Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) major decision to make, need advise

[CBrabec]

So I bought my '95 4 years ago used and it had 218K miles on it and now it has 242K miles and it needs the motor rebuilt. I took it to 2 different reputable shops in my area and here is the list of repairs:

-Front crank case leaking excessively
-vacuum pump seals blown out
-fuel filter drain valve leaking
-Head gasket blown and leaking oil and anti-freeze
-transmission cooler and hose leaking
-T-Case extension housing leaking
-Missing belt housing bolt
-#3,4,5 &6 valve covers leaking
-Engine has major blow by

Also here were my compression ratios

My engine that needs rebuilding were: (Basically mine were doubled if not more)
126 L/Min(10.5"rise) @ 2200rpm
152 L/Min(14.5"rise) @ 2500rpm
170 L/Min(17"rise) @ 2800 rpm

A Cummins new 5.9 engine numbers are supposed to be:
63 liters per minute(2.5" water rise) @ 2200rpm,
76 L/Min (3.5" rise) @ 2500rpm
85 L/Min (4.5" rise) @ 2800rpm.

With my truck already being 20 years old and the value of the truck isn't worth anything, both shops told me to have the motor rebuilt and all the other stuff fixed as well with labor would run me anywhere between $9-10K. I'm having a hard time justifying spend that kind of money on this old of a truck. I'm worried that if I were ever to get into an accident & the truck were totaled out I would be out all that money I dumped into it. Both owners at each shop told me its not worth spending the money on the rebuild. Up until now it has been a good work truck, winters are a little rough on it but not sure what to do. I have the opportunity to purchase an '03 Chevy 2500hd duramax with only 40K miles on it from a family friend (I know its a chevy) to replace this truck with as my new work truck. Without bashing the fact I'm looking at a chevy, would you rebuild the motor if your in my shoes or wash my hands with it and move on?

Chris

 

[Bob V]

I would move on. You can get something for the truck as it sits now, and you wont get your money back after the rebuild. There are still lots of other things that can go wrong. Brakes, drive lines, front/rear differentials. Heating and AC. transmission, transfer case, the list goes on. Some love the second gen 12 valves, but once you drive a newer truck with MUCH better brakes and steering, more cab room, quite, you can hear the kids and wife complaining (maybe not good). I have NEVER regretting getting rid of my 97 for a 05, and the 11 is that much again better. Do research on the 03 chevy, I don't know that much about them but there are some things to at least be aware of before you buy

 

[CBrabec]

Thanks Bob, I currently have a '14 3500 and love it. Before that I had an '03 and that was a good truck as well. With this truck being my first Chevy diesel I've been doing some research on the '03 duramax and the main concern most guys had was with the injector bodies cracking and going bad around 120K miles. My friend who's truck I'm looking at already had the injectors replaced due to recall with the new bosch bodies which are much stronger.

 

[GAmes]

I'm always curious about low mileage engines with high blowby numbers. What kind of air filter are you using?

 

[CBrabec]

Stock filter for the first 3 years, then switched it over to an ATF stage 1. I think the truck was having issues when I first bought it. My fuel mileage was always horrible, best I ever got was 13. I have already dumped over 7K into the truck over the past 4 years with a new transmission, the entire drivetrain is new, all new front end parts, changed the gears to 4.10's, shocks, brakes, tires, new injectors, had the p-pump rebuilt. I'm sick of dumping money into it, seems like once I fix one thing something else is needing replaced. The previous and only other owner was an old farmer & didn't have any records of maintenance on the truck. He bought it brand new and just drove it he said he did the normal maintenance on everything when it was needed.

 

[MMeier]

Chris, sounds like you did a lot to it recently. Looks like a lot of the issues are due to the HG being blown, think if it was me I would pop the head and see what the cylinders look like and go from there.

 

[JMcCoy]

I agree. I would also pop the head off and take a look. If it's just the head gasket, then you can keep it or sell the truck for much more running. Not bashing the Duramax, but the early years had head gasket issues. I don't remember what years, or if it may be corrected. I'm sure it can.

 

[Mike Ellis]

I would probably sell the truck and move on Chris, it just isn't worth much money as it stands and dumping a lot of money into it will not increase value much at all. The same amount of money put into a newer truck will leave you with more value in the long run. If you like the Duramax I would just snap it up and move on, there is a lot of brand bashing here but truthfully the Chevies are pretty decent trucks. My Dad bought a new one last year and it is a beast.

One alternative if you have room is to keep your Dodge as a work truck beater / spare vehicle, and just work on it from time to time yourself as a hobby. That's pretty much what I have done with my '97. My engine and transmission seem to still have plenty of life in them, although the engine does leak a good bit of oil now as I approach 300K. The truck isn't worth much at all, so since I still get value from it for hauling and such I decided to just keep it and got a smaller truck for daily driving. If I was going to have to dump a lot of money into it though I would get rid of it.

 

[JMcCoy]

There has been no Chevy bashing on this thread. A good 2nd gen truck in good running condition can be worth over $12,000. You will be lucky to get $2000 for one with a bad motor. You will get more if you part it out. Popping the head off is free. Maybe $200 to pay someone. That is well worth the risk. If it is the head gasket, slap one in. You can then keep it or sell it for top dollar. If you have a bad cylinder, close it up and sell it for $2,000 or part it out. All that being said, if you have to pay someone to do all the work listed (some are real easy), you are better off just selling it and getting something newer.

 

[SnoKing]

Regarding the Duramax and injectors. I would want to know about the history of those. That vintage Duramax had a lot of injector issues, at around $4500 to replace them. GM covered replacement under warranty and the new ones again failed. So check that closely. SNOKING

 

[Tuesdak]

X2 I wouldn't touch anything but maybe a 2006+ Duramax and then they are extreme touchy throttles (2005 also overheats when worked) and tend to burn up HVAC wiring. Reason I own a 5.9 even though I bleed GM orange.

I also own a 20 year old truck. It's great for going to the dump and being a black hole for cash. But, when a job needs to be done and you don't want to hurt a new truck it works. Make sure you declare the value to your insurance company and obtain a policy that covers you. Shop around including classic car coverage. It's what the truck is worth to me that matters. The truck has earned every part and long day in my garage being repaired. Even the IRS was forced to agree to write off the repairs for business use. I don't have rust issues and this would make me move on if I did.

I agree with the above of pulling the heads and ignoring the blowby. Make it a 2nd truck although keeping insurance on it can be a expense. What shape is the overall truck in? This will help decide if is is good money chasing after bad. A 5.9 is IMO worth more than the 6.5 I have no argument, but, it is what I had to roll with during the Great Depression v2. Now it's a fun "toy" hot rod.

 

[SnoKing]

2004.5 to 2005 LLY's were the over heaters. 06 and 07 classic LBZ's are the best! Got the 6 speed Ally in those years also. SNOKING