Starting and Driving The 1984 GMC Sierra with 6.2L Diesel

[JethroTull18]

i got a 1980 gmc jimmy, no ac no heat 215k, 350ci engine, and that thing is a tank!

[Mr80smusiclover]

What a Great truck! I'm looking at buying one of those old diesel trucks. My friend has a 1987 7.4 L gasoline engine one ton truck. It's a nice old rig. But I like the diesel trucks they sound amazing! I'm saving up to buy a diesel truck for my 1st car. I can't wait to get one of my own.

[dmcintyre90]

Repaint that truck gold!

[youtoobe169]

Great truck and cool video!

[uxwbill]

@youtoobe169 Thanks. Glad you liked it. I hope to restore it someday.

[justforever96]

LOL, "we got brakes even!". I love it. That's my kind of truck. I guess it must be my inner redneck showing through, but somehow I love pulling up to the local store in a rusty, muddy, loud, well "broken-in" vehicle. To hell with all the chrome and paint and stereos...mud and loud exhaust is the way to go.

[uxwbill]

@justforever96 It's a lot of fun. I'd like to restore this some day, when money and time are not concerns. So that will probably happen in like fifty years or something. :-S

The nice thing about driving such wrecks (and I say that with a great deal of pride) is that NOBODY will steal them. As I found out when I drove this truck thirty miles from home without the ignition key in place. (That's how worn the lock is.)

[naterade21]

i love the sound of the ole 6.2

[schomminater]

I take it the light that keeps coming on is the glow plug light?

[stillatrucken]

The music is great the truck is nice and this is a good vid!

[Seattlecarnut]

I have always loved Chevys and GMC trucks of this vintage, particularly the diesel powered vehicles. 6.2 litre diesel engine, eh? Sweet! Have you thought of putting chains or studded tires on for winter driving?

[justforever96]

@Seattlecarnut Chain's aren't legal for road use everywhere...and they don't help much for interstate driving! Studs are good though, always. But I bet the biggest help in a truck with 70/30% (not really!) weight distribution like this would be to add like 300lbs of sandbags in the bed to counterbalance, and put some weight over the rear wheels. It doesn't help fuel economy, but if you only have 2WD and need to get up any snowy hills...that's your best chance. Of course, 4WD is even better...

[Seattlecarnut]

@justforever96 I agree. I use studded tyres on my car during the winter months, and they help alot.

[justforever96]

@Seattlecarnut LOL, you're from Seattle and you spell it "tyre"? That's interesting. Anyway, yeah, studs are good, but in most situations all you really need is good snow tires, studs or no. But when you hit that random patch of ice, they are sure worth it! It's funny, I recently found out that "drifters" (street racing, that is, not vagrancy) in Japan sometimes put studs in their rear tires just so they make lots of sparks when they burn out around a corner. Must be good for the pavement...

[Seattlecarnut]

@justforever96 LOL! Yeah, I spell a lot of words differently from what alot of Americans spell words. I spell "colour" instead of "color", "centre" instead of "center", "litre" instead of "liter", etc. So yeah, I like to spell words differently from what other people spell.

[justforever96]

@Seattlecarnut I agree that for many words the European spelling looks better...I'm not so sure about "tyre" though. Personally, I always spell "gray" as "grey"...much, much better, IMHO. =)

[Seattlecarnut]

@justforever96 Yeah. I've visited England and I'd see a lot of words that are spelled differently from how we spell, and yet say the same thing. Some of which I've been spelling since I was a teenager.

[Seattlecarnut]

@justforever96 Oh yeah, great for the pavement! Just this last winter, I used my studded tires, despite the fact that there was no snow! I just wanted to be prepared in case it did snow.

[mja19870000000000]

All you need is a banks turbo

[kakapillow3]

i have a 91 gmc sierra with a 6.2 and I have my Injector pump turned right up, it has alot of power, except it gives alot of black smoke with the pump turned up.

[Conway11906]

Black Smoke is what you want man

[justforever96]

@kakapillow3 That's because the injectors are pushing more fuel into the cyls than it can burn. It can only burn as much fuel as there is O2 to burn it with, so you can crank up the injectors as much as you like, and all the extra fuel is just going out the tailpipe...that's the black smoke. You might be getting SOME more power, but you need a better turbo, or you're just wasting fuel. Or turn 'em down a little. Pulling trucks overfuel on purpose to cool the EGT's...MPG doesn't matter to them!

[Chadwickfowler]

i have this identical truck. is there anyway to turn up the injectors ar any cheap power adders

[uxwbill]

@Chadwickfowler I've heard it said that the turbocharger from a turbocharged 6.5L diesel engine can be used on the 6.2. I don't know what would be required to make it work. I've never investigated it.

If you want a fast truck, it might be better to look for a different one. These things aren't quick and I doubt even turbocharging one is going to make it much faster.

[ROBERTCHARLO]

are these 6.2 engines made by detroit

[uxwbill]

@ROBERTCHARLO The manual for the truck (yes, I have it!) says that the 6.2L engine is assembled in a "Detroit Diesel/Allison" plant.

I've been told that it isn't much of a relation to a true Detroit Diesel. However...if it was assembled by them...

[acres90]

gm got it right with this detroit diesel engine considering the joke 5.7 diesel almost ruined the diesel pickup

[uxwbill]

@acres90 From what I've heard, it wasn't all the 350 diesel engine's fault...although it *was* definitely weak kneed. (I have seen one such truck and the advertising literature as well, and it's true--they really did take away any ability to pull a trailer for fear of overstressing the engine.) Expectations were high and people were focused on fuel economy more than the needs of the engine.

There are some people who can drive those 350 diesels around forever and have very little trouble...

[acres90]

oh it was the designer's fault of the 5.7....also had an 80 dacillac with a 5.7 and it was a total joke...i never pulled any trailers or overstressed this engine

[Hotrodx199]

@uxwbill They did silly mistakes on the motor such as the main bolts being too short, and then around 40,000 miles your bottom end will go out because the bolts were too short. Also no fuel/water seperator?? That's pretty smart engineering, i guess rust wasn't discovered when water gets in motors back then.

[6030diesel]

whats goin on with your brake indicator light got a little leak in your system?

[a5redwing]

It's a parking brake light

[6030diesel]

i know but it also says if one side of the system is leaking so i bet one side is leaking a bit or else he was driving with his park brake on on an automatic trans truck

[a5redwing]

He said that the freon was leaking (134a), he's either driving with the brake on or the switch is stuck.

[6030diesel]

no i mean these trucks have a 2 side system you know im sure and if one side is leaking a switch moves and closes the contracts and lights the dash light im guessing his back brakes are leaking or like you said the park brake isnt all the way up

[a5redwing]

I didn't realize the brakes had a switch to a light on the dash when the brakes leak

I guess you learn something new everyday

[6030diesel]

i didnt know it had a light like that till i saw one on my 68' mercury so i looked around on my GMC and it had one too and i hear ya im always learning something

[6030diesel]

lol no its not i was completly screwed up here it wasnt the brake light at all it was the low coolant light hahaha oh well sorry

[a5redwing]

lol....no big deal

[travisjeanelle]

6.2Ls rocked!!! My friend has a 86 with the same motor with 462k on it but time for rebuilt its starting to use oil

[SpiritsoftheWolf]

i used to have a chevy pickup with a diesel engine, it was a gret running truck, a cadillac fleetwood with a 5.7 litre diesel engine, and a chevy conversion van also have a 6.2 diesel engine in it, keep them running alive, there not many left on the roads anymore

[V8Jagnut]

nice truck. good to see you dont rev it when its cold. dose the ac still work? i found in old Holdens (G.M.H) you dont need a key like you truck.lol

[uxwbill]

The A/C was converted to use 134a, and it worked for a short while afterwards. There is still a moderate leak somewhere. I haven't found it yet.

[Oldsmobileguy13]

Good ole truck. I like it reminds me of my old truck.

[tpvalley]

I love this truck.

Wish we had em in UK in RH drive!

[jeffsmith1284]

I was under the impression that starting a diesel with the pedal down at all was a bad idea. So which is it?

[uxwbill]

I'm following the instructions provided by GM, which basically amount to "hold the pedal down halfway above 32 degrees F and hold it all the way down below that".

That said, other engines could be different. And I sure wouldn't keep my foot in it after it did start. That could mess something up.

[jeffsmith1284]

Thanks!

[hotwad88]

Sweet truck Bill, lets see some more vids on it!!!

[uxwbill]

I need to buy an alternator for it. The old one has been dying for a long time.

[randomrazr]

its been almost a year since u made and strated this truck/vid

[71ford]

Oh this is just too cool. Thanks for sharing this. I am mostly a Ford guy but I really love these old Chevy trucks. I had an old Suburban and while it didn't have the 6.2, it did have the 454 and TH400. The paint had all jumped off the hood and roof, looked like hell, but the interior was great. It had 254k miles on it and that thing started and ran smoother and more powerfully than my new Ford. I loved how that thing handled and drove... Smooth as silk and effortless to steer and tow with.

[uxwbill]

You're welcome. These are really great trucks, if you don't mind the fact that the bodies tend to fall right off from rust. I've seen a 70s GMC pickup where the sides of the bed had caved inward from rust. It still ran great and was still on the road the last I knew.

[nintendork121]

hey bill,

I know exactly what you mean, a buddy of mine at school has an old 78 gmc with BAD rust (strange for down here in the south) but it'll run forever. He actually took the bed off because some of the bolts had rusted to the breaking point. I have an old ford (88), and i agree with your comment, any truck less than 20, doesnt look like a truck. thx for sharing.

[bosgreene36m3]

too bad thats not a manny tranny

[windowsmaster9]

Get on the road.Get on truck.

[Xx69roadrunnerxX]

Trucks where built to do work, and they sure do! Gotta love those old 6.2L diesels built by Detroit Diesel. The 6.2L was IDI right? I think so, but not sure. Get some stuff from ATS diesel performance and see how much that 6.2L V8 Diesel will do! Thanks for sharing.

[uxwbill]

I really like this truck, and it's become more unique in recent times. It had one "twin" in town, a minimally equipped white '82 Chevy. That truck disappeared and I don't know where it went. So now there is one.

I've never considered doing much to hop it up in terms of performance, although a turbocharger from a 6.5 has crossed my mind. If I could find one, and the time...

[lightningbuster]

Whoa that's creepy you can start it without the key.

[uxwbill]

It will only turn if you unlock the ignition first, but beyond that you can go anywhere. I once drove it 20 miles from home without the key! (Good thing I caught myself before I locked the ignition!)

[iansminion]

Sweet... I have an '82 sierra classic with a 6.2

[naterade21]

u still got that thang

[uxwbill]

It is not going anywhere.

[sickscope]

aw man sweet! i got a 86 sierra classic with a 6.2. that engine looks great shape!!! wish mine lookd that good!!!

[takepiccha]

Memories of 2am in a snowstorm. I really miss our old worktruck. A 6.2 with true duals rumbling down the street is a beautiful thing.

[fordman2288]

try a 6.9 international you will never look back. not bad for a 6.2

[uxwbill]

If one comes my way without having to spend a lot of money, I'd certainly try it. I'm not one of those guys who only likes one brand of vehicle. I've worked on a lot of them and there are things I like and hate about each of them.

This truck has some memories associated with it, so I will always be looking back.

[Hiei2k7]

You could drive an International truck engine through a storm of razorblades, and come out solid as ever.

[wildwelder87]

Very cool! I have to '84 Chevrolet's one is a flatbed dually with a 454/4 spd and the other is an '84 1 ton single wheel pickup with a 6.2/4 spd. I wish diesel wasn't $4.65 a gallon or we would drive it a lot more

[uxwbill]

What's not to like, other than the price of diesel fuel? They don't get much better than this! (Four wheel drive would be nice though.)

[wildwelder87]

Yeah my '84 6.2 is 4WD, it's also a 4 door crewcab. The front driveshaft needs U joints but we hadn't got any rain so the 4WD isn't used a whole lot at the moment

[MOTERHEAD69]

is diesel alot there in nz at the moment petrol is 1.58 and diesel is 0.98

[rcjg24]

how come diesel is cheaper than gas there (as is should be since its lower grade) and its more expensive than gas in the unites states

[asulca593]

most of it has to do with how diesel is taxed. the taxes on diesel are aimed at over-the-road big rig trucks, but nevertheless its the same diesel being used in cars (such as the Jetta).

you would think it would be cheaper since it is essentially a byproduct of crude oil distillation.

[wonderboy0899]

because the quality of our diesel is better than other country's

[s172mch]

well u get alot better mileage than a dang 454!

[wildwelder87]

This is true with highway gears and OD, but not in a 3/4 or 1 ton with a TH400 or SM465. My flatbed dually gets around 15MPG unloaded, and the 6.2 crewcab usually gets about 17MPG. BUT, it's SRW and the pickup box isn't even half the weight of the flatbed.

[mrsam240]

That was freaky. When you turned the radio I had Long Cool woman in a Black Dress stuck in my head!

[fire32njetta]

My dad had a truck just like this. I remember many a good trip in it. That sound brings back memories :-)

[bigydmac]

nice job man. way to save a classic man, hope u end up fixing it up back to...well close to its prime...have u done anywork since this video?

i have an 87 1500 4wd myself...its got a 350...and soon to have flowmaters through cherry bombs aout the back....

oh btw I noticed yur dash was cracked..so was mine when i bought it

well best of luck man , and once agian nice job saving a classic. they dont make them like they used to ya know??

[cmarlow480]

what light is that that keeps coming on in the middle of the dash it keeps flashing on and off?

[uxwbill]

Glow Plugs. They come on for a while when the key is first turned, then they cycle while the engine is cold enough to need them.

[uxwbill]

Glow Plugs. They come on for a while when the key is first turned, then they cycle while the engine is cold enough to need them.

[oney135]

i have a 86 ford f250 with the 6.9L diesel and it has 451,000 miles on it and it still runs like new i still drive it 60 miles a day to work and ford still has the better motor in thier trucks with the twin turbo 6.4l

[uxwbill]

I think it will surprise you when I say that I've got nothing against a Ford. They've got some good vehicles and engines out there. Never had a chance to own a Ford Diesel pickup, but I wouldn't turn one down if it came my way on good terms.

[97forMulaWs6]

what u pay for it,i got a 86 c10 2wd w/6.2 for 500 bucks,needs tires,brakes and steering colum,i drove it for two months as is and didnt have any problems,if u lock the steering wheel when you take the key out, it should need the key again to unlock, had to buy a new a battery and its only seven hundred something cold cranking amps and the beast starts every time,right on for sharing

[uxwbill]

It was rotting away on the farm, so I got it for the price of two 900CCA batteries at Wal-Mart, and whatever it cost at the time to license and register it...so probably around two hundred bucks or so at the time.

Someone gave me the rims and I bought three new tires.

I've put more money into it since then, replacing some things that broke and putting another set of batteries in place about a year ago.

[nononoezgo]

Oh, we've even got brakes!!

LOL! Nice

[uxwbill]

Gotta take what you can get! :-)

[torino1255]

does this truck have two fuel tanks...

[uxwbill]

Yes it does. Sometimes the tank switcher is temperamental and doesn't want to work. I think the switch is bad.

[interceptor180]

My grampa had a GMC truck just like that and when he got rid of it it had bout 600,000 miles on the odometer. It finally blew up.

[tpvalley]

With an auto transmission, do u have any engine braking if u put it in 1 or 2 as opposed to D?

Or do the wheels continue spinning after u off the gas under own momentum?

Is it tricky in the snow being an auto compared to a manual?

[uxwbill]

Yes, you will have engine braking on an automatic transmission. It feels different from what a manual transmission does, but then again, I don't really like driving a manual.

As far as snow goes, I'd have to think that an automatic transmission has something of an advantage. Then again, any snow driving can be tricky. Best thing I've ever learned was to drop the transmission shifter into neutral when coming to a stop in case the ground is really slick. I guess it's all what you're used to...

[tpvalley]

I only ever drove an auto once, a puny 4 cylinder. Friend has a 6.2 in a land rover!

I'd love to have a drive in one of these trucks, but diesel costs £5 ($10) a gallon!

70% tax!!

[MOTERHEAD69]

Can you drive a manuel and when did you learn?

[badazzdiesel]

LOVE IT!!!!!! i just bought one myself!!!

[stevesfarm]

sounds like you air cleaner is vibrating my does that when it is loose

[uxwbill]

Hmmm...I don't know. It seems to be good and tight if I go and try to wiggle or move it. Would that be the right way to find out?

[tcm8843]

Why do people even watch the video when they are just gonna dog it? If you don't like 6.2 diesels then don't watch videos of them. I don't own a Cummins diesel because everybody else does. It's called individuality try some.

[jesterf250]

a big diesel? ha ha ha and its a 2wd .....wow cool! i've had 3 4x4 6.2s and they all were garbage i guess they cant stand up to saskatchewan weather i now own a 01 cummins 4x4 and will never go back ..and when you run them 6.2s out of fuel...you might as well burn the cunts or pray you have a standard tranny, alos buy a couple extra crank shafts and injector pumps

[uxwbill]

I'm glad you are happy with the truck you have now.

Can't say that I've duplicated or agree with your experience. I did run the truck out of fuel once. It took only a little extra cranking once I'd put fuel in it. It did run unevenly for a while, which I think was caused by air in the fuel system.

The engine has remained untouched except for injector pump work done when the truck was purchased in the 80s. I even switched it to synthetic oil at 218,000 or so miles without a problem.

[jesterf250]

im glad you have had good luck....i know a few people that had them and they like them as well i liked the truck ,but if the engine ever blew i would have put a 350 in it but they are decent on fuel i guess

[transam579]

I think he was referring to big as in big compared to the gas 350 or 305. look at powerstroke, they are a 6.0 L so in this case, the GM is bigger than the new powerstroke. I have an 85 6.2 diesel with 240,000 miles on it and it runs like a brand new truck.

[73GMC1500]

I've read that a C10 with a 5.7 diesel has the same weight distribution as a truck with a 454. So a 5.7 diesel weighs about the same as a big block 454. And I'm sure a 6.2 is definitly heavier than a gas small block (305/350)

[uxwbill]

Wow...I knew the diesel engines were heavier, but I had no idea they were that much heaver.

Of course, it would really explain this truck's inability to go wherever the terrain is questionable. I've had it stuck tighter than tight a few times.

[Catalina65389]

i have one in my 85 4x4 ive never had it stuck, it will go damn near anywhere

[minkis18]

fuckin awesome man, i own a 86 k2500 and we just dropped a new chevy 350 in it.

[1982blazer]

cool truck man, i love 73-87 chevy trucks.

[jjeremy350]

Honestly I thought the damn thing would be very very cold blooded  for sure!!!! i never thought the glow plugs would make a diffrents to making the truck start or not but what he was saying being very cold blooded i thought it was going to be abitch to start

[uxwbill]

It is not as bad as you'd think. If the glow plugs did not work, I suspect it would be much harder to start. As it is, the truck has working glow plugs and a fuel line heater. As long as the batteries are good, I can guarantee that it will start.

[tpvalley]

If when cranking u initially dont press the accelerator the it will fire earlier, then press pedal. This is because fuel will cool the cylinder if it doesn't ignite, press pedal, cooler cylinder.

Cool truck, is it direct or prechamber injection?

[uxwbill]

The starting instructions on the driver's side sun visor say that the pedal should be 1/2 depressed for weather above 32 degrees F and fully depressed for weather below 32 degrees F. I can't say that I disagree since this method seems to work the best of anything that I tried before finding the instructions up there. For the record, I do disagree with their instructions for the glow plugs.

From what I can tell, the 6.2L engine is indirectly fuel injected.

[tpvalley]

Next cold start, try it as an experiment.

I live in uk we dont have these trucks here, but they r my favourate shaped truck, I often look on ebay usa, a lot of bargains.

Keep it looking as it does I say! keeps car thieves away and looks good!!

[DieselMikey084]

that is what he is doing, restoring this truck.

[airsoftmp5a4]

That's a real nice truck. For it to be running like that at that many miles and at that age is pretty amazing. If I were you i'd restore it.

[belenniered]

will you make more vids ofit..

[uxwbill]

Yes. Is there anything in particular you'd like to see?

[belenniered]

no just want to see it all around...

[DieselMikey084]

it's a good thing you got that truck, or else it would go to waste. You can't find many 6.2 diesels any more.

[uxwbill]

It's got a lot of family history to it, so as long as it is my choice, I won't give it up. You're looking at the first vehicle I ever drove--there I was, sitting on my dad's lap around the age of 4 or so, and he let me turn a corner with it.

Not a lot of 6.2's around here. I was only aware of one other and it seems to be gone now. There are some 6.5's though.

[DieselMikey084]

how long did it take the glow plugs to cycle the engine, one minute? it usually takes that amount of time in an older truck.

[uxwbill]

Yeah, I think it was about a minute. As far as I know they all work OK. I did have some problems with the timer unit that fires them, but disconnecting and reconnecting the wiring got it working again.

[jjeremy350]

did you have to pump the gas pedal to start the truck???

[uxwbill]

No, not at all. It starts right up most of the time. The big deal is letting the glow plugs warm things up enough before attempting to turn it over.

What is the fascination with people pumping gas pedals and recording it all about?

[Vette31991]

I know, it's so stupid. I removed all the comments on my videos, and I did not even intend for them to be "pedal pumping vids"? I just remove them and forget about it.

[uxwbill]

If there are people that like watching my videos for that reason...okay, whatever, fine.

Being the very curious person that I am, I'd just like to know "why" or "what is the fascination here". That is assuming that I want to know, of course. Maybe I don't.

[tpvalley]

Where people sending abusive comments?

Somebody wrote scum on one of my friends, turned out it was just because of the type of car!!

Some people have mental scares due to bullying so they take it out on others.

[uxwbill]

I haven't seen any abusive comments here. Maybe some that had coarse language, but nothing too serious.

I like reading (and responding) to the comments on my videos, and do so with the belief that they are *constructive* praise, questions or criticisms. Should there be any rude, excessively coarse or otherwise bad messages appear, they will be deleted and the offending sender blocked from commenting on my vids.

[tpvalley]

Whats a pedal pumping vid?

[uxwbill]

Well, not being an expert or having any real interest, I can't say for absolutely sure. But to state the obvious--they seem to be videos that focus solely on depressing and releasing the gas pedal on a vehicle that won't start.

That's not what I'm out to do with these, but if there are people that get a charge out of watching them for that reason, it's fine with me.

[DieselMikey084]

no, not me, but a friend of mine. He has a 1989 GMC Suburban 6.2 with no issues at all. He has new glow plugs for it, new batteries, and a killer stereo system. He wants to sell it but decides not to. He loves his Burb!

[uxwbill]

Cool! Well, I certainly hope you can find one, or maybe convince your friend to change his mind. It is hard to find a good one though. Rust is the biggest problem--on mine the cab corners and floor pans are just about completely gone. But the frame is good. 6.2L Diesels and trucks equipped as nicely as mine (A/C, O/D automatic, dual tanks, gauges) seem to be hard to find around here.

[DieselMikey084]

I wasn't being mean about it, but like I said the truck fires up good for you and is as smooth as ever.

[uxwbill]

No, I didn't think you were. Do you have one of these that isn't running so well? What's wrong with it?

This truck doesn't always start that easily. I had the batteries good and charged, and the starter is nearly new. It had the same starter on it for over twenty years and when I took it off, it showed. That thing was an oil covered wreck.

[uxwbill]

On the other hand, I put synthetic oil into it not all that long ago, something that is said to not be a good idea on old engines. It hasn't leaked a drop of it.

Now if only I ever had the time to start fixing the body...

[DieselMikey084]

at least the truck fires up good for you.

[DieselMikey084]

OH, HELL YEAH!!!! It's too bad that the 6.2-liter turbo diesel engine was put out to production by GM in 1991. But this is a real smooth engine.

[uxwbill]

There were plans to make a 6.2L with a turbocharger on it? I didn't know that, but I have heard of people putting the 6.5L's turbo on a 6.2 and using it that way. Never tried it myself. I'm happy with the truck the way it is.