I am currently in the hunt for an '03 Duramax, this will be my first diesel and I am wondering what are some of the things to look for, for this particular year. Currently I am checking to see if the injectors have been changed as well as standard stuff when buying a vehicle. One question that I did have is about the engine hour meter what is a good mile to engine hour ratio. I looked at an '04 that had 137km and 3800hours. To me it seemed like this truck just idled all day. Does this affect the life of the motor?
Thanks

I am currently in the hunt for an '03 Duramax, this will be my first diesel and I am wondering what are some of the things to look for, for this particular year. Currently I am checking to see if the injectors have been changed as well as standard stuff when buying a vehicle. One question that I did have is about the engine hour meter what is a good mile to engine hour ratio. I looked at an '04 that had 137km and 3800hours. To me it seemed like this truck just idled all day. Does this affect the life of the motor?
Thanks Did it have an aftermarket gauge cluster?

No it was on the stock cluster i think after A and B trip meters then it said engine hours 3845hrs.

i would run a vin check here on the site. see if the shocks have been replaced, i had to just do them on my 03'. right after i bought mine a wheel bearing went out(50k miles). there was a lot of vibration when you got up to about 40-50mph. look to see if there has ever been a pyrometer installed. look on the passenger side manifold for a plug. do a search on pyrometer installation if u need help. usually if the manuals are in the jockybox and the jack is still under the seat someone took decent care of her. thats all i can think of for now.

newb question but I test drove an 03 yesterday, it was way to rough for my tastes. But what is the guage on the lower left hand corner. tranny temp mybe. I couldnt figure it out, it is a stock guage as well. thanks

tranny temp