This one is a bit new for us here at Barn Finds and it wasn’t found in a barn, but it’s barn-friendly for those of you with a farm or other tough work to do. This is a 1995 Chevrolet Suburban K2500 Turbo Diesel and it’s listed on eBay with a current bid price of $6,100 and there is no reserve with one day left on the auction. This 4×4 turbo diesel was stored in an aircraft hanger for 15 years, let’s check it out.
This is such a great looking rig, man would I love to have this. I recently looked at a similar vehicle but in two-door Tahoe diesel configuration but it was a little too rusty for me being a Minnesota truck. But man was it nice and it roared, as in I thought that it was pretty fast for a huge 4×4 diesel truck. I probably should have gotten it.
Isn’t this thing nice? I’m a bit surprised at the KBB value being between $2,200 and $3,900. It tells me that those values are basically meaningless when it comes down to the real world other than being a very basic starting point. This Suburban has had one repaint and it’s a little faded in spots according to the seller. They go on to say that it was “used as a light work vehicle to pick up lumber to remodel our house, prior to being a retired Hughes Aircraft truck being stored in a aircraft hanger for over 15 years in the high desert.”
They mention that the headliner needs to be replaced and this truck was special ordered without power accessories like power locks and windows. I love the fact that the rear seats are 60/40 but the front seat is a bench, that seems unusual but maybe it isn’t? Here’s a YouTube video showing a little walk-around on this Suburban. You can see the driver’s door arm rest is missing but it looks fantastic to me overall.
This is GM’s/Detroit Diesel’s 6.5L 395 cubic-inch turbo diesel which would have had around 190 hp and 385 lb-ft of torque. The seller mentions a slight drip from the transmission pan, hopefully that isn’t a huge project but I have yet to find a small project on an older vehicle other than changing a burnt out bulb. They say that it has two new GM high-amp batteries, new Pirelli all-season tires and it’s been well maintained throughout their ownership. This looks like a great truck, have any of you owned a Suburban or Tahoe turbo diesel?
Not having a 3rd row kills it for me, other than that it checks all my boxes. Why were these not more popular in the day?
Becuase the 6.5 and 6.2 diesels were garbage. Extremely gut less and high maintenance compared to what ford and dodge offered at the time. And no, I’m not a cummins fan. Lol
Just did a trip in two days with our 236,000 – mile original engine 1996 Suburban 6.5 in the record heat pulling a load of just over 7000 – LBS. Yes a bit slow off the line but ran perfect in air conditioned comfort. Maintenance and a few minor, but important mods are needed. Hardly garbage. We passed quite a few other males, hoods open and not even towing anything, on the side of the road probably because of the heat.
hey I have owned a 6.5 Detroit and the 12 valve Cummins and a 6.9 and 7.3 IDI and of them all the 7.3 was good but still pretty gutless and the 6.9 IH IDI had some issues with pitting on the cylinder wall it was actually a service bulletin back in the day from International Harvester. so they all have their good and bad points is my point with all of this
Mine has the third row.
Was this engine a factory option?
Yes it was. Yor choice of the 5.7 and 7.4 gas motors or this diesel.
Those were the days when you could delete accessories.
turbo was an option
remeber to do the PMD relocate as it cooks under that false engine cover!
head gaskets need to be checked and NEVER crack an injector line… have to bleed ENTIRE system then (vs. cummins)
I swapped a used 6.5 into my suburban, traded some of the injector lines from one engine, Never bled anything, it started and ran fine right off the bat.
This is my favourite generation Chevy Suburban since the 1970-72 generation. I love the 6.5 litre Detroit Turbo Diesel engine. I think every truck, SUV, van of this size should be offered with a turbo diesel engine.
I have owned several of these. Terrible engines. Not only gutless but high maintenance too. They were trouble right from the get go. A bif GM faux pau.
I agree with Paul. Love the idea and the trucks in general, but GM didn’t help themselves at all with these. My last one was a beautiful ’96 GMC Suburban. Spent money on PMD relocations, various electrical gremlins over the years. Neither I or my diesel mechanic could ever get it to be reliable as other GM gas trucks I owned. Great idea, that should have been a home run but turned out as near miss. The pic is of my last one before I sold it.
Worked on hundreds of these and I wouldn’t have a problem owning one if I needed it and the price was right. The 6.5 got a bad rap from the get-go. The first electronic controlled ones (’94-’95) had some teething problems with the injection pump but that was rectified as time went on. I could write a book on the do’s and don’ts of these engines. I have to blame a lot of the service problems on the GM service departments. One of these came in running badly or on the end of a hook and the injection pump was ALWAYS to blame. I recall a local dealer ordering a pump, which we sent out. At noon they phoned and said that they needed another one because they still couldn’t get it to start. We sent them another one, which was immediately condemned. They phoned for a third one. I told the tech that if three pumps didn’t fix the problem then they should look elsewhere. The guy got snotty with me and said he would keep changing pumps until the GENERAL told him to do OTHERWISE. Problem was a sheared off key in the timing chain. Nine times out of ten we would take a reject pump (one we had rebuilt before) and install it in a vehicle in our shop. Light it and ride it. No problem. A lot of issues with the Crank Position Sensor in the ’94-’96 models. We always replaced the CPS along with the pump. (PMD should be relocated to the intake manifold but NOT on the firewall or fender well. We use a FSD cooler (sometimes referred to as an FDS cooler). If you’re doing any boosting, make sure ALL the lights are on, on both vehicles, so that the power surge (sometimes over 16V) has got some place to go, otherwise it will take out the PMD. Anyways I’ve seen lots of these with 400K+ miles still doing a hard day’s work.
Wow, lots of good info. Wish I’d known someone like geomech back when i owned them!
I agree. An engine is a complex piece of machinery, and it takes maintenance to keep them running properly. Those who say that it’s a p-o-s have either never performed maintenance on an engine, or chose not to spend money needed to keep the engine maintained. I can think of any number of vehicles that would’ve benefited from such a turbo-diesel engine of this size.
I have a 1985 GMC one ton dually (old county truck) with 400 auto. It has an 8 foot heavy plow and dump box. Came factory with the 6.2, now it has the 1995 6.5 in it. Non turbo, It just sat six months and I turned on the key, waited for the light to go out and it started up. It hauls 5 or 6 yards of gravel fine. I never did anything to the engine in the 8 years I’ve had it. Just fuel additive to keep it clean.
That will last you until the cows come home, and leave again. Lots of 6.2 and 6.5 engines are still in service.
Went to a new car exhibition/show around this time and checked out the Suburbans just because I could do so without salesmen hanging off you. Memory serves that the one they had on display was a diesel AND a stick. Would that have even been possible? This Generation certainly was a zenith-point. Love it.
I think we are on our 7th Suburban (aka Yukon XL) and love them. We have towed just about everything with ours and would trade in a 300000 kms and start over. They were great for the family but now the kids are gone we still have a Suburban as my wife will not drive anything but a Suburban. Other than normal maintenance (oil change, tune up, brakes and tires) we only had 1 water pump, fuel pump, 3 alternators, and 2 transmission failures in 30 years and 7 Suburban’s. Our boys were not easy on them when they got their license but they took all the abuse. Again, we bought them new and traded at 300000 kms. Ultra reliable and tough.
It’s a shame GM never put the duramax in the newer Suburbans
re: “It’s a shame GM never put the duramax in the newer Suburbans”
there are a few co’s who do conversions, they call them “Duraburbs” Google them. but yes it beggars belief GM doesn’t offer it. they’d sell every one (profitably). while I understand why they wouldn’t necessarily want to go the “build a bunch” production model per auto industry standard and risk having them sitting on dealers lots, however that doesn’t mean they can’t be made on a factory order/deposit/wait basis.
from an assembly standpoint, it’s literally the same (if not nearly the same) as a Max equipped 2500 Silverado or Sierra from the B-pillar forward.
There should be places all over the USA and Canada that does that kind of work. Not only do diesel engines provide lots of torque at low revs per minute, imperative for towing a trailer, but they also generally deliver better fuel economy when not towing.
Right? I don’t get why they don’t. Emissions, be damned. I would think that with the right equipment I would think the emissions coming out the back would be less polluting, while still providing reliable and great . I’d like to breathe clean air as much as anyone living, but I’ve always been skeptical about Electric power for cars, particularly trucks, SUVs, and motorhomes, etc. I don’t mind hybrid power. I used to know someone who had a Toyota Prius, and I’ve enjoyed riding as a passenger in it. I’d love to see someone offer a Diesel Electric hybrid powertrain for vehicles like the Suburban.
I had a 95 K2500 pickup with the turbodiesel and a 5 speed manual. Once I had the PMD relocated it was very reliable.
I’ve had my 1995 K1500 (ext cab, short bed, Z71) with the factory 6.5 turbodiesel for over ten years now, and it’s served me pretty well. It’s pulled loads beyond its max ratings, many times…
Still have it, I was toying with the idea of selling it lately, but haven’t yet decided.
My 94 Yukon is a 6.5 diesel with 380k. Love that truck and drive it every day for the last 9 years. I haven’t spent much money on the repair of the truck just items that are wear an tear. Best vehicle I have ever owned.
These engines are avery relaiable and tough! I bought in 2009 a 1994 6.5 turbo diesel Suburban 2500 series (8 lug wheels) imported in 1998 (it came from South or North Carolina) with 235000 miles very loaded (auto, power lock and windows, 3rd seat, 4wd, double a/c, posi) it was fast and easy on diesel, it made 9 km per liter at 75 MHP! running at 2300 rpm, comfortable, never had problems with it (i added 20000 km to her), I planned to keep it forever but my wife was afraid to drive it (too big for her), never had problems with the PMD but I was planning to put it inside the cab and add a CPU fan for cooling it.
Some friends had 2 1995 Silverados 6.5 non turbo stick and a turbo auto, the tried to kill them but cound´t, they still are running strong with at least 500000 km each, and our diesel was and is not the best.
God I miss my Suburban.
It’s a damn shame that the Detroit Diesel 6.5 litre Turbo Diesel wasn’t offered for earlier generation Chevy/GMC trucks, including the Suburban and Jimmy. By earlier generations, I mean the 1980s, when the 6.2 litre Diesel was offered. Given how much more horsepower and more torque the 6.5 offered, I would’ve thought it made more sense.