Some of my problems. blown head gaskets, roached turbo, bad IP's, junk injectors, cracked heads (GM says that's "normal"), cracked piston skirts....maybe more.
good god don't put yourself through it! Toyota's are notoriously reliable don't ruin that with a GM turd.
I'd like to give a rebuttal to this post. Please don't think of this as a put down of your feelings, just some thing I have found out about this motor.
If you let GM do your thinking then yes this is the big chance you take. GM shot themselves in the foot with their cost cutting measure, the bean counters won the skirmish but GM lost the war.
All motor manufacturers have had their share of problems. The early 7.3 had head bolt problems, the early cummins the killer dowell pin problem and the IP killing lift pump problem, and you're well aware of the 6.0 problems. The point I'm getting to is how the parent company faced the problem. Some of these motors reputations have survived because of how the problem was taken care of. Others have gone down the tube because of how they weren't taken care of.
The GM 6.2 6.5 blocks had a history of problems. Then in about 2000 Navistar took over and re-engineered the block, which is the 6.5 motor that the military currently is using and has been proven to be a much better block.
If you pay attention to the aftermarket parts suppliers enough has been learned that it is possible to find a good undamaged block, or maybe even a military take out, and build a reliable motor.
"blown head gaskets" Use ARP head studs and not the torque to yield bolts, make sure the deck and heads are clean and flat.
"roached turbo" The Gm turbo was notorious for too much back pressure, there are now other turbos already proven to be much better, and others currently in the process of being proven.
"bad IP's" The electronic IP had a problematic Stanadyne fuel system driver and many IPs were changed without checking the FSD first. Flight Systems came out with an aftermarket FSD that recently has been proven reliable.
"junk injectors" Genuine Bosch injectors have been proven reliable, other brands are hit and miss.
"cracked heads (GM says that's "normal")" GM was just trying to stay out of hot water, there are now some aftermarket suppliers, not chinese, that so far seem to have taken care of this problem, time will tell.
"cracked piston skirts" GM added piston squirters to cool and lubricate which helped, but this was eventually a cooling system problem, particularly around # 7 & 8 pistons. There are now cooling system upgrades that have taken care of most of the problem. Still some concerns, especially in the area of fan clutches that don't come on at low enough temps.
The 6.2 and 6.5 has had more than its' share of problems which can all be traced back to GMs' bean counters. The aftermarket suppliers have stepped up to give solutions to many of the problems. Overall, this motor CAN be made into a reliable one IF you spend some time learning about these aftermarket fixes.
This motor is cheaper to buy parts for than others such as Cummins and Fords' Powerstroke.
Will it ever be as powerfull as others? No, but it CAN be as reliable and give the others a run for their money in the power area.
I'm full aware of the shortcomings and am constantly searching and learning of ways to improve the motor. I can afford this motor and vehicle, where with any of the others it would be very questionable considering the prices of even used ones.
Don
