General DieselDiscussion about diesels in general. All brands are welcome, please refrain from brand wars. Discussions about types of diesel fuel also go here.
Howdy all,
I am looking at purchasing a vehicle with a 6.2L Detroit diesel. While I am very familiar with the 7.3 I know nothing about the engine I might be getting.
Please tell me the good, bad, ugly. Can it be modified ie a turbo added to it? What kind of life span? Are parts expensive? Are they reliable?
Thanks,
Craig
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95 F-350 PSD CC SRW 334,000, daily driver, no note, Open air element, Bilstein shocks, open exhaust from turbo back, no fan,
I would run as fast as you can from anything Detroit. Nothing good came from there. Parts are hard to come by and they stink. Any Cat, Cummins, or International will run circles all day long around a Detroit. They were cheap engines and that is the only reason there were so many around.
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96 F350 4x4 XLT 7.3 37,300 orig miles, Stage I's, IDM mod, gutted EBPV, Tymar intake, Banks intercooler, downpipe, gauges, TW 4 position chip, c00nhunterjoe accumulator body mod, Ford 08 alum diff cover, Oil gauge mod, Electric fuel conversion, Durn cat done run off an I can't find it.
It is better to have a lobster on your piano than to have a crab on your organ
The 6.2 engine GMs (then) Detroit Diesel division designed was a basic, normally aspirated V-8 diesel with @ 130 hp and @ 250 lb-ft torque. These are not to be confused with the automotive diesel engines (350 V-8) that were such a problem in the seventies/eighties. I have not seen many around, although they were produced evidently from 1982 to 1993 and used in light duty Chevrolet/GMC trucks. Keep in mind you have asked this question in a forum that is primarily for Ford diesels so anything GM or Dodge is at an automatic disadvantage here.
From what I have come across they are underpowered, I do not know about reliability but the fact there are not many around tells me something.
What is the application you are looking at? That would indicate what you can expect.
Dave / Believer45
__________________ THANK YOU to all the heroes in our military and all the heroes at home who wait for their safe return. I am humbled by and grateful for your service and sacrifice.
'95 F250 ext cab long bed, PSD, 5 speed manual, two wheel drive, 3.55 gears, 286,000 miles, LUK clutch conversion, 450 lb homemade REAR BUMPER, homemade open element AIR FILTER, 36" tall ARE contractor cap. With tools, full of fuel and me on board (300 lbs) steer 3620, drive 3860 total 7480.
That is a solid little IDI diesel, the 6.5 is it's big brother. The only trouble that I am aware of, is if they spend alot of time ideling the timming chain takes a beating and can get to slapping around in there. The noise will dissapear just above idle. If the noise is pressent you will need a new chain pronto. Banks has turbo kits for them. Also head gaskets can be an issue in high milers (around 250k) if the cooling system has not been properly maintained with the supplimental coolant system additive.
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95" Extd Cab F250HD 4x4 DRW, /86"6.9 T19 GV o/d 3.73 axles, Hypermax Pulse turbo, intercooled / Modified Hypermax ram air induction, PowerShot 2000 LPG system "first design". Ride rites @ all 4 corners, Dana 50 mono Beam up front, Ford 10.5" in rear with 4 wheel disk brakes. Other Truck, 1983 IHC "S" with 14ton NoMar wrecker body, 30,000 GVW, 229"wb with a 340hp 6V92TA, Eaton Roadranger 13spd RTO9513, 3.70 ring & pinion, intercooled and LPG kit. Alcoa 22.5x8.25 with Michelin XVE 255x70x22.5
the 6.2 and early 6.5's are some of the best most reliable engine i have owned, i have logged more then a million miles on these over the years. never had one make me walk. this being said; these engines were not powerhouses, but they will get the job done. most of my 6.2 trucks frequently did jobs that leagally, a 2 ton should have done. thing's to look for. early 82/83 models did have a bit of a head gasket issue, but not very common. new headbolts solved this issue. woreout harmonic balancers can kill these engine's also, they will break the crank. if you buy one, chk an replace the balacer if needed. timeing chains can develop slack with high mileage, but adjusting the pump timeing can take some of this out. gear drive set's are also on the market for this one, i like mine. part's are the cheapest of the diesel's, fairly common to find, and it's one of the easiest to work on in most respects. turboing this one is doable, and drasticly makes it a different animal. for light work or general transportation, they are a good choice.
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the fleet; ferds ,02'f350,[97'f350,90'f250 now gone].the generals ,82'2500, 82'2500 4x4, 82' blazer, 86' blazer ,93'3500, 96'3500, and a 99'3500hd soon to be 12v powered. the goats, 90'd250, 91'd350 4x4,[95 model 3500 now gone],00 model 3500 now wrecked, 05'3500. all are diesel powered. a list of bigger stuff, as well as gasser's, got lucky, wife comes from a family that collects junk iron too!
I ordered a new '82 GMC 2500 with the 6.2 in August of '81. Received truck in October '81 and by December '81 it had blown 2 headgaskets. Traded it in for a '82 3500 Dually 6.2 in the spring of '82 and within a year it had blown a headgasket and cracked a head. Bought an '83 Jimmy with the 6.2 and 700r4 trans and never had any problems with the engine but the trans died at 51,000 miles. The 2500 and 3500 had the heavy duty emissions engines and supposedly the heads were not milled flat from the factory which caused the headgaskets to blow. The 1500 trucks and Jimmys had the 6.2 with light duty emissions and they had few problems. The 700r4 trans just couldn't hold up to the diesel engine.
Any 6.2 that has survived this long probably has had any kinks ironed out of it by now. I'm sure they made running changes on these engines to solve headgasket problems.
6.2 s are ok. pre cup engines shouldn't be Idled. they are lazy any kind of weigh and your not going very fast also that old of an engine is going to need some type of lube added to the fuel
if its cheap and passes your test drive, make sure you go up a hill,it could be a good buy on the up side the oil filters are cheap to buy
Jim
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