The Exodus has started.....

[Barry]

While at my Dodge dealers yesterday my mobile rang. It was my buddy that owns a 15,000 head feed lot west of Abilene. He also supplies stock for some of the top cutting horse shows. This boy knows his beef, horses and trucks. He was phoning to ask me to be on the look out for a QC 4X4 Auto Cummins for his bride. (I glued them together 2 years ago) I mentioned that I was in my Dodge dealer's store and he had just taken in a Duramax 4X4 with 6,000 miles on it. My friend said: not no but blank no! Here is what he proceded to tell me. The horse people he runs with that ordered the Dmax have either gotten rid of or are in the process of getting rid of their Dmaxes. I asked him how many did he have 1st hand knowledge. He replied "5". What was the problem; I asked??? "They won't pull and they won't stay together" was his answer. Disclaimer: I have no interest in starting a gale force urinating contest here. I know this man well and have no doubt about the validity of his information. I truly am sorry that GM once again has done this to their loyal customers. Isuzu already had a 359 cu. in. 6 cyl. that is a great eng.

 

[Todd T]

I was laughing my butt off the other day on the GM site. they had a post that was 30 or so long about that Kennedy guy getting 313HP out of one.



two years out of the box now, and the best they can do is 312. 4hp with aftermarket performance parts. plus they weigh about 8500lbs. no wonder they wont pull anything.

 

[CMacKenzie]

As to the Horse Industry, I just got back from the NCHA Futurity in Ft. Worth and the Cummins powered trucks out numbered Fords by 2-1 and the Dmaxes by 3-1. Now these are mostly people who haul to horse shows all over the U. S. and demand a dependable truck. Who wants a $35,000 horse sitting on the side of the road waiting for a tow?



Most of the people that had bought a Dmax in the last 12 months are looking to trade it in or have already done so. Mostly due to being stuck somewhere after their head gasket went south or when they found the truck could not pull the weight that the Sales Reps had stated they could handle.



Just my $0. 02

 

[wyosteve]

Funny you should mention that. As I drove by the local Dodge dealer this morning I couldn't help but notice that the majority of used trucks sitting there were Fords.

 

[Ninearrow]

I think it is a pretty good test to go to any rodeo, horse show or state fair and count the diesel rigs pulling trailers. You will find many Dodges, usually just as many Fords (crew cabs, mostly), but seldom will you see a Chevy Dmax. These people are usually much more interested in their horses and livestock than their trucks. They choose their trucks primarily for dependability and power. And very few of them drive Chevys. Nuff said?

 

[JoeyD]

It kind of funny when I am on a GM site there are guys who have a buddy or a friend or a brother inlaw that had 3 Dodges with the Cummins that could only get 8mpg and the trans falls out every 2000 miles or the front end is junk with no miles on it. And when on a Dodge or Ford site they know a guy or a buddy that is getting rid of his GM for head gaskets or can't pull a pop up tent trailer up a hill at 55mph or what ever else. There is a guy on the GM page that is fed up with his D-maz allison combo. He has a hauling business of some sort and tows at the max GVWR, 22,000lbs, and his complaint is it holding 5th gear. He says it pulls the weight very well but will not stay in 5th.

As far as the aftermarket HP, it seems to be very dificult to get power out of. But the box Todd is talking about is the 1st real box available that changes fuel rate and timing. It made 330hp and over 700 lbs at the wheels. It's a good start and hopefully it will get better as the time I get around to buying my next truck they will all be more difficult to hot rod.

Not for one second do I believe that GM or Dodge or Ford are perfect, but some things I read are very funny.

 

[QRTRHRS]

I want to see how long that engine holds up putting out 330HP and 700 (is that all?) lbs of torque. Better yet, how about BOMBING a Dmax with a 100k or so on the clock and taking advantage of that power on a regular basis? And then seeing another 100k with little or no major problems.



I don't think none of the big three are perfect either but if your going to sell yourself as being the KING, it better hold true in the real world.

 

[danandamy]

What's the vin number of the trucks in question? Hmmmm? A customer of mine had to help a stranded D-Max the other day that had coolant pouring out of it. I told him I couldn't believe him until I had a vin number He said he forgot to get it, he was busy pulling it up to a rest stop with his Ford

 

[DieselB59]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. They can't get aluminum heads perfected on gas engines. Do they really think that they'd work on a high compression Diesel? GM killed the diesel in the seventies, and they're chipping away at its character once again. What they need is an inline six Detroit in their trucks. Enough of this V engine junk. Real torque comes from an inline engine. I've seen our future in the new Cummins ISB common rail engine. It's gonna be what they're using currently in Europe, additionally equipped with cooled EGR. Still the best Diesel on the market.

 

[Joe G.]

Chris,



Ya got it right. My son has a little Pontiac Sunbird. A little no horsepower sideways four. Guess what? The aluminum head had a neat little failure I have NEVER seen before and I've been wrenching on engines since 1950. It's a good thing that aluminum heads are cheap to get welded. Aluminum heads are going to work just fine on an iron blocked diesel. Yeah right!

 

[Briar Hopper]

In the 1980's, I owned a Chevy LUV truck, built by Isuzu, re-badged as a Chevy. All-aluminum block & head. Blew the head gasket at 65,000 miles. Same thing happened to a friend of mine, same brand of truck, 3 years newer.

A family friend of mine from Indiana, C. J. Rayburn, www.cjrayburn.com famous in the stock car racing world for the quality dirt track chassis he builds, once tried an all-aluminum Buick V-8 with aluminum heads. It was built with the help of Ilmor Engineering, unless I'm mistaken... (if you don't know who Ilmor is, you don't know racing) It wouldn't stay together. I watched it blow up in 4 separate races, 4 different tracks. Not even the finest engineers could make it work.

Can Isuzu, builders of the Duramax, out-engineer Ilmor, and C. J. Rayburn ? I think not. These are my experiences. This is why I won't buy a car or truck with aluminum in the engine. Draw your own conclusions.

 

[Bill Lins]

Originally posted by Joe G.

The aluminum head had a neat little failure I have NEVER seen before and I've been wrenching on engines since 1950.

Not a flame, Joe, but you must not have worked on any other Sunbirds or Cavaliers- they're famous for head failures!

 

[PZicha]

I don't think none of the big three are perfect either but if your going to sell yourself as being the KING, it better hold true in the real world. [/B]

NO KIDDING . . I here a lot of chevy and ford guys spewin away at the jowels about how much better the 6. 6 or the 7. 3 is against our little 5. 9 , I tell all my friends don,t let the displacement fool you . . this is a true diesel in every sence of the word. . This IS FOR THE PHORD FANATICS out there. . if you want some compitition closer to your displacement try on a 8. 3 cummins for pulling power

 

[Barry]

I am reluctant to lay this all on Isuzu. They have a great 5. 9 6 cyl. that will pull!!! Why GM did'nt drop that little bumble bee in their trux is beyond me.

 

[Power Wagon]

One word why GM didn't use an inline six diesel.



Smooth.



Actually, it probably was chosen for it's lightness vs horsepower, too. I've never seen GM use what's proven to work, when they could jury rig something else and and test it on the public.



I really hope this is not the pattern with the D-max... The last thing the diesel truck market needs is a repeat of the 6. 5 or the 5. 7 again.

 

[Barry]

History always repeats itself... ... ... ... ... ... ... .

 

[Joe G.]

Originally posted by Bill Lins





Not a flame, Joe, but you must not have worked on any other Sunbirds or Cavaliers- they're famous for head failures!

You got the right! I try to stay away from things that are obviously junk. My son suffered some sort of brain fade when he bought that thing. I hope my tools don't catch some sort of fungus and rot!

 

[chrgr446]

Just my . 02 worth, I was talking to Ray Barton @ E-town this summer about putting aluminium heads on my Hemi, get this, and I quote " a cast head is worth 40 HP on the dyno and it proves out at the track in the ET. The only advantage he sees is the weight!

 

[Texas Diesel]

Originally posted by Power Wagon

I've never seen GM use what's proven to work, when they could jury rig something else and and test it on the public.

Can you say "history repeats itself" ?

 

[SmokinJoe]

Originally posted by Briar Hopper

This is why I won't buy a car or truck with aluminum in the engine. Draw your own conclusions.

Aluminum heads/blocks are a pain. They do have a place, but NOT in a truck. Look at the new Chev with the 8000, it has a cast iron block AND heads! Says this is the first truck that will go 100,000 without a head gasket replacemtnet...



I think they forgot the cummins has had cast iron block and heads for a LONG time...