ok I've been reading as much as i could about the 03 D-max.I'm trying to get a D-max but I'm hearing the 01-03s had issues.what I'm lookin at is a 03 D-max ext cab,long bed,fully loaded 4x2 with a 6spd ZF.it only has 38tho on it and is in very good shape.an older guy owned it and died.askin $15,500.Im wanting a newer one but the prices and mileage are all higher.I guess what im askin are the older D-maxes really that bad.any n all feed back would be great..

 

as far as i know no. A few friends of mine have them and love em. Good luck and sounds like a reasonable price

 

My '03 is at 140,000 now and it's been trouble free all its life. In the first year the injectors and water pump were changed, but seriously man once those issues are looked after the Duramax is probably one of the most reliable vehicles/engines out there. At that price you'd be stupid not to buy it!

 

If it is the german brand ZF gear go for it!
ZF is one of the best rated companies here.

 

isnt there only 1 ZF 6sd tranny?ford n GM used the same one no?

 

Nope. The ZF S650 in the Ford is different than GM's. Ford's uses an oil cooler to control temperatures, GM cheaped out and had theirs designed to run synthetic at higher temperatures without an oil cooler. In that respect alone I'd say the Ford is a better design. Aside from that I'm not sure that they'd match up, I've never heard of a Ford 6 speed being used on a GM...seems to be a lot more swapping in the Dodge trucks.

 

hmmm guess thats was just me ASSumein there were the same.i just thought they changed the bellhouseing and maybe a inputshaft or something.how do the GM 6spds hold up?I never been a big gear banger but after buyin my 06 dually chevy with a 5spd in pullin alot i can see where they come in handy.are the 6spd manuals any better than the alisons?im lookin into buyin a D-max.i have found two 03 w/6spds manuals.they both are in very good shape.one has 40tho n the other with 50.tryin to see if the LB7 is worth anything or just wait n get a newer LLY-LBZ.the 2 i found are in my price range and very clean.dont know the history on them tho.its hard cause i'd hate to spend 14-18tho then turn around n have to dump 2-3 more in injectors.i think i've read every post about them n it seems like a crap shoot when buyin an LB7

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The ZF6 is a heavy-duty, fully-synchronized, constant-mesh 6-speed manual transmission.

There are a few variances of the ZF6

Ford has been using the ZF6 since the late 1990s. Ford's configuration uses a unique internal oil pump to pump lubricating oil to an external oil cooler, much like that of an automatic transmission, to dissipate the heat generated during heavy-duty use or towing. It also uses a different input bearing. The Ford ZF5 and ZF6 line uses a tapered input bearing for added strength.

General Motors used the ZF6 transmission in the 1989-1996 Corvette (Model Number ZF S6-40). They started using them again in 2001 mated to their 8100 Vortec and the Isuzu Duramax (Model Number ZF S6-650) engines. GM modified theirs to accommodate for the complaints Ford had with theirs. A large complaint was the noise produced. They added a bushing to metal rail socket for the shifter stub. They gave the shifter a "longer" throw for a more firm feel. They also added more angle to the helical gearsets to aid in reducing noise. GM models do not use an external oil cooler. Instead, they opted for allowing the transmission to operate at a higher temperature, then specified the use of synthetic oil, which will tolerate higher temperatures than conventional oil and is expected to last the life of the vehicle without oil changes.

Fluid Specifications: Ford Diesel - Corvette - 2.2 Quarts of 5w-30 Motor Oil GM Trucks -

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZF_ZF6_manual_transmission"

i just thought id post this kinda as an info thing i found.

 

as far as I know the LLY and LBZ offer those features:
- revised high pressure fuel system with new injectors
- fast heating glow plugs
- higher fuel pressure with new pump
- compression ratio lowered from 17.5:1 to 16.8:1
- Cooled EGR for all applications
- new E35 engine control module

Lets face it: both engines have a engine rpm redline of 3000 and 3200 rpm.
At cruise speed you have only 1500rpm. So you need gears to shift through the flat torque band of the diesel engine.

 

i was refering to the injector issues the LB7 has when i said if its worth anything.I'm sorry i missed the point you are trying to make

 

Ah, ok. I just wanted to point out the different fuel injectors- so they worked on that problem.
And lower compression equals lower load and longer engine life.
The block is the same anyways.
But if you buy a used truck you also have to calculate in failure.
I know it's not very useful statement but the Stanadyne injectors of the LB7 have a recommended replacement interval of 80.000 miles. So you have to calculate that in.