I have a 96 6.5l turbo diesel and this site seems to be one of the very few that even have any info on these trucks. But anyway the real reason I started his thread was to get some info on a rebuild I would love to do. This truck 225,000 miles and I was just wondering if should rebuild the motor or leave it he way it is? Also I would like to swap out the rear diff so I could have posi. I'm not much of a mechanic so I don't know much about his stuff. I live in ct and this truck has truck has to get me to Maine and back a few times a year. It's a 378 mile journey each way. But I also want this to be a badass truck but work as a daily driver. I'm really just looking to see if it will be worth it to put money into this thing or just get a different truck? I also have a budget of about ten grand if you guys can throw me any ideas?

 

When I first got my truck I sent a oil sample in to the lab for analysis $30. Not knowing the history of the truck makes the results difficult to interpret. The test can give you an idea about the condition of the engine.

 

I wouldn't say that it is mile'd out yet,but may be in need of injectors overhauled/replaced,the rule of thumb is every 100,000 miles for injector service.

Like mentioned above get the oil checked out and maybe buy a compression tester from harbor freight and test it out.
Likely would benefit from new glow plugs anyway since that is where you compression test from.
Compression should be 400psi minimum.