Well after bragging about the deal I got for $16,000, 2003 4x4 lt dually. As i was getiing ready to pay for it, what do I see, SMOKE!!! not just a litlle either, a lot. Im talking about at idle! greyish, blueish in color.

I started to have a lil shimmey when i would take off. Horrible experiance.

so after all the drama I DONT HAVE A DURAMAX AFTER ALL.

I gotta be honest with, after this and hearing about others, I too have lost my faith in the mighty duramax.

250,000 miles should not hurt a diesel that much. I sold my '95 powerstroke with over 400,000 miles and it never smoked, not even on hard acceleration.

Maybe I just got a bad one, but i got the vin check back and it has had more injecto=ers than you can shake a stick at.

I was looking forward to hanging in this forum but looks like I have to go back to the powerstroke.

Take care all.

Do you know if the previous owner had big time mods on the truck? And what happened exactly? Did it really blow up or just quit running?

Well that's to bad good luck, but a truck that has had many injector failures would not be my first choice you where asking for trouble.

aprr
I don't think the truck really went kaboom he meant it metaphorically, I don't know though.

A 2 yr old truck with 250k on it is:

A) Commercial use, usually towing/Hot Shot.
B) Not fully depreciated for a business, so is being sold for other than financial reasons.

but new injectors should be ok right? as long as their new, right? They had no business going out in the first place.

When we buy a cummins or a powerstroke or a cat with that many miles, we are not asking for trouble. Some feel that they are just getting broken in!

anyone ever notice how hot a duramax motor gets compared to others. Maybe its because it has aluminum heads.

Well that's to bad good luck, but a truck that has had many injector failures would not be my first choice you where asking for trouble.

aprr
I don't think the truck really went kaboom he meant it metaphorically, I don't know though.

dozer, don't go scaring the newbies, for cripes sake!

From his VIN info, I'd be willing to bet that the dealers were replacing the injectors one at a time, not the whole set as per the TSB and Supplement. Now, what we should be asking is, because it had previous injector issues, will a new set qualify for warranty replacement? I'd be taking this up with the dealer....



Bud, It'll be alright.

....and Welcome to the Place!


Tom :eek:

The old power stroke you had was a 7.3, very reliable Injection system. All of the new ones Ford, Dodge, and GM have the high pressure system and they are all having more problems with injectors, seems to be the price that comes with the new systems.

I guess that im not totally soured by the experience, but it definitely a bad taste. Whether I get one with 50,000 or 250,000 miles i still plan on drive it and working it the way a diesel should. All I am saying is thatit should still be holding up. And if i did get a new one, when it reached 250,00 is thais what i have to look forard too.

In my opinion i still the that GM trucks are better made, in fact i know that they are the best made trucks money can buy. As for the duramax engine, i just dont know anymore.

Nah, it didnt make any noises, but it did start pooting all of a sudden. Almost like it was missing. I was gonna pay $16,000 cash for it. I got the vin check back after the deal went south. I knew it was too good to be true. When you step on the gass, it was hesitationg. But when it went, boy did she fly. It was a hot shot truck though. I knew that going in, but i figured, heck if those are highway miles, what harm could it have possibly.

Driving long distances is the best thing you can do for a diesel, and routine maintainance. It has been through quite a few injectors too, i saw on the vin report. but again, this is supposed to be a top notch diesel motor not cheap junk.- hence the name Dura (meaning durability) Max (meaning maximum)===Maximun Durability-(Duramax).

I cant confirm or deny the duramaxes durability, but if i had to go on the few people i know who have them , the people on the internet, GM upping the warrenty on the injectors, then that make you wonder. Maybe not that durable for people who use them the way they are supposed to be used. Some people buy a diesel just to sayy they have one, but other like me buy a diesel because thats our money maker, whether it be hot shotting, contracting,, misc hauling. We need durability ie powerstroke, cummings, cat, detroit, international.
Im not bad mouthing them, they are great But they are short term work engines. They just wont hold up like the compeition.

The duramax is a light duty engine. I will never buy another one , no good for commercial use or high mileage, especially in a medium duty truck. It might be good for a toy or hauling a trailer on vacation, but that's it! My advice to anyone buying one for commercial use is "Don't"!
animal4500rvtransporter

The duramax is a light duty engine. I will never buy another one , no good for commercial use or high mileage, especially in a medium duty truck. It might be good for a toy or hauling a trailer on vacation, but that's it! My advice to anyone buying one for commercial use is "Don't"!
animal4500rvtransporter
I agree 110% and 110% factI dont think that i will buy or attempt to buy another one either.Its a great engine for the occasional hauler and for someone who doesnt count on their truck to make moneyIt is definitely NOT a work horse/high milage type engine

I agree 110% and 110% factI dont think that i will buy or attempt to buy another one either.Its a great engine for the occasional hauler and for someone who doesnt count on their truck to make moneyIt is definitely NOT a work horse/high milage type engine
______________Sounds like you've found your "groove" there, Bud and you're narrowing it down. Good luck in your search and let us know how you come out on it. Looking forward to hearing back from you. Mudbug

It is definitely NOT a work horse/high milage type engine Where did you get that? Maybe you should read some more of the post here and hell the motor has only been out 5 years.

sounds like good a propaganda story

Talk about a narrow mind. I take it all powerstrokes, cummins, cats, and etc are still on the road with NO problems what so ever.
You are better off getting a Ford. Who needs ya.

LOL yep, ain't no problems on the other side of the fence...

then again, I didn't have a transmission blow up in my dodge, haven't seen powerstrokes on the side of the road... You want 100% uptime tell you what, go buy a 2nd vehicle becuase sometime someday something's gonna break no matter what you buy.

If Broker was still here, you would've seen a lot of DMax's in his sig with over 200K...he listed all he owned. And he towed trailers all over the place.... He didn't have a whole lot of problems, if any.

GardnerTeam runs the living hell out of his, so do many, many other guys.....

Tom

All I wanted to add is gm ford and dodge are having SERIOUS PROBLEMS,with the newer model engines.Not talking about minor stuff. I put serious miles on my truck delivering trailers just want the truck to last 400000 miles. People I work with are having problems with all makes. Bought gm products my whole life,all I want is a reliable truck. I would like the gm engineers to come up with a solution on the injector problem instead of recycling old injectors as replacements for warranty work. animal 4500 lb7

Where did you get that? Maybe you should read some more of the post here and hell the motor has only been out 5 years.

I have read these post for months now and talked with many people and seen first hand many different situations. Hardly anyone here has over 200,000 miles on their truck or for that matter use their truck to make money. I did read on here that a guy has around 400,000 miles on his, but he also has a new engine in it too. And if im not mistaken, he said that he got a new engine in the 270,000 mile range. I am not compareing the powerstroke to the duramax with my next staement I am only comparing the principle. When the powerstroke was introduced in 1995 it never had seriuos problems like the duramax, in fact it is still a much sought after motor. Those things bring well over 400,000 trouble free miles if properly taken care of, as with the cummins.

Some of you guys are getting so emotional about this its sickening. I never said there was a perfect engine or implied it either. But there are more reliable engines. Nobody wants to go down the read on a day to day basis worrying about injectors, warped head gaskets, fuel in the oil, etc...

Ask yourself this one question and you must be very honest: If you well being depended on a truck and all you had to choose from was a Duramax, Powerstroke or Cummins with over 250,000 miles on it, which would you buy and why?

kind of funny i know lots of ford tech and dodge tech seem the new power stroke and cummins engines are having the same problems with injector and are loosing pistons because of injector sticking and leaking.my buddy lost his engine in his ford at 30k becaause of bad injectors.
got rid of the truck now driving 4500 with dmax

All I wanted to add is gm ford and dodge are having SERIOUS PROBLEMS,with the newer model engines.Not talking about minor stuff. I put serious miles on my truck delivering trailers just want the truck to last 400000 miles. People I work with are having problems with all makes. Bought gm products my whole life,all I want is a reliable truck. I would like the gm engineers to come up with a solution on the injector problem instead of recycling old injectors as replacements for warranty work. animal 4500 lb7

100% corect

All 6.0 fords powerstrokes are crap and Id never buy one of those either and the 03-04 cummins are pretty dang awful compared to the earlier cummins. The best light truck diesel engins on the market are the 2000-2003 7.3 powerstroke and the 92-97, 00-02 cummins. Those are the most reliable.

noticed that it took ford 5 years to get it right before it was a good runner took cummins 2 years after they chaged to a 24 valve.

I would also like to add: I would prefer to have a GM truck over the competition, they look better, more comfortable, handle better etc... but they just have to improve the duramax first.

Its all about the MONEY IT COST,not EMOTION. Animal

noticed that it took ford 5 years to get it right before it was a good runner took cummins 2 years after they chaged to a 24 valve.

Actually ford hit it right off the bat with the 1995 Powestroke. But in 2000 they installed intercoolers and that is the only reason why the 2000-2003 is more desireable and because of the intercooler its boosted the torque and hp and also made modding it easier and better. Other that that the 1995 model is still a 400,000 miles motor.

When we buy a cummins or a powerstroke or a cat with that many miles, we are not asking for trouble. Some feel that they are just getting broken in!

WE don't buy "cummins or powerstrokes", -:t

Idahofox

had several 7.3s never buy used,have serious issues with cavitation on drivers bank,need to be sleeved to repair. so beware of your antifreeze.if only the walls were a little thicker and a good glow plug timer would have been nice too

anyone ever notice how hot a duramax motor gets compared to others. Maybe its because it has aluminum heads.

Uh oh ! Aluminum-minum-minum heads. :D

Idahofox

On my little trip over the the weekend to evanston, the only two trucks I saw on the side of the road with there hoods up were 6.0 fords. I also ran away from one coming out of the construction zone. The juice was set on 2x1.

Sounds like Trolls to me.

What are "Trolls"?

:funnypost :lol:

seariuosly, what are trolls?

Bud, I have an 01 going on 340,000 with no problems other than 2 inj going bad at 270,000 then again at 330,000. My Dealer recently replaced all 8 sleeves and injectors at no charge w/12mth 12K warranty.:cool:
This 3500 gets hard use w/max loads and does not miss a beat!:ro)

Budkole,
You are on a predominately "Duramax" site, you wont have many people agreeing with you when you put down the DuraMax. Same thing goes for Power Stroke on there sites and the Cummins sites. I think its Blind Ownership to be brand loyal...I agree with you that a diesel truck motor should last 400k + miles, especially for the price we pay for them.

seariuosly, what are trolls?

A person called budkole. YOU.

100% corect

All 6.0 fords powerstrokes are crap and Id never buy one of those either and the 03-04 cummins are pretty dang awful compared to the earlier cummins. The best light truck diesel engins on the market are the 2000-2003 7.3 powerstroke and the 92-97, 00-02 cummins. Those are the most reliable.

And this is exactly why you say you purchased a 2003 Duramax for $16000:badidea: .

Tell ya what, Bud. I'd buy your 250,000 mile DMax with the "blown motor". I'll take it to Eric over at his new shop in Holland, MI. and spend $3000 (I don't know what he charges for injectors...thats just a guess) and still come out WAYYYYYYY ahead in value. After looking for a used DMax for the past 3 weeks, I can tell you that these trucks are holding their value just fine...your truck was still worth $31,000 retail, $25,000 PP (good) on KBB.

Hell, I could've bought that truck, thrown a used 30,000 mile Dmax in it (or had that one rebuilt) put an SC5 or full ATS Allison it in, Extremed it, and STILL been under that retail value! I might even have had enough left over for Alcoa's! All I can say to that is WOW! :eek:

Expecting a perfect truck for $16,000 with 250,000 miles on it is just plain unreasonable. You didn't get a lemon.....you got reality. Deal with it instead of complaining about it and running down every DMAx on the road for goodness sake.

My .02.

Tom :pig:

Just a friendly reminder, this thread is getting out of hand a little. Discuss the issue and no bashing or it will be closed...


I do agree that the Dmax is an awesome motor, but I also agree that it does have flaws just as the other motors do.. It is just a mechanical object, it will fail. There is no reason to come onto a site to try to get answers and then bash something you are not happy with. If you did not like the miles on the truck or type of truck you should have purchased something else.. Your choice...


With that being said, have a nice day and hopefully you will either get your truck fixed or move on to a different one... Either way, good luck...

had several 7.3s never buy used,have serious issues with cavitation on drivers bank,need to be sleeved to repair. so beware of your antifreeze.if only the walls were a little thicker and a good glow plug timer would have been nice too

Watch your DCA levels. . .part of good maint!! :cool:

Bought gm products my whole life,all I want is a reliable truck. I would like the gm engineers to come up with a solution on the injector problem instead of recycling old injectors as replacements for warranty work. animal 4500 lb7

Well then, just twang your magic twanger Froggy.

Idahofox

I guess that way I see it is, the main bugaboo of the DMax is the Bosch injection system. It's probably the reason for 99% of the reliability issues. Failure in the injection system has lead to a variety of other issues, sure, but we all know for example that the heads are fine and the bottom end is very stout.

Yes, you could have an old 7.3 and put up with the noise and lack of power. But yeah, OK, they finally got that engine to be reliable.

Yes, you could have a Cummins and put up with the noise and lack of power. Sure, with mods, you're back in the power range of the Dmax or more. But you still have the noise and the fact that you're in a truck that's pretty primitive compared to new Dmaxes.

So, if I were going to do hot shotting and whatnot, I'd still probably buy a manual Dmax, buy it new (not used) and buy a $340 Predator to keep an eye on the injectors. I'd also add a lift pump and secondary filtration, and that would go a long way toward getting the longevity you want.

It's also a bit goofy to judge the Dmax by one that's been thrashed to death. There's lots of 7.3s and 5.9s in that same boat and I don't judge them all by that yardstick.

Some of you guys are getting so emotional about this its sickening. I never said there was a perfect engine or implied it either. But there are more reliable engines. Nobody wants to go down the read on a day to day basis worrying about injectors, warped head gaskets, fuel in the oil, etc...

Ask yourself this one question and you must be very honest: If you well being depended on a truck and all you had to choose from was a Duramax, Powerstroke or Cummins with over 250,000 miles on it, which would you buy and why? I'm just trying to be logical here not emotional I personally couldn't care less. Any one that goes down the road worrying about the stuff that could go wrong is nuts or will be shortly. And to answer your question I would never buy a truck especially a diesel with 250K I most likely will never buy any used diesel there to many super truckers out there that screw then up. Moreover, mileage really says nothing IMO it's all about the # of hrs. So what are you going to do with your truck now I may have missed that in an earlier post?

Hi,

I think all these problems with ALL diesels started when they started the HORSEPOWER/TORQUE wars. Lets face it, every time they ( ALL MFG's!! ) up the HP/Torque, and still have to meet emisions, you can pretty well guess that there may be a problem!!

Now as for wanting a truck with 250,000 miles on it to run like it was brand new, well give your head a shake becuase no matter whose name is on it, you are bound to have some problems minor or major!!

Just my 2 cents!!

Will

A person called budkole. YOU.

.......and you are how old, dude your ignorance is now showing. Better hide it or people will start thinking less of you.

And this is exactly why you say you purchased a 2003 Duramax for $16000:badidea: .
Bought it to use it.

First of all, where is everyone getting the notion that I wanted the truck to run like brand new. WHO STARTED THAT???????????????? However i did expect it to run without missing!!!!

Gentlemen, all of your bashing of me wont change anything that happened to anyone ever(duramax wise). What makes us all unique and differenet is our opinions. thoughts and experiences. For example, the next time someone asks about a high milage duramax, he/she can view this thread and maybe form their own opinion on whether or not they should buy it. People are not dumb!!! I bought the truck despite other wanrning from others elswhere other than this site. I read some good things about high milage duramaxes and some bad things about them as well. But in the end I went with what i wanted. The Duramax, but unfortunately not so good so far. But thanks to this site I am encouraged to get new injectors and get the motor overhauled. But i can guarantee that bashing me and calling me a troll played no part in it,in fact it was very un-called for. I did it because of what i read in other posts. Im not sure what it will cost me exactly, proly around 4-5k, but im encouraged, because i simply love the truck.

another thing, WE MUST LEARN TO DIS-AGREE WITHOUT BEING DIS-AGREEABLE!!! with each other. we are all grown around here and we should act as such.

Hey,

My apologies if I offended or angered you!! I did not mean for it to appear that way. Since GM/Isuzu only gives these a 200,000 mile life expentancy, anything over 200,000 would be a bonus.

So, when you get the overhaul done, I hope that you find injectors at a decent price. Also, would you mind letting us know the condition the block is in when it gets torn down, I am curious to know, since I will likely eventually end up buying a used one, just want to know what I will be getting myself into!!

Thanks, and good luck.

Will

no, problem. I ended up buying it for $13,000 (guess he just want to get rid of it) For that price I coudnt resist. I think I have a diamond in the ruff. Once the process gets started i will start a thread and show pics of it broken bown.

Thats a sweet price. I hope you can get injectors from Bosch, but don't have to buy them from GM. Sometimes GM prices are cheaper than parts suppliers, but somehow I don't think there price on injectors would be cheap!! Good Luck and keep us posted!!

Take Care,

Will

I'd honestly just replace the injectors and leave it be... I would think a complete overhual is a waste of money. From what I have gathered on this site and my personal experience, these motors are very stout, but unfortunatly they have beginners bugs (HPCR fuel system)... and yes I know you claim the 7.3 was a great motor from the beginning, but let's face it, the Duramax was the first motor with the HPCR and it is/was uncharted territory... which leads me to say that the Powerstroke and Cummins have experienced similar problems, hence the Powerstroke going back to a low pressure fuel system for 05'. I would really like to see you enjoy what a Duramax is capable of, unfortunately Bosch did not design capable injectors... I'm glad to see you are sticking out, because once that Duramax is running right, you will absolutely love it!

Dan

:muahaha: :muahaha:

http://photos.thedieselstop.com/showphoto.php?photo=18505&papass=&sort=1&thecat=998

What StraitDiesel said!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

$13,000?!? OK, now you're talkin'!!!!! Heck, thats a GREAT deal, even if it's not running. You can find a low-mileage engine and have a nice ride!

As for what I said, I stand behind it. As with any high-mileage vehicle, you get what you get. You just hope that the previous owner followed a good maintenence schedule and took care of it...

Welcome to the DMax Club, and the most informative spot for DMax Info anywhere!

Tom :cool:

To dozer boy, when you put 55000 dollars in a truck ,you dont use emotion you useMONEY. ANIMAL 4500

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b48/ponch29/TRUCK002.jpg

Hey,

Since we are talkin' used Dmaxes here. Is there a way of telling ( through codes or whatever.... ) if they have had programers on them??

Thanks,

Will

To dozer boy, when you put 55000 dollars in a truck ,you dont use emotion you useMONEY. ANIMAL 4500
Ok, that went over my head could someone enlighten me on what he is trying to tell me? Oh, and use money is not one word.

http://photos.thedieselstop.com/data/500/38729lemon.jpg


Ok it's a poor GM, but that is still funny :eek: come on guys go ahead and flame me.:lol:



Oh what, you know what I don't see a that it's Dmax who cares then we all know gasser s*ck.

Budkole,
I'm glad to hear your going to keep the truck. I don't think a full overhaul will be warranted, but I would to see what you do to/with the truck.



Don't mind the 3 post I'm trying to get my count up there. Damn I should of made that a fourth one.

no, problem. I ended up buying it for $13,000 (guess he just want to get rid of it) For that price I coudnt resist. I think I have a diamond in the ruff. Once the process gets started i will start a thread and show pics of it broken bown.

_______________
Bud,
You did good on that deal. Try just the injectors 1st (preaching, here). Dont see how you can lose and I'm betting you'll be happy with the truck. Good on you, Pard and welcome to the D-Max club!
Mudbug

OK budkole, lets see if I can show my age here. I want to appologize for insulting you.
I just have to stand my ground when someone comes on a prodominate GM site and states that the older Ford and Dodge trucks are far superior then the Durmax. Now this is not out of text.

You did make your bed and now it seems that you are willing to sleep in it sort of speek. Good luck. And I am sure many on here will gladly help you out with any problems you incounter.
As mentioned earlier they may be some serious hous clocked in on this truck and injectors probebly wont be the only thing you will have to replace. You may also have to replace the rings and or do somthing with the cylinder walls and lifters.

Oh and one other item. I would also change out all fluids if not allready done. This is also inlcuding brake and power steering fluids.

Ok, went to the shop this morning. Now ill wait and see what they say. They seem to be optimistic that it is not major damage. In the meantime i will try to find another motor for it. But they did notice a little bit of lifter knock.

There was a low hr LB7 Duramax on Ebay for 6k.

Actually ford hit it right off the bat with the 1995 Powestroke. But in 2000 they installed intercoolers and that is the only reason why the 2000-2003 is more desireable and because of the intercooler its boosted the torque and hp and also made modding it easier and better. Other that that the 1995 model is still a 400,000 miles motor.

Bud,

If you are really interested in seeing what a Ford Powerstroke can do call the New York City Fire Department. Their entire fleet is made up of only Ford Ambulances ('cuz GM does not offer an 'Ambulance prep package during the time the spec was offered ie 1995). From someone who operated quite a few of those rigs (and NONE of them saw more than 100,000 miles):

1) The motor would not last...we were grenading engines on a regular basis (even on a 45 day Periodic Maintenance Schedule)

2) The Transmissions were junk... We also grenaded them left and right.

3) Electrical Gremlins...once it caught one, it was like a cancer...the truck was never right again.

I would never personally own a Ford ever again. Every one I have either owned or operated was junk. Too bad you had a bad experience with your near purchase.

I liked your question about what would you have if you had to rely on it day in and day out style. My trucks for the past several years get about 35,000 miles on them per year in Southern Mexico, Belize, Honduras, and Guatemala. There are NO parts, no D/A mechanics, and no service in any of those areas. I am often 400 to 600 miles from a town with a dealership of any kind, often over a hundred miles down a dirt or mud road deep in the jungle. I winch often, sometimes almost burying my truck in mudholes or rivers. I get stuck in sand, tear tires up on rocks, and generally drive the holy hell out of my trucks at high speed on roads or trails most of you would never take your truck on. I (knock on wood) have not wrecked a truck yet below the border, but have hit burros at 60 mph, and been run off the road by a Corona Beer semi and out through the brush and into a ravine at 60 mph (he was passing on a hill without any vision). I have put over 300,00 miles on a Cummins 6BTAA (in a GMC by Las Vegas Cummins) and it is still going at 500,000 miles without a mechanical failure. The old Cummins was a GREAT engine for towing and never letting me down. As has been said many times here, all the new diesel engines have similar fuel delivery system problems at some time. But my D/A's have never failed to let me get home or get out. I lost two injectors in my 02 in Guadalajara Mexico loaded with carved stone. Drove 3500 miles home on diesel fuel for oil (under warranty, I don't stop until it quits or I get where I'm going) with 20lb oil pressure, but not increase in engine temp. Put new injectors in, checked compression (excellent), checked oil pressure (80 lb at idle, 60 lb at 2000 rpm - LB7), and sold it with 75,000 miles on it. Still going strong. Point is - I have to depend on my vehicles. My life and my clients' lives depend on it. D/A's have been the best trucks I have ever had, EXCEPT, (let me grab my flamesuit), a 78 Ford Supercab F250 4X4 with a 460 Ford Industrial Motor in it. Still have it if I hadn't rolled it 800 feet down a canyon on a powerline road out of Nelson Nevada below Hoover damn. Had to get that one out with a helicopter. No body makes a perfect vehicle. Ford has made good trucks. GM has made good trucks. Dodge has the great Cummins engine, but hasn't made a good truck since WWII. For $16K, you got a great buy on what could very easily be a great truck. Oh yea, welcome to a great site with a real mix of people with a even greater mix of truck uses.

That is a funny pic...and a gasser.

Well fellas I got news...The injectors will cost me a little over 3500 to get done, but there are what i was told are metal shavings in the engine from improperly lubricated parts. The lifters are shot as well. I think that the previous owner just didnt maintain this thing at all. and lastly, the head is has a crack forming.

Sooooo. New motor is the way i should go. Opinions needed please. The dealer maybe exaggerating the truth, but I am at the mercy of those pricks. They want almost 11000 for a new motor with labor!!!!!

If you do go the engine replacement route, check e-bay. I've seen a few on there.

Yep, It's about 12K for a new crate Dmax. But I wonder if it would be an LB7 rebuid or a new LLY.

I don't know how far you live from Eric, but I would let him have a shot at it. The one common thing we've all learned here is that a good Dmax Tech is worth their weight in gold. There are very few of them that are good. There is a whole bunch of them that think they're good.

But if I do the math correctly, you bought the truck for 13K, put 3500 in new injectors, another 4 or 5k in repairing the past owner's maintenance practices, and you get a decent truck with a good engine for a total of about 21K. That's a darn good deal. If you go the new motor route, it's only the long block and you're at about 26K. Even if you have to go through the tranny, transfer case and diff's. I don't think you'll go above 30K. (STOCK, boys, I know what an SC3 or equal costs). That will be one heck of a deal if the chasis is in good order.

My only advice is to make sure you know and trust your tech doing the work. He will make you or break you....

Sometimes your first loss is your best loss.

Just advertise the truck for what it is and accept the best offer, you should be able to recover your original $13k investment just selling the truck for it's sheet metal and the usable drive train components worth.
Recover what you can and think of any loss you incur as the cost of a good education.
Next time you see a duramax with 250K for sale ,
"Run Like Hell"

I strongly advise against trying to turn a pigs ear into a silk purse.

Once the stealer starts opening this truck up, he's got you for every cent they want and you probaly will wind up just walking away from it anyway and the stealer gets the sheet metal and usable components for nothing.

Maybe some of the posts on here that think $13K for this truck is steal, will take it off your hands as is, for what you've got into it.

I liked your question about what would you have if you had to rely on it day in and day out style. My trucks for the past several years get about 35,000 miles on them per year in Southern Mexico, Belize, Honduras, and Guatemala. There are NO parts, no D/A mechanics, and no service in any of those areas. I am often 400 to 600 miles from a town with a dealership of any kind, often over a hundred miles down a dirt or mud road deep in the jungle. I winch often, sometimes almost burying my truck in mudholes or rivers. I get stuck in sand, tear tires up on rocks, and generally drive the holy hell out of my trucks at high speed on roads or trails most of you would never take your truck on. I (knock on wood) have not wrecked a truck yet below the border, but have hit burros at 60 mph, and been run off the road by a Corona Beer semi and out through the brush and into a ravine at 60 mph (he was passing on a hill without any vision). I have put over 300,00 miles on a Cummins 6BTAA (in a GMC by Las Vegas Cummins) and it is still going at 500,000 miles without a mechanical failure. The old Cummins was a GREAT engine for towing and never letting me down. As has been said many times here, all the new diesel engines have similar fuel delivery system problems at some time. But my D/A's have never failed to let me get home or get out. I lost two injectors in my 02 in Guadalajara Mexico loaded with carved stone. Drove 3500 miles home on diesel fuel for oil (under warranty, I don't stop until it quits or I get where I'm going) with 20lb oil pressure, but not increase in engine temp. Put new injectors in, checked compression (excellent), checked oil pressure (80 lb at idle, 60 lb at 2000 rpm - LB7), and sold it with 75,000 miles on it. Still going strong. Point is - I have to depend on my vehicles. My life and my clients' lives depend on it. D/A's have been the best trucks I have ever had, EXCEPT, (let me grab my flamesuit), a 78 Ford Supercab F250 4X4 with a 460 Ford Industrial Motor in it. Still have it if I hadn't rolled it 800 feet down a canyon on a powerline road out of Nelson Nevada below Hoover damn. Had to get that one out with a helicopter. No body makes a perfect vehicle. Ford has made good trucks. GM has made good trucks. Dodge has the great Cummins engine, but hasn't made a good truck since WWII. For $16K, you got a great buy on what could very easily be a great truck. Oh yea, welcome to a great site with a real mix of people with a even greater mix of truck uses.

Remind me to never buy a used truck from him.:)

Maybe I just got a bad one, but i got the vin check back and it has had more injecto=ers than you can shake a stick at.Take care all.

What was that VIN?

Tsk, tsk, tsk.

Diesel, Gas, or Propane, GM, Ford, Cat, or Cummins, road-service, construction, marine, etc. engines must be serviced regularly and operated within their design specifications. Otherwise it is on the inevidable path to the scrap yard.

This "2 year-old" with 250K miles on it, has probably had its first oil changed by the dealer the day before he put it up for sale. Biggest indication is the blue/gray smoke at idle, when the 'liquid fix-it" (the pour-in additives that supposedly stops blow-by ro pin-hole leaks) in the oil or coolant stopped working.

Sorry to hear about your negative experience. I run the roads towing heavy loads 90% of the time with my stock LB7 at 300K+ miles, and never a problem (all injectors, clutch & fly-wheel, brakes, etc are all originals), by sticking to the service plan and entering into different races... the ones that win by getting there economically and safely, not those that reach "there" first!!!

~~~ RF ~~~

Well, went back to the powerstroke.

7.3 of course

YOU QUITTER

























J/K good luck

What became of the old and tired 03 Duramax??

AHHH, all this talk about the duramax being unreliable is starting to change my way of thinking, this thread is kinda making me believe ford or dodge is better :( I really hope not.

Dont base your feeling about the duramax on my experience, all three have ford, chevy, dodge have bad ones every now and then. The truth is that mainly the only people that post have had problems and there are a lot of people in the world that dont and will not ever post. This forum only rep abot 1% of duramax owners.

Not sure where the truck is now.

I just bought a 03 3500 with 250,000 on it. The injecters were replaced twice, the last time just before I bought it. I have all the service records for this truck since it was new, it was used to haul campers across the country. I know the man who had it and He said there is nothing wrong with it an you can,t tell it from one with 50,000 on it . I have also owned the 6.2 and 6.5 diesels and they had about 200,000 miles on them when I got rid of them and they diden,t even use oil. I think these are very good trucks and it tows My 12,000 lb. fifth wheel without any problem what so ever. I am very happy so far with this rig.

I personally feel that Miles Dont Mean A Thing!!!, Its all in how you take care of it. I would rather buy one with miles than new because if i buy new, i will just be paying way too much to fill the pockets of the suites. So ill rather let it depreciate on someone elses money. Wish i could have kept the dmax, but i just got hold to the wrong one.

btw, if i ever get the chance to get another high milage one, you better bet your bottom dollar, im going for it!

Me thinks I smell a FROD rat(S) on the forum! Go back to dieselstop.com!

Me thinks I smell a FROD rat(S) on the forum! Go back to dieselstop.com!

Is there a law saying I cant own a ford and a chevy, I smell jealousy. Some of you chevy guys are sooooo sensitive, for what i dont know, but others here are cool and actually are helpful. Its people like you that turn people away and make them not want to participate.

btw, how would you know whether or not i post there if you wearnt there yourself? hmmmmm:Nonono:

So you ended up with a 7.3? Think of how much you'll save on speeding tickets! :D

lol, you got me, actually, I have always had it. But wanted the best of both worlds. lol

I am so sick of my POS dmax, all that stupid thing does is smoke everytime I step on it, Stupid oil gets black as soon as I start it, has poor traction when it smokes and the damn tail lights get brighter every time I step on the brakes.

I know what you mean. Mine makes this cack,cack,cack,cack noise when it's running.

lol, you guys are hilarious, hopefully I will have another dmax soon

I am so sick of my POS dmax, all that stupid thing does is smoke everytime I step on it, Stupid oil gets black as soon as I start it, has poor traction when it smokes and the damn tail lights get brighter every time I step on the brakes.

d*mn my dad's does the same thing...... i think it has a problem. :rolleyes: