Duramax woes

[Alan Reagan]

http://www.62-65-dieselpage.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/000932.html



Let's try this again. What do they do, move these things around?

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

THAT site is absolutely the LAST place *I* would go for intelligent and unbiased info - OR to obtain info or support for Duramax related concerns or problems!



If ANY statement is made concerning a problem or failure, they DEMAND a VIN, detailed photographs of the failed components, shop workorder, name address and phone # of servicing dealership and fingerprints of the mechanic - THEN the birth certificate and Social Security number of the one making the claim - or else it's declared an "unfounded rumor" and the one making the claim is banned from the website... And THEN they pompously declare WE are just "jealous" and envious of their "superior" engines...



SHEESH, gimme a BREAK!



Anymore, when I *do* visit their site, it's PURELY for entertainment value and comic relief. HERE'S a typical thread example:



http://www.62-65-dieselpage.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/000995.html



Thank God THIS group isn't anywhere NEAR as insecure, paranoid and in denial - the Ford bunch WAS pretty bad for a while, but as more Power Stroke rigs got out on the road, and they came to the realization that THEIR engines weren't perfect either, they have begun to resemble human beings again...



Maybe the GM/DM bunch will eventually mature as well, but I won't hold my breath...

 

[fj40charles]

Those duracrap boys are indeed paranoid and they should be.

They hype'd up the engine so much that it will be very hard to

live up to the expectation. I'm a patient person and I will just

wait and watch as we see more problems become known.



Personally, I don't care what all those duracrap owners say and think about our Cummins. At least the Cummins is a proven motor with a history. I'll give the duracrap motor some respect when many of them can go 400K miles without a rebuild.....



Charles

 

[CannonBall]

I have to agree here. Whatever the Duramax turns out to be is still a far cry from Gm's prior diesel engines.



The idea that one must submit vin #'s, dates etc to substantiate something that may have failed seems a little extreme. I seriously doubt there are even many owners that know or read information on these sites. Most of these sites are for the hardcore enthusiast.



The inherent problems with the Dodge/Cummins is well documented here. I am yet to here anyone request a Vin#, Work Order#, dates, times etc.



All vehicles will suffer there problems. Be an aware owner. Drive and maintain your vehicle accordingly. Know its strenghths and weaknesses.



As far as putting gasoline in a diesel, it seems to happen more often than not. I would not have been a happy camper. The dealer can have that truck back.

 

[Deezal Man]

I think Top Fuel's plus one rule is right on target.



Any one of the new Diesel motors put into a pick-up truck is still more engine that "many" of us will ever use. I struggle to image that I would replace a Diesel engine..... because its tired. I will be very happy if I can make the truck itself last as long as the motor. And even if it did, am I really going to put a fresh ($$) Diesel motor in a tired old truck? Doubtful.



As far as who's better... . that question will exist in everything... as long as people continue to engage in conversation.



Either way, I'll keep the motor with a history of success.....

 

[jsimpson]

My neighbor had to replace the worn out Cummins in his 93. Our school board has replaced MANY worn out 5. 9's in school buses. My GMC 6. 2 didn't make it to 100,000 miles, and I know of plenty more like it. But the Cummins, Powerstoke, and Duramax are ground-up diesel designed engines, not dieselized Oldsmobile 350 gas engiens like the earlier GM pickup diesels were. We're talking apples and oranges here! It's OK to have brand loyalty, but in my humble opinion, it's better to appreciate the offerings of ALL the manufacturers. I was a Chevy fan all the way int he fifties and sixties, but all I had was a Ford, so that's what I brung to the dragstrip, and picked up the I-stock trophy against 55-56 Chevvies with my 55 Ford 2 barrel, single exhaust. They're all good trucks. They couldn't stay in business if they were'nt. People are NOT going to buy junk just for the sake of brand loyalty, at least not truck buyers. Trucks have got to earn their keep! My friend's Ford has MUCH better brakes than my Dodge. My brother's Chevy has a MUCH better transmission than my Dodge. They both have crew cabs for goodnes sake! The only thing I'm convinced is better about my Dodge is the Cummins, and my Cummins is getting tired. Will I buy a Dodge when mine is due replacement? I might, but I guess it depends on what kind of deal my brother is willing to offer me on his Duramax by that time! Time will tell.

 

[speedracer]

there is no way I would accept a new $35-40k truck that they had put gas in, unless they replaced the entire engine. You just know that motor is going to have problems down the road.

 

[Amianthus]

Here's my take on the GM site. I feel it is best described in a scenario.



Situation: A fellow on the TDR posts a topic on the TDR like this, "My sister-in-law's cousin's buddy says that he had to have his manual transmission replaced on his '99 with only 15Kmi. "



Typical TDR response: "Really? Well, that's a new one. Anyone else been having problems like this? What was he doing to it? Were they towing? What kind of engine mods did he have? What exactly failed? Rumor? Maybe. But it bears looking into. "



Same question on the GM site would get this type of response, "Really? What dealer did he go to? What is the VIN number? What is the TAC for this problem, so that we may independently verify it for ourselves because we don't believe you. (We really don't care what went wrong and how we can improve on the GM design because GM will come to our rescue. )"



I'm sure there are some individuals over there that do genuinely help others with diesel questions. But I think that the above scenario illustrates the general atmosphere between the two.



Am I way off on this? If I am, guys, tell me to shut up and I will.

 

[Max Wedge]

I think TopFuel is just getting to old "O" yea, and he has spent to much time hanging around those GM boys down in Tennesse I'm still young enough to do what needs to be done with those Ferds & Chevs--stop, beep horn (to get their attention), and send the back tires to smoke!!



Had a guy at church tell me the reason I got such a good deal on my truck was because nobody wants the Cummins now that the Duramax is out But he's the same guy that paid $2000 more for his GMC 1/2 ton 3 door than I did my Dually



No flaming here--just having some fun guys!



Max Wedge



MoPars Rule

 

[Archive]

Hanging with the GM boys........

Max, you're right about me hanging out with the GM boys. I'm surrounded !!!! I'm in the process of converting them into Mopar fanatics. As you well know now, this is one TOUGH crowd of GM hombres I'm entangled with. I drove 400miles Saturday to pick up a 427 engine (with my Dodge) and then unloaded it and took two of the "enemy" for a quick ride in the Cummins. I'll need four new rear tires soon if I don't quit educating the "General" public. Have Big Fun.

 

[WCrovo]

They sound parinoid to me. Its amazing the info they want. I remember being told by a gentleman in the know to wait to buy one. He had been hauling a huge trailer around the country with a Duramax a year before they were available. If you owned a Duramax wouldn't you have your eyes wide open for issues? We should be thankful we have the Cummins, I know I am. I can here their legs knocking in their courtroom. Maybe the lot jockey couldn't get the diesel pump into the filler neck.

 

[Alan Reagan]

TopFuel, Why was that 427 removed from the car? How do we know it was ever in a car? Can you post the TAC number for the reason it was removed along with the VIN so we can stop all these rumors about people hauling things with their trucks. We may need factory verification that this engine is in fact a GM built engine .

 

[Archive]

Documentation.....WHATS THAT ???

Alan,

don't have much info to give you. The TAC number was written down on a Tic-TAC candy box but I threw it away. If I post the VIN # everyone will figure out it's from a '69 Z-28 Camaro. It's a 427 cast iron block with aluminum heads. (Hey, just like it's diesel cousin. ) The compression ratio is about 4 points lower than a Dmax, but it DOES have a roller cam just like the Dmax and twice the HP. Seriously, I don't know yet if it'll end up as a driver or a trailer queen. I don't own the car. ... ... ... Have Fun.

 

[Alan Reagan]

Sounds like a nice engine. One thing about this site. We pretty much take each other at their word. I trust you, man. I believe you are telling the truth. No TAC required.

 

[Archive]

10-4 on the verification......

I call MaxWedge to the stand as a witness who's a character, I mean as a character witness. Real engine. Real car. Real me. (I hope. ) Disregard that man behind the curtain...

 

[John Berger]

I don't go to those sites that often, but I will make this observation based upon my experience here and on the censored and censored sites. This site seems to trust the credibility of the poster. In the end, the posts will stand or fall on their own merits or lack thereof. I have never been given bad information on this site and the post here referencing a tired Cummins is the first I've ever heard such a description about a Cummins. As I read on I noticed that nobody flamed the guy and demanded proof for what he said about his engine. I don't care if those guys want to bash us on their site, hell that's part of the fun and comraderie one feels after such a huge investment. They shouldn't worry about what other people think about their choice of trucks. I know I'm not about to lose any sleep over the misguided opinion that I have an engine that is to small or that it's only downside is that it comes wrapped in a Dodge. Life is to short to get upset over the small stuff and why would anyone feel the need to defend what they just spent a ton o' money on. Get a life, or trade that Dmax in for a real truck engine



Sorry, couldn't resist

 

[jsimpson]

"I have never been given bad information on this site and the post here referencing a tired Cummins is the first I've ever heard such a description about a Cummins. As I read on I noticed that nobody flamed the guy and demanded proof for what he said about his engine. "

Maybe I'm reading your post wrong, but do I detect a hint of disbelief that a Cummins could actually be tired? Perhaps a forum of enthusiasts isn't the best place to find reports of tired Cummins. Every time I go to the Cummins dealer for parts, I find many people with tired Cummins and many hints on things to watch for. Cracked early model heads are prominent for me to watch for. More than a few boat owners are complaining about their 375hp 5. 9 replacement engines having a lower performance level than the worn 300hp 5. 9's they replaced. The dealer stocks plenty of heads, injection pumps, and replacement piston kits. He also does a rather brisk overhaul business. This is not to say that the Cummins is a defective engine, but that it's still just an engine. Engines wear out, and the Cummins engine has no magical properties to prevent that. The main reason for a 5. 9 Cummins being so trouble-free in its Dodge application is that it is a very de-tuned 5. 9 (to protect the transmission) and is relatively unstressed. Pushing a fifty foot boat through the water or a motorhome up a mountain is a heck of a lot more stressful on the old engine originally bought from Onan than pushing a 7000 pound pickup down the road. That being said, tired or not, I expect my Cummins to give me at least another 100,000 miles. It's got to; I can't afford another new truck!

 

[John Berger]

jsimpson, no I don't find it hard to believe that a Cummins engine got tired. My point is that nobody on this website questioned what you said. They took you at your word and didn't try to hang you out to dry.

 

[Alan Reagan]

What was the work order number on that tired Cummins? Has it been reported to the factory? How do really know that the engine is a Cummins? Does "tired" produce an error code? More unsubstantiated rumors. Just practicing in case I decide to join the Duramax board and start posting over there.



I hope you guys know I'm just kidding.

 

[John Berger]

Alan, you ain't right.