Well I have been looking to buy a tow rig, but can not afford a brand new one, so I started to look at some old ones, and I have found a few Chevy's with the 6.2 diesel in them.


But during my search I can not find anyone to give me a realistic idea on what the life span of a 6.2 is?

I mean in mileage.

I know the better they are taken care of the better they willbe but if it has 200,000 miles on it, is it more than likely to die soon or will it keep going strong for another 100,000?

KEn C

They all should have had a short life by putting a few bullets in the block before leaving the dealer. If you want a real tow rig stay away from the 6.2. Sure it will pull if the road's flat, but how long do you want to take to get where you're going? God forbid you come to a hill. My dad had two of them before anyone knew what a Cummins was and neither could pull a greased string out of a cat's ass (no I didn't make that up, heard it from an old timer).

our sub had over 300k before we sold it. sure, only 160 hp...but like 25 mpg. I loved that truck. I put some 35's on it and it was pretty cool old truck. Starters and glowplugs are common items with them...the glowplug controller failed once too. Besides leaks, it ran strong (no Dmax...but good, reliable motor). I give them 2 thumbs up. Better than the non-turbo 6.5 for sure.

Mine made 300K before the aluminum drive gear on the vacuum pump got chewed to a pulp. I replaced it with a motor that had 160K and drove it for another 80K then sold it.

They aren't the most powerful motor, but they get excellent mileage. Mine was at 23 MPG in an '84 3/4 ton Sub with 4:10's.

The 6.2 is a lot like the 6.9 fords or the old mistubishi diesels in the Dodges.
Great milage and reliabilty, AS LONG AS YOU DON'T TOW.

Thanks for all the reply's so far.

This is the only thing that worries me now
That Mick,
The 6.2 is a lot like the 6.9 fords or the old mistubishi diesels in the Dodges.
Great milage and reliabilty, AS LONG AS YOU DON'T TOW.

Might plan on replacing a few injection pumps too. These are not known for having reliable injection pumps.

Originally posted by BRUISER
Thanks for all the reply's so far.

This is the only thing that worries me now


I should ask, what are you towing??
If you are flat-towing a Sammy, I think you would be ok. anything more is asking alot of that motor.
They just don't have the torque curve for heavy duty towing.

That Mick,
I should ask, what are you towing??
If you are flat-towing a Sammy, I think you would be ok. anything more is asking alot of that motor.
They just don't have the torque curve for heavy duty towing.

Well actually I am going to be towing an XJ.

But after some consideration, I have taken yours and others advice and I will be looking for a newer, better pulling tow rig.
Plus the Suburban that I checked out was not all that, and I really do not want to be doing more work to my tow rig then my trail rig.

Thanks Everyone.

Ken C

I only have experience with one, and it's not good. We are replacing an engine for a friend of ours. It has 102,000 miles on it, and was used to pull a 16 foot flatbed loaded with lumber for about 50,000 of those miles. It broke a rod the other day, punched a whole in the oil pan, cracked the block, bent a motor mount, and the piston slapped the head. Needless to say, the crank is trashed and the entire thing is pretty much trash. Like I said, it's the only experience I have with any Chevy diesels, but it's enough to make me think twice.

It is a 350 block with diesel heads does that say enough?:p

Originally posted by racinhound
It is a 350 block with diesel heads does that say enough?:p

Wrong answer.

Purpose built diesel block and motor.

Built for economy, not power.

For all practical purposes
It is a 350 block with diesel heads does that say enough?

Er.... Wrong!

That would be the infamous 5.7 that made many Americans think that deisels suck just cuz that one did.

Cory

GM has never made a great diesel in their trucks. They had to resort to Isuzu to come up with halfway decent motor. Only time will tell if the duramax will hold up like a Cummins or PSD. I'll reserve my judgement until they get like 750K miles without a rebuild. For power, 6.2 pretty much suck.

FJ 40 Charles where in Big D are you at? I am in Wide awake Wylie. I used to have a bad ass FJ but sold it for my racecar.


I have 2 trucks with 6.2's in them and 1 prior. I must agree the 6.2 is a pheonomanaly(spl?) good Fuel Mileage Motor with NO power. In an unloaded situation where power is not a necessity you cannot beat a 6.2 for fuel mileage and durability with proper maintainance. If guys need more power an easy fix is Propane injection, it costs around $500 and will seriously wake the motor up and believe it or not get "better" fuel economy, possibly up to 25MPG.. (check out Bully Dog Industries on the web)Guys don't totally dog this motor out, sure its no PSD or Cummings but for an early diesel you cant beat it. Stay far far away from the 6.9 ford and even further from the 5.7 chevy diesel. And by the way I also own a modified PSD so I know what diesel "POWER" is...

But definitely watch the injection pumps and glow plugs and glow plug controllers otherwise very reliable. Have a GOOD inj pump rebuilder build your pump once and your done.. Plus a little more power.. Look for Diesel Injection Service in Dallas, TX.

I had a 91 gmc 2500 2wd with a 6.2L in it with a 4L80E and 3:73 diff. It pulled pretty impressive until it came to the highway. It couldnt get over 55mph with the motor screaming. That was pulling a 38' Gulf Stream 5th wheel camper double slide, tandem axle. I did pull a lot of cars and some small farm tractors with it. Dont even bother using cruise control while towing and no overdrive. slightest incline and i lost 5 to 15 mph. when not towing I was getting 18 to 20 mpg. Oddly enough though it out ran every 6.5 non turbo. but got spanked by my friends 91 f250 7.3L IDI. if we both had a trailer on the trucks he would pass me like I was standing still and just walked away. Food for thought. How ever if you buy a 6.2L keep all fluids clean at all times and change oil every 3,000 mi. Sold her with 223,000 mi and still got 3500.00 for it.

The 6.2L had short skirting on the block so right off the bat they were prone to cracking if ever overused or over heated. Wasnt a real diesel like the 7.3L or the cummins

Searching is cool and all, but bumping a 10 year old post for BS?

Hell, even the OP decided they sucked and got a bus :rolleyes:

I'm sure the OP hasn't still been questioning a diesel tow rig for the last 10 years. :flipoff2:

The 6.2L had short skirting on the block so right off the bat they were prone to cracking if ever overused or over heated. Wasnt a real diesel like the 7.3L or the cummins

Way to speak up any remove any doubt about you possibly being a moron.

I bought my last 6.2 burban with 480K on the original motor. There is a 1 ton extended wheelbase van with 382K for sale... no history on it, but I know if it wasn't for the rust issue I would buy it on the cheap to turn into an RV.

Leaving this for the next Ten year anniversary bumping...:flipoff2:

Payed $500.00 for my 86 C20 Suburban, pulled my broke down CUMMINS from Mt. Airy NC to Lakeland FL at 70 MPH, drove it 8 months without a single problem then sold it back to the same guy for $500.00 and he wants to sell it back to me now...

broke down CUMMINS

Untrue.

Unpossible.

Payed $500.00 for my 86 C20 Suburban, pulled my broke down CUMMINS from Mt. Airy NC to Lakeland FL at 70 MPH, drove it 8 months without a single problem then sold it back to the same guy for $500.00 and he wants to sell it back to me now...

That Cummins wasn't broken down, it was just getting infinite fuel mileage, uphill, with 30,0000 lbs in tow.

That Cummins wasn't broken down, it was just getting infinite fuel mileage, uphill, with 30,0000 lbs in tow.

So this is how all those guys get 30mph towing with thier Cummins :lmao:

GM has never made a great diesel in their trucks. They had to resort to Isuzu to come up with halfway decent motor. Only time will tell if the duramax will hold up like a Cummins or PSD. I'll reserve my judgement until they get like 750K miles without a rebuild. For power, 6.2 pretty much suck.

:homer:

Because Dodge makes the Cummins, and Ford made the Powerstroke (until recently). :shaking:

Time will tell? There's over a million Dmax's on the road, with the same displacement and basic design for the last 11 years. How many times has Ford changed motors since then? Even the all-mighty Cummins had to go bigger. Plenty of hotshotters have ran up 700k+ miles on their Duramax's without rebuilds. http://www.thedieselpage.com/duramax/750kduramaxc.htm

Don't even act like the Powerstrokes have a history of long lifespans - how many 6.0's and 6.4's left sour tastes in people mouths? :rolleyes:

The 6.2's, as well as all the other N/A Diesels of the day, are not power monsters. They're MPG-getters, and do quite well at that unloaded.

:homer:

Because Dodge makes the Cummins, and Ford made the Powerstroke (until recently). :shaking:

Time will tell? There's over a million Dmax's on the road, with the same displacement and basic design for the last 11 years. How many times has Ford changed motors since then? Even the all-mighty Cummins had to go bigger. Plenty of hotshotters have ran up 700k+ miles on their Duramax's without rebuilds. http://www.thedieselpage.com/duramax/750kduramaxc.htm

Don't even act like the Powerstrokes have a history of long lifespans - how many 6.0's and 6.4's left sour tastes in people mouths? :rolleyes:

The 6.2's, as well as all the other N/A Diesels of the day, are not power monsters. They're MPG-getters, and do quite well at that unloaded.

Check out the dates of the original post and the first few replies:homer: Ford still used the 7.3 PSD and Dodge still was using the 24v Cummins. The Duramax had only been out for about a year.

my whole theory is that the government knew that the 6.2 was a dog, thats why they had to put 4.56 gears in their military k30s so the thing could tow something

Shit, my cummins gets 99mpg sometimes
















For about a minute while going down a hill:flipoff2:

:homer:

Because Dodge makes the Cummins, and Ford made the Powerstroke (until recently). :shaking:

Time will tell? There's over a million Dmax's on the road, with the same displacement and basic design for the last 11 years. How many times has Ford changed motors since then? Even the all-mighty Cummins had to go bigger. Plenty of hotshotters have ran up 700k+ miles on their Duramax's without rebuilds. http://www.thedieselpage.com/duramax/750kduramaxc.htm

Don't even act like the Powerstrokes have a history of long lifespans - how many 6.0's and 6.4's left sour tastes in people mouths? :rolleyes:

The 6.2's, as well as all the other N/A Diesels of the day, are not power monsters. They're MPG-getters, and do quite well at that unloaded.

Check out the dates of the original post and the first few replies:homer: Ford still used the 7.3 PSD and Dodge still was using the 24v Cummins. The Duramax had only been out for about a year.



:laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing:...

:laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing:...

:homer:

Definitely deserved that one. Maybe there's a reason I just lurk. :laughing:

Searching is cool and all, but bumping a 10 year old post for BS?

Hell, even the OP decided they sucked and got a bus :rolleyes:

well to correct this I did have a dodge with Cummins first then I stepped up to a 8v71 Detroit :)

well to correct this I did have a dodge with Cummins first then I stepped up to a 8v71 Detroit :)

Everybody has a Cummins. Thats not special:shaking:

Now a bus...:flipoff2:

well to correct this I did have a dodge with Cummins first then I stepped up to a 8v71 Detroit :)

I started reading this thread and thought, "didn't this guy have a dodge with a Cummins, then swapped it into a crew cab?". (I remember the black one's build thread over on DTR a long time ago) I was thoroughly confused what was going on until I saw it was a 10 year old thread.

Pros:
They're cheap and plentiful
Relatively easy to work on
Somewhat reliable
Known for good mpg

Cons:
Won't start with bad glow plugs even if it's 70 degrees out
factory fuel filter setup is a bad joke
Glow plug controllers are getting scarce, so most have some backyard shadetree maual button setup with butchered wiring harnesses.
Ip's have several plastic parts that tend to disintegrate after 25 years (how long most 6.2's have been around)
They aren't very powerful (dogs on acceleration)
Well known for breaking crankshafts (usually from bad harmonic balancer combined with highway/high rpm operating)

Tip:y
6.5's tend to be more likely paired with a 4l80e, and diesels live much longer with od transmissions. 6.2's don't like operating above 3000 rpm for long.

Rode in this thing once to recover a van with a friend.
http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee4/lurchseesu/Picture349.jpg
Had the latter, "more powerful" 143 hp 6.2, SM465, Holmes 440 bed, and your average 10k winch. It weighed around 7800 empty. I'd guess the minivan we had in tow was loaded down and might have been approaching 5k or possibly a little over. It was by far the slowest thing I've ever been in. Hit this one hill that wasn't even really much of a hill and really lugged down low into 3rd (the gear that's labeled as 2nd) pulling up it. That took quite a while to climb that tiny hill (time that I'll never get back) and afterwards the minivan was looking pretty black.:laughing:

On the plus side, it seems to do ok pulling normal 3k lbs cars and gets some amazing mileage doing it.