Should I buy this one?

[painthorsemom]

Okay, my '96 GMC 6.5 bit the dust last month. We are looking at a replacement in the form of a 2006 Silverado ext cab, 8 ft bed, 4x4 with Duramax and Allison. It is sitting at a dealer's near me. Darn hard to find a truck with these specs! Most of them are crew cabs with 6 ft beds! I do see some leaking on what I think are the transmission oil cooler lines?. I have heard this is a problem. Hubby and I are not mechanical so anything we get would have to be serviced by dealer. I haul a 2 horse trailer and sometimes have a carriage in the bed of the truck. The truck also has to be a commuter vehicle, doing 50 miles a day on the highway. That's why we are looking at a diesel; for the mileage, durability, and reliability. Any opinions?

[Mark Rinker]

Welcome aboard!

In short, you are looking at the right brand and model(s), and more specifically the 2006 year is very desireable as it has many upgrades to engine features and designs, but lacks extra levels of EPA mandated emmissions equipment that started in the 2007 model year - that both affect mileage and represent another potential service item over time.

My observation for you is simple: Stay focused on the 2006 model year, finding the right truck for you, keeping the miles as low as possible so you can enjoy the balance of the 100K warranty to address things like the leaking cooler lines.

Stay in touch here at TDP and you'll have all the info you need to have many hundreds of thousands of productive commuting and towing miles. My 2006 has 110K and I consider it barely broken in - maybe 1/3 through its service life.

[painthorsemom]

Thanks Mark! The truck has about 36K miles on it. I think it's an LB7 engine. The VIN has a D in the 8th position. Where on this forum can I find info on TSBs and Recalls? I thought I found the Glow Plug recall notice but today, I can't find it. Help!

[JohnC]

The only recall I recall is the glow plug controller. The dealer can tell you if it has been done. Early 06's were called LLY, although they are really detuned LBZ's. Mine is an LLY and has a "2" in position 8. The LBZ is desirable but not that important.

2006 MY trucks had a 3 yr/36,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty, so the trans lines are no longer under warranty. Make the selling dealer change the trans lines before you buy it. The engine is covered 5/100,000.

Best pulling truck I've ever seen...

[NutNbutGMC]

Okay, my '96 GMC 6.5 bit the dust last month. We are looking at a replacement in the form of a 2006 Silverado ext cab, 8 ft bed, 4x4 with Duramax and Allison. It is sitting at a dealer's near me. Darn hard to find a truck with these specs! Most of them are crew cabs with 6 ft beds! I do see some leaking on what I think are the transmission oil cooler lines?. I have heard this is a problem. Hubby and I are not mechanical so anything we get would have to be serviced by dealer. I haul a 2 horse trailer and sometimes have a carriage in the bed of the truck. The truck also has to be a commuter vehicle, doing 50 miles a day on the highway. That's why we are looking at a diesel; for the mileage, durability, and reliability. Any opinions?Define your mileage expectations please. My past and current experience with three engines have not been what I often see what others' expectations may be. Fifteen - 16 MPG is the best I get from my LB7, and that is pushing it for a good number. Mine is more around 13 - 14 MPG.

The LBZ also comes in the 2007 models up to Jan of 2008 mfg date. Then they went from the classic body style to the new body and the LMM (emissions loaded).

Here is a c&P from Kennedy's Page

Engine identification
The Duramax engine has evolved from the original LB7 series to the LLY, then LBZ, and now the LMM series. The LB7 was used from 2001 model year until mid 2004 model year. In mid 2004 the LLY series was released. In 2006 the Duramax changed again. The early 2006 engines were still called LLY and the later 2006 and 2007 "Classic" became the LBZ. This creates some confusion as the 06 LLY is distinctively different from the 04.5-05 LLY. The 2006 LLY and LBZ engines are essentially the same when it comes to modifications. The LMM began in the new body style GMT 900 series trucks in 2007. The simplest way to verify which series you have is the VIN# of the truck. The 8th digit is the engine ID and it will either be a 1, 2, D, or 6.

01-04 LB7 is a 1
04.5-05 LLY is a 2
06 LLY is a 2 (uses same mods as LBZ)
06-07 LBZ is a D
07 LMM is a 6 (new body style GMT 900 series)Example: 1GCHK29143Exxxxxx for LB7 and 1GCHK29245Exxxxx for LLY. It is important to know this as while the engines are essentially the same at the core, the electronics, turbochargers, electronics, and injectors are different among the variants. The 10th place in the VIN number identifies the model year on these vehicles. The example above shows the 2003 model year LB7 and 2005 LLY.

[painthorsemom]

Well, we did the deal today. The stealer said that all the recall work has been done on the truck and that they will replace the leaking tranny lines before we pick it up. They were aware of the problem but were waiting for the parts. It drove real nice and feels bigger than our old truck. I noticed some kind of funny looking indicator (?) on the intake. It is a short clear plastic closed end tube that has some kind of spring inside and some red and green plastic parts in it. Can anyone tell me what that is? We probably paid too much but it's a nice truck anyway. Hopefully we'll get many reliable trouble free miles out of it. Can't wait to hitch it up to my horse trailer and see how it handles it!

[DmaxMaverick]

Well, we did the deal today. The stealer said that all the recall work has been done on the truck and that they will replace the leaking tranny lines before we pick it up. They were aware of the problem but were waiting for the parts. It drove real nice and feels bigger than our old truck. I noticed some kind of funny looking indicator (?) on the intake. It is a short clear plastic closed end tube that has some kind of spring inside and some red and green plastic parts in it. Can anyone tell me what that is? We probably paid too much but it's a nice truck anyway. Hopefully we'll get many reliable trouble free miles out of it. Can't wait to hitch it up to my horse trailer and see how it handles it!

The intake device you described is the "filter-minder". As the air filter becomes more restrictive, the FM will indicate the amount of restriction. That's what the colored lines are for. The disc behind the spring will advance as restriction increases, and it will hold there until it is reset. To reset, push the rubber end piece and it will return to "normal" (until the next time). Green is good. Red means time for a new filter. They work very well, and also standard equipment on most commercial/industrial vehicles.

Good luck with your new steed, and keep in touch.

[painthorsemom]

Thanks, Dmax! That's very helpful. We are supposed to pick up the truck tonight. I had mentioned to the dealer that I noticed the leaking tranny lines on Saturday. I even got under the front of the truck, wiped my finger on the lines and showed the salesman. I called today (monday) to ask if they had been replaced and the sales manager (not the salesman) told me that there was no need to as there were no leaks anywhere. I'm going to ask that the truck be put on a lift when we get there so that I can show him. It comes with a full warranty 12 months or 12,000 miles. I can just see those lines leaking again at 12,100 and I have to pay for 'em! I just want everything to be done right on that truck when we drive it off the lot! :mad:

[JohnC]

It's a common problem. Keep on them. It won't just go away.

[painthorsemom]

I love this truck! It drives beautiful and has surprising amount of pickup for a large vehicle! I had the dealer put the truck on the lift last night so I could show the sales manager what I was talking about. The manager told me that GM had corrected the design and that once the truck is registered as a sold certified vehicle, they would replace the lines. Now I have noticed an issue with the fuel gauge. I put $65 of diesel in it last night and the gauge said I was empty! It bounces back and forth between empty, 3/4 full and just under full! Anyone have this problem! Otherwise, I'm pretty happy with it.

[NutNbutGMC]

I.....Otherwise, I'm pretty happy with it.
Until the next tank... :D

Let us know about the mileage (per gallon of fuel) please.

[trebin]

Good luck with your new truck. I would reccomend going with bigger tires. I had an 03 with 225's on it and went to 245's and could really tell a difference. Smoother ride and increased mpg.

[carco]

Try to get the dealer to warrant the fuel sending module, common problem for erratic fuel gauges. We see these a lot on most vehicles the last 8-10 years foreign and domestic.