If you were trying to convince me to buy a 01-04 Duramax what would you tell me about it? I've been a Cummins fan for a while now, but have started to look around at Chevy's. can someone point out some pros /cons/recomendations on which year to buy? thanks for any help

 

easy power with EFI Live and very efficent. a little quieter compared to cummins. thats a pro and con for different people. it rides a lot better because it has an IFS. less smokey again a pro and con for different people.

con is injectors for early duramaxs and since the warranty is up for all 2001 and 2002 engines you will have to fit the bill for them if you get that model year. as far as best year it is LBZ which is 06 and early 07 but since you want a LB7 because generally there cheaper i would get an 2004 because by then the injector issue was basically solved.

 

Aside from a replaced water pump and injectors, my '03 has been problem free. Couldn't be happier with it.

 

whats the problem with the injectors?

 

very nice ride, very quiet and user friendly inside....keeps mamma happy Crew cabs are real crew cabs with room for adults inside. I towed my toyhauler from Houston, TX to Colorado Springs, CO with 4 grown big men inside and no one complained of being cramped or uncomfortable. They said how quiet the cab is for a 1000 mile trip, one didn't even realize it was a diesel till our first fuel fill up.

Even with IFS, 4x4 works very well for a 7-8000# truck. You have to keep an eye on ft end parts though, they are weaker than they should be, but if a ft end part gets loose, upgrade it to an aftermarket "HD" component (like Cognito) and call it a day.

Allison trans is bad ***. Grade brakeing (when towing) works very well, shifts are smooth and the range of gears keeps the truck right in tune with it's sweet spot. Now if you start to run up and over the 400hp range, expect to upgrade the tranny. Ask Danny

T-case might spring a leak at the rear case. It's called "pump rub" and it's a design flaw from New Process. It may happen somewhere in the neighborhood of 100-150k miles. There are aftermarket upgrades for that too.

frame, diffs, brakes......damn near bulletproof As a matter of fact, down here in the south, brake jobs run about every 150-200k miles No kidding.

Interior- 2 types: '01 to '02, then '03 to '07 (then new body style '07.5 on up) '01-02 is basic, nice layout, still as simple as years past. '03-'07 radio, windows, locks and such are more computer controled and more diffecult to modify. Radio could be a wide range from basic to cd and tape, to 6 disc internal changer, or if someone has really modified things, you find a Nav system inside. '07.5 and up, you can get nav and rearview camera too. $$$


Now to the Duramax.
01-04.5 (LB7)- injector issues, other than that.....great engine. Injectors are covered by GM for 7 year/200k miles. No other major issues, easy to modify and tune. Some had cats, some didn't.

'04.5-'05 (LLY)- first year of VVT and manditory Cat, known to overheat when pushed and some head gasket problems. There is a cure for the overheat, it'll cost around $1200 (if you buy one, I'll give you the long story on this). Had a few other odds and ends issues, but overall much more power over the LB7 and still holds great MPGs. Easy to modify and tune.

'06 (LLY)- corrected most of the cooling issues of the last LLY

'06-'07 (LBZ)- More cooling mods and now 30 extra hp over previous LLY's. EGR problems, but overall, bulletproof. MPG's took a little hit, but basically all the bugs were worked out from previous years and these are a very rare and popular truck.

'07.5 and up (LMM)- body change, DPF, milage hit again, but very strong truck. You either love them or hate them.

I've got 6 Duramaxes in my fleet still going strong:
'01- 186,000
'02- 185,000
'02- 214,000
'05- 64,000 mine
'06- 102,000
'09- 8000

 

Well said man!

 

he should ask chris what happens if you push the trans too far

 

See.. you said it here... " I've been a Cummins fan for a while now." that means you didnt care how crappy the rest of the truck was.. (ya'll dont take that as brand bashing, cause im not)

When you bought that Dodge, you bought it for the MOTOR.. you just said so yourself.. You buy a chevy cause its a great ALL AROUND truck.. unless you plan on competetive rock crawling or sled pulling a solid front axle is very out of date..


Cant go wrong with a bowtie imo..

 

X2

 

When you limp it in 2nd.....it ain't good. But hey, it handled 400something hp and 1000 lb ft torque for a good while didn't it??