06 Duramax Diesel Chevy

[ugottabayou]

My dad is considering getting a 06 Chevy 2500 with the new Duramax in it to pull a fifth wheel camper my parents are considering. He wanted me to ask if there are any known issues with the new Duramax, because I have heard that some of the older ones had some problems.

Also info like mpg (loaded and unloaded) would be great!

[tar]

My dad has an 03 and it has been great. The only problem he had was just about a week ago when the injectors went out but he has 150,000 miles on it so that isn' bad. It will pull almost anything you put behind it. Believe it or not he pulled a tractor and a 15' mower on a goosneck. He gets about 17,18 mpg unloaded and with a big load he gets from 10-15. He loves it.

[vpofthedrc]

2 buddies I know both had the same problem with theirs.

It has aluminum heads, and if it gets hot, we all know what happens with aluminum heads. Warpage, then an eventual gasket failure.

They both pull some big trailers on long hauls though.

[bulkdriverlp]

search, there are a lot of diesel topics

[buildingup]

Originally posted by vpofthedrc
2 buddies I know both had the same problem with theirs.

It has aluminum heads, and if it gets hot, we all know what happens with aluminum heads. Warpage, then an eventual gasket failure.

They both pull some big trailers on long hauls though.

even though they have aluminum heads there has not been a failure yet that i have heard of...i also belong to a couple diesel forums and have friends that drag race and sled pull with these trucks and no issues...i also own one an 02 ext cab short box with 6" lift and no issues yet...great truck i'd buy another one...when it was stock i could get about 21mpg doing 70-75

[protraxrptr17]

Originally posted by vpofthedrc


It has aluminum heads, and if it gets hot, we all know what happens with aluminum heads. Warpage, then an eventual gasket failure.



That's a myth. ZERO head problems because of them being aluminum. The first generation (LB7) engine had some injector troubles. The second generation (LLY) had some overheating issues. The third generation (LBZ), which is the '06 model, has no problems at all. My '03 gets about 17 mpg unloaded and about 12 mpg pulling my 30' enclosed trailer. I have a heavy foot, so it might get a little better if I tried. It does a great job pulling the trailer. The '06's have even more power. They also have a six speed Allison versus the 5 speed in my truck. Wish I could afford one. Just don't let him buy a Ford. The 6.0 Powerstroke sucks. Talk about head problems. Only four bolts around each cylinder.

[firefighterjosh]

Originally posted by protraxrptr17
That's a myth. ZERO head problems because of them being aluminum. The first generation (LB7) engine had some injector troubles. The second generation (LLY) had some overheating issues. The third generation (LBZ), which is the '06 model, has no problems at all. My '03 gets about 17 mpg unloaded and about 12 mpg pulling my 30' enclosed trailer. I have a heavy foot, so it might get a little better if I tried. It does a great job pulling the trailer. The '06's have even more power. They also have a six speed Allison versus the 5 speed in my truck. Wish I could afford one. Just don't let him buy a Ford. The 6.0 Powerstroke sucks. Talk about head problems. Only four bolts around each cylinder.

That is NOT a Myth. I have seen the same problem.

But that problem has been fixed.

The only problem I hear of now is Throttle body problems.

[Phills450r]

my dad has an 05 and hasnt had any trouble with it..

19mpg w/ superchip

[troutman561]

Kind of off topic but not.. we are looking to get a boat that wieghts about 12-13000 lbs.. whats the towing capacity of the duramax, powerstroke, and cummings(and searching yeilds no results so plz dont say that)

[ugottabayou]

Originally posted by troutman561
Kind of off topic but not.. we are looking to get a boat that wieghts about 12-13000 lbs.. whats the towing capacity of the duramax, powerstroke, and cummings(and searching yeilds no results so plz dont say that)

Take the gross vehicle weight rating, subtract the weight of the truck, passengers, and cargo on the truck, and that is how much you can leagally pull. I joined a diesel forum and asked them, and they said no problems with the aluminum heads... just a myth from ford and dodge guys.

[firefighterjosh]

Originally posted by ugottabayou
I joined a diesel forum and asked them, and they said no problems with the aluminum heads... just a myth from ford and dodge guys.

See I did the same thing. They said that too, But I emailed some deisel guros, from banks and Shied and they said they have heard about problems

[MOFO]

Originally posted by firefighterjosh
That is NOT a Myth. I have seen the same problem.

But that problem has been fixed.




Bullchit... in the last Duramax thread, you purely based your BS info from some "shop"... :rolleyes: Now you claim you have seen it???

I'm really getting sick and tired of the lies you are filling this forum with... your ice is getting thinner and thinner with each post!

You claim its fixed? Guess what, its the same damn aluminum head that they used before! Your claims before clearly stated this issue was a result of heads being made from aluminum.

Please explain how they fixed this problem - because it never existed!

[MOFO]

Originally posted by ugottabayou
Take the gross vehicle weight rating, subtract the weight of the truck, passengers, and cargo on the truck, and that is how much you can leagally pull. I joined a diesel forum and asked them, and they said no problems with the aluminum heads... just a myth from ford and dodge guys.


Dont listen to that firefighter kid - he's just spewing garbage / internet myth's.

The Duramax is a great diesel motor! Dont let anyone fool you. I have a couple friends / family with Duramax's and one of them is close to 200,000 miles. Aside from normal diesel maintenance, he's had zero issues - and this truck is used everyday with a 5th wheel in the back hauling equipment.

[firefighterjosh]

Originally posted by MOFO
Bullchit... in the last Duramax thread, you purely based your BS info from some "shop"... :rolleyes:

I'm really getting sick and tired of the lies you are filling this forum with... your ice is getting thinner and thinner!

I am dead serious. I went to the Durmax Forums and yes they do stat it is a myth. But I have talked to some diesel shops and even my friend is a D-max fan and they have had problems. I am not lying MOFO. I am not trying to be biased. My friend is a diesel machnic and said the same thing too me. They have fixed the problem I even stated this. The only problem with the 06 is throttle body issues and there hasn't been many of them yet.

Sorry MOFO I don't mean to make you mad at me but this is what I have heard and learned. All my friends and people I know are HUGE diesel fans and drag diesels in Indy and Lafeyette.

There is other ppl on this forums that have said the same thing I have.

[MOFO]

Originally posted by firefighterjosh


There is other ppl on this forums that have said the same thing I have.


...yet not one single person that makes this claim can back it up with pictures on a stock engine that was used under normal conditions (ie overheating the motor). These heads are NOT warping! There was an injector issues with the earlier models, but that's not the crap your claiming!


The person in this thread is asking for FIRST HAND information. Not some second hand crap you have heard from a friend of a friend at a drag strip.

[firefighterjosh]

Originally posted by MOFO
...yet not one single person that makes this claim can back it up with pictures on a stock engine that was used under normal conditions (ie overheating the motor). These heads are NOT warping! There was an injector issues with the earlier models, but that's not the crap your claiming!


The person in this thread is asking for FIRST HAND information. Not some second hand crap you have heard from a friend of a friend at a drag strip.

Well what do I know I guess. I have never been able to take a pic of a melted down duramax. I will just stop posting what I have heard from sources. When I do get the chance I will post some pics. I will see if my friend can take some from his work.

Later...

[ugottabayou]

Originally posted by MOFO
The person in this thread is asking for FIRST HAND information. Not some second hand crap you have heard from a friend of a friend at a drag strip.

Thank you

[Toadz400]

Get the Duramax, a few people I know have them and they are awesome trucks. I do not have any firsthand experience with them, but I do know everyone I know that has one hasn't been able to wipe that grin off their faces for the past 150,000+ miles:D .

[ak_stick]

Love my 03 D-max. However for towing, you might look into one of the aftermarket chips for it. Lots of guys run the Edge juicer, for a little more power towing, and better mileage.

[Quad18star]

Ahhh the infamous Duramax debate !!!!:blah:

I have never owned a diesel but have many family members that have and the general feel among them all , is that they will never go back to diesels .

My aunt and uncle own a forestry company ( Tem-Ron Contracting) and have been in the business for years and years . Their fleet of vehicles consists only of GM diesel ( Duramax) trucks ( over 40 vehicles) . If theres one industry that will destroy a truck , it's the forestry business .... many miles on the road , gravel washboard roads , hard hits from rocks , tree stumps , etc.

I asked my uncle about his take on the Duramax and he said that they had great power and all , but he would NEVER buy another diesel truck again . On the newer GM Diesels , he's had to put way too much money into the maintenance of his fleet and has had a lot more breakdowns in the last few years with GMs . This is comming from a guy that has owned GM diesel trucks for as along as I can remember . He's in the process of selling off all his diesels and will be replacing them with gas trucks instead .

[MOFO]

Originally posted by Quad18star
Ahhh the infamous Duramax debate !!!!:blah:

I have never owned a diesel but have many family members that have and the general feel among them all , is that they will never go back to diesels .

My aunt and uncle own a forestry company ( Tem-Ron Contracting) and have been in the business for years and years . Their fleet of vehicles consists only of GM diesel ( Duramax) trucks ( over 40 vehicles) . If theres one industry that will destroy a truck , it's the forestry business .... many miles on the road , gravel washboard roads , hard hits from rocks , tree stumps , etc.

I asked my uncle about his take on the Duramax and he said that they had great power and all , but he would NEVER buy another diesel truck again . On the newer GM Diesels , he's had to put way too much money into the maintenance of his fleet and has had a lot more breakdowns in the last few years with GMs . This is comming from a guy that has owned GM diesel trucks for as along as I can remember . He's in the process of selling off all his diesels and will be replacing them with gas trucks instead .

This is true of ALL diesel engines - maintenance is always more than gasser's.

...and I gotta ask, of those 40, how many motor's "melted" down due to the aluminum heads? :blah:

[bulkdriverlp]

this is why we dont need another diesel thread, like i said search! or follow the link

http://www.exriders.com/vbb/search.php?s=&action=showresults&searchid=1409546&sortby=lastpost&sortorder=descending

[protraxrptr17]

Originally posted by firefighterjosh


The only problem I hear of now is Throttle body problems.

Are you for real??? Diesel engines don't even have throttle bodies. :huh

[firefighterjosh]

Originally posted by protraxrptr17
Are you for real??? Diesel engines don't even have throttle bodies. :huh

My bad I ment valve body.

[02440exkid]

go with the D-max best diesel motor out their. plus it's a chevy

fords s u c k and they look like chit

[Quad18star]

Originally posted by MOFO
This is true of ALL diesel engines - maintenance is always more than gasser's.

...and I gotta ask, of those 40, how many motor's "melted" down due to the aluminum heads? :blah:

None that I know of , but he did mention something about a few cracking the blocks ?!?! :confused:

[protraxrptr17]

Originally posted by firefighterjosh
My bad I ment valve body.

You must be a troll. There is no valve body either. You are officially on my ignore list.

[firefighterjosh]

Originally posted by protraxrptr17
You must be a troll. There is no valve body either. You are officially on my ignore list.

Yes they Do!



Edit: If they don't then Karl @ All about diesels is lieing too me.

Sorry have to edit it again.....Hint Tranny;)

[Toadz400]

Originally posted by firefighterjosh
Yes they Do!



Edit: If they don't then Karl @ All about diesels is lieing too me.

Sorry have to edit it again.....Hint Tranny;)

What? Are you hinting towards Chevy's have bad trannies? If so, then you are officially an idiot. Stop listening to that "Pro" at AAD. Just give up while you're behind....

[vpofthedrc]

Apparently my long trip home in a tow truck with a Durmakes me out to be a liar.

I would expect nothing less from a Steelers fan.






J/K

But seriously. Maybe it isn't a recurring problem, but on two occasions with the Duramax, I know for a fact the heads have warped.

[Mechanix311]

I would love to see or know how you guys get 20 mpg on the highway unloaded. I have never seen it in a duramax. powerstroke or cummins diesel. I have never owned a chevy product i am more of a cummins fan but i have had a chance or two to drive a few duramaxes and i never saw 20 mpg and i was going down hill from flagstaff arizona to camp verde arizona. The trucks were both 03s and they really felt more like a gasoline type motor not really a diesel. I towed a bobcat s250 with one of them and it was a down right dog. Gm i know is getting more horsepower out of them now so maybe things have changed. I know that all of the older style gm diesels were the biggest p.o.s. on the road if you could get them to start. I would like to run a new duramax for about a year and see how it holds up. I tow a mini excavator that weighs about 11000 pounds without the trailer on a bumper pull hitch and my pos old wore out dodge still comes back for more and it towes it everyday.

one time i ate a whole pizza

[milehigh450r]

Just depends on how you drive them, you can get 20 mpg. I drove our 2003 to college for two years, and I used to avg. between 19-20 mpg. This was at about 75 mph, if I drove like 65 it would do better than 20. The truck is not stock, and the extra power helps the economy. And I'm not exactly a lightfoot. :devil:

I could eat a whole pizza too.

[buildingup]

Originally posted by Mechanix311
I would love to see or know how you guys get 20 mpg on the highway unloaded. I have never seen it in a duramax. powerstroke or cummins diesel. I have never owned a chevy product i am more of a cummins fan but i have had a chance or two to drive a few duramaxes and i never saw 20 mpg and i was going down hill from flagstaff arizona to camp verde arizona. The trucks were both 03s and they really felt more like a gasoline type motor not really a diesel. I towed a bobcat s250 with one of them and it was a down right dog. Gm i know is getting more horsepower out of them now so maybe things have changed. I know that all of the older style gm diesels were the biggest p.o.s. on the road if you could get them to start. I would like to run a new duramax for about a year and see how it holds up. I tow a mini excavator that weighs about 11000 pounds without the trailer on a bumper pull hitch and my pos old wore out dodge still comes back for more and it towes it everyday.

i don't know why you say its a dog i've towed that heavy plenty of times with 35's and a 6" lift...i've got an 02...and the lb7 (01-04) is the best motor out there besides the new LBZ's, don't know if there was somehting wrong with those trucks but my truck out performed every ford or dodge i ever drove... also a lot more reliable

[Mechanix311]

Thats just my opinion. We all like what we like.

[buildingup]

Originally posted by Mechanix311
I would love to see or know how you guys get 20 mpg on the highway unloaded. I have never seen it in a duramax. powerstroke or cummins diesel. I have never owned a chevy product i am more of a cummins fan but i have had a chance or two to drive a few duramaxes and i never saw 20 mpg and i was going down hill from flagstaff arizona to camp verde arizona. The trucks were both 03s and they really felt more like a gasoline type motor not really a diesel. I towed a bobcat s250 with one of them and it was a down right dog. Gm i know is getting more horsepower out of them now so maybe things have changed. I know that all of the older style gm diesels were the biggest p.o.s. on the road if you could get them to start. I would like to run a new duramax for about a year and see how it holds up. I tow a mini excavator that weighs about 11000 pounds without the trailer on a bumper pull hitch and my pos old wore out dodge still comes back for more and it towes it everyday.

i don't know why you say its a dog i've towed that heavy plenty of times with 35's and a 6" lift...i've got an 02...and the lb7 (01-04) is the best motor out there besides the new LBZ's, don't know if there was somehting wrong with those trucks but my truck out performed every ford or dodge i ever drove... also a lot more reliable

[ugottabayou]

Well my dad went ahead and got the truck... Its an 07 2500HD Crew Cab 4x4. Drove it a few days ago while we were testing it and its pretty sweet. The dealer even threw in a free spray-in bedliner, free chrome tube steps, and a free Hypertech Tuner:blah: .

[ak_stick]

Originally posted by Mechanix311
I would love to see or know how you guys get 20 mpg on the highway unloaded. I have never seen it in a duramax. powerstroke or cummins diesel. I have never owned a chevy product i am more of a cummins fan but i have had a chance or two to drive a few duramaxes and i never saw 20 mpg and i was going down hill from flagstaff arizona to camp verde arizona. The trucks were both 03s and they really felt more like a gasoline type motor not really a diesel. I towed a bobcat s250 with one of them and it was a down right dog. Gm i know is getting more horsepower out of them now so maybe things have changed. I know that all of the older style gm diesels were the biggest p.o.s. on the road if you could get them to start. I would like to run a new duramax for about a year and see how it holds up. I tow a mini excavator that weighs about 11000 pounds without the trailer on a bumper pull hitch and my pos old wore out dodge still comes back for more and it towes it everyday.


Well if you cant get better than 20 mpg unloaded with a new Duramax, you need to either learn to drive a diesel, or get yours fixed.

I get anywhere from 16-18 in town and 20-25 on the highway.

And the old GM 6.5 is actualy a tank of a engine.

[bowtiedmax]

quote:
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Originally posted by Mechanix311
I would love to see or know how you guys get 20 mpg on the highway unloaded. I have never seen it in a duramax. powerstroke or cummins diesel. I have never owned a chevy product i am more of a cummins fan but i have had a chance or two to drive a few duramaxes and i never saw 20 mpg and i was going down hill from flagstaff arizona to camp verde arizona. The trucks were both 03s and they really felt more like a gasoline type motor not really a diesel. I towed a bobcat s250 with one of them and it was a down right dog. Gm i know is getting more horsepower out of them now so maybe things have changed. I know that all of the older style gm diesels were the biggest p.o.s. on the road if you could get them to start. I would like to run a new duramax for about a year and see how it holds up. I tow a mini excavator that weighs about 11000 pounds without the trailer on a bumper pull hitch and my pos old wore out dodge still comes back for more and it towes it everyday.
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If people would just reply first hand facts instead of "I have a friend, my friends friend, I saw a guy, I heard a guy, I had a chance to drive, I never owned a diesel but I, ," come on, QUOTE:"I would love to see or know how you guys get 20 mpg on the highway unloaded. I have never seen it in a duramax. powerstroke or cummins diesel" So you must of owned all of these????Have you even owned a diesel? Anybody that has driven any new diesel GM, Ford 6.0 or Dodge and wasnt impressed is full of it. Just look at the stock Performance numbers of these motors. Then add a chip !! If you have done this, then you have some room to talk. Other wise you have no idea what you are missing or are talking about.
And yes My 01 duramax will average better than 20mpg (with my dad driving) But the most important thing is that, it gets around 16mpg with me driving it the way I do.
I have had it chiped from the day edge released them.
I was the first (in many areas) to pull the d-max at the truck pulls pissing off / surprissing many people with multiple wins.
And the best thing is that I converted 6 cummins owners (confirmed) and two power stroke owners, some with a test drive and the others just because of the reliability they have seen.
And all the dodge owners will coment on the hands down,no comparison in every day driving power of the d-max over the dodge.
Oh yeah, I have 160,000 miles, I have went threw 2 sets of 305's, 2 sets of 285's, injectors went at 102,000, I drag 10,000lb trailer from every direction for the atva nations in the last 3 years, the truck is used for commercial snow plowing with a Blizzard 810. It has never been babied in any way. My heads have'nt melted yet (even though out of about 20 truck pulls, my pyo gauge would be buried past 1500 deg in about the first 80 ft.
The only first hand knowledge of a head problem was a 2001 d-max my buddy just bought with 240,000 miles on it and it was burning anti freeze. After the heads were removed we could find nothing wrong. Long story short we found that when the gm dealer replaced the injectors at 197,000 miles they tore a o-ring installing a injector so the anti freeze leaked around it.
Well sorry the post is so long. I usally dont get involved with these because I really believe that what ever works best for that person is the best for them. But I get tired of all the BS from people that dont have a "real" clue what they are talking about.