Someone Talk Me Into This...
 

Alright guys, Im considering buying a Duramax...(whew that was kinda tough to spit out...:se:).

Here she is: http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...lx/Duramax.jpg

2005 Chevy Duramax 2500 Crewcab 4x4 shortbox, 28K, 6" ProComp lift, 17" wheels, 35" tires, Banks PowerPackage, exhaust, billet grill, nerf bars,

I dont know anything about Duramaxes - Can someone give me a detailed run down of good positives/negatives? Whats a fair price for that truck? Any advice would be appreciated.

Doc.....you really need that thing bad........looks like a great truck :U:

wanna sell me yer 98?

Nope...the 98 will stay and the 01 will hit the bricks.


I believe those are Jesse James lawless wheels - same as No Problem has.

its still a nice truck Doc.....................go for it man ya only live once....I think

Do it you will like it. My buddy has one and I love it.

My dad has an 04 and I know its the best ridin truck I ever been in.........it also has some ponies too :U:

I know my buddies put 385 down on Dunbars Dyno on 285's with a normal Edge Juice. I would say that one would be about 350-360 with the bigger wheels and the banks stuff.

Well, I am pretty sure the front ends are one of the weak links...I would consider swapping in a solid front diff if the front end isnt up to the task.

My main motivation for looking into a Duramax is to get something with a much better ride as well as a MUCH nicer interior and more cab space.

What about EFI Live? Ive heard good things.

The tierods and the center link are the week part. If Tomac and others are pulling them with over 750Hp to the ground and they are holding I dont think you would have a worry. They are allot stouter then most give credit. EFI live is the way to go anymore.

I wonder about longevity as well.....we all know with the Cummins that in most cases the engine will outlast three Dodge trucks.

How many miles is a Duramax good for?


Lots of questions eh?

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... :U:

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. :U: Good luck on the purchase.:c:

Nice Truck!!!!!!!!!

:U:

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.

Pretty much everything I was gonnna answer has been answered. Don't do SFA, waste of money IMO if you are looking for a good ride.

Looks like it is in good shape, if the price is right get it!!:U:

I haven't heard of the tow/haul button thing before.

go for it, doc. i really don't think you'll regret it. we had very, very few problems at the dealership with the trucks. check if the guy has a good maintenance and service history.

i can run the vin through GM for you if you'd like.

i think aaron is right. you'll probably hate the lift but you can always change it out at some point.

I haven't either. I refer to mine as the cruise/thrash button!!

Awesome stuff guy thanks a lot....keep it coming if youve got more wisdom...:U:

I've never heard of problems with the tow haul button either.

here's what i can think of for "common" issues:

HVAC fan only works on high- blower resistor

clunking/knocking noise from steering column when turning- when i left they had just released another updated intermediate steering shaft for this. i'll check into monday and see if they're still using it.

sliding tow mirrors stuck- remove protective boot and apply graphite power to mirror tracks

"service 4x4" message- USUALLY a bad ground or failed dash switch.

inner tie rod ends and hubs- self explanatory

speedo inop or sticks- usually a cluster

the first few years with the allison had park/neutral switch issues but i think they were resolves by '04.

the tow/haul button was problematic in the first couple of years of the body style. seems like '02 or '03 they got it figured out.

some LLY's had issues with glow plugs.

u joints- we saw a lot of u joints in the rear drive shaft. usually start seeing them go around 70K.

i think that's all i can remember for now. i'll add more if i think of them doc.

and i'm in no way saying these happen to every and all trucks. most had 2 of the same issues above at most. and they're mostly inexpensive issues too.

there's very little maintenance too unlike our trucks. fuel filters and oil changes. every 30K they want you changing the external trans filter. GM told us per allison that the internal trans filter should never need changing. i don't know if i buy "never" but you should get at least 100K if not more.

oh, make sure that there is synthetic in the front diff. IIRC '04 was when they started recommending synthetic in the front diffs of cold climate trucks. again, real easy to take care of.

The only problems I have had with my truck besides injectors is the damn power steering hoses. I have replaced them both and they are leaking again. Don't know wtf or why but they are suckin. Now with all the times with low fluid I think i'll have to go ahead and replace the pump too.

There has not been a Duramax with a factory issued lift pump, but they have all had CP3's since the inception of the motor. If you plan on upgrading to a larger program, a good lift pump supply is always recomended.

I wouldn't go past 500-550RWHP on stock internals. The 2005 has the LLY engine in it. Pat McSwain out in Cali is the best at tuning the Lilly with efi live, and sells his efi with a 500hp
tune. As far as the front end put on some tie rod sleeves and lower the torsion bars and you will be fine for pulling. Banks stuff is over priced and as far as the Dmax goes if you want tuning go with Efi live or if you want a hand held tuner go with PPE. A good tune, a lift pump and a tranny upgrade to hold the power and you will get to 500rwhp. Good luck, and nice looking truck.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I work @ a Cheby dealer, and well, you see what I drive. Even with my big employee discount, I won't have one. I've seen to many vacation, trips, plans ruined with those things!

I have put over 100K miles between both my Dmax's and have never had a trip ruined between both of them that wasn't my own fault. Just wanted to give the other side of the story, the one you never hear about.

Doc, everything Alli is stating is right on. Since your in Canada and not going to tow HEAVY with it you wont have the overheating problem. They are good solid trucks and between the two freight companies in my family we have 11 DMax's with over 250K and 4 of them have over 500K. No need for an SFA, just get the sleeves and center link's and you'll be fine. I have beat the hell out of my truck for 54K and have only had one issue that wasnt caused by me. The stock internals are good to just under 600hp. After that the #8 rod will start shrinking and then one day crater just driving down the road. If your not going to make that much power then you dont need to worry about it. The automatic climate control does act up every now and then but its not that big a deal because all I do is unplug it and plug it back in and all is good.

If you're looking at an '05 with low miles, I'd honestly step up to an '06 truck if you can find one for a similar price. You'll get a six speed auto that can handle more power and you'll get the LBZ (even if the engine code says LLY). '06 LLY's have the same internals as the LBZ, just lower power rating (easily remedied).

Definitely something to consider.

Nick

The only thing that would make me think twice is the Banks crap on it. Depending on how the owner ran it the trans may of just about had it or it may last a long time with the Banks set on kill. Front wheel bearings are the only thing I haven't seen mention to watch out for.

It’s a nice looken truck $$s depends on your area myself I wouldn't pay extra for all the aftermarket crap. I'd go of KBB and similar trucks in your area.

The one thing I did notice, or think I noticed is I think it's had a camper in it.

Look at the front of the box. Looks like there are tie down hooks for a camper. Doesn't necessarily mean anything bad though but I'd ask the guy about it.

Thanks guys - after sobering up a bit (just kidding :D) , I think I'll stick with the junk Im running now.

Good info nonetheless - and much appreciated.

:ph: GET THE DAMN TRUCK!!! :w2:

Traitor
 

That is good looking duramax though, PSD man myself. I don't know what direction I'd go if I had to choose another truck. Good luck with it it really does look good!!! Six

I think that's true with any dealership, tho. You see the worse-case situations.