Diesel truck owners, looking for a little advice

For god sake don't drive it the cold weather.

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Thanks guys, makes me feel little better when I see the mileage. So they don't like the cold weather like me, live on the gulf coast so should not be a problem. My luck my next project will be up north in blizzards.

it's just barely getting broken in!

Duramx with the Allison is a hard combo to beat. 210k wouldn't scare me at all. My childhood friends dad does hotshots with one and it has about 900k on it. all original drivetrain.

Make sure it has a block heater that you can plug in.

Duramax is better than PowerStroke in my opinion. Cummins is better than both in my opinion. That's my disclaimer here.

Duramax seems to be hit or miss: sometimes they don't perform that well. But when you get a good one, it's solid. Draw back is if you want to do any work on it yourself. For example, water pump in Cummins is really cheap and really easy to replace. I did mine on my own. Bought a new pump direct from Cummins and coolant. Less than $150 and about 1hr work. Lot of Duramax owners will say getting to things on the engine is just not that easy. So that means added shop hours when repair is needed. I remember a Duramax owner telling me he spent 3hrs to do his water pump.

Mileage is not an issue. I have had two 2001 Cummins trucks. One at 200k and the only issue was a water pump, around 150k. No other problems ever. The other has over 400k. Only things replaced have been harmonic damper, water pump, muffler, and there was a small oil leak because a gasket simply wore out. That's less than $1200 for 400k miles, 15 years, includes parts and labor.

Long time ago there was a short production run of Cummins engine blocks (in Brazil I think). They made the walls too thin. The blocks can be identified by a certain number cast into the block. Cummins people know to stay away from those. It may serve you well to jump on some Chevy / GMC forums or Duramax forums and see if there are similar issues with Duramax.

Truck you describe seems pretty legit if it has maintenance records. If it was a lemon you'd probably know it for sure from the records. Find all technical service bulletins and get the latest recommendations for coolant and engine oil for that engine. Keep the oil fresh and the fuel pure. Fuel is extremely important in a diesel - no spark plugs. It depends on compression which depends on good mix of pure fuel and air. Dirty fuel or water in fuel is bad. I assume Duramax has a fuel/water separator. Check it and just go ahead and put in a new fuel filter along with air, and oil change.

Do not put a load on the engine until it's warm. Pay attention to your gauges when you drive. Diesels are typically very consistent (except powerstroke, their power band rises and falls too sharply). If the gauges are in a different reading than what they typically are for same conditions in the past, it may be good time to have it looked at. Also, pay attention on the highway. There is probably a sweet spot where you optimize rpm's and speed, which means optimum fuel economy. The more you drive a diesel, you'll almost detect it by sound. They are obviously not created for speed. They are for strength and durability. Treat them well and they will last forever. Your interior will fall apart long before the engine unless you mistreat it.

Prius and Tesla owners would have to buy three cars to get the miles one can get from a good diesel powered vehicle. Other bonuses here: 2005 is before the last round of ridiculous EPA emissions stuff so that truck should be more reliable and definitely cheaper to operate than the new ones. Also, the hippies with Prius and Tesla cars will come lecture you about the environment. I had a girl tap on my window once. I rolled it down. She said, "your truck is killing the environment." I rolled the window up and drove off. My only regret is not 'rolling coal' with my exhaust pointed at her.

That Duramax isn't the most friendly if you're just a shade tree mechanic. Changing the fuel filter requires removing the passenger side wheel shroud to reach the thing. Unless you are a contortionist and can reach it from the top of the engine. Batteries are jammed in tight. Oil filter is a breeze but the drain pan has a really fricked up design. Trans filter is readily accessible. Never once changed a starter on mine. Had the alternator replaced professionally so I never screwed with it.
Overall, filter changes were easy. Other items may make you question GM engineering.
Best of all...no emissions BS to deal with.
All the sexy electronics weren't available then, so you may not be able to stream music, but you won't have as many potential electronic issues either

I like this thread. Been thinking about trading my '13 6.0 for a diesel

As usual the OB does not fail to deliver. A lot of great advice and good little tips. Knew I came to the right place when seeking a little knowledge. My hat off to all that responded.

Ran across a 2004 Chevy 2500Hd with 147000 on it and by the pictures looks like it just came off the lot. Been trying to contact the owner so I can schedule a look at it. Asking price is the same as the GMC 2005. Believe the engine and transmission is the same set up. Won't know until I talked to the owner.