Strategizing

[richp]

Hi,

My '01 K-2500 with 154k miles on it is approaching the end of the injector warranty. Nothing going wrong, just little hints of paranoia typical of what goes through my mind at the end of a warranty period.

So I'm thinking "Should I just budget for a full replacement set of injectors and keep running the original block, put an entire new engine in it when they go and keep going that way, or just break down and buy a new truck this summer. (I mean, when you start talking to yourself about why you need a new one, you don't need much convincing that sooner or later the turbo will get twitchy, the transmission will get glitchy, and the whole thing will simply fall apart in the driveway some night.)

Talked to my service manager and got some indication from him on the costs he thinks would be involved. Anyone have actual price information for a full injector replacement on an LB7, and a full engine replacement for the truck?

Thanks for the help.

Rich Phillips
Member #27

[Mark Rinker]

Not long ago, I had an '01 with a head gasket issue that had me pondering the same. Even went as far as buying the replacement engine for 5K, then selling the truck 'as-is' and selling the engine to another DP member, who has recently reported its running great.

I would estimate a well managed repower, without doing it yourself, at about 8-9K, including a low mile LB7 that are not hard to find.

As for the injectors, 3-4K seems to be the number.

Now for the good news - I have an '02 at nearly 250K that doesn't even use a quart of oil between 10K oil changes, and runs like it did when I bought it at 120K.

My advice? Drive it. Run good fuel with additives and change your fuel filter regularly. Relax.

[NutNbutGMC]

Hi,

My '01 K-2500 with 154k miles on it is approaching the end of the injector warranty. Nothing going wrong, just little hints of paranoia typical of what goes through my mind at the end of a warranty period.

So I'm thinking "Should I just budget for a full replacement set of injectors and keep running the original block, put an entire new engine in it when they go and keep going that way, or just break down and buy a new truck this summer. (I mean, when you start talking to yourself about why you need a new one, you don't need much convincing that sooner or later the turbo will get twitchy, the transmission will get glitchy, and the whole thing will simply fall apart in the driveway some night.)

Talked to my service manager and got some indication from him on the costs he thinks would be involved. Anyone have actual price information for a full injector replacement on an LB7, and a full engine replacement for the truck?

Thanks for the help.

Rich Phillips
Member #27

LB7 injectors run anywhere from about $4200 - $4800 (Dealer Service dollars). I saw the last two itemized service reimbursement statements from the shop duty person (as stated above).

I bailed out on a 2002 LB7 after 98k miles and running on the third set of injectors. I didn't care about the 200k / 7 year. The oil leaks from tearing down and rebuilding were out of warranty.

See my signature line below for my preferred strategy (based on basically the same scenario that you have proposed). Best peace of mind in my garage, outside of my Battery Tenders.

[Duramaster]

Last time I heard a dollar figure on the engine alone was around $6800 lets not forget the rest of the parts needed for a GOOD job. GM warranty labor time is almost 16 hours with the auto trans. I bet customer pay will be at least 20 hours (I've replaced a couple and they SUCK to replace). The labor rate at my shop is $98.50 an hour. I guess you can do the math from there. :)

[lb7lbz]

i have to agree with rinker. i have an 01 with 215000 on it, one set of injectors done at 110000 no prob. since. now i am looking at doing head gaskets soon,but the truck runs and drives great which leads me to believe i'll get another 200k out of it. run power service every other tank full and u will be fine

[richp]

Hi,

Thanks for the replies. My dealer's service manager told me it would be 4-5 grand for injectors if he did them. The full engine replacement number was so high as to be not believable -- or designed to push me out to the lot for a new one....

And I really am not in love with that idea right now. I sure like the fuel economy I'm getting with the LB7, and don't want to have to take the hit with the new models any sooner than necessary.

I had hoped to get 250k out of mine without serious issues. And other than the injectors under warranty at about 90k, it's been an excellent runner with only minor items (the kind of thing you'd expect to replace after 125k+ miles).

How long are the Allisons holding up without major overhauls?

Thanks again.

Rich Phillips
Member #27