Talk to me about Duramaxes

I am looking at a 2004 Crew Cab 4x4. Leather. Runs strong. 227K. Asking $6000.

Isn't 2004 when they switched from the LB7 to the LLY? Thoughts on either?

I care more about reliability and durability than ANYTHING (and I'd be switching from a 7.3L)

Any experiences out there??

Don't :)

The Duramax can be made to run, and they are fast and modern feeling compared to a 7.3. Comparable on fuel, much more expensive parts that need replacement more frequently. Around here all the early trucks are rotted out so not a ton left.

04 is a transitional year, you want to check the VIN to see if its an LLY or LB7. No matter what injectors are still a maintenance item, they just made maintenance easier.

Prefer LLY, or LB7?

I am generally not a fan of first model year releases. That makes me think LB7, but not because I know anything.

This is a Southern truck- completely rust free.

Any major issues with your 7.3 that makes you want to switch? Devil you know vs. the devil you don't.

My dad and several buddies have Duramax trucks, my Dad's is an 01 with only about 95k miles (he's the original owner) and he's had no major issues yet but he's prepared for injector replacement whenever they start giving trouble. Buddy has an 02 with 140k miles, he bought it a couple years ago with a stack of dealer receipts including new computer and new injectors (probably $4500-5500 for both). He's had no major issues during his ownership.

Nope. No real issues with my 7.3, except that it has 530K miles, and I drive 1000 miles per week.

It's got to be replaced sometime, but it's the most reliable truck I've ever had.

The only other thing is that I would like a real back seat that adults can sit in.

You want the LLY '04 1/2 and newer. Mine was the best part of the truck (and it was a damn fine truck) for 150k without anything except prescribed maintenance, fuel filters and oil changes.

The truck it self needed usual stuff... Dampers, ball joints, steering arm... Etc and while it wasn't as cheap as I wanted it was a lot cheaper than the tundra parts I used to buy.

I'm sorry I sold it. I no longer need that much truck but everything else I've shopped makes me want it back.

Honestly $6000 for a good condition Duramax is a good price, even with 227k miles. Even better since it's a crew cab 4x4 that's not a W/T. My Dad has been looking for a crew cab 4x4 dually for a few months now and from what I've seen these trucks listed for, I'd jump on it for $6k. With 227k miles, the injectors have already been done at least once. Just be prepared to spend some extra $$ when it does end up giving you some trouble but honestly any "modern" diesel is gonna have some kind of issues at some point.

I didnt see the $6k at first. Thats either crack rock or homeboy hookup pricing, so I would jump on it.

Run it for a while, if you don't like it send it down the road. You can't lose money on it. The chevys ride so nice compared to the Ford, lower step in height, they are pretty nice going down the road. The fords do sit up nice n high, but the ride sucks compared to the chevy.

If it's an LB7, know that replacing the injectors (which is required more frequently than one might like) requires substantial labor to get the valve covers apart. This is like a $5-6K job if you're paying the dealer to do it, which could explain the very low price on the truck.

I have an '04.5 LLY that I got last Feb. It's been great so far, just regular maintenance. My dad had an '03 LB7 that he did injectors in during his ownership, but he owned it from about 190,000km to 415,000km. It was a great truck.

It's my understanding that the injector design is improved in the LLY, but the big thing is that the design no longer makes it the "smart" thing to do to replace the whole bank of them "while you're in there". Labor and parts to change one injector is much easier to handle than labor and parts to change 4 in a LB7.

The LLY does have a reputation for running hot and possibly overheating while towing heavy, but there are aftermarket fixes for not huge dollars if the price of the truck is right.

No matter what version you get, the Allison auto is simply awesome for towing. It's nearly magical in managing to be in the right gear at the right time. The down-hill grade shifting works amazingly well.

I finally got a chance to look at this truck. It has issues.

The truck has 4" exhaust and no cat- makes me think brodozer. It's also VERY under powered (kid says 2 injectors are bad), and has a knocking noise which seems to be coming from high in the valve train. It does not have a chip or tune in it now. It also needs a steering box- drifts all over the road.

It's an LB7.

I'd walk now, but the price still tempts me. Comparable trucks around here are $12- 15K. If I could put $2K into this and have a decent truck, I'd be ahead of the game. $6K would not be worth it.

I have an excellent diesel shop nearby. I am tempted to get them to do some diagnostics on the engine and see if the problem is limited to 2 injectors.

What sayeth the hive?

I'm with you on having the local shop check it out. Although with your emphasis on reliability, it might make sense to spend a little more and get one that's less questionable.

In reply to dj06482:

Good word.

Sbf is having no end of issues with his truck because he settled. Even well priced it seems that a lot of these suffer for thexample owner.

The steering box is a very common issue on the GMT800 trucks. How is the rest of the front end? Ball joints, etc?

$2K sounds optimistic to fix the injectors. Even if it's limited to 2 injectors currently, it's only a matter of time until the others fail. There's a new design out now that's supposed to actually fix the problem, and there's so much labor involved in swapping them that it really doesn't make sense to only do 2 now and have to do the other six in a couple years.

Mine is in the shop right now getting the new injectors.