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Just got a new Suburban-looking for some suggestions

S

sd455

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Hello fellow 6.5 ers- I just picked up a beautiful 1 owner 95 Burb 6.5 TD with 98,000 orig. kilometres. First thing I did was check to see if the lift pump was working.....no dice,so ordered and installed a new OEM pump,OPS and fuel filter. The truck runs and drives like new,however,I cannot hear the turbo at all? No black smoke which would indicate low boost,and no warning lights present. My last Burb was a 99 and I could hear the turbo loud and clear. This truck has a different airbox than the last one,and also still has stock exhaust-is it just a quiet turbo,or should I be looking for issues?

I would like to get the most out of the engine without changing turbos or internal mods and would like to hear some suggestions from the pros here. Also looking for the recommendations on the best value for a PMD and extension harness. What are the options for OBD I for tuning,and is it worth the effort?

Something interesting I noticed about this truck is that it has 8 bolt wheels,but is listed as a 1500?

Has the 3.42 safe T track axle,which I prefer to the 3.73 for the fuel economy. We dont plan on towing much of anything,but it will be our family road trip vehicle,and will regularly have 6-8 people inside.

So,where should I start? I mean besides the cursory lift pump,and PMD, what are the steps to build a good reliable combo and with what parts?

Thanks in advance to all that respond!
 
I'm sure you'll get plenty of responses and more opinions than you were thinking you would but let me be the first to say WOW! That's one heck of a nice find there!:thumbsup: Beautiful burb! The 8 bolt setup would make it a heavy half ton IIRC.
 
The 1500 6.5 diesel BURB is actually a 2500 chassis, but labled as a 1500 for some reason. It uses softer rear springs and a 9.5" rear axle instead of the 10.5" rear axle of the 2500 diesel BURB. My first mod would be to add in a OPS relay to take the load off of the OPS and run it through the relay. This is the achilles heel of the OBD1 6.5's. Second I would add in a boost and pyrometer guage set. Third put in a 4 exhaust and 3" downpipe, the diamond eye kit fits well and is priced VERY reasoneable. Fourth mod would be a K47 airbox(96+ heavy duty airbox like your 99 had). Next I would look at your cooling system, seriously consiuder upgrading to a 00 water pump with a spin on fan clutch, add in a new spin on fan clutch and 21" DURAMAX fan blade(keep the single t-stat, but replace it with a genuine OEM stat). Go over all of teh maintence itmes and fluids, and then I would look into tuning.
 
Thanks for the suggestions Ferm,and for the compliments on the truck guys. Looked for quite some time before pulling the trigger and so far it was worth the wait.

Can anyone comment on the lack of Turbo sound? I will do a search regarding the OPS relay,but plan to add a fuel pressure guage so I can keep an eye on things. Anyone have a preferred guage set up? Im not wanting to add pillar pods-I remember seeing a post a year or more back of someone using a nice little digital guage that had boost/pyro/fuel pressure all in one.

Anyways,thanks again all-good to be back on the forums!
 
mine was that quiet until I put the 4" exhaust on it. turbo sings now the k47 airbox has a muffler built into the piping to the intake to muffle it and I deleted it.
 
I think you would have codes if it wasn't working.

x2 to all the above mods, being it's not a tow vehicle the cooling mods may not be necessary. Mine is stock and I have no issues. Just make sure the rad is clean and there is no junk between the coolers.

Nice Burb.
 
The turbo in the 95 is a little suffocated. As said above, the exhaust and the air filter should help it breathe much better.

Nice find!!!
 
Awesome Find!
Agree with Ferm on the upgrades.
DE exhaust really opens it up! Better power and MPGs. I suggest buying with no muffler and buying a better one separately on a burb. DE's muffler is still a little loud for a burb. I have not towed yet but I cleaned my radiator just because. I have not had any heating issues... Knock on wood!
 
I LIKE TO STAY WITH STAINLESS EXHAUST. iT REALLY SUCKS TO CHANGE IT AGAIN IN 3-5 YEARS. By the time you do it twice You could have gone stainless and done it once
 
sd455 said:
Thanks for the suggestions Ferm,and for the compliments on the truck guys. Looked for quite some time before pulling the trigger and so far it was worth the wait.

Can anyone comment on the lack of Turbo sound? I will do a search regarding the OPS relay,but plan to add a fuel pressure guage so I can keep an eye on things. Anyone have a preferred guage set up? Im not wanting to add pillar pods-I remember seeing a post a year or more back of someone using a nice little digital guage that had boost/pyro/fuel pressure all in one.

Anyways,thanks again all-good to be back on the forums!
Click to expand...

You'll never hear the turbo sound on the '95. Oh and lack of boost would produce more black smoke, not less. You'd be dumping the same amount of fuel through it with less air. Black smoke is unburnt fuel.

Go with the adjustable tuner from Buddy on these boards. Works awesome.

Do all the mods that TheFerminator suggests. We've done all on my son's '95 including the adjustable tune and there's a major improvement in performance and cooling. The only thing we haven't done is the A-Team Turbo, but that is in the plan. The A Team Turbo is worth it for the cooling effect alone. Just a lot less exhaust back pressure and the engine runs cooler.
 
Thanks for all the advice guys-

Im guessing the airbox is the key to hearing the turbo. My 99 must have had the K47 box,once I opened up the exhaust I could hear it loud and clear.

Couple of questions- With regards to exhaust,how much difference is there really between a stock 3' system with muffler and soot trap delete(so basically 3" strait pipe) and going with the DE 3" DP and 4" system? Im thinking that the major restriction is the manifolds and Turbo,so not sure if other than the feel good factor,and slightly better sound there will be much real performance gain?

For a tune- Who would you recommend,and where do I find them? Someone mentioned "Buddy" but i'm not sure where to find him. Keep in mind this is OBD I. We wont really be doing any towing,at least not anything heavy,so I'm wondering what would work well for increased torque,and economy.

Now a question about an intermittent "fish biting" The truck will on occasion fish bite,usually just once,and only while on the highway in OD. Its barely noticeable,but happens usually at least once while HWY driving. I dont think there is any water in the fuel,and I have just replaced lift pump and OPS and fuel filter.

And finally,what about hard starting? Actually,its not really HARD,it just doesnt always light right away,and sometimes has to crank for more than what is normal, usually just when its cold,or if you wait too long after the glow plug warning light goes off. I believe the GP's to be original,but keep in mind the very low mileage on the truck.

Thanks again all!
 
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