 75% of those motors are built in Fort Carson Colorado and it's about the 15th rebuild it's had. they only last 10-15 thousand and you gotta pull them and get them rebuilt. 45 thousand is way too many on a military 6.2 . Stay away!!!!! If you have any more questions ask me.

 

[Ambulancechser]

here we go...

Another cucv...Yay!
contrary to what you may have just read...military engines can be,and often are,better maintained than thier civvi counterparts.what you get depends much on the model.the m-1008 is a one ton pickup,the m-1009 is the blazer based model.the m-1010 (which i proudly own) is the ambulance version.the m-1028A1 and-A2 (i think theres an a-3 too)are one ton duallys.(rare)

in all versions but the blazer,the gear ratio is in fact 4.56.they don't however,have a thm-350.there all thm-400's.the standard locker is the detroit,in the rear only.the 1028-a2 got a clutch type posi in the front,only on this model is there a front posi.the x-case is the np-208 on all models except the (again) 1028-A2 which has the np-205.

the axles on all models but the 1009 are a dana-60 front and a full floating 14 bolt rear.both axles are quite stout.the detroit locker is as close as it gets to unbreakable in this class of truck.it just requires a little getting used to.the thm-400 is,amongst all auto's for light trucks of this vintage,also very strong.auto's DO cost a-lot to rebuild,but the 400 is one of the cheapest.A4l80-E,now,is expensive.(i know this for a fact )

My personnal experience whith my military surplus 6.2,is exemplary.just a little while ago i started it in -25 celcius without a plug in.it starts and runs reliably as long as the batts are good and the glowplugs are all working.the injection pump is amongst the cheapest to get rebuilt.they can have cooling problems,so keep the cooling system in top shape,and get some guages.

My only problems (which were easily fixed) ran towards the electrical system,and the lack of an overdrive gear for the hi-way (easily fixed but not cheap).if there comes a time for an engine swap,the 6.5 will drop in without much trouble.

inspect the truck carefully before you buy,and remember that this is really a first or second generation light truck diesel...you won't have anywhere near the power of a modern cummins or duramax.

go here for one of the best MV sites around...

WWW.steelsoldiers.com

welcome to the site...

 

[red suburban]

here is the drivetrain on the m1009 blazer:
engine-6.2L diesel
tranny-th400. 3 speed auto tranny with no overdrive, very stout tranny
t-case-np208. fairly good t-case
front axle-gm 10 bolt. should have 3.08 gears in it
rear axle-gm 10 bolt. 3.08 gears should be in it

the blazers were a 1/2ton model unlike the others so they usually werent used as hard as the pickups were.

things to check:
1. head gaskets. look to see if there is any coolant leaking from the base of the cylinder heads. pop the radiator cap as well, if its milky then head gaskets are most likely the problem.
2. oil cooler. look at the lines for the oil cooler (run from engine towards radiator), if they are seeping it means the lines are getting worn out, but they are flowing the oil to/from the cooler.
3. tranny fluid. if fluid looks/smells burnt, expect to either replace/rebuild the tranny.
4. engine oil. diesel oil is almost always black. the main things to look for here are that the fluid is up where it should be, and that the dipstick is not discolored. if the dipstick is discolored, engine has been overheated.
5. coolant. look for leaks along the coolant hoses, at the radiator (better to check at the radiator when its up to temp, its pressurized).
6. rear window motor. not super expensive, but a pain to replace it.
7. cold start. if you cycle the plugs and the truck is still stubborn to start (depending on the temp outside) could be that the glowplugs are bad, or its relay. neither is very hard or expensive to replace.

if the tranny needs to be replaced (or you just want to change tranny's) then you have alot of options that you can bolt into this truck with minimal/no problems.
auto's: 700r4, th400, 4l80e (will require stand alone computer), 4l60e (computer as well).
manual's:sm465, nv3500, nv4500.

not having an overdrive is not extremely bad. i have an 81 gmc pickup with a 305 gasser, sm465 (no overdrive, 1:1 4th gear), 33" tires, and either 3.08 or 3.42 gears in my axles. doing 70 mph i'm turning 2400rpms if i have 3.42 gears, 2200rpms with 3.08 gears. (max comfort rpms for the 6.2 is about 2400rpms.)

 

[High Sierra 2500]

manual's:sm465, nv3500, nv4500.

There are a few others as well, the most notable being the NP833. Pretty much any transmission that will bolt to a small block chevy will work as long as the bellhousing will clear the starter... :cool2:

 

[red suburban]

There are a few others as well, the most notable being the NP833. Pretty much any transmission that will bolt to a small block chevy will work as long as the bellhousing will clear the starter... :cool2:

i forgot about that one. those 3 are the ones that came to mind.

 

[Boomdog]

Thanks, Guys!

Thanks for all of the advice from each of you! I'm still evaluating whether this MV is the diesel for me or whether to keep looking. Meanwhile, I'll keep reading the forum and learning as much as possible! Thanks again.

 

[dewey110]

cucv owner

I own a cucv like the one you are talking about. I love the truck. The only complaint I have with it is the 24volt starter and everything else is 12 volt. If you decide on the truck I dont think you will be disappointed.

 

[jdemaris]

Greetings All,

I'm new to the world of diesel but I am considering letting my 01 gas silverado go and picking up an 86 former military 6.2L diesel 4X4. Body is in pretty good shape (minor rust and dings), motor has only 42000 miles, automatic (the ad states auto with long shift pattern - but I don't know what that means. Vehicle runs but has a minor coolant leak.

A diesel is far from easy to work on - especially if you have no diesel experience. There will be a big learning curve. Few mechanics - who are acquainted with repairing carburetors on gas engines know anything about repairing a diesel fuel-injection pump. Few mechanics have the means/tools to making fuel timing advance checks, advance adjustments, simple fuel injector tests, etc.

When it comes to tools - how many gas engine mechanics have diesel injector testers, timing light pulse-adaptors, etc.?
Also, much of the detailed repair information for diesel fuel injection systems is proprietary and not for sale to the general public.

On the other hand - if you like learning new things, and have mechanical skills - the diesel is not simpler - nor is it more complicated than a gas engine - just different.

6.2 is a pretty reliable engine - and most problems are external small stuff. Those smaller problems are not rare, by any means. In regard to military vehicles in general - those that actually saw overseas service - rarely lasted more than 10,000 miles - and most engines were worn out before the 10K mark. But, many 6.2 diesels never saw such hard use. Many though, were, and still are - given away for free by our government to any qualified non-profit agency. So, many come up for sale that have been VERY abused. I was up at the nearby Mohawk Indian reservation recently. They had over 20 6.2 diesel ex-military Blazers and pickups for sale. Not one had over 40K on the odometer and they were all - completely worn out. So, pick carefully.

When it comes to buying parts - buy carefully and try to plan ahead. If you need a fuel injector in a hurry - a local NAPA might charge you $80 for one rebuilt injector. Yet, you can usually buy them eslewhere for $20 apiece. Also, you can buy brand-new OEM Bosch nozzles for $5 apiece for C-code engines, and $11 apiece for J-code engines.
With fuel injection pumps - if you can fix one yourself - it often can be done with $75 in parts. If you are buying a rebuilt exchange pump - they can be found - from certified Stanadyne shops - in the $300 price-range.
When it comes to buying diesel-specific parts - the normal big-name auto-parts stores are NOT the place to buy.

 

[gt1009]

About the cucv,
I just bought the m1009 blazer back in october. Now, there are a few things you should watch out for. First, if your starter is bad, or goes bad, you should switch to the 12v civilian system. That way you can use the standard parts which are much cheaper. Second, you will not be able to go fast at all. Top speed in the blazers is around 85, but in the other trucks it is arouhnd 55 mph. Also, the acceleration isn't very fast. However, they are very simple trucks, and fun to ride around in. Most of the parts are standard civvy ones, but some are different and will cost you more money. All in all though, I am very happy with my truck, and you should deffinately buy this one.

 

[greenspot]

how do you switch to 12 volt starter?

I have a military truck with a bad starter how do I and can I use a standard 12 volt starter made by delco My truck is a 1986 6.2 diesel with two batteries.

 

[dewey110]

12v starter

I will be changing my truck over to 12v soon. When I get done I will post a new reply with any special details. I would like to post now but just for safety sake I want to do the conversion first just incase I run into any problems.

 

[TheGatherer]

there's no way I'd sell my CUCV M1009...

cruises good,19mpg around town-22mpg at about 60mph, 32x11.5x15r BFG AT KO tires balanced with BBs, plenty of torque for 4x4,... drove it FLA to AZ and up a river prospecting out there no problems just a good trip... only problems in the last 6yrs,... starter/rebuild, flexplate/replace, glowplugs/replace twice in 6yrs, Batteries/replaced, painted it OD and not camo, good in the 4th of July parade with the top off (feels like it'll snap you back in the seat),... and my small boys just like Dads Army truck...I took a flexible rain gutter downspout and use it for a cool air intake to the inlet by the front Battery, I wish it had a 700r4, but it would have to be a built one to be strong enough...use the brush guard to carry the spare on front...

the pickups with the 4.10 rear ends are best driven at 50mph, but you could run 35" tires with no problems...