Hey guys, I've owned 2 Cummins 1, 12 valve and 1, 24 . And I've owned 2 Powerstrokes. I have a business where I rent out dump trailers and pull them everyday. I have an oppertunity to buy an 05 Duramax with 230K its a 3500 dually 4x4 extended cab all options new tires and all Maint. records, as it is a sales rep truck for a local tool co. very clean truck and looks to be well taken care of. The rep that drove it says its all hwy mi. I pull from 5 - 12K lbs. all the time. Never had a d-max & never towed with one either, should I be cautious of the mi? what should I look for?

 

if you can get it for around 14k jump on it

 

As long as it was well maintained, it should be fine. Anything over 200k always worries me (no matter what the brand), so buy it for as little as possible.

 

welcome to diesel bombers and i agree with Rttoys if it has been well maintained you should be alright

 

Mines over 200K and I'de drive Goldie anywhere. The regular cab sucks after about 4 hours, wish it was an xtra cab

 

I went ahead and bought the truck, got it for 13k. I think I feel pretty good about it, I've pulled it now for a week or so and all seems fine, except for 1 thing. When I was test driving it I didnt notice it, but when I come to a stop light and am sitting there, sometimes it nudges forward just a little bit really quick-like and returns to regular idle, it isnt pulling away from the brakes, but I can feel it. Should I be concerned? I talked to a D-max tech at our local dealership and without looking at it presumed it to be a Fuel Pressure Reg. and told me to run it till it gets bad enough that I cant stand it . He also said he'd seen 400k+ D-max's in there with bad FPR's that would damn near launch you through an intersection!
He said he'd come out to my shop for 400 bucks he'd fix it parts and labor.
I do like this truck so far, and due to the fact I've had all three brands, now I can say that Chevy's got it figured out !!
Do any of you feel maybe it could be something else other than the FPR ?

 

Yep, that's the FPR doing that. I agree with the tech you talked to, don't worry about it until it becomes a problem.

 

x2

 

Thanks for the replies, I think I'll let the FPR go until I cant stand it. I do have another question...
This truck is 100% stock...It has plenty of power the way it is for me.... but, what can I do to squeeze better fuel economy out of it without being hard on this 230k motor? is there a tuner or a program out there ? my my 98 12 valve had some pump work done, my 2000 24 valve had a diablo, both intake & exhaust opened up and still built lots of heat while pulling. I just dont want that for this high mi. truck.

 

I have the FPR problem. it drives me nuts. Im goin to fix it when i get home.

I run an edge juice with attitude. it bumped up my fuel mileage. before the lift kit i could get 18 mpg on a good day i averaged 16. with the edge i could get up to 21 mpg on a good day and about 19 average. on the highway with a straight piped exhaust and intake. my EGTs stayed pretty low if i remember right. i think it was about 700 degrees running empty. with the lift kit and 35" tires the EGTs run about 900 degrees criusing. With the edge you can set it up to back off at whatever temp you want. i have mine set to defuel at 1300 degrees (the only time it gets that hot is under hard acceleration).

so all in all i would say. Edge Juice with attitude (around $700), cut out your muffler and cat (cost me $70) or get a new exhaust system (4" or 5") and a cold air intake of your choice ( around $300). I think that should make you quite happy.