Duramax?

[bpeters5814]

I've been looking at buying a new truck, and all I can really find are Duramax trucks. I've never owned a diesel before, so I was wondering if you guys could tell me what to watch out for with these engines. I've heard that they have injector problems, but I heard that from a Dodge guy.

I'm also curious about winter care. I live in Nebraska, and it can get pretty cold. It was never above 30 in December. A lot of the time it never got over 10 degrees. What would I need to do to prevent gelling? Do these engines cold start very well?

Like I said, I've never owned a diesel, and I could use any advice or thoughts that anyone can give. Thanks guys.

[Flames97]

Only 01-04.5 LB7 have the injector issue. I have an 2002 Dmax that I've had since 2003 and replace the injectors myself last spring. Other than that its is a great truck. I get 18-20mpg. I Do have an Edge programmer on it. I love the power of the diesel. The only other thing on the earlier models is the pump rub on the tranfer case. I don't know much about the newer models as far as any problems. I have heard that 2006 model year is a good one. It has the LBZ in it. Don't know how much this helps.

[Flames97]

Also you ask about winter care. There are additives that you can use to prevent gelling. I usually add it when it gets around 32 degrees out. The manual states you can let it get down to Zero before you have to plug it in. I usually plug it in when it gets about 20 degrees out, its just easier on the motor. I have started it without plugging it in when in single digits and it still started fine, you could tell it was cold though.

[clinebarger]

Any commen rail injected diesel can have injector issues. Most programmers acheive the power gain through raising rail pressure putting even more strain on the injectors.

Its funny that a dodge guy whould talk bad about duramax injectors when 03 & up commen rail cummins engines have there fair share of problems with injectors

[JohnC]

The injectors are an issue with the early duramax's GM extended the warranty to cover them. We have replaced 2 sets in our 02. By now if you had to replace them they would have the "revised" set that you would be installing. Since we put those in we have had no problems out of them. We just rolled over 200,000 miles on it, and have had very few problems with it.

[clinebarger]

Originally Posted by JohnC

The injectors are an issue with the early duramax's GM extended the warranty to cover them. We have replaced 2 sets in our 02. By now if you had to replace them they would have the "revised" set that you would be installing. Since we put those in we have had no problems out of them. We just rolled over 200,000 miles on it, and have had very few problems with it.

They are not immune to injector failure. Early distributor pump style injectors chould last over a million miles. You whould be very lucky to get 200K out of a commen rail injector.

[07HDClassic]

Go for a diesel... You will love it. For the winter care, use additives in the fuel to prevent gelling and plug in the block heater at night and you will be fine. You can also get a "winter front" cover to help on the faster warm ups.

[Dieselwrencher]

Like already mentioned injectors were the biggest issues. ***All the big 3 have injector issues in the common rail department.*** GM and bosch got theirs fixed first changing from a sac nozzle. It took dodge a little while longer to figure it out. In the early duramax's they had several head gasket issues and electrical connector problems. But if it has any kind of miles on it it is safe to bet most of the bugs are worked out of it.

[Dan in Pasadena]

bpeters,
I have a 2008 3500HD Crewcab Dually Silverado with the Duramax and Allison transmission. I bought it brand new in December, 2008 when GM was hurting and they couldn't get them off their lots fast enough. Prior to that I had an '02 Dodge Ram Crewcab with the little 4.7 V8 for six years.

I'd never owned a diesel before either but I bought it because I was going to carry an 11-1/2' Lance 1181 camper that goes 4400llbs. dry. I have nothing but good things to say about it. I've got 15,000 miles on it and even though I live in Southern California I have had it in the cold a couple times. The first time right after I bought it in January 2009 to Flagstaff, AZ for a long weekend and just last week in Lake Tahoe for a week and the overnight temps were about 10 degrees. I did NOT plug in the block heater and it started every morning with no problem. Granted, those are not Midwest conditions, but I think it's a solid vehicle that will last me basically indefinitely.

[ed2552]

Originally Posted by 07HDClassic

Go for a diesel... You will love it. For the winter care, use additives in the fuel to prevent gelling and plug in the block heater at night and you will be fine. You can also get a "winter front" cover to help on the faster warm ups.

Brandon, I didn't know you were over here!!


My dad has an 05 Duramax/Allison 2500HD, and we all love it. Just replace the fuel filter every 10-15k, and keep up on maintenance. We also run Power Service in the white bottle during the winter to prevent gelling, and help lubricate with the kerosene blended in.

Good place to look for more advice is www.thetruckstop.us . I'm Dad's 05 LLY over there.

[northerngmc]

Diesel's are nice if you are towing or hauling big loads.

I have an 04 Chev 2500HD 4X4 with the LLY Duramax. Great truck, pulls like crazy, gets 21 mpg empty.

It rides like a tank compared to a 2wd 1/2 ton though.


Remember everything is more expensive with a diesel. 2 batteries, you need to change fuel filters every 20000 kms, an oil change is 10 - 14 litres depending on the engine.

I would really consider why you want to buy a diesel and unless you plan to tow regularly I would look at a gas engine. Remember the diesel engine/heavy duty trans combo will run an extra $10,000 when purchasing.

As for winter driving, I live in the Northwest Territories of Canada. I do use synthetic engine oil, but I don't plug it in until it is below -20 C ( about 0F), and I remember reading somewhere, probably www.dieselplace.com, that the newer Duramax engine block heaters don't even work until a certain temperature is hit and I think it is 0 F. The fuel I buy locally is winter fuel and therefore gelling isn't a problem.