Next week I will be trading in my 2004 GTO on a 2003 GMC 2500 4x4 with the Duramax. The truck has 25,000 miles on it.

I have owned a 99 Dodge Ram with the 24V Cummins before and a 2001 Ford F350 with the 7.3L Powerstroke so I know about general maintenance and such, but I don't know much specifically about the Duramax trucks.

First question... am I correct in thinking the engine warranty is 5yrs/100,000 miles and the injectors have a 200,000 mile warranty on them?

What are the hp/tq ratings for the 2003 Duramax?

Any common areas that leak where I should look for drips? Any startup noises or drive noises?

My nearest fuel station carries premium diesel so I am sure the injectors will be happy about that :)

I am looking to keep this truck for a very long time and probablly throw on the Edge/Attitude combo asap.

Any advice you can provide would be great.

Thanks guys!

My truck is an 03 that I've had since Oct. 02 with ~40,000 miles. As far as I know, we don't yet have the 200,000 mile injector warranty-at least not as a blanket policy. I think some with over 100,000 have had them replaced, though.

My injectors were replaced at 101k no questions asked and told about the 200k warranty. The 01 to 04.5 were rated at 300 hp/520 tq I believe ?

With only 25k on it I dont think you will have to worry about leaks. But the lower oil pan leaking is pretty common. Also, look into a additive to run in your fuel like primrose or total power.

If you go with the EDGE, dont run it over lvl 3 or you will have trans issues. You will need a triple plate converter and a transgo kit to run over lvl 3. On a side note, I have noted the best MPG with the edge set on 1/3.

Get a lift pump from (kennedy diesel, TTS or any of the others that have them.) and a nicktane fuel filter kit also.

Driveline clunk is pretty common on GM trucks with the driveshaft, just need to lube it. The front wheel bearing hubs on the 4x4s tend to go bad more than they should also.

Good luck with the new truck!

On a side note, Why are you trading in the GTO ?

My injectors were replaced at 101k no questions asked and told about the 200k warranty.

Yeah, you have an 01. 03's haven't gotten the 200k warranty yet, just 01's and 02's.

03 & 04s are on a case by case basis. They are to troubleshoot first and if the injectors are bad, they will replace them beyond 100,000. They just haven't come out with the blanket policy.....yet. Hopefully soon though.

Any common areas that leak where I should look for drips? Any startup noises or drive noises?

My nearest fuel station carries premium diesel so I am sure the injectors will be happy about that :)



Contrary to what was posted, I haven't read much about "common" fluid leaks, at least on the 03-up trucks. Obviously, though, you oughta stick your head under the drivetrain and check it out like you would any other used vehicle. As far as noises, there is a rattle in the steering shaft you might notice when taking a turn. This is due to a design flaw & there's no way to permanently fix it outside of buying an aftermarket steering shaft (you can find info by searching on this forum). Only other noise I can think of is the cooling fan; it'll stay on for a few minutes after start-up and you'll hear that "whoosh" sound, shich is a little irritating. But compared to a 99 CTD and an 01 PSD, the Dmax is a real quiet powerplant and has very little road noise in the cab.

RE injectors, be sure you look at two things: 1. Check the oil level (ref. owner's manual for procedure), if it's over-filled and/or smells like diesel, you may have an injector problem, 2. Stand outside the truck while the salesman starts it, white smoke from the tail pipe at start-up can indicate injector problems.

There's been a lot of speculation about why some Dmaxs have had injector failures, and most seem to think it's a result of poor fuel filtration (poor fuel quality in the US) combined with the high rail pressures with HPCR systems. Using 'premium' diesel, which usually just means it has some kind of additive package, is fine, but it isn't going to necessarily prevent injector failures. Supplemental fuel filtration (someone suggesed NICKTANE, and there are other brands out there too) is relatively cheap insurance against injector failure, but sometimes people have had injectors fail even with an aftermarket filtration system... This is another thing you can read a lot about on here.

As an aside, you shouldn't get too concerned about all the discussion of problems on this board. Injector problems are not as widespread as it would appear, and GM is fairly good about solving the problems with the fuel system if they do occur. Congrats on your new truck, you'll enjoy it. :beerchug:

Thanks for all of the info. I will definetly run an additive. PowerService worked great in my past 2 trucks. Is that good in the Dmax too?

I am trading my GTO becuase I miss having a diesel truck. I miss the smell, I miss the turbo whine, and I miss the pure low end grunt.

If I need to upgrade the trans, I don't want to mess with the Egde/Attitude just yet. What is a friendly box/programmer for a stock trans?

Oh also, how are the cold winter starts without being plugged in?

I hope to report back in a week as the owner of a Dmax :)

Contrary to what was posted, I haven't read much about "common" fluid leaks, at least on the 03-up trucks. Obviously, though, you oughta stick your head under the drivetrain and check it out like you would any other used vehicle. As far as noises, there is a rattle in the steering shaft you might notice when taking a turn. This is due to a design flaw & there's no way to permanently fix it outside of buying an aftermarket steering shaft (you can find info by searching on this forum). Only other noise I can think of is the cooling fan; it'll stay on for a few minutes after start-up and you'll hear that "whoosh" sound, shich is a little irritating. But compared to a 99 CTD and an 01 PSD, the Dmax is a real quiet powerplant and has very little road noise in the cab.

RE injectors, be sure you look at two things: 1. Check the oil level (ref. owner's manual for procedure), if it's over-filled and/or smells like diesel, you may have an injector problem, 2. Stand outside the truck while the salesman starts it, white smoke from the tail pipe at start-up can indicate injector problems.

There's been a lot of speculation about why some Dmaxs have had injector failures, and most seem to think it's a result of poor fuel filtration (poor fuel quality in the US) combined with the high rail pressures with HPCR systems. Using 'premium' diesel, which usually just means it has some kind of additive package, is fine, but it isn't going to necessarily prevent injector failures. Supplemental fuel filtration (someone suggesed NICKTANE, and there are other brands out there too) is relatively cheap insurance against injector failure, but sometimes people have had injectors fail even with an aftermarket filtration system... This is another thing you can read a lot about on here.

As an aside, you shouldn't get too concerned about all the discussion of problems on this board. Injector problems are not as widespread as it would appear, and GM is fairly good about solving the problems with the fuel system if they do occur. Congrats on your new truck, you'll enjoy it. :beerchug:

I noted with interest the comment about your steering rattle. I had the same issue on both my '01 and '04 2500HD's. The dealer replaced the indermediate shaft and the problem went away. It was most noticable when turning and going over a bump (like turning into a driveway). There is a TSB out on it, but I don't have the number.

Thanks for all of the info. I will definetly run an additive. PowerService worked great in my past 2 trucks. Is that good in the Dmax too?

I am trading my GTO becuase I miss having a diesel truck. I miss the smell, I miss the turbo whine, and I miss the pure low end grunt.

If I need to upgrade the trans, I don't want to mess with the Egde/Attitude just yet. What is a friendly box/programmer for a stock trans?

Oh also, how are the cold winter starts without being plugged in?

I hope to report back in a week as the owner of a Dmax :)


Intelman, I am running an Edge EZ in my new truck. I have only had it on level 1 and 2 but it runs strong and the power comes on nice and smooth. You can change the levels from inside your cab. You don't have to worry about your tranny in level 1 or 2 and I have been told, by some folks on this website as well as a tech at EDGE, that level 3 is transmission safe as well. When I get some gauges I might try out level 3.

I also run Power Service Diesel Kleen, so far so good and it's easy to find.

good luck with your truck