What to look out for when buying a used Duramax
01-13-2007, 05:31 AM
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What to look out for when buying a used Duramax?
Hey guys, I was wondering if you guys had any insight as to what you need to look out for when buying a used Duramax pickup. I don't know a whole lot about diesels except the run for ever when taken care of. I have been wanting one for a long time and with the price of the new ones I think I am going to have to buy used. Also what kind of fuel mileage can I expect? Any insight would be greatly appreciated! Thanx!
Last edited by B4CZR2; 01-13-2007 at 11:52 AM.
01-19-2007, 06:07 PM
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Most Dmaxes are pretty durable. But some things to know:
01's are unique, and sometimes hot rod stuff is not fully compatible. Injectors are expensive, but are warranteed for 200,000mi on the 01-02, not sure if they extended to the 03-04. 04.5-05 sometimes have overheating problems when towing heavy. Check service record. 06+ are the hot rods, and are the most desireable.
For towing heavy, I think the best value will be the 04 LB7 non-EGR federal truck. This should already have the improved injectors, and their turbos seem to handle abuse a bit better.
I love my LLY's and LBZ though. Our 04.5 LLY is not an "overheater", has been very reliable even under heavy loads and abuse. More than 500 dragstrip passes, over 500rwhp, about 50 hooks on the sled, over 50,000mi with big tuning, etc.
01's are unique, and sometimes hot rod stuff is not fully compatible. Injectors are expensive, but are warranteed for 200,000mi on the 01-02, not sure if they extended to the 03-04. 04.5-05 sometimes have overheating problems when towing heavy. Check service record. 06+ are the hot rods, and are the most desireable.
For towing heavy, I think the best value will be the 04 LB7 non-EGR federal truck. This should already have the improved injectors, and their turbos seem to handle abuse a bit better.
I love my LLY's and LBZ though. Our 04.5 LLY is not an "overheater", has been very reliable even under heavy loads and abuse. More than 500 dragstrip passes, over 500rwhp, about 50 hooks on the sled, over 50,000mi with big tuning, etc.
01-25-2007, 11:13 AM
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McRat, what are some of the performance incompatibilities with the '01? Is there anything else to be aware of on the '01s? And are they as strong as the rest? I am currently looking at purchasing one.
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01-25-2007, 12:05 PM
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Not all tuners will remove the 96mph? speed limiter on the 01's, they do not have OD lockout for doing dyno pulls, and some of the first ones didn't have the "good" headgaskets.
Lots of very fast 01's out there though. And while the reliability is generally very good, they seem to have more problems than the 02-up's do.
Lots of very fast 01's out there though. And while the reliability is generally very good, they seem to have more problems than the 02-up's do.
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