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1 Million miles 1997 6.5 Diesel

Cool! I hope that we can get that kind of longevity and durability out of our Duramax's.
By the way, the link isn't working correctly.
On edit: It works with Chrome, but does not work with Firefox on my Samsung S5. ?????
 
Last edited:
It took a while to load but link worked for me. 1997 GMC, 1500 I think. I missed part of video it took so long to load. Not sure if listed any parts he has changed.

I think there are quite a few 5.9 trucks with a million miles.

Impressive feat for any light duty truck.
 
Snopes for this one as there aren't many other "sources" out yet. :hungover:
A 350 powered Chevy did this years ago.
 
Several 350's have done this as well as a couple of DURAMAX's. But a 6.5L doing it, ESPESCIALLY a 97 1st year squirter block is something to be seen if it is in fact the original engine. I'd hate to think of how many idlers and pitman arms he's gone through in a million miles of farm use.
 
Idlers and pitman are common failure points on farm trucks.

Make me want to keep chugging along in my 93 and 94 w/ original engines.
 
Don't know if he's the computer type of guy but I may call him and see if he wants to join a few forums.
Gerald, thats funny. I called him after seeing your post yesterday. He called me back this AM. Really nice guy and shared his trucks history with me.
Its incredible the mileage he got on most of the parts. I'm going to email him with a link to this thread, so maybe he will join and tell the story again.
I may have #s wrong, but he went over a million kilometers on the original engine, wheel bearing, trans and injectors.
Said he puts a qt of trans fluid in with every fill up (thats what Ive been doing also). Also he said he puts trans fluid in the engine oil a few miles before changing it. The high detergent cleans the engine he said. I can see that.

Anyway I hope he drops in to say high.

Leroy
 
Trans fluid has been my go-to additive for a lot of years in my chevy gassers, too, used just like he does. Half a pint of tranny fluid in the last tank of gas and the other half in the oil in the last 30 miles before the change. It isn't much, but my oil pans have been spanky-clean when I drop 'em.

I am scared to do that with my CAT diesel, but it would probably work on it, too.
 
Gerald, thats funny. I called him after seeing your post yesterday. He called me back this AM. Really nice guy and shared his trucks history with me.
Its incredible the mileage he got on most of the parts. I'm going to email him with a link to this thread, so maybe he will join and tell the story again.
I may have #s wrong, but he went over a million kilometers on the original engine, wheel bearing, trans and injectors.
Said he puts a qt of trans fluid in with every fill up (thats what Ive been doing also). Also he said he puts trans fluid in the engine oil a few miles before changing it. The high detergent cleans the engine he said. I can see that.

Anyway I hope he drops in to say high.

Leroy

Did he replace the engine Leroy? I know the vid shows he stopped when the odometer was at 1.6 million Km's which would be 1 million miles.
 
He sent this email to me.

"I forgot to mention Leroy, I have all original invoices from day 1, I did not throw nothing away, this information is all true and nearly accurate, I don't lie, I have no time.

Thank you Kindly, Reynald R. J. Gauthier

On Wed, Apr 29, 2015 at 2:34 AM, Reynald Gauthier wrote:
Good evening Leroy,

Thankyou kindly for you're telephone call and the interest you have showed in me and Bob,

1 - Bob was leased brand new from Janzen Pontiac Buick GMC from there dealership located in Winkler Manitoba, CANADA

2 - Bob only had 8 kms and was leased on November 3rd - 1997

3 - Bob has beened a awesome truck to me, Bob and I compliment one another, where I go, Bob goes, and Bob doesn't stop till I
do, lol

4 - Together we have beened in almost every small town in Saskatchewan, Alberta and here at home, Manitoba.

5 - I'm a full time farmer and I grow millet seed and sell it to cattle producers in 5 province including Ontario et la province de
Quebec, that's why It has such high mileage.

6 - Bob and I will leave my drive way at 6am and at 12.45pm Alberta time we are sitting at the travel lodge in Peace River
Alberta which is app 1863kms from my driveway, and we stopped 3 times during our journey, being Regina, SASK and
North Battleford, SASK and Edmonton, ALBERTA to re-fuel and eat

7 - Bob turned 1,000,000 kms on DECEMBER 28 - 2008

8 - Bob's FIRST original transmission gave up and came out at 1,007,000 kms , and was removed and replaced in January
2009, my SECOND transmission is still in the truck and its approaching 604,000 kms and shows no signs of quitting soon
Secret to saving and making transmission last is not to overload you're truck and I also change the transmission oil at every
100,000 kms and replaced with fresh oil and a brand new oil filter, and check it every day so you're transmission not over
heat.

8 - My first diesel engine was removed and replaced with a new engine at 1,276,000 km's and I had done obsolutely
no work to it except for starters, alternators and belts which are all life time warrantee except for the belts. Bob still
had it's original 2 heads at that time, but were both crack when engine came out, it was cylinder #8 that had a hair
crack 2.5 inches long, it ran like a charm and it didn't take or leak any oil, I was actually quite disappointed, I thought
he would last forever, my diesel mechanic told me those engines were done at 250,000 kms, but this particular one went
1,000,000 kms more proving that it is a good engine if properly cared for, it only had 8000's of an inch of wear and I still
have it.

9- My first 8 injectors came out at 1,136,000 and same thing with my first turbo. When I went to Oak Point Turbo in
Winnipeg, the service manager ask me how many kms I had, I told him 1,136,000 kms and he said so this must be
3 or 4 already and I said NO, it's the original one and he basically called me a LIAR till one of the mechanics in the
back confirmed that it was indeed the original one and he immediately apologized for being arrogant with me

10 - Bob's first differential was overhauled at if I'm right 768,000 kms and again at 1,007,000 kms when they discovered a
broken bolt ( Seize )

11 - Bob's right front wheel bearing change at 1,140,000 kms and the right front wheel bearing change app 50,000 km's
later, not worth it, do them together

12 - The truck has life time warrantee on STARTER, ALTERNATOR, ENGINE COOLER LINES, BOTH LOWER AND
UPPER BALL JOINTS, BOTH FRONT AND BACK BRAKES, and prorated BATTERIES, they hate it when they see
me, I don't forget what I paid for, so it works in my advantage, just labour cost is involved

13 - Bob is 20,000 kms away from his 19 th set of tires

14 - After CTV NEWS filming, Bob and I went to McNaughts GM in Winnipeg for Bob's 347 th oil change and new cleaned
filter, both oil and filter done at 5,000 kms. I also put a litre of dextron 2 in my oil, app 120 kms before changing oil, that
is you're best detergent and it's cheap and it works.

15 - Bob's fuel pumps were replace once by GM at 192,00 kms then by me at 557,00 km's and again at 1,007,000 and
again last NOVEMBER - 2014 at 1,582,000 kms that pump almost went 600,000 kms.

16 - Bob has burnt app 180,000 litres of diesel ( 40,000 gallons ) and get a litre of dextron 2 transmission oil at every fill, or with in
reason, 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, or full tank. Bob also gets a new fuel filter at app every 50,000 kms.

17 - I also removed the fuel cap ring so the fuel pump can breath and no more hesitating, or fighting for air, therefore saving
you're pump and lasting longer

18 - Bob's first fuel tank was change last year at about 1,525,000 km's

19 - Bob's 4 tire rim's were change at 1,400,000 kms

20 - What's original on Bob yet is the inside of the cab, it's like new condition, seats are like new, and Bob still has the ORIGINAL
TAIL PIPE, MUFFLER AND COMPLETE EXHAUST UP TO INTAKE, IT'S NEVER BEENED CHANGE, and that alone is
unreal

21 - Bob TURNED 1,609,344 km's = 1,000,000 imperial miles ON APRIL 24 - 2015, at 1.45 pm"
 
Yeah, sounds like an OEM guy especially since taking back to dealer for service and major repair even after it had plenty of age on it.

He even left the OEM factory exhaust on it. That was my first modification or maybe a remote FSD since the OE failed on the IP. I can't remember now. .

What is he talking about on this one?

" 17 - I also removed the fuel cap ring so the fuel pump can breath and no more hesitating, or fighting for air, therefore saving
you're pump and lasting longer "

Its hard to argue with success like his.
 
What did it for him was the looong trips, stop and go is the killer. Throw a bale deck on and average 25 mph with 3000 lbs on the deck pushing snow is hard on a truck. Much like a plow truck.
 
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