1995 6.5 Diesel Engine Specifications

by Lynn Rademacher
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The first 6.5 GM diesel offering was presented to the automobile market in 1992. In the years following this preliminary showing, the 6.5 diesel was made available is several different GM applications. The goal of the 1995 6.5 GM diesel was fuel efficiency. The 6.5 diesel didn't gain a lot of popularity though because of its lack of power in contrast to other diesel engines on the market at the time. GM did offer a turbocharged version of the 6.5 diesel in an effort to gain background.

Manufacturing

The 6.5 GM diesel engine was produced by Detroit Diesel in the U.S. The years that the engine was produced were 1992 through 2000. The engine is still used in some military vehicles today. Other applications for the 6.5 diesel included several Chevy and GM trucks and sport utility vehicles. The engine block of the 1995 6.5 diesel engine was cast iron and had cast iron heads. This added weight to the engine but extended the life of the engine as well. With both the block and the heads being cast iron the entire engine expanded and contracted at the same rate which reduced the risk of cracked heads.

Combustion

The 1995 6.5 diesel engine was called a 6.5 because it was 6.5-liter engine. The displacement of the engine was 395 cubic inches. The fuel injection was an IDI system or indirectly injected. The engine was built for fuel efficiency and sacrificed power to achieve it. Competitors in the market had engines that outperformed the 6.5 diesel from GM in the traditional power market but the diesel engine found other applications where it met a need. Delivery trucks used the fuel miser version of the 6.5 diesel to get the fuel efficiency of a four-cylinder engine.

Problems

Over the years some common problems appeared with the 1995 diesel 6.5 engine. Aging and wear and tear caused cracks to appear in the main caps and in the crankshaft. As the harmonic balancer becomes worn out these issues would become prevalent. Starting problems are often related to glow plugs failing. Overheating was also a problem, as there wasn't enough coolant circulating to prevent the engine from overheating. Cracked cylinder heads were a common problem once the truck had overheated.

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