Noticed slower to start yesterday. Hard start when warm. Tonight wouldn't fire for 15 seconds. I checked for air (bled a little out) and pumped primer til hard - no effect. Based on search here sounds like injectors.

Whats a good dealer to use in the portland area (I am closer to beaverton).

thanks,
jeff

Mine hasn't been in for any injector problems (knock on wood) however I did take it into CARR Chevrolet in Beaverton once and thought they were a bunch of jerks.

Wilsonville Chevrolet 503 454 2000. Tell them Karl sent you.

Mine hasn't been in for any injector problems (knock on wood) however I did take it into CARR Chevrolet in Beaverton once and thought they were a bunch of jerks. Yeah, I have been taking it to Carr and don't have any desire to go back.

1. After three trips in on a rear axle seal replacement - it still leaks; I told them to torque down the bolts on the axle flange; They said they didn't have a torque specification and just hit it with a gun. Torque spec is something like 140 foot pounds...

2. Quick oil change takes 4 hours.

3. We'll get you right in and out for that rear diff change - 5 hours while waiting.

4. Does the 19 year old oil change guy really need to take my truck for a test drive? Didn't come back for a while... ???

5. Messed up billing on several occasions - always in their favor. :(

- jeff

Sorry I m not around...
Carr what else can I say.
dont ever take it to then unless you want to pay.
Karl is correct Wilsonville is good.
Jeff
have them run a flow test first you may have a bad pump.

Thanks Patrick & Karl!

I'll be running down to wilsonville first thing monday morning.

Ran stanadyne additives, extra filter on the frame rail, no mods and I baby her...

Sounds like they are revision 3 of the injector design - I think I have revision #2 in my '03 from the factory... Hopefully they'll last longer than 23k miles next time around...

I had convinced myself it was fuel lubricity and I was safe with the additive. Nope... :(

- jeff

Wilsonville Chevrolet 503 454 2000. Tell them Karl sent you.
Karl ... so they're not jerks like some of the others? If I had to take mine in for something major like injectors I'd be asking for a reference as well.

Any idea how many injector jobs Wilsonville has done?

It was very,very hard starting on saturday morning and had to run errands for my daughter's birthday. Luckily I am 1/2 mile from an "auto row" - so I have choice of thrifty, budget and enterprise within walking distance of my house. Got a nice nissan altima for $50 for the weekend (special).

Replaced the racor filter on the frame rail and primed her this morning just to make sure the filter wasn't plugged. Now she won't start at all. This sucks. Tow truck on monday a.m.

- jeff

dmax,

I hear good things about GMC Peterbuilt on Swan Island. I have talked to them several times about my truck but have not needed to take it in yet.

Mine a chevy - so gotta take it to a chevy dealer for warranty work.

Ended up taking it to wentworth chevrolet in portland. Wilsonville was too far to have it towed (and have chevy pick up the tab). Wentworth and Wilsonville are "sister dealerships" - same ownership.

I gotta tell ya - it sure did feel good to see most of the mechanics were more my age - late 30s to mid-40s. It'll be going there from now on.

- jeff

I met the tech at GM school. He was very up to date and had years there at the dealer. It sounds like an injection pump but who knows. Have them scan it and do the flow test on the pump. that will rule out pump or injectors.

If it is the injectors insist they replace all 8. They should do this but, I have heard some dealers are just replacing defective units. When the dealer orders the warranty units they come in a package of 4. Good luck.

scott..if its a 2004 they are only replacing as needed not all of them.. and dmax lover : don't let age fool you..i have seen a 40 year old diesel tech here in my area and did't know SH**T about the duramax...at HALL CHEVROLET IN PROSSER there's a good tech by the name JAMES he's in late 20s and very educated in modern diesels,well educated that even the gm engineer was taking his opinions. Some of this new diesel require an on going schooling..it's like asking grandpa to run a cad program.

Tophog- I know a good majority of the guys there from my good ole days in Salem. I have all my work done there and they always treat me right so I would give them a recomendation. You can call and talk to the service manager (Mike Haloran) and i'm sure he could answer your questions about their qualifications. I will add that I don't know Mike personally but his coworkers speak very highly of him.

Just got a call from the dealer (wentworth chevrolet) - confirmed - parts arrive this afternoon. 8 new injectors installed tomorrow.

I think build date on my truck was 12/02 (or thereabouts) - are the new injectors an updated design from what went in at factory?

I don't descriminate based on age - I know my brain is slowing down as it gets more miles on it. What is odd about "that other dealership" is the lack of mature mechanics; If I yelled, "HEY! EMINEM IS OUTSIDE" - the garage would empty out... :)

Kind of tells me that either they don't pay their mechanics enough or anyone with any experience would find a job elsewhere... :(

thanks,
jeff

I wonder if mine is having a problem. It is an 03 (built in 8/02) with 40K miles and it is very sluggish! How can I tell if the injectors are bad?

Look here for the TSB related to injectors :

http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18032

About halfway down is the following symptom...

Lack of Power, Sluggishness or Sponginess

What the heck is sponginess.???

Or it could just be that your injectors are a bit dirty or your fuel filter is plugged (have you changed it lately?) . GI Joes is selling chevron delo injector cleaner and usually has it on sale. I would run this through the tank - if it doesn't fix it - I would take it in.

- jeff

Well, the trucks fixed and back now. Happy with the way it runs and very happy with work done at wentworth chevrolet in portland, oregon. 8 new injectors.

I did get a little too excited when I saw that the injectors were covered by gm limited lifetime warranty on the bill. I thought maybe they had additional warranty because they are remanufactured. Then I found a copy of the warranty on the web - doesn't apply for warranty work. dang!

- jeff

dmax,

I am in Beaverton too. Where are you? I think my truck is showing signs of having bad injectors too but this is my first diesel so I can't be sure. Maybe we could meet and compare notes?

Thanks,

I saw some other posts where you were concerned about mileage on your truck - you are seeing about the same as I am - it's partially because the truck doesn't really have time to warm up and it isn't fully efficient until it is warm.

I didn't see any decrease in fuel mileage or performance, although it sure runs nice now - but I think that has more to do with the chevron fuel than anything else. Mine went from a hard start situation to no start fairly quickly - excessive return flow and couldnt' build pressure on fuel rails.

I am going to shy away from additives that boost cetane and just go with a half dose of lubricity additive (stanadyne) for just a little insurance/protection this time around. The cetane improvers destabilize the fuel - too much and it will start to clog filters, injectors etc.

- jeff

DMAX,

Have you thought about biodiesel? I wonder if that would help with the lube issue?

Yes, I have run biodiesel - but I saw a study from bosch showing some mixed results. Corrosion, stability issues with biodiesel. Chevy says no more than B5 biodiesel. At B5, it would be all you need for lubricity. At B10, I don't think you'd have problems.I do worry about over-additizing with the stanadyne - now that the injectors went on my truck while I was mega-dosing with the stuff - I wonder if I didn't induce injector coking or fuel instability. (or if you add too much lubricity additive - the lubricity actually drops off). If you go biodiesel - you don't have to worry about over-additization.

I was fueling at a station right off of i-84 in portland - they had b20. But I went by there recently and it had been demolished. There is a place in northwest portland that sells b100 - I have thought about running by there and picking up 5-10 gallons and just dropping a gallon of biodiesel in the tank every once in a while.

I work in Hillsboro - so it's not very convenient for me to go biodiesel; This time around, chevron fuel with half dose of stanadyne lubricity additive. No Cetane improvers that might cause fuel instability (this is particularly the case with ultra low sulfur diesel - which might be what we are getting here sometimes - comes from cherry point refinery up in washington).


- jeff

DMAX, I have been up to the station (Star Oil) to get some B100. It was $3.60 a gallon. I used it to mix with regular diesel to obtain about B10. I go up there regularily. If you wanted some I could get it for you. I live in Beaverton by the high school.