Hey guys my name is mike, this is my first post, my dad is a chevy guy i have had all fords, i am going to be getting a 2001-2004 4x4 duramax i have a few questions.

How reliable after 100K miles, the ones in my price range are 100K-125K miles. 19 year olds budget here.

How bad do the tires wear if you tighten the torsion bars up?

What the heck do these trucks sound like straight piped, I heard what i thought was a straightpiped one, it sounded like a 7.3 Powerstroke straightpiped????

What kind of towing performance will i have with like a programmer, intake and 4-5" exhaust. 28 Foot 2003 springdale 5th wheel, slide out.

What kind of fuel mileage......19 year old boy here!!!! ok im 20 in may but im still kinda proud of power when i have it.


Thank You


Mike Howard

Hey mike,
Well, you'll definatly get plenty of info here, there is a ton of people with tons of knowledge about these rigs!!!

As far as reliablitly goes after 100k, all depends on who had it before man. I can tell you this though, we just got rid of a 01 dmax/ally with 185,000 "farm and ranch" miles on it and the only thing we ever had to do was put some injectors in at like 130,000 miles...Gm covered everything and it was kinda only a 01 issue I believe. Anyway, we used the truck just about as hard as you could imagine and it was the best pickup we've ever had by far, and we've tried'em all!

I have the T bars cranked on my 02 right now and notice no difference in tire wear. Just keep'em rotated as much as possible and you'll be fine.

Some people love the sound of straight piped dmax's. I had my last dmax straight piped and it was definatly loud, but had too much of a howl for me. Now I have a Four Inch with a real nice muffler that sounds real deep and throaty. Makes me very happy, and still makes plenty of noise when you need it too!:ro)

As far as power goes man, you can get as much as you want outa these things. For towing, do a search in LB7 electronics and you'll be amazed on what is out there. It's hard to beat the all around performance of the dmax, it'll hang right with or AHEAD of the rest of them for sure!!

Fuel milage will depend on that right foot of yours. ;)

Good luck, Hope this gives you a little idea!!

J-HEFF

The main issue is the injectors. The rest of the engine is very reliable.
Do a service check to find when the injectors were replaced, if at all. If possible, have a friend with a Tech II or EFILive go with you to check balance rates.

Worst case is you will have a $4000 bill for 8 new injectors which are improved. Yes, they are THAT expensive. More realistically, just one or two normally need replacement.

I believe on some years, the injector warranty is increased to 200,000. Do a search. I'd stick with the LB7 engine for used. The price will be better, and those years of extended injector warranties are all LB7. Perhaps 02...

Even stock, a Duramax has no problems towing whatever load you throw at it. With a mild tow tune, you can get speeding tickets at the legal weight limit. Uphill! :eek: This is NOT a 7.3 Ford. It has power everywhere and a lot of it.

I like the straight pipe sound, but it's not for everyone. Get a cheap 4" exhaust with a muffler. You will not lose significant power over an open exhaust.

Have a GOOD mechanic look it over. It will pay for itself.

Have the alignment redone after the t-bar crank and tire wear will not be an issue.
'01 and '02 injectors are covered for 200k, '03 and above are 100k.
If you bump the power up be ready to spend close to $4k for a built/replacement tranny. Do a search for "I limped it".

If you want the truck to sound like a ford or a dodge then you should buy a ford or a dodge. Chevy's don't bark....they just bite.....

If i get a used 01 or 02 through a chevy dealer with less then 200K on it, will i still get the 200K warrany on the injectors?


Thanks for the help, i am really excited about getting a duramax. I drove a new 06 today in fresno, really nice truck, and i have also drove a 2001 model, i like the trucks.


Mike Howard

I think so. Good luck-

The injectors have a factory warranty. You will absolutly love these trucks!! I have had my 03' since 03' and the only thing that I have had to replace so far was front hubs, $400 for parts and installation was easy. I got a speeding ticket about 4 months after I bought the truck pulling a Bobcat 9 series up a 7% grade, trailer weight about 11,000 lbs!

I too am 19, I will be 20 in September.

Good luck with your purchase!

Bentley

Alright well imm 19 also and goijng to be 20 in like two weeks and i thkn my 2003 duramax was the best investment i ever made. I love it i cranked t bas runs 285's on 10 inch wide rims um got the edge mines a 6 speed though needs a new cluytch more power then most tucks around here have. if u wanna know anything else let me know dude. Later

Just buy one. You'll never buy another Ferd and wonder why it took so long to get into a Dmax. Good Luck !

Warranty work has nothing to do with "are you the original owner?" or "did you buy the truck here?"
Warranty follows the VIN.
Just make sure you take a chevy to a chevy dealer and a GMC to a GMC dealer.

Thanks for the help, im really starting to get eager about getting a truck, just got back from our dealer, they have an 03 crewcab 4x4 shortbed, with 89K miles on it, dont know how much they will take for it, they have 22,000 on the front windshield, so we'll see what happens with it.


Mike

Thanks for the help, im really starting to get eager about getting a truck, just got back from our dealer, they have an 03 crewcab 4x4 shortbed, with 89K miles on it, dont know how much they will take for it, they have 22,000 on the front windshield, so we'll see what happens with it.


Mike

I looked it up on kbb.com. They have it priced almost at the private party value. They probably allowed around $19,000 trade in when they got it. Offer them $21,000 firm and see what they do.