New to this forum and need help please!!!!!

[Ruddedawg86]

hey guys how's it going just became a new member and very excited to be here, however i need some help and info from you experienced duramax junkies. So about 3 months ago I found a 2008 Chevy duramax at a dealer ship, it had 240,000 miles but when I test drove it IT GAVE ME A HARCORE BONER. Well last week a good friend of mine from work told me he s elling a 2003 2500 long bed duramax, I had interest right away but then again iam new to this diesel thing and I need some help, now for the info on the truck, 2003 2500 crew cab RWD drive, the truck has 211,000 miles, its got a banks kit in it, stock size tires and lift, my friend is the original owner, at 180,000 miles my buddy bought new injectors for the truck cause he told me that 03 duramax had issues with there injectors, he also said he bought some special filter for the diesel fuel so the injectors would last longer my buddy also said he has receipts for everything he has done to the truck, MY BUDDY WANTS $8,000 FOR THE TRUCK. Iam very interested in the truck but I need some advice from you guys. SO PLEASE HELP ME, Thank you guys

[chessy56]

My 0.03 cents worth: First, how's the rest of the truck? Rust? Lights working on all of the instruments (at night)? Tie rods/ball joints/etc OK? Any leaks on the rear pinion seal? Does it have the original rear transfer case cover (see other posts for pin holes in this cover- they develop from the inside out from internal damage)? Does there appear to be any slippage in shifting (assuming the Allison T1000 tranny)? If the lift kit was designed for this vehicle, it's probably OK. But if it was a home-made job, I'd be questioning the longevity of the suspension/steering components. Are you on the original water pump? (If the first set of injectors went out @ 180K, the water pump may be next (a post on this site suggested I replace the water pump at the same time as my injectors- I didn't and about 1k miles later, it was in the shop for a $1K bill for a new pump!) If this stuff is all satisfactory, what does it list for on Kelly's Blue Book?

Next, consider that the new injectors he put in @ 180K are about par- mine lasted ~187K. Thereafter, you do not get "new" injectors. Only the assembly plants get "new" Bosch injectors. Your friend most likely got rebuild injectors if he went "stock". And Yes, they don't last long. Did he reuse the injector pipes or install new (corrosion/rust can shorten injector life fast). My second set went ~95K miles. My current set is telling me "it's time" and they only have ~67K on them (there's smoke from the tail pipe, but the balance rates haven't reached the +4/-4 limits yet). If you don't put on a bunch of miles, you'll have time on your side.

Check John Kennedy's web site. He'll recommend a bunch of stuff. I run a secondary filter on my LB7 as well and still, the injectors won't live to the same ripe old age as my factory OEM ones did.

Bottom line, if all of the above seems OK and you don't have a problem with $8K, then buy it. The newer Dmax engines may have better injectors and are easier to replace, but fuel mileage is not as good as the LB7s (from people are telling me). Good luck.

[rapidoxidationman]

Buying a truck from a friend is a quick way to lose a friend.

How much does the dealer want for the '08?

[Kennedy]

A lot depends on your mechanical abilities. The two respondents here so far can both attest to what major repairs cost on late model diesels and I'll say that this is regardless of brand.

If you can DIY you'll save a bunch, but I'd hazard a guess that Chessy56 has spent far more than the purchase price of your truck in repairs in recent times. Rapidoxidationman has spent a full work week plus in DIY repairs on his.

You might get lucky and have zero issues for years, but I'll caution you to keep a good sock full stashed for a rainy day if you intend to use on this one as sole driver.

Don't get me wrong, I'd LOVE to see you get into a nice Duramax and wouldn't mind selling some parts to upgrade it, but I see so many people buy these trucks and when the first issue comes they can't afford to fix it.

[More Power]

It helps considerably to either be a DIY type or buy an extended warranty for any truck that is past its factory warranty period. And, I'd be planning ahead. Sure, you'll save quite a bit of money when buying a 10 year old truck. So, put aside some cash for a spendy repair. The engines are rock solid, but injector service can cost $4500-6000 at a dealership - about half that if you do the work.

[rapidoxidationman]

The dealer wanted $5600 to replace the head gaskets on my '05. I did it myself for about $2500 and that included a new water pump, ARP head studs instead of stretch bolts (thanks Kennedy!), and having the heads milled flat, steam cleaned, valve seats ground, and valve guides replaced - all stuff that the dealer would've ignored. Had to replace a lower valve cover too, thanks to an injector that was carbonated at the base and would NOT come out gracefully. The only thing I could've done better was to replace the steel injector lines, but I seem to have gotten away with it. I did make damn sure they were as clean as humanly possible before reusing them though.

Took me about 60 hours, book time for head gaskets is about 40. I know my job was better and more thorough than the dealer, and I learned a lot about how the top end of this engine works. AllDataDIY, about 300 pictures, many pages of notes, and some advice from Kennedy made it all work well.

I stick by the first sentence of my original post in this thread...

[Kennedy]

Buying a truck from a friend is a quick way to lose a friend.





I stick by the first sentence of my original post in this thread...

That's how I felt when selling my 2005 to friends of the family. I made sure to let them know that I was deeply concerned that 10k from now a head gasket issue could crop up and I did not want to be blamed or jeopardize the friendship.

Thankfully all has been well and the truck has made the trek to AK two or 3 times now.

[chessy56]

Kennedy was correct on my cash outlay. I worked for Delphi (GM's main supplier) when I bought my '01 (back when my employee discounts allowed me 18% off the base price AND options). With a trade-in on my '98 2500 Silverado, I did OK, but I think the LB7 DMax was a $4K option in and of itself! That said....

~187K miles: $4K in injectors at the dealership. Not bad for the original set.
~190K miles: $1.2K for replacement water pump.
~275K miles: $4K in another injector set (was not running a secondary filter, dealership reused original injector lines & replacement OEM injectors are all "rebuilt" and will not last as long (buy from a reputable source- Kennedy isn't B.S.ing you here).
~280K miles: $1.2K for a replacement transfer case cover (see posts on this site for the pump ring which beats a hole into the cover from the inside-out!).
~330K miles: $5K on a head gasket job, which included an outside performance shop's rebuild of the heads (surface grind, replacement valve guides, etc).

And now, at 350K miles, I'm looking at another set of injectors as I've been detecting smoke and a heavy fuel smell from the exhaust. My current set of sprays only have ~67K miles on them, but they didn't initially benefit from a duel filtration system and still, the dealership reused the original injector tubes. I've got the ability/tools, but the luxury of time is against me when this is my sole driver! If I have to do one side at a time, so be it- I can't keep pissing away increments of $4K!!! Consider also, additional costs for replacement steering linkage, tires, front hubs, door window regulators, drive shaft U-joints, shocks, brakes (service & parking)-- all of which could have paid for the lion's share of a new ATV for hunting!!!

So there's a snapshot of what you might be looking at if you by a used P/U. I'm putting 600 miles/week on mine, so the overall cost/mile doesn't seem too bad (I'm rationalizing; perhaps in denial). Yet, there's other stuff I'd rather spend my time and money on. Maybe it's time to consider a newer model..... Have I talked you out of it yet?

[More Power]

People get into trouble when they buy an out-of-warranty truck that is their sole means of transportation, they're making payments on it, the loan company requires full coverage insurance and the truck suffers an expensive problem. Add it all up, and the old truck could cost more than a new truck - in the short term anyway.

So, the best advice.... 1- Be your own mechanic. If you're not equipped for it, don't buy a 10 year old truck. 2- Have another daily driver at the ready. You make a lot better financial decisions when you're not backed into a corner. 3- Always factor an injector replacement into the purchase price of an out-of-warranty truck. Let the seller eat at least part of it.

Jim