95 diesel suburban. Should I?

One of the chiefs at work has a 95 diesel suburban 2wd that he plans to get rid of in the next few months. He simply has no use for it. It's apparently in good mechanical condition. I personally don't really have a use for it. My rav4 will tow my car and trailer with no issues (16 hours each way to Nebraska at 17 mpg). I only have one kid and it will likely stay that way. I've always kind of wanted a diesel though. Is there anything that great about a 95 diesel burban that I should definitely buy one, or is this one I should let pass since if my needs change, I can get a better diesel?

Found this:

http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/63-gm-diesel-engines/21-6-5l-diesel-engine/331387-1995-suburban-6-5l-questions.html

If you don't buy it let me know.

The 6.5 has a couple of known weaknesses. It's a good engine when those are addressed (most importantly the crank damper and a cool enough but not too cold thermostat) but you want to make sure that you don't buy someone else's headache.

There is very limited tuneability on the engine without tearing into it as it's pretty high compression, so turning up the boost isn't really a good idea. It's also not that powerful (IIRC it makes the same power as an N/A 7.3 IDI) but it's pretty good on fuel and with a couple of additional mods like a better downpipe you can squeeze a few more mpg out of it.

If you want to use it for towing keep in mind that the diesels have a lower tow rating than the big block 3/4 ton 'burbans and trucks. The do get considerably better mileage, though.

I had the motor in a pickup and I have a friend with the suburban. He has around 450000km on his. Plan on replacing the pmd (injection pump brain) if it has not recently been done and a new injection pump if it is higher mileage. The first is cheap but a huge pain in the ass unless someone has already installed a remote mounting kit, and the second is expensive and a pain in the ass. Limit any mods to opening up the air box and upgrading the exhaust which really wakes them up. But don't pull big weight or work it hard or the bottom end will let go as mine did. But if you know it's limitations then it can be a reliable and economical vehicle.

I have one, and I love it.

It does a lot of this:

This is my second diesel Suburban. I sold the first to another GRMer. My current one has 157k on it and shows no signs of letting go.

Here's a buyer's guide: http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/63-gm-diesel-engines/21-6-5l-diesel-engine/345148-faq-purchasing-6-5l-diesel.html#post3615531

That covers every damned thing that really fails on them. If the truck has been maintained by a shop or a person who knows the 6.5, most of those things are probably fine.

Since I've had mine, I've done the PMD relocation (from angelofishes on eBay), 2.5" crossover pipe (some exhaust shop in OH, also eBay) and a 4" DiamondEye exhaust (Summit). There are a few online communities out there dedicated to these trucks with this engine. They are a cheap, economical workhorse that is often unappreciated because it will not make Cummins/Powerstroke/Duramax power, and because they do have some known issues that many people find to be unacceptable. If the one you're considering has been maintained and doesn't show any signs of major failures, I'd grab it and ignore the haters. I've not once regretted buying mine.

I would do it in a heartbeat. I've owned a few 6.2s and 6.5s. You won't win any races, but more than enough oomph to tow 10k and still be at the speed limit at the top of the hill.

Depends on the use If you don't need one now, would you rather have one with 4x4? I go back and forth on the 4x4 but when it comes in handy, it comes in handy.

If you buy it and love it enough, you can get a 320hp reman from Peninsular engines.

http://www.peninsulardiesel.com/WP-PENTEST/?page_id=322

Any idea what sort if mileage I could get on the hwy? My current car and trailer is 3500-4000lb, so this would be overkill.

You would get somewhere around 15 to 18 realistically puling a trailer. But I would suggest 4 to 6ooo pounds is all you would want to pull with that motor so its not really overkill. The bottom end is very weak and will not stand up to any more. I am sure not the only one who ever airmailed a rod in a 6.5. If you know their limitations they are great. But step outside the limits and it gets really expensive.

Pulling the steel trailer pictured above with the Corolla on it, truck full of tools/spares/etc and two guys, we averaged ~16.5 MPG consistently over the summer, going to and from rallycross events.

I like these trucks... but if you don't need one and just "want" one. I would absolutely hold out for a 4wd.

The fuel system can be a real PITA. I had one ('94 K2500) for a while and really liked having it around, but at 200k it needed some TLC and had been thoroughly used. I replaced the lift pump when I bought it (it was failed). About 5000 miles later I replaced the PMD on a roadside in California. About 10,000 miles later I failed the pump timing sensor and had a hell of a time diagnosing it on the roadside but eventually unplugged the right sensor and limped it home. After getting home, a new pump was something like $1300 at the time (a few years ago). I took the less wise and cheaper route of buying a "rebuilt" pump from an ebay supplier for half the price. Long story short, it wasn't until their third pump was installed that I could finally drive the truck again.

So, absolutely plan on replacing the lift pump (cheap and easy) and relocating the PMD (cheap and easy) for insurance. Keep your spares for roadtrips just in case. However, a real sticking point on getting these for little money is that you just CAN NOT cheap out on the injection pump replacement should it go bad. All modern diesels with electronic bits in the pump have the same problem, of course. Just a word of warning.

If I had kept that truck longer, I would have started acquiring the parts from a '91-92 (IIRC) 6.5TD. The first two years of the 6.5 turbo had a mechanical pump similar to the 6.2 non-turbo and similar to what was used on Humvees. It required different accelerator pedal, cable, etc. but supposedly was a pretty straight forward swap once you found a donor.

I got a worst case of about 13 mpg towing a loaded trailer over mountain passes and a best case of about 20 mpg driving empty on flat ground with lower speed highways.

Also...this.

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/tell-me-about-chevy-65-diesels/22920/page1/

Bryce