[az426]

well,i just purchased an 05 chevy 2500hd with the diesel.8th vin is a 2 so its an LLY.i started doing some research and found this page and now i am worried that i just bought a overheating POS .i am having some problems with most of your abbreviations in the posts so its kind of hard to follow some of your explanations.from what i understand is that gm can/may attempt to fix my OH problem with an airbox set-up from an 06 model and a reflash of the computer that will cost me power and mpg.but i also read that i can fix it for about a grand myself...what would i need and will i still lose power/mpg's?i have a toy hauler that max's at 12400 gvw so i am rightfully concerned.can anyone steer me in a direction or two?

 

[Unit453]

Where are you located at?

Do you tow hills?

Do you tow in summer months?



I'm sure I'll get flamed for this but not ALL LLY's are overheaters...

I had one of the good ones apparently.

 

[stacks04]

well the gm fix is okay, you can put a cold air kit on and do the same thing gm does, except they may do it for free under warranty. don't know about mpg loss. the other fix is a supplemental cooler that you install don't remember the name though. it won't hurt your power or mpg. just run alot cooler. as far as all lly being over heaters it still a mystery. some guys swear they can do it to any lly, but i and about 1/2 of the guys here dont know. you can search many of the oh fight/thread/heated debate pages here and form your own opinions. anyway good luck with the truck.

 

[stacks04]

well i have another good one (atleast for the a#$ whopping i give it)!!!

 

[az426]

i live in sunny old mesa,az.and yes i plan on towing during the summers into the hills.also what is the V2 rad and where can i find more info?

Where are you located at?

Do you tow hills?

Do you tow in summer months?



I'm sure I'll get flamed for this but not ALL LLY's are overheaters...

I had one of the good ones apparently.

 

[skoryaro2]

Relax - you made a good investment. Just because it's an LLY does not mean that it was a poor choice or that it's an automatic overheater. There are many variables involved in the OH issue. Search for some of the overheating polls and you'll find that most LLY owners have never even come close to having an overheating issue, myself included. Some members have had problems though. If that's your only worry about the truck - you're in good shape. Put it to the test and find out for yourself. Warmer climates, big loads and big hills are the true test. Don't throw a lot of money at a problem you do not even know exists or not.

On edit: I see others beat me to it

 

[Unit453]

Kennedy diesel is a supporting vendor here. I'm pretty sure he's got them. The V2 is a larger capacity radiator to better dissapate the heat more efficiently.

Before you go buying anything.....

Hook up your fiver and see how it does.

 

[Doug]

Don't worry yourself to death, relax. The OH problem can be fixed once and for all with the Rad Mod V2! I was also worried sick about my vacation time hauling the RV, but I tested the "revised" cooling system last summer and your OH concerns are completly solvable. You should be alright for now, the only time I could get mine to OH was hot summer weather towing the longer grades here on the west coast. Where will you be RVing? And if I guess correctly, most everybody is RVing during the hot summer months.

 

[aj5645]

Give your truck a chance! My lly hasn"t OH pulling 10000# 5er.
Most don"t OH.

 

[btfarm]

My LLY sure didn't give any signs of OH through some pretty tough work. Give it a try up the Apache trail. If it doesn't overheat there, it never will

 

[ickman99]

The biggest thing to get the LLy to overheat is the heavy weight and big big wind drag. Like from a high profile 5th wheel. Mine has never overheated but I sure don't like the way the temp gauge goes up on a short incline with 9,000 lbs. Also the v2 Rad Mod will eliminate a majority of the fan kicking in and robbing the power when it its needed the most. If you want more info. on the V2 Mod PM me and I will give the you the site to check it out. Don't know If I can post it here or not. When I can afford it I will be getting it. Seems like small price to pay for piece of mind. JMHO.

 

[az426]

well guys thanks for the replies,they are making me relax a bit better now.we go to the sand dunes in the winter and i love hunting so dragging a trailer up thru the hills year round is the reason i bought the diesel.i havent towed with it just yet but driving around town i do see the temp gauge usually well below the 210 mark and sometimes it will swing up near 210.i found the V2 rad page so i am looking at it.thanks again,andy

 

[Unit453]

Andy, if you have any problems whatsoever, feel free to contact any one of us and we'll help you solve them. There are over 47,000 members here, most of which will go way outta their way to lend a hand to another. I ran my 04.5 LLY for almost 60,000 miles without any issues. These are good running trucks.....Give it a chance first before you start second guessing your decision.

 

[BLUEDURAMAX]

I bought my truck new and the only issue i have had with mine is the onstar and a couple bad tires. This is the best truck i have ever owned and i haved owned a lot. I take my truck every where even on vacations even if i dont tow anything.
Just drive it you will love it.........

 

[skoryaro2]

Hope this helps......

Recent Overheat Poll

 

[McRat]

The problem is, nobody posts:

"My truck is running good today".

Which is indeed a good thing, or that's all you'd see on this board, and would have to hunt for information on problems.

Our LLY only got hot once, 17,000+ combined, 80mph uphill on the 40 going into Flagstaff at over 100 outside in August. I slowed down, and all was fine.

 

[chloeourdog]

The problem is, nobody posts:

"My truck is running good today".

Which is indeed a good thing, or that's all you'd see on this board, and would have to hunt for information on problems.

Our LLY only got hot once, 17,000+ combined, 80mph uphill on the 40 going into Flagstaff at over 100 outside in August. I slowed down, and all was fine.

I also found that slowing down some (letting up on the throttle) if you see the temp gauge rise will keep the truck from continuing to climb in temperature. I have not had my gauge move past 210 since I installed a TD-EOC - towing my 5th wheel, going up grades, etc. Prior to the install of the TD-EOC I did have my temp gauge go to 235 on multiple occasions even in cool (68 degree weather.)

As Swatkins mentioned in a prior post - removing your engine heat from a source not in the main stack flow will keep things much cooler. You can choose your auxiliary cooling device (TD-EOC or V2) - cool the oil or cool the coolant - both devices mount behind the bumper. One requires additional airflow (cut lower plastic bumper or remove plate), the other has an electric fan as an option.

An airbox that sucks cool air will definitely help with towing in hot weather - you will see an mpg increase with a Cold Air Intake. Either GM's '06 CAI (filters cost more $$ - but it can be free if you answer the right questions) or some of the other ones that use the existing filter (upfront cost, but filters are cheaper) have been good.

BTW, My truck is running good today

 

[RedG]

If you want info on the V2, just Google "Cool my duramax" and it will give you a link.

 

[Oilbrnr]

Given that you are here in AZ with a Toyhauler, I'd get the V2 and be done. Piece of mind and better MPG, towing or summer running empty.

What is the configuration of your trailer? IMHO wind drag is much more of an problem than shear weight. My TH is around 11k loaded, but tops out close to 13', and is a tag, not a 5'r. I-17 north of the Sedona exit used to kill me in the summer. No longer.

 

[az426]

well my toy hauler is supposed to be finished early feb.,so i dont have it yet.it will be a weekend warrior fsc28/3 axle tag trailer.it will be heavy.does the V2 replace the entire radiator or is it an additional smaller radiator?the kit has lots of brackets so it appears to be an additional rad.

Given that you are here in AZ with a Toyhauler, I'd get the V2 and be done. Piece of mind and better MPG, towing or summer running empty.

What is the configuration of your trailer? IMHO wind drag is much more of an problem than shear weight. My TH is around 11k loaded, but tops out close to 13', and is a tag, not a 5'r. I-17 north of the Sedona exit used to kill me in the summer. No longer.