As some of you know, I'm not an experienced Dmax tech. I'm a pretty darn good gas engine tech that stumbled upon this site while in search of "real world" problems with the Dmax.
With that being said, I have worked on a few Dmax's since then and I find them to be a fairly easy engine to diagnose. If a tech would actually take some time to study the engine and it's controls (ECM functions), they seem to be no more difficult to diagnose than a gasser to me.
I just changed locations from one GM dealership to another and that was the reason for the sudden "diesel crash course trainning". The usual diesel guy here is not willing to get to know the new Dmax...he is only a couple years away from retirement and just doesn't care to take the time.
It is hard to teach an old dog new tricks though.
I would imagine that it should not be all that hard to find a good Dmax tech no matter where your at? OBDII has made diagnostics soo much easier than ALDL ever could. Or as some like to call it...OBDI, or Tech1.
Non the less, as far as diagnostics go, the Dmax isn't any more difficult than a gasser in my eyes. Performing the repairs is a bit more time consuming, but that realy doesn't matter. If I'm fixing a gasser for 6 hours or a Dmax for 12, it's all the same to me. One takes longer than the other, but it is no more difficult than it should be.
It all just apples and oranges. Say I'm doing a fuel pump in a gasser, simple enough, doesn't take very long. Say I'm doing an injection pump in a Dmax, simple enough, takes considerably longer but it's still just nuts and bolts!
Performing the actual work is the easy part. It's the diagnostics that can stump a guy. But like I said, with OBDII it's pretty hard to mis-diagnose something if you know what your doing.
OBDII is the best tool to come along since 1995 in my oppinion.
