Duramax Chat

[Lawdog]

Lawdog, I did a lot of research on duramaxforum.com like Mmandley mentioned. However, if you are new to it, like I was, it quickly goes over your head.

Post up what questions or concerns you have and maybe some of us that have waded through the other forums can help ya out.

I checked the site out and there is definetly alot there. The wife and I decided we want to get a diesel to take some of the wear and tear out away from our 08 Tahoe when towing the boat. Also later this year or possibly next year we would like to get a fifth wheel (no longer than a 32 footer) and start taking our kids across country. Also looking at using the fifth wheel at some of our local lakes that have campgrounds. Trying to figure out what year diesel to avoid and how many miles are too many. We've been looking at the 05-10 year range. Mike mentioned the 05-06 I might want to avoid though. So that might narrow it down to the 07-10 range What type of upgrades would be suggested at first? Type of hitch for fifth wheel? Is the 2500HD going to be able to handle what I am looking at doing? So are some of my questions off the top of my head but trust me I have plenty of more....hahaha.

[mmandley]

If i was in your situation the first thing i would be looking at is how heavy is the 5th wheel im thinking of buying?
How do i want the truck to ride when the 5th wheel is attached? As close to factory or IDK what evers cheapest.

You can buy used 5th wheel hitches all day long but they are normaly the steel ones with no adjustment. When i was pulling RV trailers last year i was thinking i might go the 5th wheel route as theres more trailers in that market to haul but i didnt want to cut holes in the bed of the truck to mount it. One nice thing i found was if you plan to haul a lot look into the air ride style 5th wheel hitches. It uses air bags to absorb a lot of the shock the 5th has and not transfer that into the truck.

Also remember if you mount a 5th wheel in the truck and tow with it, you can pretty much kiss most of your trade in value good bye. This is because most people dont want to buy a truck that has been towing a bunch of 5th wheels around. Even though the truck is designed for this it has to do with this simple question < Do you want to pay top dollar for a truck you know has been hauling heavy loads around and not know the type of driver hauling those loads? >

As for the truck if you planning on pulling a 5th wheel you should use a Long bed to allow clearence when turning and backing up. They now make sliding 5th wheel setups for short bed trucks but a long bed is still best IMO due to the extra room and you will prolly want to carry some things in the bed of the truck, or you might want to add an auxilary tank to the bed to get more miles between fill ups.

Also for me if im going to be pulling a 5th wheel i prefer to have a 1 Ton truck. I dont know enough about the Chevy line to know for sure but i think there set up like Ford and Dodge, 2500 = 3/4 ton and 3500 = 1 ton.

One of the first upgrades i would also get are air bags on the rear of the truck, nothing bothers me ore then seeing someone towing and the truck is dragging arse and got the headlights shooting the tops of trees.

We have always tossed the idea of getting a camper and seeing the counrty side and bringing the boat. For this we think an Inbed camper would be best. Then we can camp and boat in the same trips. They have a lot of really nice bed campers out now with slide outs and there pretty big.

Back to the rig, for milage its really how the truck is taken care of, a 3/4 and 1 ton truck is designed to last much longer then a 1/2 ton. Everything about them is bigger, and along those lines so is maintenance. Be prepared to spend some money when it needs oil changes, brakes, and other maintenance services.

If it were me i prefer my trucks to have 50 to 75K on them less is always better but 50 to 75K seems to be a decent milage to get the cost down on them, and work out the bugs they might have had. Its still low enough milage to start your maintenance and make sure it lasts a long time.

Is there a reason yuo want 5th wheel over bumper pull? You can find 30ft hitch style trailers for pretty cheap with hardly any use in them. I was pulling these last year and brand new they were only 20K pretty well optioned. The only thing you normally need then is a weight distrubution hitch like the one i have and they run you about 250 for a good one. You will still want air bags to help level the truck out.

[KG's Supra24]

The body style change was mid year 2007. 2007.5 to 2010 is the LMM motor and just about every mod there is is out for that motor.

If you were to spend hours going through the forum you would find that the following is the typical upgrade path:

1. Buy a tuner. EFI Live is the go to. If you aren't saavy then they sell pretuned ECM's that have known and trusted safe tunes. The daily drive tunes are typically 90 to 100 hp over stock and those are considered stock tranny safe. Approximately $400 for pretuned ECM if you send your stock back.

2. The tune will most likely delete the DPF and turn off the EGR cooler. Therefore, next step is to buy new exhaust to get the DPF hardware out of the way. Also buy an EGR block plate. New Exhaust could range from $300 to upwards of $600. EGR blockplate is $15.

3. Most guys usually pick up a gauge, either digital or analog gauges to monitor a couple temps. I'm not sure of the cost on analog gauges but digital run $200 to $300 I believe. The Edge Insight is a popular digital gauge. The dash mount kit is approx $40.

Those are what I'd call the first level of duramax mods. Next level would be:

4. Cold air intake. The stocker supplies plenty of air for 500hp but the new intake gives you the sweet turbo sound. Approx $300

5. Transgo Jr. transmission mod. This changes out some hardware on the allison and allows for 150 hp over stock (instead of 100) safely. I believe the parts cost is about $90.

6. Lift pump. Duramax can benefit from added fuel flow and the lift pump provides it. Airdog II is a popular choice. Approx $700.

That is what I have taken from the forum. There are of course other mods but I believe those are the most popular.

I bought my truck with 150,000 miles and did mods 1-3 shortly after buying the truck. It made the truck come alive over the stock setup and it can be fun to drive. I have clocked a 0-60 at 6.0 with 22" wheels and 33" tires. I've also surprised a few cars when they try to mess with me on the interstate.

Lifts, tires, etc is of course another discussion. However, if you are considering pulling a 5th wheel you will want to stay close to stock.

I'll do another thread for non-mod responses.

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[KG's Supra24]

I agree with everything Mmandley mentioned above.

I bought a fairly high mileage truck at 150,000. With that being said it had never been tuned and I was comfortable with the shape it was in. It all comes down to maintenance and condition like he mentioned. Diesel will run a LONG time if properly taken care of.

The factory setup comes with a little bit of rake (front sits lower than back). When I hooked my boat up it set about level. I eneded up leveling my truck so the front sits about level with the back under daily driving conditions. I had to add the airbags in the rear in order to avoid the arse drag Mike mentioned. I paid approximately $300 installed. I have to manually fill the airbags through some stems that come out of the rear bumper. I usually carry a portable air pump. For on board air compressor, expect to pay an addidtional $300.

I agree that a 5th wheel pushes you towards a long bed truck. The short bed can handle a fifth wheel with the right hitch but long bed is really ideal.

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[viking]

I believe it's the LB7 that had injector issues. Those were 01-04.5. The LLY fixed that and LBZ was before body style change and before extra emissions crap. You don't have to worry about the DPF system of the LMM and later. The LBZ Duramax is one of the most sought after setups if you like the older body style. I searched and searched till i found one with low miles. Anything under 50K miles is hard to find and just getting broke in - but they are out there

FASS or Airdog II lift pump is a must have upgrade imo. I should have done one earlier but getting to it now.
As others have stated, exhaust and tunes are very popular. Lift pump and exhaust and you can run them mostly stock forever. Problem with me is, I NEVER run anything stock

Once you get into the tunes, the gauges become more important, primarily Pyrometer so you can monitor EGTs.

One of the best canned tunes out there is the PPE xcellerator. EFI is a step above that and allows for more specific tunes and more flexibility. I'm getting rid of my PPE in favor of EFI for that reason. After a 6in lift, 35's, and other mods the PPE just won't take all into account. Stock the PPE was just fine. But an EFI V2 will allow me to tune my modified duramax AND my 05 yukon gasser.

You can do as much to them as you have the time & money.

[KG's Supra24]

^ agreed lbz is most sought after but I don't believe any of them had major issues.

Viking, can you explain to me a little more why the lift pump is so important? Ive read that but don't completely understand. I haven't read alot, though. At $600+, i've hesitated on making that mod.

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[viking]

^ agreed lbz is most sought after but I don't believe any of them had major issues.

They didn't - that's why they are so popular. And the main reason I searched to find one of the 07.5 classics. I wasn't into the new body style 2 years ago. But I will admit that they have grown on me and I'm a fan now

Viking, can you explain to me a little more why the lift pump is so important? Ive read that but don't completely understand. I haven't read alot, though. At $600+, i've hesitated on making that mod.
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From what I understand The Duramax's don't have a factory lift pump. The injectors can starve for fuel, especially at startup or under demand for more fuel (as in the case of running higher performance tunes). The ADII or FASS systems can prolong the life if the injectors, and they double as a filtration/water separator. GOOD Clean FUEL with no contaminants, air, or water provided to the injectors on demand, all the time. It is pricey, but cheap compared to replacing injectors.

[dusty2221]

Made some progress this weekend. Here is an sneak preview awesome quality cell phone pic!



This Cognito kit is extremely well built. Just for a comparison, I'm holding the factory tie rod and the Cognito HD Tie Rod is on the truck. The pic does it no justice, the new tie rod is easily 2-3x the size of the old. After looking at the new you feel like the old can be bent over your knee.



One more, this is the Non torsion bar drop kit. Those brackets mounted on top of the lower control arm are how they accomplish the NTBD. The bracket has a mandrel that goes into the factory lca hole for the torsion bar, then that huge as bracket bolts in and moves them up keeping the rear mounts tucked up under the frame.



There was a slight shipping delay on my shocks and rear block kit, but Fed Ex shows it to be on the truck for delivery today. I'm hoping it comes by 1:00 and I can bolt outta here early and get it all wrapped up and aligned tonight!

[bbuhtz]

Looking sick!

[KG's Supra24]

I'm ready for final pics!! It's gonna look tough.

It's almost time to put that red boat behind it too.