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Best places to look for a reliable 6.5 TD engine? What is needed to swap from a 6.2?

FlameRed

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Again looking for advice from the collective.

As I put in a post previously, I made the mistake of attempting to change out my glow plugs myself. One head had one that was rusted to the treads and would no budge with a breaker bar and rounded off the head. Another on the other head actually disintegrated on the socket and fell apart. Neither holes are leaking, so I am just driving it for now.

So I am told both heads will need to come off to get the two glow plug remains drilled out. $3-4K to have someone do it for me since who know what other debacles I will run into.

So my thought is perhaps just to find and have someone local swap out my 6.2 to a 6.5 TD. I have two questions:
  • What is the best places to look for a good rebuilt, or reputable place to find a 6.5 TD? I don't want to buy one off of Flea-bay, get it installed, and find out it is junk.
  • What other parts are needed to upgrade from 6.2 to 6.5 TD? I already have done the 4L80 tranny swap.
Thanks in advance?
 
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Mogman

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My advice would be get a 6.5L NA, I did the 6.2/6.5L GEP turbo swap in front of a 6L80 and the resulting increase in performance was negligible, no mods needed for the NA and with the turbo there was more increase in heat than performance.
Did you use the 242 or 218 TC and if so how did you adapt the TC to the 6L80?
 

FlameRed

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Sorry, I swapped in a 4L80 not a six speed. I fixed my typo.

Ok, best sources for 6.5 NA engines?
 

Bulldogger

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Beware of salvage 6.5 powertrains from late generation HMMWV scrappers. Mine was removed with bolt cutters and a blowtorch. All connectors were yanked apart, regardless of how they were screwed together, etc. Then there were the forklift tine strikes on the oil pan and transfer case. It was very expensive to restore it to operation and in the end the 6.5TD is leaking from every seam and the transmission bit the dust and I'm having it replaced (and it ruined the transfer case since they share a cooling loop). I'll have to have the motor rebuilt before long.

I recommend finding someone who is a hobbyist or reputable small business that buys scrap HMMWVs and parts them out. Someone who will make it right if the motor turns out to be less than hoped. Retired War Horses may have some engines.

You can always search for a surplus motor in the box on Government Planet or some other vendor, as they do pop up, but prices tend to go high for a motor that comes with NO provenance or guarantees. It's not out of the realm of possibility the motor ends up being a well-packaged piece of scrap, sold as new.

It may sound silly, but Jasper engines do sometimes have a few motors and trans' for HMMWVs. If you give them the VIN from an eBay H1 listing with the same powertrain you're trying to match, they might just find you one. It will be more pricey than salvage, but it will come with a guarantee.

Best of luck. If you find a good deal, let us know!

Bulldogger
 

Retiredwarhorses

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you generally won’t find a good used motor in a govt can, why? It’s not a practice to remove a good motor and replace it with a new motor, the motor was removed for a reason and the refurbished or New motor in the can was installed into the truck, the old motor is returned in the can for disposition, I’ve stayed away from “canned” motors unless they have paperwork on the motor in the can that shows serviceable. Now….as far as motors go, in Todays market, I’d buy a non-runner turbo truck with a motor that looks to just need batterys to run, the m1114’s out of Yermo go for $3500 many times and the motors have like 50 miles on them, you also get everything you need to convert your truck.
 

royg

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RWH advice is always sound but beware: I bought a m1114 non-runner from yermo precisely because it looked to have a good motor. I got lucky, it did. But upon digging deeper, while it was swiss cheese from the removed armor, it was otherwise in really good shape. I started to really like the rig...and now I think my spare motor is more another project in itself.
 

TOBASH

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RWH advice is always sound but beware: I bought a m1114 non-runner from yermo precisely because it looked to have a good motor. I got lucky, it did. But upon digging deeper, while it was swiss cheese from the removed armor, it was otherwise in really good shape. I started to really like the rig...and now I think my spare motor is more another project in itself.
Yeah, I just purchased two M1114’s and I’m afraid I will fall into the same boat. One was supposed to replace the frame on my 1995 Hummer.

These things are like tater chips. Can’t have just one.

Also be careful. I was looking over this week’s auctions. A marine M1152 looks great until you look carefully. It is missing the injection pump. That means for potentially many years rain water and dirt and dust from the valley has been draining into that engine. I was heartbroken as I wanted to bid on that vehicle.
 
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BKubu

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Eastern Surplus in PA has 6.5 NA (and 6.5 TD) motors for sale. The last I spoke to Bill Peaslee there, I was told they will test run the engine and send you a video of it running. When last I saw, they were asking around $2K for the NA and $4K for the TD...give or take a few $$$.
 

DDS

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Eastern Surplus in PA has 6.5 NA (and 6.5 TD) motors for sale. The last I spoke to Bill Peaslee there, I was told they will test run the engine and send you a video of it running. When last I saw, they were asking around $2K for the NA and $4K for the TD...give or take a few $$$.
I was just quoted $4K for a 6.5NA from Bill.
 

BKubu

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I was just quoted $4K for a 6.5NA from Bill.
WOW! Are you sure that is not for the turbo motor? That was the price of the turbo motor the last I checked about 15-18 months ago. If that is for the NA motor, their prices have gone up substantially (and by that I mean more than doubled). A friend bought a NA 6.5L motor from them toward the end of 2022 and it was like $1850!
 

87cr250r

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All of your 6.2 accessories will bolt to the 6.5 engine.

Some 6.5 engines have an oil passage for a center mount turbo that may need to be blocked.

The 6.5 uses a torsional damper with shorter snout to make room for the crankshaft position sensor.
 

thoner7

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Call a place that does duramax swaps like plan B or predator or whomever, and see if you can buy someone’s running take out motor?

Just a thought.
 

Retiredwarhorses

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WOW! Are you sure that is not for the turbo motor? That was the price of the turbo motor the last I checked about 15-18 months ago. If that is for the NA motor, their prices have gone up substantially (and by that I mean more than doubled). A friend bought a NA 6.5L motor from them toward the end of 2022 and it was like $1850!
Show me a hmmwv part price that hasn’t gone up, better yet….show me any that has gone up, $45 yesterday for Taco Bell for 2 adults and a child.
 

DDS

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WOW! Are you sure that is not for the turbo motor? That was the price of the turbo motor the last I checked about 15-18 months ago. If that is for the NA motor, their prices have gone up substantially (and by that I mean more than doubled). A friend bought a NA 6.5L motor from them toward the end of 2022 and it was like $1850!
I'm positive.
 
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