I'm goin to atlanta this weekend to look at an 06 LBZ with 85K on it and was wondering if there was anything in paticular that i should be lookin for as far as the mechanical workings of the truck is concerned??? from the looks of the pics it has been well taken care of but that is all cosmetic....also what kind of life could i expect if i kept it stock for the most part...also what could i do to boost some ponies on a tight budget???

Thanks,
Bryan

look for exhaust, gauges and if you can get it into a dealer to see if it has been previously tuned.

making power is easy with these trucks. putting it to the ground is a bit harder. depends on what you want to do with the truck.

If it is four wheel drive and you can get the front wheels up off the ground check the front hubs for play. If there is play then the hub will have to be replaced. Also look at the transmission cooler lines and see how bad they are leaking. They may not be too bad but if they are too bad then they will need to be replaced and that can be somewhat expensive. Check the steering to see how bad the clunk is from the steering shaft. You might be able to use any and all of these to your advantage if it comes to doing the deal.

Look to see if it has the blocker plate in it, if it does not, then walk away if you can not get the seller to replace the EGR valve.

Look to see if it has the blocker plate in it, if it does not, then walk away if you can not get the seller to replace the EGR valve.

Really? Why? Because of the high mileage? I'm curious because i am also looking for the right truck at this time... Thanks.

Really? Why? Because of the high mileage? I'm curious because i am also looking for the right truck at this time... Thanks.
i would not say that a blocker plate is a cut off for buying a truck or not but without it the truck can have some health problems. however, most of the trucks on the road are not running them as people dont know about the aftermarket world. if you like it...buy it.

What's involved in installing a blocker plate? My understanding is that the computer also has to be "fingered" after this installation. Do you have to purchase a special chip to accomplish this? I'm handy with tools, and have had many motors apart, but looking at this 6.6 is a bit daunting. Is the plate only required/installed in the U.S. market? I'm in B.C. Canada.
Thanks for any help.
Bob.

If you do a search you will find all sorts of posts on installing the blocker plate. It is only a thin metal plate that blocks the dirty exhaust gasses from entering the engine - the fingerstick does exactly what you said - it blocks the code. It is some fairly simple wiring. I bought the blocker and finger together and installed my own without issues.

http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/showthread.php?t=309613

Heres a shot of where the blocker plate goes and what it looked like after only 10,000 miles

I've read several posts about the increased diesel smell with the blocker installed. Is this typical? One of the things that I like about this truck is the lack of smell.

my van stunk bad with the plate.
not so bad/if any diff on the truck.

Thanks for all the advise ended up getting railed on the atlanta deal....if you ever get the chnce to deal with cannon used in liburn, ga don't they sold the truck that i was going to look at while my loan app was at the bank and they pulled it and it dropped my credit score by like 20 points.....but anyways i ended up going to select in warrenton, va and getting a better deal on an 06 lbz ex cab 2lt with 59k on it....cant wait to start tinkering.....


Thanks,
Bryan

Don't sweat it bro. You will find the right truck soon! There are A LOT of great deals out there right now!

I am in your same boat. Trying to find a truck 2005-2006 is hard to do. I am trying to stay local. Central Il. Going to look at a Dodge tomorrow for kicks and grins. Still waiting on a truck that I am wanting.

Thanks for all the advise ended up getting railed on the atlanta deal....if you ever get the chnce to deal with cannon used in liburn, ga don't they sold the truck that i was going to look at while my loan app was at the bank and they pulled it and it dropped my credit score by like 20 points.....but anyways i ended up going to select in warrenton, va and getting a better deal on an 06 lbz ex cab 2lt with 59k on it....cant wait to start tinkering.....


Thanks,
Bryan

Man, I had that happen THREE TIMES before I got my current truck. A private seller on here that I made a deal with and then he refused to answer any more calls or anything, then 2 other dealers that sold it out from under me. Finally found a good guy at a dealer in Round Rock TX though.

Same thing happened to a friend up here North of the border. It seems that the first one through the door with the cash gets the prize. A salesman's word is just that, a word.

First thing anyone should do is get the VIN:
1. Check to see what the 8th digit is. If it's a D (LBZ), If its a 2 I believe it will be an LLY.? Good to know what motor is in the truck.

2. Come to this website and do a VIN check in the appropriate sub forum. That will tell you what warranty work has been done to date.

3: With you lookin on K.?, have the dealer check (likely with a Tech II), to see if there was ever a "tune" put in the truck.

Checking for EGR plate is good idea as previously noted, if it does not have one in there, you will definitely want to get one installed right away. Without it the EGR valve and the intake will eventually get plugged up with soot. No ifs about it..it will happen and then it is not a warranty item, but rather a dealer Maintenance item...a costly one at that. Get the plate and be done with it. If you do get the plate right away, then also buy a "Fingerstick" (small electronic chip - inserted into wiring harness), prevents Check Engine light (CEL) from coming on all the time by fooling The ECM into thinking the EGR is working nominally.

99% here will tell you that the LBZ is likely the most desireable of the bunch...very few issues and those that are there are not of the major kind: Leaky tranny lines (at the cheap chinese crimps), - there are permanent fixes here on that, Intermediate Steering Shaft..new ones avail for just under $60.00 PartZone and GMParts.com are just a cpl of places. Other than that, I have not really experienced any other "chronic" issues...just regular wear parts and normal maintenance...only other thing that may or may not become an issue is the famous "pump rub" thing with the Transfer Case. Seems the internal pump has a small metal clip helping it stay in place...on some ok, not all, but on some trucks the clip wears out, breaks off and the pumps vibration will wear a hole right through the transfer case. Also preventable and there are supporting Vendors on this site with kits to fix this issue.


Longetivity:
The best thing one can do for extended life is to change ALL your filters REGULARLY and check/change ALL your fluids regularly. As soon as you get it home..that should be your first bit of DIY maintenance. For the Allison, suggest you immediately change out whatever is in there and go with Transynd synthetic TES295. Best thing there is for the Ally.

There are ways to extend fluid life/truck life by adding filtration for both Oil and Fuel..many many here have done so for obvious reasons and with excellent results.

If you plan on adding to the 300-350HP you allready have then for now, suggest: Exhaust / Mild Tuner / and dont bother with a CAI..not worth it unless you pan on 550+ Rear Wheel HP...but do add a TransGO Jr. Shift kit to the Ally..Awesome insurance.

That should be enough to keep anyone looking for a "new" Duramx going for a while.

cheers & good luck in finding the right Duramax..!!

stk

Moved to Buying a new truck...