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Question for all 6.5 diesel Gurus

MARK_VANDERBENT
Explorer
Explorer
My 95 turbo burb runs awesome ! smooth and powerful. But she starts a little sloppy, I have new glow plugs and voltage is great. Also have a new starter , and lift pump. Its starts every time , but it does not pop off smooth. Any insights would be great!! My fuel filter is new , and I run additive every fill up. Just seeing if anyone has any ideas. Thanks, truck has 250,000 miles.
13 REPLIES 13

Cummins12V98
Explorer III
Explorer III
FishOnOne wrote:
What did you do put a turbo on a 6.2?


Put the turbo on a factory 6.5 long block that replaced the 6.2 that had broken valve springs. This one the Daughter ran the water low and it is very rough running with no water in the oil. Really sad the truck is a 86 C20 2wd in great mechanical condition with a turbo 400.
2015 RAM LongHorn 3500 Dually CrewCab 4X4 CUMMINS/AISIN RearAir 385HP/865TQ 4:10's
37,800# GCVWR "Towing Beast"

"HeavyWeight" B&W RVK3600

2016 MobileSuites 39TKSB3 highly "Elited" In the stable

2007.5 Mobile Suites 36 SB3 29,000# Combined SOLD

Turtle_n_Peeps
Explorer
Explorer
Could be a lot of things. A few things that come to mind in no particular order:

Glow plug wiring. (The plugs may be new but if they get no juice.....)

Bad injector spray pattern. (Thick droplets cause a rough idle when cold but run great when the engine is hot.)

Stretched timing chain. (It will ****** pump timing. (Mine was junk at around 130K)

Low compression it 1 or more cylinders. (Low compression makes a diesel idle like hell when cold. After they warm up it will run smoother)

Non OEM glow plug timing box. I replaced the one on my truck with a NAPA unit and it flat out sucks. I have to glow it twice in the mornings because the thing is junk. It won't glow the plugs long enough on one cycle to start the engine on a very cold morning let alone give it a nice idle.



The lift pump will have nothing to do with your problem IMHO, but here is a way to check it. Start the truck up when cold and immediately turn it off. You should hear a thump, thump, thump, under the drivers door for at least 5 to 10 seconds. If you don't, 99.9% of the time it will be the junk oil pressure trigger switch they put on these trucks.

Good luck and have fun. 🙂
~ Too many freaks & not enough circuses ~


"Life is not tried ~ it is merely survived ~ if you're standing
outside the fire"

"The best way to get a bad law repealed is to enforce it strictly."- Abraham Lincoln

FishOnOne
Explorer III
Explorer III
MARK VANDERBENT wrote:
No have a turbo 6.5


My question was directed to cummins98. Sorry I changed the topic. Good luck on the fix
'12 Ford Super Duty FX4 ELD CC 6.7 PSD 400HP 800ft/lbs "270k Miles"
'16 Sprinter 319MKS "Wide Body"

MARK_VANDERBENT
Explorer
Explorer
No have a turbo 6.5

bfourman
Explorer
Explorer
All glow plug wiring good? Have you replaced the injectors? My '96 6.5L hated any glow plugs besides AC Delco for some reason. How long does the Wait to Start light stay on when you cycle the key?
'00 GMC Yukon XL K2500 - 6.0L, 4L80e, 3.73s, P3, AirLift, BlackBear tuned.
'14 Aerolite 282DBHS - Andersen No-Sway

FishOnOne
Explorer III
Explorer III
What did you do put a turbo on a 6.2?
'12 Ford Super Duty FX4 ELD CC 6.7 PSD 400HP 800ft/lbs "270k Miles"
'16 Sprinter 319MKS "Wide Body"

Cummins12V98
Explorer III
Explorer III
Mine used to pop off instantly but now makes LOTS of noise! :h

2015 RAM LongHorn 3500 Dually CrewCab 4X4 CUMMINS/AISIN RearAir 385HP/865TQ 4:10's
37,800# GCVWR "Towing Beast"

"HeavyWeight" B&W RVK3600

2016 MobileSuites 39TKSB3 highly "Elited" In the stable

2007.5 Mobile Suites 36 SB3 29,000# Combined SOLD

FishOnOne
Explorer III
Explorer III
Another common problem with the 6.5 Turbo Weasel is the PMD and Injector pumps get pretty weak.

Good luck...
'12 Ford Super Duty FX4 ELD CC 6.7 PSD 400HP 800ft/lbs "270k Miles"
'16 Sprinter 319MKS "Wide Body"

MARK_VANDERBENT
Explorer
Explorer
Injector pump is perfect. Lift pump is pulling from tank perfect also. I think I have to replace my lines that may have slight leak off of the filter housing. Pump is turned up and truck is chipped runs smooth and strong and gets me 20 mpg highway with a 410.

SDcampowneroper
Explorer
Explorer
newman fulltimer wrote:
Lift pump is getting weak and out of time
Yup. Chris is right. I Had a '93 & a '98 with 6.5s. Injector pumps were good for 60 -90k miles. Good starts until colder weather, then weak rough starts. Expect 2k to rebuild it.
6.5 weak points I saw are the injector pump amd in later years webbing cracking in the crankcase which leaks antifreeze into the oil. Almost makes me wish my '98 was a Ford or Dodge.

Almost

boogie_4wheel
Explorer
Explorer
It's winter time... Did it act the same last year during colder weather?
The lack of smoothness is most likely 1 or more cylinders not firing on the first few rotations while the other 7/6/5 are.

You can use a multimeter to check the resistance of each glow plug (remove the splash guard on the passenger side, I think you need to remove the driver's side as well, can't remember). Disconnect the wiring to the glow plug then test. Look for one that has a high/open compared to the others.

You can also cycle the key more than once to time the plugs a second time for additional heat. Had a PSD that about half the plugs were shot (gotta pull valve covers and it's a bigger job than on the 6.5L or the LBZ). It was a rockin, shakin, smoke puffing ride for the first few seconds.
2005 2500 Cummins/48RE/3.73, QCLB, 4wd, BigHorn, Edge Juice w/ CTS + Turbo Timer,Transgo Shift Kit ISSPro Oil and LP pressure gauges, GDP 20/2 filters, Custom Diesel Steering Box Brace
'10 Forest River Shockwave Toy Hauler 21'
Honda EU3000I Genny

MARK_VANDERBENT
Explorer
Explorer
Brand new lift pump

newman_fulltime
Explorer
Explorer
Lift pump is getting weak and out of time