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84 m1009 cucv chevy blazer build-up

Sharecropper

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I just came across this cross-member a couple of weeks ago. Maybe it is of interest to you.
Yes that is indeed very interesting. I appreciate you posting the link. I will keep this in mind when I go to dropping the P400 in place. If the girdle or pan will not clear the OEM crossmember I will try to compare the ORD part to that beast and see if either will provide clearance. I AM running crossover steering so I will have to keep that in mind. I anticipate things to get a little dicey on engine-install day.
Thanks again for your help.
 

2INSANE

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So everything was going great! All of a sudden she started blowing large amounts of white smoke. Smells like unburnt fuel.

Ordered a rebuilt injection pump 4544 from Pensacola Diesel, Inc and ordered injector pop pressure tester and valve compression tool.

This build is on hold. Starting fresh with another block. This time no serpentine and no upgraded water pump.
 

Rutjes

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So everything was going great! All of a sudden she started blowing large amounts of white smoke. Smells like unburnt fuel.

Ordered a rebuilt injection pump 4544 from Pensacola Diesel, Inc and ordered injector pop pressure tester and valve compression tool.

This build is on hold. Starting fresh with another block. This time no serpentine and no upgraded water pump.
That sucks! Can't wait to see what's next tho!
 

Sharecropper

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So everything was going great! All of a sudden she started blowing large amounts of white smoke. Smells like unburnt fuel.

Ordered a rebuilt injection pump 4544 from Pensacola Diesel, Inc and ordered injector pop pressure tester and valve compression tool.

This build is on hold. Starting fresh with another block. This time no serpentine and no upgraded water pump.
What a bummer. I am assuming you will tear down that engine to find the problem. What block do you intend to pursue? Rebuilt or new?
 

2INSANE

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That sucks! Can't wait to see what's next tho!
Could be a bad injector! Waiting for the pop pressure tester to find out!


What a bummer. I am assuming you will tear down that engine to find the problem. What block do you intend to pursue? Rebuilt or new?
No worries! I fix everything! 2insane makes it all better!!!

Up next is a 60k J code with nothing wrong with it... Lol! Except for the shop rag that got sucked in the intake! Off with the head already and sent into the machine shop! I don’t mess around!

Had a long chat with the machine shop guy! This guy is badass! Knows his ship! Gave me a bunch of tips and a product for sealing threads.
 

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2INSANE

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Injector pop pressure tester showed up. Can not wait to use it!

Valve Spring compression tool showed up too! Not bad for only $20 eBay.

Machine shop called and told me the head has cracks between the valves where the rag was. I went over right away. They got the rag out, jetted the head and removed the 2 valves. Valves are still straight. They magnafluxed the head to show me the cracks. Got home and removed all valves and springs easy with my new tool. Bagged and tagged.

I got 4 options...

1. Buy new head.
2. Buy used head.
3. Use another head from spare block.
4. Fix it with a lock and stitch kit.

Can you guess what I am going to do?
 

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dougco1

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Injector pop pressure tester showed up. Can not wait to use it!

Valve Spring compression tool showed up too! Not bad for only $20 eBay.

Machine shop called and told me the head has cracks between the valves where the rag was. I went over right away. They got the rag out, jetted the head and removed the 2 valves. Valves are still straight. They magnafluxed the head to show me the cracks. Got home and removed all valves and springs easy with my new tool. Bagged and tagged.

I got 4 options...

1. Buy new head.
2. Buy used head.
3. Use another head from spare block.
4. Fix it with a lock and stitch kit.

Can you guess what I am going to do?
New old stock are available.
6.2 Liter GM Diesel Cylinder Head for HMMWV and CUCV equipped with 6.2 Liter Diesel Engine (easternsurplus.net)
 

911joeblow

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Utah
On the motor stand with the 130 gpm water pump, 195 single thermostat temperature testing with the shops laser thermometer gun shows that the motor definitely gets at least 30 degrees hotter before the thermostat housing which tells me a lower thermostat is a must have!

The hottest parts on the motor is indeed the heads. Front and rear temps only show a few degrees difference. The rear of the heads are about 2-3 degrees cooler then the front.

Driver side head...

Back of the heads...

Passenger side head...

Driver valve cover... Note the valve cover is cooler on the rear of the motor by 4 degrees.

Edit: After checking the pictures, I find it interesting that the driver side head is about 10 degrees hotter then the passenger side. That explains why just the driver side precups cracked but the passenger side precups did not. It also explains why one of the 6.5 driver side head was cracked between the valves and the passenger side head was not. When I flushed the coolant from the motor, I could not flush the driver side unless I popped one of the freeze plugs when the coolant crossover housing was off. The coolant flow design on the driver side is a mistake GM made. I think the paradox by design kit just for the driver side would be beneficial to balance the driver vs passenger side head temperatures.

One has to also take into consideration that the back of this motor is not pressed tight against the firewall which gets less ventilation from the fan. More temperature testing is needed after the motor is installed in the engine bay.
Just remember surface temps are not internal temps. The only way to get really accurate numbers is to install temp sensors in the coolant passages. I assure you that the rear of these blocks run VERY hot. Simply dropping system temperature will NOT change that. In fact by lowering the temps below 220F you are losing power, getting incomplete fuel burn and fueling your oil which can lead to lubrication issues. Diesels need heat to burn properly.
 

911joeblow

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I know that the science is not always easy to follow so here is another way to look at this.

GM and later GEP continuously worked on this rear engine overheating issue over the life of the 6.2 and 6.5 engines. First they changed the crossover design, then they added a dual thermostat housing, then a higher flow pump, in HMMWVs they went to a geared fan, then when all else failed to solve the issue they did one of the worst admissions of failure in recent memory. They oversized the bores of just cylinders #7&8 so that when they overheated they would not score the cylinder walls, break rings and seize up the engine! If you don't believe the science, believe the trail of evidence!

Later, GM in the development of the LS engines knew that they needed precise balance of the cylinder to cylinder temps so they could run lean enough to meet the stricter emissions laws and not cause detonation. They were able to get away with rear engine over temps in earlier gas engines by simply running richer but with added emissions standards could no longer do this. GM came up with what they call the Steam Vent. The Steam Vent is a coolant pipe which draws coolant from the back of the block and reintroduces it at the front to create better flow to the back of the block/heads. This is the same as we are doing with our kits.
 

2INSANE

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Thanks for the advice!

So I parted out the J 6.2 with 60,000 miles. Got quite a bit of spare parts off of it. Should I get the crank? Worth the effort?

Now I got the 6.5 on the chopping block. Gonna remove all the electronics and see if I can get it running on a DB2 and Hx35w.

I am just having a blast!
 

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2INSANE

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Glorus build I might say!
Thank you!

I had a change of plans. I sold all my Banks Sidewinder parts, sold the Hx35w’s, sold all three early 6.5 blocks and a bunch of other parts. After selling all those items I had made all my money back in costs and labor and more.

I decided to go for the gold and bought a reman 6.5 Optimizer NAVSTAR with improved block casting and improved head castings. It should be shipped in a few weeks.
 
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Sharecropper

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Thank you!

I had a change of plans. I sold all my Banks Sidewinder parts, sold the Hx35w’s, sold all three early 6.5 blocks and a bunch of other parts. After selling all those items I had made all my money back in costs and labor and more.

I decided to go for the gold and bought a brand new 6.5 Optimizer NAVSTAR with improved block casting and improved head castings. It should be shipped in a few weeks.
Thanks for the update.

For the benefit of all SS members, it will be helpful to provide information on your new 6.5 Optimizer NAVISTAR engine. Where did you purchase it, the price, warranty, what was included (long block only?), shipping costs, etc.

Please remember that the main intent of this site is to assist the members with military vehicle issues. Although I personally am not looking for an engine, the sharing of your information will be of great help to other SS members who indeed may be looking.
 

2INSANE

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Thanks for the update.

For the benefit of all SS members, it will be helpful to provide information on your new 6.5 Optimizer NAVISTAR engine. Where did you purchase it, the price, warranty, what was included (long block only?), shipping costs, etc.

Please remember that the main intent of this site is to assist the members with military vehicle issues. Although I personally am not looking for an engine, the sharing of your information will be of great help to other SS members who indeed may be looking.
This Optimizer NAVSTAR is a long block. (Not Fully Dressed with accessories)

Company info:

Bostic Motors Inc (BMI)
157 N Main St, Bostic, NC 28018
+1 (828) 453-7779
Jeff Aiello

$5400 Optimizer NAVSTAR Longblock
$429.80 Shipping to Montana
$500 Core Charge (Will refund after inspection of core, they pay for core shipment!)

$6,329.80 Total

1 year unlimited mile warranty

My cost out of pocket after selling motors and parts $0

This company specializes in Only 6.5 and 6.2. They know their stuff. Jeff told me, like the P400, the Optimizer is going to be phased out in 8 months.

Since I still have a lot of parts, I decided to buy their longblock. Their fully dressed Optimizer is...

$9840
+$1500 core
+$425 shipping

Total $11,765

A lot has been improved. Here is link of more info...


Bostic Motors claims they have never had any of their Optimizers Crack with over 100 Optimizers sold. I checked their reviews and it appears their claim is legit.
 

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Sharecropper

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Paris KY
This Optimizer NAVSTAR is a long block. (Not Fully Dressed with accessories)

Company info:

Bostic Motors Inc (BMI)
157 N Main St, Bostic, NC 28018
+1 (828) 453-7779
Jeff Aiello

$5400 Optimizer NAVSTAR Longblock
$429.80 Shipping to Montana
$500 Core Charge (Will refund after inspection of core, they pay for core shipment!)

$6,329.80 Total

1 year unlimited mile warranty

My cost out of pocket after selling motors and parts $0

This company specializes in Only 6.5 and 6.2. They know their stuff. Jeff told me, like the P400, the Optimizer is going to be phased out in 8 months.

Since I still have a lot of parts, I decided to buy their longblock. Their fully dressed Optimizer is...

$9840
+$1500 core
+$425 shipping

Total $11,765

A lot has been improved. Here is link of more info...


Bostic Motors claims they have never had any of their Optimizers Crack with over 100 Optimizers sold. I checked their reviews and it appears their claim is legit.
Thanks for the reply. Just so you will know, and for the benefit of all SS members who may happen to read this, the Bostic engine is not a NEW GM engine but instead is a remanufactured unit. I hope you enjoy good service from your engine, as there have been others who have not. Maybe some of those folk will chime in, but for me, I will not comment further.
 

2INSANE

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My choice of accessories for this optimiis vast.
Thanks for the reply. Just so you will know, and for the benefit of all SS members who may happen to read this, the Bostic engine is not a NEW GM engine but instead is a remanufactured unit. I hope you enjoy good service from your engine, as there have been others who have not. Maybe some of those folk will chime in, but for me, I will not comment further.
It may not be fresh from the factory but their reman process is good! Practically a new motor if not better. Here’s more info:

The pictured engine fits 92-2001 Chevy & GMC C/K Series trucks w/ GM 6.5L Turbo Diesel (Sidemount Turbo).
This is a re-manufactured engine using Genuine AM General / GEP Optimizer™ / Navistar™castings..... the ones built after 2004 with the better castings.
This engine will also fit all Non-Turbo applications, Pickup Truck, Van or the H-1 Hummer.
This engine can also be built to service all Center-mount or Rear-Mounted Turbo applications, (H-1 Hummers , Vans & some RV's).
For over 21 years now, we have been involved with the 6.2L and later the 6.5L engine exclusively.
Check out our Feedback! People love our products and service!

Some other companies are selling new block/head engines, but be careful, most are new block/heads using the old casting forms, no improvements - FROM CHINA! . Booooo! There is only a handful of others offering IMPROVED & UPDATED castings aside from AM General and General Motors themselves.

The design improvements and re-engineering of the improved castings add durability and virtually eliminate the potential for cracking in both the block and heads.

Here is What is New and Improved about our Engines:

These Engines Are Built Using the 2004+ Optimizer™ / Navistar™ Improved Block & Head Castings.
Our engines also include major improvements to the oiling systems, including our exclusive: High Volume & High Pressure Oil pumps.
BLOCK & HEADS:

The iron used in the new block utilizes molybdenum, a metal yielding a 20-25% increase in strength, without being brittle. The new block design also incorporates improved main bearing webs and caps. In addition, the head bolt holes in the block deck are strengthened, vastly improving head gasket durability.
Additionally, changes of the water jacket design in the heads have helped address the 6.5's overheating problems. The original 6.5 & 6.2 cylinder heads produced by GM were prone to developing small cracks between the valves. The new redesigned heads have added chromium to the cast-iron to virtually eliminate these and other cracking issues.
The Optimizer™ block and head system offers complete parts interchangeability & bolt hole alignment as your original block.
OILING SYSTEM:
This engine also gains improved durability & longevity with a High Volume / High Pressure oiling system.

INTERNAL COMPONENTS:

We use MAHLE Clevite branded internal parts on both our new and remanufactured offerings. These are top quality parts from a well known industry leader. AM General and GM both use/d MAHLE as the O.E.M. internals. Mahle Clevite has significantly improved both the Pistons and Connecting Rods since the time that the 6.5 was used by General Motors. The Connecting rods are more durable and the Pistons are stronger and lighter.
With these important improvements, the BMI 6.5 is among the toughest 6.5L diesel engine available today.
We have have been selling the 6.5L engine with new improved castings for more than 9 years now with great over-the road success.
Now we can offer the Real Optimizer™ castings!

Not one block or head crack issue to date. - Now that's what we mean by an improvement.

Compare to others: Our longblocks come with already installed; Valve covers, Oil pan, Oil Pickup Tube, Timing Chain Cover, New Harmonic Balancer.

Every one of our engines are hot-run in on the dyno after final assembly.
During this time the camshsft is properly broken-in, the and the engine is monitored for any sign of oil or coolant leaks.
All of our engines are dyno tested.
This is why we do not offer short-block engines, Short-blocks can not be adequately tested on the dyno.
Be assured with our Unlimited Mileage, one year warranty covering every engine we sell. You expect hard work from your diesel powered truck, and we'll guarantee it.
We are proud of our long track record with the GM 6.5 Liter Turbo Diesel engine. We do not take shortcuts during the manufacturing process.
Please state year make, model and 8th character of VIN code when ordering to be sure we build the correct engine for your truck.
There is a Core Deposit that will be refunded when rebuildable core is received back. Any of your core's deficiencies can be pro-rated and may not necessarily mean complete forfeiture of core deposit.
Let us know when the core is ready, and our freight company will pickup the core.
We pay the return shipping for your core.
Our domestic long-block core deposit is just $500, not $1000. like some other companies, however the $1000 core must be charged for overseas buyers.
Shipping is by Truck freight and runs between $240-$450 depending on your location.
($240 in Eastcoast areas, $440 for parts of California, Points between vary accordingly) - often the freight costs shown on eBay are incorrect. (often too high)
Call our internet sales department at [phone removed by eBay] prior to ordering to insure we order the correct engine for your specific application and to give you your exact total, including proper freight quote. We can discuss your engine questions and options over the phone more efficiently than email.
We are: Bostic Motors Inc.
Not just on the internet, we have a real physical location, and a phone number:
157 North Main Street
Bostic, NC 28018
You can call us at [phone removed by eBay]
Please don't call or E-mail with retrofit or gas to diesel conversion questions. Conversions are generally not worth the effort or cost and entail quite a bit more then someone with limited experience usually thinks.
 

1love

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Very nice free engine in a way! Excited to see the build! Keep up the good work and take many photos! I can't wait to start my build I will be starting a thread soon!
 

1love

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If anyone is looking for a P400!

 

Skinny

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Portsmouth, NH
Wow that is almost stupid money! Clearly the pricing reflects government contract of fleet replacement when the checkbook doesnt have your name on it.

Call me crazy but if you want a Navistar V8 diesel a Ford or Schoolbus probably has a cheaper option

I guess if you are looking for a drop in replacement then you have no choice but to spend the money. I think there are better options then $14,500 plus shipping and labor to get a diesel in a GM.

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