# NEED ADVICE ON '84 CHEVY 6.2 DIESEL



## yardsmith (Jan 3, 2000)

I have the opportunity to buy an 84 or 85 Chevy 1 ton pickup with the 6.2 diesel motor. Some have told me that the mid-80's were not good years for diesels for Chevy. Is that true, & what's the reputation of them, how good are they, & do they hold up? This one has had minimal work done to it as needed, & has 92,000 on the odometer.
Thanks for any input!


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## pottstim (Jun 9, 2000)

Yardsmith,
I'll share with you what little I know about the old 6.2 Diesel. My dad works for a mining company, and the only vehicles that can be driven underground are ones that are diesel powered. This is because diesel fuel has such a high flash point, where as gasoline has a low flash point. Simply put, by running gas powered vehicles underground, they run a high risk of explosion.
Anyways, back the the subject on the 6.2. At the mine, they had 5 Chevy 4/4 3/4 ton pickups, 2 1986 K-20's, 1 1990 K-2500, and 2 1992 K-2500's. All were equiped with the 6.2. These trucks put up with so much abuse being driven underground on the rough roads and hauling equipment. You have no idea until you have ridden underground in one of them. In some cases, Dad said they even drove them in water up to the tailgates! Out of the 5 trucks I mentioned above, Dad said the '86's were the toughest of them all. They had the solid front axles, and were essentially built using old school technology. This is the same body style that you are thinking about buying. The independent front suspension on the newer trucks could only take abuse for so long. Broken torsion bars and busted CV joints were common, and the water that got into the differentials would eventually ruin them. All of the 6.2's in the trucks faired pretty well. With the exception of one, it was one of the 92's. Somehow, something happened to the front driveshaft, and it came off and sliced open the oil filter, which was mounted just above. The man that was driving it wasn't paying attention the the gages, and all the oil ran out of it and locked it up. They ended up putting a Goodwrench rebuilt 6.2 in it.
Dad's company truck was one of the 86's, and it was a damn good truck. It had the bulldog low 4 speed in it, and it would just about climb a tree. With the exception of a leaky injector, it ran great all the time. In cold weather, he would make sure and put conditioner in the fuel, and if a power outlet was nearby, he would plug it in at night.
He let me drive it a few times, and I can say that this truck was strong but the old 6.2 just doesn't have very much power. Plan on holding your foot to the floor quite a bit. There are aftermarket turbo chargers available that make these engines actually quite powerful from what I have heard. I will tell you this, I would have an old 6.2 versus a new 6.5 Turbo diesel that GM offers now. The 6.5 may be more powerful, but it's had a lot of problems over the years. They have one of these at the mine now in a one ton flat bed, and it's been nothing but trouble. It's a 96 and it's on it's second engine, and it's not even an underground truck. Well, I'm gonna rest my case now. I hope that I've helped you some here. Hope you enjoyed the mining story, there's a ton more to tell, but I'm tired of typing ...LOL

Take care,
Tim


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## FIREMAN (Apr 8, 2000)

KNOWN FOR BLOWN HEAD GASKETS....AND BAD HEADS ....AND NOT SO GREAT TRANNY'S(AUTO I MEAN)....UNLESS IT'S A GREAT DEAL OR YOU ARE A REAL MECHANIC STAY FAR,FAR AWAY...MY FD HAD A 6.2 SUBURBAN 4X4 WE HAD HEADS REPLACED AND THE 3500.00 DOLLAR NUMBER STICKS IN MY HEAD. I COULD BE WRONG ABOUT THE NUMBER BUT IT WASN'T CHEAP....GOODLUCK


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## pottstim (Jun 9, 2000)

Fireman is right about the head gaskets in the 6.2
A guy that works at an auto parts store told me the same basic story. He said to me that this problem ocurred when the engine came out, which was in '82 I believe, and the next couple of years after that. But the trucks at the mine where dad works had no problems. Like i said before, they were '86 and later.

Tim


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## plowking35 (Dec 21, 1999)

Well if the truck is in good shape, then the engine is replaceable. And if you dont want to pay for another 6.2, just drop in a 350 for about 1500.00 and you will have a truck that will run 4 ever. The k-30 has a very stout drivetrain, gear drive t case and the like. Something that cant be found in any truck today. I just wish it was near me so I could buy it.
Dino


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## yardsmith (Jan 3, 2000)

Thanks guys-
That was also in my thoughts, about driving it until it dies & puttin in a 350 or bigger.
This beast has 33's on it (wide ones at that) with NO lift kit (first thing to be changed if I get it). I'll take it to my mechanic to see if there's anything I overlooked too.
Comes with a diamond plate toolbox & an early 90's meyer straight plow- all for 4 grand. I didn't think it was too bad. The underneath looks good too.


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## pottstim (Jun 9, 2000)

Yardsmith,
Sounds like a good deal. Let us know how it works out.

Tim


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