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Bye Bye DuraMax

billtex
Explorer II
Explorer II
Time to replace our 06 LBZ. Powertrain has been awesome, love driving the diesel but it looks like I am going back to gasser on the new truck. While the drivetrain is awesome, too many New England winters are taking their toll the undercarriage.
Have driven both the 19 DuraMax and 6.0 duallys and just can’t get myself to lay down an extra $10k when the gasser is such a sweet ride also. The added complexity, DEF, and initial cost are intimidating. The 06 only has 123k miles on it, so we are doing <10k miles/year. Truth is I don’t need the diesel, but it sure is a hoot to tow and haul with. I will miss the diesel the few times/year I am towing behind the TC, but the majority of our trips are TC only.

So my question to those that have gone from a Duramax back to a 6.0, what are your thoughts/experience? The added payload is a positive!

Thx, Bill
2020 F350 CC LB
Eagle Cap 850
25'Airstream Excella
"Good People Drink Good Beer"-Hunter S Thompson
62 REPLIES 62

jplante4
Explorer
Explorer
CLOSED
Jerry & Jeanne
1996 Safari Sahara 3530 - 'White Tiger'
CAT 3126/Allison 6 speed/Magnum Chassis
2014 Equinox AWD / Blue Ox

d3500ram
Explorer III
Explorer III
I thought that feeding the trolls meant paying to drive on a highway that costs money.
Sold the TC, previous owner of 2 NorthStar pop-ups & 2 Northstar Arrows...still have the truck:

2005 Dodge 3500 SRW, Qcab long bed, NV-6500, diesel, 4WD, Helwig, 9000XL,
Nitto 285/70/17 Terra Grapplers, Honda eu3000Is, custom overload spring perch spacers.

K_Mac
Explorer
Explorer
And here I thought Trolls were the cousins of Yupers.

billtex
Explorer II
Explorer II
Thanks to All who contributed.

Time to go. I don't feed trolls.
2020 F350 CC LB
Eagle Cap 850
25'Airstream Excella
"Good People Drink Good Beer"-Hunter S Thompson

Kayteg1
Explorer
Explorer
I did and this is what I can see
billtex wrote:
....love driving the diesel ......
So my question to those that have gone from a Duramax back to a 6.0, what are your thoughts/experience? The added payload is a positive!

Thx, Bill

are you saying those are not your words Bill?

billtex
Explorer II
Explorer II
Kayteg1 wrote:
Bill wants diesel as far as I can read, but is not sure about spending money now or spending more later.
Bill also is comparing taxable payload, so there is lot we can explain to him.
Again, unless you bring comparable numbers, it is all whining.


You need to read before you post
2020 F350 CC LB
Eagle Cap 850
25'Airstream Excella
"Good People Drink Good Beer"-Hunter S Thompson

Kayteg1
Explorer
Explorer
Bill wants diesel as far as I can read, but is not sure about spending money now or spending more later.
Bill also is comparing taxable payload, so there is lot we can explain to him.
Again, unless you bring comparable numbers, it is all whining.

GeoBoy
Explorer
Explorer
I don’t understand why people are trying to convince Bill that he should buy another diesel. His question to GM truck owners was, how do you like your 6 liter gas engine.
Bill is experienced enough to know what will work for him and he is the one who is going to pay for the truck.

Kayteg1
Explorer
Explorer
Those who don't care about resale value must be exception.
Driving diesel is convenience.
Just couple days ago, I drove sedan from Las Vegas, to pick up DW at LAX and then we drove to San Francisco.
Tiring trip as in Los Angeles rush traffic we managed to drive 20 miles in 1st hr. That was on HOV lane.
So pretty tiring close to 700 miles trip and last thing I need is frequent fuel stops.
So with diesel I made it all on single tank.
Still remember driving gasoline wagon across US and fueling it 6 times a day. No, not me senor.

billtex
Explorer II
Explorer II
Here in New England, when you are left with a pile of rust after about 10 years, neither gas nor diesel is worth much. I would give the diesel a nod of course, but I can tell you trade in on my truck this past week at the dealer was < $20k.
Then again, I don't buy a vehicle because it might have good resale. I buy it for the job it needs to do. It's a tool, not an investment.

The truck has been well maintained, this is not from abuse, it's just a fact of life up here if you drive in the winter.

For those of you that mentioned injectors, etc. I would agree the recurring maintenance on the LBZ really has not been much more than a gas truck. Oil (full syn) is changed via DIC at ~ 10k miles, fuel filter very 20k miles. I have never had ANY engine problems. Ever. No injectors, water pumps, nothing. This is why it is a shame to have the chassis rot out from under me. Love the powertrain, but the chassis is giving up on me.
I don't expect a gas truck to last any longer in New England, that's kind of the point, after 10 years in the salt you need to replace a vehicle. The cost of ownership of gas will be less and the truck will haul what I need it to.

If I lived where a vehicle may last 20 + years, or I was driving 50k + miles/year (I don't) then I would not hesitate to get another diesel. I have nothing against diesel, I like it! Just doesn't make $ sense in my case.
2020 F350 CC LB
Eagle Cap 850
25'Airstream Excella
"Good People Drink Good Beer"-Hunter S Thompson

jaycocreek
Explorer
Explorer
Grit dog wrote:
This d!ck swinging contest is freakin' hilarious!


That's not funny..;)

The fact is if I was going to buy a Chevy with Duramax engine,I would definitely do my homework on that engine,far more so than the quick little google searches I have done here..The injectors alone would scare me off because I couldn't afford to replace them often..

I guess this quote by a duramax owner sums it up on injectors..

You just never know with injectors. My truck is basically stock. No performance tune. The only change was to adjust the speedo for tires and the DIC for the big tank. My injectors went at 50K and were done under warranty. They went again at 73K and cost be $3800. I have added the filter system between the two injector jobs and have now added a lift pump.

The bottom line is, who knows? They may go 200K or they may go 20K. It's a **** shoot. Do what you can to prevent it but it will happen, perhaps several times.


That being said,you just don't see those expensive mistakes happening with the 6.0 Chevy..

How do I know..I have one sitting in my driveway with 150+K and the only repair has been replacing the fuel pump.
Lance 9.6
400 watts solar mounted/200 watts portable
500ah Lifep04

jimh406
Explorer III
Explorer III
I’m not sure I trust the diesel forums for older engines. It seems the only people left with the old ones either have no issues, or just got a bad one and are trying to figure them out. If you go read the 6.4 forum now, I should have already replaced most of my engine a couple of times at 150K miles. My guess is the Chevy forums are similar. From what I’ve been able to gather, bad oil and no additives are rough on the injectors. From what I’ve been able to gather, some people have continuous issues with their injectors and others have no issues.

I’ve been told my 4.6 in my Explorer should go at least 400K miles from a mechanic who does servicing for a limo company in the Seattle area. He also is a fan of the 6.4 diesel which is in Fedex trucks he services. Yep, he knows DPFs are ****, but otherwise, they’ve had no problems keeping them running any more than other diesel engines. I know ... impossible, right?

'10 Ford F-450, 6.4, 4.30, 4x4, 14,500 GVWR, '06 Host Rainer 950 DS, Torklift Talon tiedowns, Glow Steps, and Fastguns. Bilstein 4600s, Firestone Bags, Toyo M655 Gs, Curt front hitch, Energy Suspension bump stops.

NRA Life Member, CCA Life Member

Lantley
Nomad
Nomad
billtex wrote:
Lantley wrote:
billtex wrote:
Bob B wrote:
Didn't read the whole thread ..... but be aware you are loosing the Allison transmission as well. It's a VERY tough tranny.
The reason I bought my Duramax was as much about the tranny as the engine.


Agreed, i am not getting new truck because I WANT to. The corrosion has taken a toll on chassis.
The DuraMa/Alli has been the best Powertrain I have ever owned. The Allison is just amazing in tow/haul mode, practically drives itself.
Having said that the 6 speed that comes with the 6.0 gasser is well proven also so I am not concerned about that.
It is just difficult -for me-to justify the $10k upcharge for a diesel at this time in my life. Will i miss the power and the Alli transmission? Yes.
Will the gasser get the job done with lower cost of ownership? Yes.

Diesel have gotten more expensive and complex. You can’t deny that. Unless you NEED diesel, it is very hard to justify. For hauling a TC you don’t need a diesel. Even with my boat or cargo trailer behind us I am not that heavy.

Note; when i purchased this truck, it was ~ $1800 upcharge vs the 8.1l w/Alli and the LBZ does not require def, etc. It was an easy decision in 2006!

I'm not suggesting you need a diesel. A gas may suit you just fine. But making the decision solely on the upcharge is misleading.
At the end of the day including,resale value those numbers are not as far apart as they seem.
How much would your 2006 LBZ be worth if it were a 6.0 gasser?
What would your hauling experience had been like with the 6.0 vs. the LBZ? You need to keep the comparison real.


13 years with the same truck hauling 2 different truck campers- running x-country twice , and pulling our AirStream on numerous trips around the northeast is pretty real experience.

Yes, the diesel kicks arse (and I will miss that!), but I could do the same with a gasser (for a lot less $$$).
After 13 years, I can tell you neither truck has much value in New England...

For the record I just traded my 300K mile 07 LBZ truck in for a 2019 Duramax. I could saved money by getting a 6.0 gasser but I could not have have the same experience with a 6.0 gasser.
At the end of the day a Duramax Allison equipped truck will always be worth considerably more than the gasser version of the same truck.
19'Duramax w/hips,12'Open Range,Titan Disc Brake
BD3,RV safepower,22" Blackstone
Ox Bedsaver,RV760 w/BC20,Glow Steps, Enduraplas25,Pedego
BakFlip,RVLock,5500 Onan LP,Prog.50A surge,Hughes autoformer
Porta Bote 8.0 Nissan,Sailun S637
Correct Trax,Splendide

Grit_dog
Nomad III
Nomad III
This d!ck swinging contest is freakin' hilarious!
2016 Ram 2500, MotorOps.ca EFIlive tuned, 5” turbo back, 6" lift on 37s
2017 Heartland Torque T29 - Sold.
Couple of Arctic Fox TCs - Sold