Depends on the power. At about the 500-600HP range they like to leave pretty windows in the sides of the block. My buddy has 75K on his and it has been hooked to a gooseneck dump trailer hauling dirt every day since new, his dad has one also and his never gets unhooked from there other dump trailer. It has 80K on it now I think. As for the front end it is the same IFS unit that has been used since 89.

 

What do you mean by windows Andy? bLock problems? How are these guys with 700 hp and drag raceRs (Dirty Max etc.), and sled pullers making the blocks last?

 

There are plenty of Dmax's over 300K and still running strong. I believe the motor is rated for 250K, which means 10% of all motors will have died by 250K. I know the Cummins is a long lasting motor, but if taken care of, the Dmax can live a long and healthy life.

The front end can be fixed by adding a Cognito Braces and Tie Rod sleeves. This is the same Combo I run and it has held up very well to at least 60 Boosted 4wd launches and numerous off road trips. Not much else needs to be done.

Might want to look into a V2 mod from www.coolmyduramax.com if you plan on very heavy towing with this truck. The LLY generation has been know to overheat if the truck is used up to it's max GVW (sometimes less)

If it were me, I would look into a 2006 and above LLY or LBZ. It seems that they have cured the OH'ing and the truck comes with 50 more HP and 45 ft/lbs of torque. I love my LBZ.

 

Thanks for the info. I appreciate it.

A newer one isnt an option - I can barely afford this one. This truck is a reasonable price and has lots of goodies already on it.

I dont really plan to tow with it, and I live in a COLD climate (rarely gets above 85-90) so overheating shouldnt be that much of an issue.

Thanks again for the input...

 

The weak link in the Duramax is the connecting rods. Above 500hp the rods tend to bend and they eventually break. On occassion, when they break, the leave a very distinct hole in the side of the block. The guys that are running in the 600-1000 hp range are running aftermarket rods, plus heads, cams, large single or twin turbos etc...

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Sounds like the perfect truck then. From the looks of it, it seems to be well taken care of. Good luck on the purchase.

 

Nice Truck!!!!!!!!!

 

The rods are the weak link at between 500-600Hp. I know of a few that have thrown them just cruising down the road. The pullers and racers are upgrading to billet rods. Not all of them had the overheating problem. I read it was something about the heads. They had three castings at that time and tow of them had problems. My buddys truck has never overheated and it hauls heavy.

 

I just watched a daily driver with an LLY break into the 10's yesterday, so it is a nice engine.

Pro Comp lift is pretty bottom of the barrel stuff, it is ok but not the best out there. The wheels are not JJ's unfortunately they are Pro-comp's version of the Welds. It does not have fog's on it so it may be the base package or an LS. But it does have the power extending mirrors which are nice for towing. The fuel mileage is going to be around 13-15 mpg.

The LLY is a very nice engine, they do have some OH issues but they are scattered, mine never had any. My truck pulled nice and I never worried about any of the other stuff mentioned. The SFA is not necessary, if you just want to spend money on it take the lift off and put one of better quality on it CST, Cognito and RCD are the tops for the 2500's.

I have put plenty of miles on my trucks and I never have had an engine issue, I traded my 05 in May 07, it had pretty much the same miles on it for $29,500.00 but it was th LT packeage with not a scratch on it. I would say that one would be worth 24 tops.

I gotta go the the game, If you need anything else ask.

 

I'll echo Noproblem.

I've put many miles on my truck, towing and otherwise with no problems and no overheating.

You are correct, the front end is the weak link but, like already stated, it can be cured with Cognito braces and a set of tie-rod sleeves. I went a little extra and bumped up the center link as well.

A few people have done an SFA swap, IMHO if you go with the stated upgrades to the IFS you shouldn't have any problems.

Also, I run EFI live. It is the greatest. However, it is very labor intensive and carries with it a long learning curve to the uninitiated. If you don't know what your messing with it is VERY possible to 'splode someting. On the bright side, the EFI customer support is really good and there are some very knowledgable people on some other forums. (sorry)

If the software isn't your game, I would go with PPE. There are doing some incredible stuff and it's plug and play.

The Banks stuff is nice. However, I believe it to be overpriced. If it's already there though, cool beans.

As Noproblem said, those aren't Lawless 8's. They don't look bad though.

Nice truck Doc, go for it.

 

It's nice looking but consider the following:
Is it an automatic? If so, watch out for the tow haul mode switch on the column shifter as these have been known to go south. Make sure if it is an Allison that it has been looked after. What is the shape of the TC? Personally, I'd swap that out for a BD hauler tranny. The IFS will make the ride around Edmonton nicer for sure but swapping that for a solid front seems to be a lot of work for limited end result.

2005 if I'm not mistaken is the first full year of the DMAX CP3 truck with a lift pump? If so, you'll need to consider how that works. Read FASS upgrade there. Limited room under the hood for things like Twins, Exhaust Brake and other kinds of upgrades may prove problematic.

I have also had to check a few return lines where they plug up and cause all sorts of funny fuel related issues.

Overall if you want it go for it but just be careful because it might be being dumped for some problem the owner created.

My 2 cents.