hey guys im looking to buy a diesel truck soon and after looking in the stickies and on the rest of the board, i have a few questions

why do i keep hearing the duramax is a bad choice (ford and dodge guys obviously)

why do people leave the diesels idling in parking lots all the time?

what should i look for and look out for in my search for a new truck?

im looking for a daily driver with some decent towing and hauling duties about once a month. what type of mileage can i expect when im not towing and hauling. (looking for a 4wd crew cab short bed)


thanks a bunch guys!

1. You answered you own question.

2. Because it is either sub zero temperatures or someone else is paying their fuel bill.

3. That is entirely up to you. Study the internet, read magazine reviews, drive the trucks and make your decision.

4. A stock LMM (you said new) will probably average around 15-16 mpg mixed driving if you don't tow and keep your foot out of it. I don't know about Ford or Dodge.

I love my duramax and had a 01 F350 before this truck and never had so many problems. The worst part is, that the parts i always needed for my ford were dealer item only so i had to pay my life away for them.

I only leave my truck run in sub zero temps and that is only when it is in a good area. In the summer i might let my truck run if it is a quick stop or i just got off the road from a long trip to let the turbo cool down.

These are really pretty good trucks - just stay away from the 2001 - 2004 models that have the LB7 engines. They have injector problems and will be problematic for some time to come.

Stay away from an LB7. Like Unit said injectors are expensive to replace and GM is not covering all failures with their "special policy". LLY's have been known to overheat. All the new diesels have issues with the emission crap.

I would spend some time going through the forums. This one is excellent and full of injector threads and horror stories of blown engines because of injector failures.

Don't go to a GM forum and ask them about Dodge or Ford or likewise. Of course they are going to tell you the other guys suck.

well the reason i came to this forum is it is for the bowties only and that what i want. when i said new, i mean more of new to me.

how is the regular (not the allison) transmission with the diesels? the truck is probably gonna be 00-03 just because i dont have a ton of cash to fork over for a truck (maybe 25k)

well the reason i came to this forum is it is for the bowties only and that what i want. when i said new, i mean more of new to me.

how is the regular (not the allison) transmission with the diesels? the truck is probably gonna be 00-03 just because i dont have a ton of cash to fork over for a truck (maybe 25k)

I love my truck! If you are worried about injector issues get an 04 LLY and then get the V2 cooling upgrade from one of the vendors on this site. the allison is what seperates these trucks from the rest. you will not be disappointed with one.

hey guys im looking to buy a diesel truck soon and after looking in the stickies and on the rest of the board, i have a few questions

why do i keep hearing the duramax is a bad choice (ford and dodge guys obviously)

They're trying to make up for the tiny length of their winkies.

why do people leave the diesels idling in parking lots all the time?

If Fords or Dodges, they're hoping someone will steal it.

what should i look for and look out for in my search for a new truck?

I disagree with the other posts about staying away from an LB7. Yes, they can have injector problems. However so do the other brands, and although there are a few horror stories most people do not have any trouble with GM replacing injectors at no cost to the owner (try getting that out of Ford or Dodge). LLYs have problems of their own, e.g. overheating, that are not covered by any sort of warranty at all. LBZ/LMM sound like they're out of your price range (mine too), and they've both got a bunch of superfluous emissions crap on them that the LB7 does not suffer from.

So, what should you look for in an LB7 (01-04): get the VIN numbers of the pickups you're looking at and post them in the VIN Check Requests forum here. That'll give you the service history and some information about what problems the truck might have had. Check the trucks for clues of their past use -- holes for 5'ers or goose neck hitches, witness marks on the driver's side a-pillar where aftermarket gauges might have been mounted, holes in the passenger side exhaust manifold where an EGT probe was installed, holes on the bottom side of the dash in the driver's footwell where a trailer brake was mounted... Check all fluids: does the tranny fluid smell burnt, does the engine oil smell like diesel fuel (injector failure sign)? Stand by the tail pipe while the car salesman starts the pickup. Any smoke? What color? How long before it clears up?

im looking for a daily driver with some decent towing and hauling duties about once a month. what type of mileage can i expect when im not towing and hauling. (looking for a 4wd crew cab short bed)

First off, if you are concerned about mileage you should not be buying a 3/4 ton truck for a 'daily driver.' Buy a $300 used Dodge Omni or something. That being said, I average 17; get 20 consistently on the highway as long as I'm not going 80, get 15 in town. But it's going to depend entirely on the kind of driving you do.

What do you plan to tow?


_

25k willget you a 04 or 05 with some decent miles easy

how is the regular (not the allison) transmission with the diesels?

I have experience towing with all three transmissions. I liked the alli and the Dodge 48re the best becuase they never upshift early through hilly terrian with heavy loads which is good and avoids gear hunting. The Alli downshifts early and provides great engine braking when in Tow/Hual mode. My 48RE doesn't provide as much engine braking.

The torqushift had good engine braking but it seemed to go gear hunting even with tow/hual mode through hilly terrain. I didn't care for it.

If it didn't cost $800.00 just for labor to replace an injector - then injector failure wouldn't be an issue. You can't simply pull an injector and replace it without a great deal of labor. The 2004.5 LLY and up engines were modified to allow easy access to the injectors. It simply doesn't matter if the other makes have injector problems, because you can actually get to them without disassembling the engine. The reason GM replaces all eight injectors at once is to avoid the expense of having to go back into the engine to replace a second injector a week after replacing a bad one. I have no problems with the LLY, LBZ or LLM engines. It's the LBZ that is going to break the bank. Let's be honest with folks who come here for answers.

The reason GM replaces all eight injectors at once

I don't think that is common practice or at least it depends on who you go to. My dealer only replaced the 4 on the side that had a bad injector. I think the only way you would get all 8 replaced is if you had two bad injectors, one on each side.

At least that is how the dealer here treats it.

well i just want somehting that isnt going to murder me on gas. my pontiac (DD) gets 20-25 depending on the type, and my jeep jets maybe 17 on the highway. im not looking for a prius or civic or anything like that.

so what is the consensus on the non-allison? i know i would like to have it, but is it really worth the extra coin im gonna have to fork over?

most towing duties will be my jeep on a 14ft bumper-pull trailer. i usualy use my dads 1500 5.3, so i know a 2500 will more than do what i want. other than that a boat from time to time and hauling other just around

The Allison is the only transmission option for the Duramax as far as automatic (and a good option at that!). If your looking at an LB7, the allison is a 5 speed (the newer ones are 6) and it is a great trans for towing and daily driving. The manual transmission is the ZF-6, but good luck finding one as they are pretty rare.

I have a 2004 DMax with an LB7 that I bought in January. It had 28,000 on it and now has 45,000. Runs great, will pull anything, no injector problems. I really like it and I did my homework like you are doing before I bought it. I have friends with Fords and Dodges' and I am glad I have the Duramax. I agree with the other guys that you will like the Allison too. Just buy something tat looks like it has been taken care of.....anyone can tear up a Sherman tank if they try hard enough.

X2...What he said...I love my DMax as well.

I have friends that drive Fords that would rather I towed their bigger stuff, "Because I won't be able to keep up"...This came from a PowerJoke driver....

I know..friends don't let friends drive Fords....I'm just glad I Bought mine when I did.

Mine is an 04 and has no injector issues at 90k miles, only major problem I have had was the heater core (leak, fixed at no charge by dealer) and the A/C compressor (cooked clutch, covered under warranty).

After this hunting season I have 3 buddies that are trying to get DMaxes now...they fell in love with the truck....

I have an 02 LB7 w/ Alli (70K miles) and have had no problems w/ injectors. Keep the fuel filter changed at least annually (15Kmiles) to prevent headaches and keep a spare fuel filter with WIF wrench in the truck.

I have friends w/ Fords and Dodges, but the Duramax is definitely quieter and runs smoother. I will buy another one eventually, but I don't know when that will be. There are some problems with the older Allison transmisions with the fluid draining out of the torque converter after extended parking. Others have had injector "issues", but I am keeping my fingers crossed.