Chevrolet 6.5L (396 cu in) firing order — diagram & guide

Chevy is known for its large displacement V8 engines, but if you own one of the trucks from the late 90s, the Detroit diesel V8 doesn’t fall behind by much. This engine was deemed to be extremely durable, which is why it was used in heavy-duty trucks and vehicles in need of a high towing capacity.

So, our team decided to make this guide on the Chevrolet 6.5L (396 cu in) firing order to make it easier for you to figure out the firing sequence and check the cylinders in order.

Chevrolet 6.5L diesel firing order

To give you a straight answer, the Chevrolet 6.5L diesel firing order is 1-8-7-2-6-5-4-3, and the engine used the same base block as the previous 6.2-liter diesel. This engine also came with a turbocharged version, but the firing order is still the same for that one as well.

Along with the firing sequence, you may also be interested in knowing the cylinder layout in this engine. It may not be as important as for petrol-powered engines since this diesel V8 doesn’t have spark plugs, but it still allows you to check the cylinders in order in case of engine stalling.

Chevrolet 6.5L diesel cylinder diagram

The next thing we’ll discuss is the way in which the cylinders of this engine are positioned to make cylinder numbering easier for you. If you are going to work on the engine, you should know that the 6.5-liter diesel V8 features the same classic structure as every other petrol V8 made by Chevy in that era.

So, it has two cylinder banks with cylinders 1, 3, 5, and 7 on the right side, and cylinders 2, 4, 6, and 8 on the left side. Of course, we mean this from the perspective of looking at the engine with the hood being raised, so it’s the order from the radiator towards the rear end of the engine on both sides.

Chevrolet 6.5L diesel vehicle applications

All that’s left now after explaining all this is to take a look at our list of all the vehicles equipped with this engine, just to make sure that your vehicle uses this exact powertrain with the mentioned firing order:

• Chevy Blazer
• Chevy Tahoe
• Chevy C/K models
• Chevy Van

Along with these, the 6.5-liter diesel engine was also used in a few GMC models including the G Van, C-3500 HD, and GMC Yukon.

Our take

Before the more recent Duramax diesel, Chevy’s 6.5-liter engine was the pinnacle of the diesel offering in trucks and vans. So, in case you own one of these, we hope that this guide provides all the answers to your questions and helps you figure out the firing order and cylinder layout in the car for easier maintenance.