Silverado / Sierra 2500HD Duramax ... any thoughts?

bigfur

Sounds a lil like my work truck, i know what you mean.

v12power

I think there is a ton of unecessary hype floating around about the D-Max fuel systems. I hear about all these guys adding 2 micron filters and other such BS. Why?? I have a 2001 D-max with over 90k miles on it. I change the factory fuel filter every 15k. It gets fueled at various locations due to the pathetically small short box tank. I have yet to have a single fuel system issue. My 99 PSD has a high pressure system as well and after over 200k miles of operation has also never had a fuel system issue.

These trucks are well designed for the enviroment they operate in. Don't get sucked into all of the "bad fuel" hype. Those incidents are few and far between, in many cases, no matter what you changed, you would probably still have a problem.

jaijay

v12power, how has your dmax been. If I recall correctly, you had that shifty buisness with the trans.

Now that you have 90k miles under your belt, how has it been for you?

v12power

I liked it enough to buy another one. I still have the '01 and have added an '03 CC LB LT to the fleet. I personally would have prefered the new Ford 6.0 and the truck that comes with it. Upon driving both my wife insisted on the quieter and much more car like, if you can say that about a 20+ foot long truck, Chevy. The guys at work still pick the 215k mile Ford over the newer, nicer Chevy for pulling.

I still think that the Chev is a very nice truck, probably the best for the average consumer. When I go to replace either of the WORK trucks it will be with Fords. I have found a place in my heart for the Chevys though. The '01 hasn't given me any trouble for longer than I can remember, the last 50k miles at least. The '03 has been perfect as well. I find them to be powerful, comfortable and efficient.

yamaharider

I PURCHASED A 2001 CHEVY 2500 HD WITH A DURAMAX THOUGHT IT WAS THE BEST TRUCK MADE, NO PROBLEMS TILL 37000 MILES STARTED HAVING INJECTOR PROBLEMS. THIS HAS HAPPENED 4 TIMES NOW HAVE 50000 MILES ON TRUCK, EACH TIME ENGINE WILL STALL AND LOSE POWER IN MY CASE INJECTOR HAVE STOCK OPEN AND FLOODED CRANKCASE WITH FUEL. WHEN THIS HAPPENS IT FLUSHES ALL THE OIL OUT OF THE ENGINE THIS HAD HAPPENED 4 TIMES NOW EACH TIME CHEVY WILL ONLY REPLACE THE BAD INJECTOR. LAST TIME GOT THE TRUCK IT HAS LESS POWER I BELIEVE BECAUSE OF INTERNAL DAMAGE CHEVY REFUSES TO REPLACE ENGINE OR EVEN INSPECT INTERNALLY. CHEVY STATES DIESEL FUEL SHOULD LUBERCATE ENOUGH TO AVOID DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE. I PICKED UP THE TRUCK LAST FRI FOR THE 4 TIME WITH THE SAME PROBLEM, DEALER SAID THEY REPLACED 2 INJECTOR THIS TIME DROVE THE TRUCK HOME ABOUT 10 MILES NOTICED POWER LOSS MY EYES WERE BURNING FROM FUMES COMING FROM TRUCK BOTTOM OF TRUCK WAS COVERD WITH OIL AGAIN. HAD THE TRUCK TOWED BACK TO THE DEALER NOW 5 TIMES I REFUSE TO DRIVE THE TRUCK ANY LONGER HAS ANYBODY HAD ANY SIMILAR PROBLUMS?

barberloy

I am trying to make a decision on what to buy. I pull a 28 foot toybox trailer. Fully loaded it weighs about 11000 pounds. My father-in-law has a new powerstoke and pulls a 34 foot fifth wheel and loves his powerstoke but I'm a chevy man and I am ready to buy a new truck do I buy the powerstroke or the durmax? Can anyone help? I would appreciate your comments. Thanks

jaijay

barberloy, there are many discussions on the new 6.0 ford diesel. Its about 50/50 from what I have read. Half of them love the power and the other half hate the problems. If it is not a blown injector its an oil leak or turbo problem. I have a friend that is a landscape contractor with a 550 6.0 dump truck. He loves the power but so far has had it in for service twice for blown injectors; mind you it only has 5k miles on it.

The DMAX is also a contender and perhaps is one of the key reasons we have a new lease for the heavy compition in the diesel arena. I currently have a 2001 D/A that pulls a 37 foot Montana 5th wheel (2100 pin weight). This truck pulls it like a dream. Some of the early 2001 had a fuel pump problem and I was one of them. This was causing a romp/romp in the idle. After GM replaced it, I have had no problems at all. Great truck.

catam

I don't have any personal experience with the Dmax. My brother in law owns 4 F350's for his concrete business. He has had a fair number of probs, including replacing a tranny at 37K mi. Overall he is happy.
On my recent trip to Lake Powell, I saw more DMax powered GM's than Fords with Pstrokes. I thought this was a little strange given the relative length of existence for them. From all I have read and heard, the vast majority are happy with the DMax.
Personally, I would buy a DMax right now, mainly because it has been on the market for 2 years. The new 6.0L powerstroke and torqshift tranny are basically brand new, and experiencing some growing pains just like GM did when the DMax was first introduced.
I would let Ford work out their probs on someone else's time.

black_silver

I don't think there's a significant reason to choose the Powerstroke over the Duramax, or vice versa, but the trump card is the Allison transmission. It is simply awesome and makes the choice of Chev a no-brainer. Pulling a 5th wheel plus a boat, and the Duramax/Allison combo is pure magic, especially in hills and mountains.

Hans

mtrammell

yamaharider,

If your injectors are going out that fast, you must be getting some REALLY dirty fuel. Are you replacing the fuel filter every 15K miles?

Mike .T.

lhagen2

I have a 2003 Duramax with less than 8,000 miles. Last Friday while leaving on vacation the engine started hammering and blowing black smoke. Had it towed to the nearest dealer, as of today they still haven't given me an aboslute answer. I am sure it is a stuck injector. Has anyone else besides yamahauler had this problem?
And what kind of long term damage is it going to cause.
The last diesel I had was a chev 6.2 and I swore I would never own another and now my brand new $40K truck is in the shop & my vacation is OVER!!

secondura

I HAD A 2001 2500HD D/A WITH A LOT OF POWER, A PLEASURE TO DRIVE TRADED FOR 2003 2500HD D/A AND WAS DISAPPOINTED WITH THE POWER PULLING A 7000# TRAILER TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALER AND DID A DIAGNOSTIC CHECK AND ALL THE CODES WERE OK THEY CALLED GM AND THEY SAID THE POWER WAS CUT ON THE 2003 HAS ANYONE ELSE RUN INTO THIS?

pavery99

Have 15k miles on my '03 Duramax 2500HD with no engine/tramsmission problems. I think it took the first 12k to break in - now it's awsome for towing 7000lb 5th wheel trailer - maintains 75mph up most grades - consistent 14 mpg. Previous truck ('01 Sierra 2500 Vortec 6.0L) struggled with the same trailer, had drive line clunk/slip and weird transmission noises at 42k.

black_silver

I have 6 months and 17,000 miles on my 2003 Silverado D/A 2500HD LT 2WD. Pulling generally about 9,000 pounds. Mileage is now around 14MPG under load, and 22MPG empty, up from 12/20 when the rig was new.

Hans

bluegrass1

Is there any concerns about the Chevy Duramax having aluminum heads??

gmcyamaha

I have recently acquired a 2003 2500HD CC w/8ft bed (which was hard to find by the way) I love this truck. I had a 2000 6.0 and was thinking of becoming a Ford guy after that one. Everyone I know in my area who tows like I do said they loved 'em so I tried GMC again. I tow 7000-8000 all the time and it goes great and I have never seen less than 15.9 MPG where as the 6.0 did about 9-10 and a quart of oil every 1500 miles. The D/A combo is by far the best truck I have driven. I have a few gripes about squeaking interior but .... thats another post.

gmcyamaha

There is something very annoying happening to my truck. The inside is starting to make all kinds of crackling noise, and the doors squeak. First the doors on the passenger side squeak when going over bumps .... yes they are shut and come together fine (CC doors, 1 big one small). I have greased the hinges and latches but still noisy. The other thing is that the front pillars next to the windshield both "crackle" when traveling over 60mph, I don't know how to describe the sound better than that but I was wondering if anyone else had these problems and what they did about them. I am about due for the 7500 mile service and wanted to to be armed with info when I go in.... Thanks for any feedback.

jaijay

I bet you have a bug deflector on your truck and is the culprit with the windshield noise. If this is the case, you may want to scan the forums as there is a fix for this.

dmaxowner

Your dealer or GM are outright lying to you. The power is no different then the 2001 or 2002. I own a 2001 and happen to know the production history of Duramax firsthand. This has been a reoccuring problem with the 2003. Have dealer check ignition and throttle systems. If the dealer doesn't believe you then tell him go with you and tow your trailer with two different 2003's. Bet he won't agree to this.

joe_h98

I've replaced three fuel injectors, 2 at 40,000 miles and 1 at 60,000 and just this past weekend (80,000 miles)the problem happened again. The truck lost power and the service engine soon light came on. Now I have to take it back in and get hassled over whether or not it's covered under warranty. Any emission related problems are covered up to 100,000 miles but the dealerships do seem to like that part of the warranty. Has your problems been solved? and If so what did they do to fix the problem so I can give the dealership a heads up on it.... Thanks for any feed back.

rroton

I am considering a 2500HD Diesel, and I have been reading a lot on bulletin boards about two problems. One (the more serious) is a vibration problem. The other is that you must install a bed reinforcement kit if you want to put a tool box or ladder rack in it. I think most of these related to 2001, and 2002 models. Does anyone know if these problems still exist on the 03 and 04 models?

pclar08

I am considering purchasing a DURAMAX equipped HD2500 4x4 ext cab PU. (I currently have a similar truck w/the 6.0L gas engine). My dealer has imformed me that GMC (and I assume GM) has cut back production of DURAMAX equiped vehicles to 5% of units sold (I didn't think to ask what it was before). Anyone out there have any idea why GM is doing this? I do know this: these units are very hard to find here in northern N.E.! Thanks for any info.

twinscrew

I live within the triangle made by drawing a line from Houston to San Antonio to Dallas/Ft Worth. Bunch of mega dealerships in this area. I wanted a light colored 6speed equipped DMax ext cab short box 4X4. The dealer that I used finally found one at a small dealership in NE TX. Very pleased with it through 23K miles. It handles big loads with ease and gets excellent mileage. I'll never own another gas powered rig.

gmengineman1

Our fleet of 2500HD and 3500HD Dmax's have now passed the 200,000 mile mark without any significant mechanical problems. We use Royal Purple synthetic lubricants and have added additional fuel filter/separators. Routine service and clean fuels make a big difference. The coolant used by GM gave us some concerns and our consultant told us to stick with it and change at the required intervals. No cooling system problems either.

centerville1

I am looking at buying a Duramax 2500 for work and my every day drive. I haul paper and other packaging materials 3 months of the year while the rest of the year I will drive it like a car on sales calls. I am thinking of selling my 2003 G35 and buying the 2500. Should I wait until the new engine's come out next month? Are the problems with the injectors that big of deal since they fixed most of the problems in 2001? Also the ride is a little rougher than some of the other trucks I have looked at. Does anyone have any experience with putting Edelbrach shocks on the back to soften the ride some? I want the best of both worlds and I think the 2500HD Duramax is the best buy for both re-sale and performance but I want to be sure???? any thoughts?

paisan

What kind of milage do you guys get?

My situation will be: City driving, and when not city driving towing 5000lb trailer @ 75-80mph on the interstate. Thanks for the input.

-mike

bluegrass1

Does anyone have a new 2004 Dmax/Allison. I'm in the market to buy and want to know if GM has gotten their problems solved in their new trucks.
Thanks for any info you can provide.

jaijay

bluegrass1, what problems?

bluegrass1

Well, I've talked to several owners who have had all kinds of Allison tranny problems, mostly vibrations and intermittant problems. Also a few injector problems on the Dmax engine. I was very surprised about the tranny problems since the Allison is so highly thought of.

pwrstrkthis

I own a 2002, Dmax, 2500, the Allison is great in the mountains, hardly have to use the brakes when going down steep grades. It is so impressive the wife wants to buy a Tahoe, but only if she can get the Allison in it. Does anyone know if this is possible, or course the local salesman says no. I think he wants to sell me something from the lot, da!

paisan

None of the SUVs come in diesel variety, except for the Excursion. I only wish you could get the Tahoe in Diesel with the Allison. I'd have one already!

-mike

tonyschevy

I own a hd chevy and now going into the shop for the 5th time for a/c compressor not working.this means defroster is not working also.Any one else have this problem.I think I have a true LEMON.
any suggestions

inte

I'm also potentially in the market for a crew-cab GMC 2500 HD with the Duramax/Allison - kids are getting bigger & I'll probably put my '98 Dakota extra cab on ebay or something - great truck, just getting smaller...

What is the difference, if any, between the Chevy & the GMC?

obyone

the big bass look.

eirving

Does anyone have info about the 2004's? Have they solved the problems with the injectors? Are there problems with the Allison tranny?
I'm looking to buy a diesel pickup to pull a 7,000 trailer. Any thoughts about comparison with Chevy, Ford, and Dodge? Thanks for your posts
Eldon Irving

mlempire

I had a 2500hd 8.1 L gas with the Allison, Had tranny reprogrammed many times due to hard shift problems.. if you would coast down a long downhill stretch and then apply throttle to start back up a hill the tranny would slam into the proper gear, and I mean slam your *ss. I was told that it was normal even though they reprogrammed it anyway. The engine would also crap out on the freeway at 65 to 70 mph.. pull to the side of the road...wait for 30 to 60 minutes and it would start and go 50 to 500 miles before it would do it again.... after 4 0r 5 tows and weeks in the service dept..I gave it one last try before I gave up on it.. It was in the shop for about 2 weeks.. and I was told a mechanic had been driving it home and back for a few days without trouble.. I picked it up and went to the lumber yard and loaded a stack of 2 X 6 decking on my roof rack and wouldn't you know it... 10 minutes later it died and the load shifted off the rack and crushed the hood and shot down the street and almost nailed a Jaguar in front of me. GM refused
to repair the hood under warranty but did repurchase the truck under the lemon law...My insurance paid to fix the hood.... But My other 2500 HD's with 6.0L have had no problems.. and I have 6 of them 2- 00's no 01's 2 02's 2 03's.

warmsoda

I bought a 2004 crew duramax and it runs great. The chevy rides more like a nice car than the other trucks... I have no shift problems - or any problems for that matter. I live in NW Montana so there are no nice roads so quite ride is not an option. The truck is expensive but where I am in truck country they wont deal much cause the next guy will buy it.

jrkrace

Hi All,Just wondering how everyone with Duramaxes were doing with this cold EAST Coast weather. As I type it is 6 degrees F. outside and snow is on the way. What I am after is the differences between the two engines in terms of snow plowing, heating up in the winter, ease of starting in the winter,etc. I know that the Duramax is more powerful, but the drivability issues are what I am after. Thanks and sorry for the length....Any input would be great.

tonyschevy

Anyone know whai is the largest(tallest) I can put on a 4x4 2500 hd.

warmsoda

It said my duramax was not legal for sale in ca ma me ny vt what kind of trucks do they sell in those states?

b1velcro

Lonebull - I have an '03 2500HD Duramax 6600 w/ a 5 spd auto Allison, about 12000 miles. I had the "service 4WD" message. 4x4 would still work, just kept getting the message. After 3 or 4 visits to the dealership and them re-programing the computer with out fixing the problem, the service department finally contacted Chevy and was told to replace the Transfer Actuator Assembly (I think located in on the rear transfer case). They did and I have had no problems since then. Hope this helps. My dealer is Five Star in Warner Robins, GA.

b1velcro

gmcyamaha - My truck is an '03 2500HD Crew Cab Duramax 6600 w/ a 5 spd auto Allison, with about 12000 miles. It makes the "crackling" sound in that spot, at that speed as well. Here is what I was told by Five Star, in Warner Robins, GA. It is caused by a bug shield. My truck has an after market bug deflector on it with more of an upslope than the GM bug shields. They told me a GM one "should" not make the noise. If it is making the noise with out a deflector on the hood your dealership should try and fix the problem. Do you have a bug shield? If so, this is how I was told to alleviate the problem. Open the front doors, pull off the rubber seal and remove the screws (about 3 on ea. side). Then put a strip of two sided tape on the molding. I have not tried this yet, but that seems to be the "talked about fix" for this problem. My service advisor said he has been successful with this solution. We'll see, I'll let you know!

catam

I read an article on Pickuptruck.com about the new Dodge Cummins "600" as in 600 lb.ft of torque. The article very briefly mentions the new D- Max will have 590 lb. ft and 310 hp. Personally I'd rather have the D-max and the better truck it sits in. Anyone know when they will be available???

jaijay

You can order an RPO LLY (310/590) Duramax now.

whiskey

I am thinking about buying a '01 2500HD 4x4 ext. cab 8.0L w/ 13000 miles. I have never owned a HD truck and would appreciate any advice on likes and dislikes. Also what does the SLT package include.

catam

The SLT package on the GMC is the top end package. It will include leather seating, front buckets, on-star, 6 dish in dash changer, etc.
One important detail you will want to know is what tranny is in it. Someone correct me if I am wrong, but you could have eithe the 4 spd auto (4L80), the 5 spd auto Allison, or the 6 speed manual. The allison is generally the best choice unless you're like me and prefer to manually go thru the gears.
Also be prepared for gas mileage of around 10-12 MPG.

paisan

Is that for the gas or diesel model?

-mike

bigfur

that HAS to be for the gas engine. The diesel i have heard are getting around 15-18MPG usually.

jaijay

I have seen 19-22 on highway alone driving within the legal limits.

v12power

Depends on how you drive. I will never buy another d-max based on the poor milage. I am on my second one now. I need to drive it from MN to CO on a fairly regular basis. The speed limits are pretty high the whole way 70-75. If you cruise at 75-80 in the d-max, you can expect 10 mpg at best, it is really quite a sad thing. I could have saved $4500 and bought the 8100 to get that kind of milage. 2wd six speeds do well on fuel, not much else. My trip computer shows about 13 mpg ave with 15k miles on it.

If you want good milage from a big truck the Dodge Cummins is the only way to go. Mine gets 18-19 cruising at the aformentioned speeds. It has more power, is quieter at speed, and so far has had fewer problems than my d-max.