This factory service and repair manual for the 1988 Chevrolet W5500 Tiltmaster is a single-engine book: 396 cubic inches, a 6.5L inline-six, naturally aspirated and running on diesel, carried in a straight truck with a low tilt cab and sold as the W5S042. A six-cylinder diesel without a turbocharger keeps the air side simple and puts the emphasis on injection — pump timing, injector condition, delivery volume — which is where the manual spends most of its engine diagnostics.
Engines covered
- 6.5L inline-six (396 cu in) — naturally aspirated, diesel
Body styles covered
- Straight truck, low tilt
Trims covered
- W5S042
Known issues on the 1988 W5500 Tiltmaster. The federal record is clean for this model year, with no recalls and no complaints from owners. The manual is therefore used as a reference rather than a repair history: injection pump timing and injector service on the 6.5L diesel, valve clearances and engine mechanical torque values, cooling and lubrication capacities, cab tilt hardware, clutch, transmission and rear axle procedures, brake and steering specifications, and wiring diagrams for the chassis and cab circuits.
