2004 Duramax

[Nolafishr]

I am looking at a 2004 Silverado 3500 Duramax Diesel with low miles for its age, I would like to know what the Horsepower and Torque Ratings are for this Year Engine? Are they known for any problems/issues?

[NutNbutGMC]

I am looking at a 2004 Silverado 3500 Duramax Diesel with low miles for its age, I would like to know what the Horsepower and Torque Ratings are for this Year Engine? Are they known for any problems/issues?
The early 04 has the LB7 engine. Please don't allow me to sway your decision on the LB7 but my opinion is well documented. I'd not have one. Look around on the forum at the countless threads about the failure issues of the LB7. The late 2004 has the LLY. Basically the same engine but some say it is not as likely to have the issues as the LB7. Low mileage doesn't mean anything to the inherent injector issue. I have seen them go out at various mileage ranges. You can get a service manager type guy to run the VIN and get the history of service on the machine.

LB7 - 300 HP, 525 ft. lbs
LLY - 310 HP, 610 ft.lbs.

$0.02

.

[Mark Rinker]

How many miles on the truck?
Has it had a set of new injectors installed?
If so, how many miles ago?Hugely important info to know if this might be a good deal or not. ~$5K to replace injectors on any early 2004...

[Nolafishr]

The Truck has 29000 miles on it and it is like New, That is what caught My Attention on the Truck, I looked over the History Report on it and it is clean.
It is a 3500 DRW Ext Cab Long Bed Model. I have heard of the Injector Issues with these Trucks/Engines.

[Mark Rinker]

Is the 8th VIN digit a '1' or a '2' ?

With those low miles, it should have many more before needing injector replacement. However, there is NO gaurantee, except one thing: Its expensive when you do go down that road - and it is very hard to predict when that may be.

70K, 100K, 150K, even 200K miles on the first set are all possible outcomes. Extra fuel filtration and regular fuel treatments might help, but nothing guarantees long, happy injector life.

So my advice would be to own this truck for cheap - and have a rainy day fund of about $5K saved up for the inevitable. (Under 20K would be cheap in my book.)

[Nolafishr]

I put a deposit on the Truck, I am looking forward to it, I think it will be a good choice, I have read on other Forums with Guys being happy with these model Trucks, I understand about the Fuel Filtration, I use Fuel Treatment and change Filters on a regular basis anyway, I will pick it up when I get in from Offshore, I have been working with Diesels out here for the past 14 years so I am familiar them. I have had 2 other Diesel Trucks in the past also.

[NutNbutGMC]

I put a deposit on the Truck, I am looking forward to it, I think it will be a good choice, I have read on other Forums with Guys being happy with these model Trucks, I understand about the Fuel Filtration, I use Fuel Treatment and change Filters on a regular basis anyway, I will pick it up when I get in from Offshore, I have been working with Diesels out here for the past 14 years so I am familiar them. I have had 2 other Diesel Trucks in the past also.Good for you. Glad you have a truck waiting.

[Nolafishr]

Here is the link to it if anyone wants to check it out -

http://carolinaautodirect.com/web/1526/vehicle/958216/2004-Chevrolet-Silverado%203500-LS%20Dually

[Nolafishr]

Well Guys the Deal fell through, We could not get things worked out, I was looking forward to getting the Truck, I will wait a while before getting back in a Diesel Truck I guess, If anyone is looking for a Nice Truck there is the link to it.

[SLawrence]

I'm looking at this truck as well and the 8th # in the vin is a 1 i'll bet that the engine i don't want right

[NutNbutGMC]

I'm looking at this truck as well and the 8th # in the vin is a 1 i'll bet that the engine i don't want right
The answer to your question: Yes, in my opinion.

Here's the scoop according to Kennedydiesel dot com

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.

[SLawrence]

thanks for the info