GMC 1500 of bigger

[DownNDirty]

So with EP I can finally afford to get a tow rig. Thank you all for trading in so many cars. Does anyone have any good or bad things to say about a GMC 1500 with the diesel. I am running a TJ and will upgrading to a lighter rig as soon as I can. I will use the rig for occasional towing to and from the trails and DD duty. Probably 5-8 trips a year 5-8 hours long one way. I know I want diesel, but I am not sure a 1500 will cut it. Do the mid 90s have any know issues?

[TEX]

If it's a TH700/4L60E tranny, absolutely do NOT tow in overdrive EVER.

TEX

[Airpup26]

1500's dont have diesels.

[jasonmt]

1500's dont have diesels.

GM put diesels in 1500's until the Duramax came out,so someone looking for a mid 90's truck could easily find a GM 1500 with a diesel: Do the mid 90s have any know issues?

[DownNDirty]

So will I still have the tranny problem with the 2500 series? I really don't want to buy a dog of a tow rig, but a 20k tow rig is way out of my budget.

[TEX]

If the 2500 is an 8-lug 8,600 GVWR truck, it will not have the TH700/4L60E. Mind you, this tranny can be made to last, you just have to remember what it was designed for - EPA mileage estimates. Just stick it in 3rd anytime you're not out on the Interstate running with NO load at 70+ MPH, and you will DRASTICALLY increase its lifespan.

TEX

[joez]

IIRC even the 1/2 ton 6.5TD's got the 4L80E.

[35xj]

I know a guy who has a field full of CUCV's that'd make a cool tow rig!

[jasonmt]

IIRC even the 1/2 ton 6.5TD's got the 4L80E.

I have the same recollection as this, easy to check on the truck:

4L80E=17 BOLT PAN

4L60E=16 BOLT PAN

[pmurf1]

A 96-97 Ford PSD is well under 20k. I bought my 96 CC dually 2wd for 11k almost three years ago with 184k, and it's still going strong. If you're set on Chevy, better get used to the slow lane towing with the 6.5. The 7.3 powerstroke is a much better performer, plenty of power even before mods. Take it for what it's worth.

[DownNDirty]

I am not really stuck on any truck right now. I just went and test drove the 1500 diesel and liked the way it looked inside. Plus I have been in an accident in one where we got rearended by a guy. He was going 40 and we were stopped when he hit us. Two cars later we came to a stop. The truck was toast but we were in great shape. I like the fords because they are beasts, hold their value, and tow like crazy. Problem with a dually is this will be my DD so I have to be able to parrallel park, drive around the city, and pick up women.

[35xj]

a dually makes it easier to pick up big women. Higher GVWR!

[n9emz]

If the 2500 is an 8-lug 8,600 GVWR truck, it will not have the TH700/4L60E. Mind you, this tranny can be made to last, you just have to remember what it was designed for - EPA mileage estimates. Just stick it in 3rd anytime you're not out on the Interstate running with NO load at 70+ MPH, and you will DRASTICALLY increase its lifespan.

TEX

This is some good info for those who might question the capability of 4L60E-equipped vehicles as towrigs. The pictured 2000 Jimmy 4x4 was factory ordered specifically as a tow vehicle; it had the 4.3L Vortec and upgraded 4L60E HD "tow/haul" tranny, and it's been all over the eastern US pulling my trailrig and a 5,800 lb RV trailer. I traded it off with 93K on the clock and never had even the slightest tranny problem with it.
http://home.bluemarble.net/~n9emz/home1.jpg

EDIT: Let me also add that this combination got 16 mpg avg on the highway and generally outperformed my 5.8L E4OD equipped 95 F-250 which got 8 mpg with the same trailer/trailrig behind it. With gas prices the way they are going and how cheaply these Jimmys are selling, I consider this to be of viable consideration for a towrig for lighter trailrigs and general hauling.

[n9emz]

I know a guy who has a field full of CUCV's that'd make a cool tow rig!

I'd really appreciate contact info for the guy you've mentioned. A buddy of mine wants to convert his R20 crewcab longbed over to 4x4 and is looking for reasonably priced parts.

Thanks and regards,

Sam

[TornadoTJ]

A buddy of mine towed with one of those Jimmys, he swore he'd never do it again.

[DMG]

The 6.5 did come in 1500s. They need injector pumps all the time--$1200

[DownNDirty]

Is that a problem in the 2500's? I would really hate to get a truck that needs a consistant $1200 fix.

[wheelerfreak]

We ran the chevy 6.5 TD's at work for a few years, we had roughly 15 or so at any one time, we went through injector pumps on a regular basis, along with many other issues. That experience influenced my opinion of them in a not good way. I won't slam them too bad though considering the conditions they were run under.

[Joey D]

95% of the time it was the FSD on the pump that goes out and all shops seem to just swap the whole pump. The were trouble for a few years but any truck that is running fine now must have had the older pump swapped out with a good one. I think by 97 they were much better.
The 1500's pickups did have the 700's in them and for some reason the Tahoes had the 4l80.

[DownNDirty]

So is the injector pump a problem with the original pump, or will it continue on with any new pumps that I put into it. This will probably only tow 4-5 times a year for a couple hours each way. Other than that it will be a DD so I don't want to go to big. But if they are a dog then I will just step up to the bar and get an older ford dually. And a couple shots of jager to help the payments go down easier.

[StinkBug]

Honestly, if you're lookin at a 1500, you should look at the gas motors as well. I tow with a 94 fullsize blazer with the 350/700r4 combo and though its a little slow in the hills it gets the job done just fine. Heck my motor is pushing 200k miles without a sign of quitting yet. As for the tranny, the best thing you can do is put a temp gauge on it with the sensor in the pan. You'd be amazed how fast you can overheat em without realizing it. My personal rule is if the pan hits 210 I back off, if it still rises I pull over. Thats only happened once.

I've learned from a number of people that tow a lot that when climbing at a certain point with a given load on a given tow rig where you reach a speed and gear combo that the rig is happy at it will cruise up that hill all day long. If you try to go faster or push it harder all you end up doing is wasting gas and heating everything up and you're lucky to gain 3mph. Find that speed and gear and just cruise, and like tex said, never tow in 4th.

Dallas

[chrono4]

n9emz, if you were gettin 8mpg you got a problem then, or had a problem. i dont think i would get a half ton deisel, you got the power of a bigger truck, but do you have the strength, and braking of a bigger truck?

[n9emz]

n9emz, if you were gettin 8mpg you got a problem then, or had a problem. i dont think i would get a half ton deisel, you got the power of a bigger truck, but do you have the strength, and braking of a bigger truck?

Truck's in a perfect state of tune, and I've compared my mileage with a number of other people with my generation and later F-250s with a 3.55 gear. My mileage is right in the ballpark with the others pulling a 6000-7000 lb loaded trailer. And 8 mpg was what I got on a pull from Miami, FL to Bloomington, IN....1424 mile trip. Note that the pickup gets 15 mpg combined and and 17 mpg on the interstate without the trailer....the sweet spot is 65 mph on cruise control. A 4.10 gear would be an improvement, but am eventually going to a 4.56 because the sucker only gets 4.3 mpg pulling the 11,480# 5th wheel RV palace. :flipoff2:

[pcorssmit]

As stated above, usually when the injector pump fails its the electronic module. They are $200-300, IIRC, and can be remote-mounted to help dissipate heat.

Generally a Chevy dealer will replace the entire pump. The good news is that (at least as of last summer), there was a hidden-warranty on the pumps, good till 120k miles, or 11 years. I had a pump replaced on a '98 at 108k miles, no cost to me. FWIW, I sold it for 9500 about a year ago, it was a 2500HD 5 speed extended cab 4x4.

Pete

[DownNDirty]

Well I just test drove a gmc 2500 1995 model, extended cab long bed 2wd, and a dodge 98 2500 with ctd. I have to say I like the ride of the gmc better. Sure the ctd sounds great, but it was a 4x4 and didn't ride nearly as well. Plus it was 9k more than the gmc. The gmc had tthe 80 model tranny, and electroinc brake controller. It also has 151k miles on it. So once the pump is fixed, will it continue to break? I mean how often would that expense occur? Oh yea, the gmc was clean underneath, no oil under the hood or truck. It hadn't been pressure washed, it was dirty, just no oil. THe dodge was caked in oil. For 6.5k is it something worth picking up?

[DMG]

If the injector pump is taken care of it should go for a long time. It won't pull like a CTD or respond to mods like a CTD but the rest of the truck is nicer than the dodge.

[DownNDirty]

Well l picked up the 2500. I know it is not a ctd or a powerstroke, but those are out of my price range. Maybe next go around they will be in my range. For now I am dreading the choice I made. Damn buyers remorse. Oh well the truck seems really well maintained. Makes me think it was a horse puller or a camper puller. Definitly not a work truck. Now what can I do to make it better and faster. Oh yea that 3rd gear thing is hard to get used to. That and those damn glow plugs. Got to remeber that this is a diesel not a gasser. :smokin:

[tenpack]

We run a 6.5 in our 3500HD flat bed work truck, and does alright with a S250 bobcat that wieghts 7500+ lbs, a mt52 that wieghts 2500+ lbs, plus 1000 of trailer and attatchments, buckets, etc. and it aint going nowhere fast, but it gets the job done.

[u2slow]

So once the pump is fixed, will it continue to break? I mean how often would that expense occur?

Remove the plastic engine cover. Add aPMD cooler - or fashion your own heat sink. Its normally not the entire pump that goes out - even though the shop/dealer wants you to believe that. :rolleyes: The PMD itself (Pump Mounted Driver) can be replaced individually also when it fails from overheating.

Fuel additive may help for internal pump wear on low-sulphur fuel. AFAIK, its the same basic design rotary Stanadyne pump used since the late 70's, and all these older pumps get longer life with the 'increased lubricity' additives.

[85yota350]

chevrolet transmissions are garbage, go with a ford or a dodge, you'll be glad you did.

[Bmf24]

Alot of people gave good advice and a few have no clue.

I had a 2002 1/2 ton GMC with the 5.3/ 4l60e.
i towed my heep with it more than a few times. i towed others 4k lbs heeps.
all this towing was in the pocono mountains.
it did very well. it would slow way down on the big hills. i could avg 70 mph on the expressway and get about 11mpg.
empty i could avg 20mpg at 75 mpg on long hauls. best truck i have had yet.

the problem i have with the 2500 is they come with 4.10 gears i the axles so the milage is way down. the 1500 come woth 3.73's

Now that i have a 2500 i like it, but getting 13-15 mpg all the time kinda sucks.
the newer deisels come with either 3.42 or 3.73, i cant rember. much better millage.

I do have one warning: the 99-02 4l60E trannys have a weak spot. the sunshell is only splined with like 3 splines and tack welded. i was hauling some masonite (about 500lbs worth) and went to back over a curb at work and the sunshell exploded. ruined the tranny. the replaced it on some special program they had for out of warranty trucks and used the newer parts that are made diffrent and much better.
i have heard of very little problems with the 4l80E unless your towing 35' hourse trailers in CO thru the mountains.

[Bmf24]

chevrolet transmissions are garbage, go with a ford or a dodge, you'll be glad you did.

your kidding, right?

good joke.

[Hyena]

I have a 97 GMC 5.7L 1500 Z71 4wd for my dd/tow rig. It has the 3/4ton springs and a semifloat 14 bolt rear axle. Don't know what the tranny is. It hauls my 84 extra cab toyota on 37's. with the trailor it is about 6000-6500 pounds. I will tow it pretty easily. It will do 70mph up to Truckee all the way in 3rd. Didn't know if it would hurt the tranny in overdrive or what. I haven't had any problems with it.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v674/Hyena84/MCR4/MCR4001.jpg

[PAToyota]

Remove the plastic engine cover. Add a PMD cooler.

Good advice. By the way, my '93 K2500 came with 3.42 gears.

[4x4not]

chevrolet transmissions are garbage, go with a ford or a dodge, you'll be glad you did.
I'm not a Chevy guy by any stretch, but you ARE kidding right? Back in the 90's a Chevy is the ONLY auto I'd pick. :rolleyes:

[Murph]

Remove the plastic engine cover. Add aPMD cooler - or fashion your own heat sink.

Or replace it entirely with one of these puppies (http://www.heathdiesel.com/P/HDP1280/) and leave the stocker on the IP "just in case"


Andy
98 6.5 1500 'burb