First Gen Silverado's and Suburbans

[Goshawk]

I find my GMT-800 Duramax is much easier to work on than the more modern vehicles. Much easier to get to everything.

-P.

[6]

I find my GMT-800 Duramax is much easier to work on than the more modern vehicles. Much easier to get to everything.

-P.

A nightmare compared to my 2500 6.0

EGR took up a large chunk of a day. Pulling turbo piping to do power steering lines. Routing those hard line fuel lines around the steering shaft (called it on that one and bought soft braided lines from to back).

I don't like working on that truck at all. Love the truck, hate working on it.

[Goshawk]

A nightmare compared to my 2500 6.0

EGR took up a large chunk of a day. Pulling turbo piping to do power steering lines. Routing those hard line fuel lines around the steering shaft (called it on that one and bought soft braided lines from to back).

I don't like working on that truck at all. Love the truck, hate working on it.

Ummm…what EGR? The intermediate steering shaft? Just pop that sucka out. Literally 20 seconds after you get the inner fender liner out.

-P.

[6]

Ummm…what EGR? The intermediate steering shaft? Just pop that sucka out. Literally 20 seconds after you get the inner fender liner out.

-P.

The EGR valve. Replaced the whole setup. it was a bitch. And it's still throwing a code...

And it doesn't help if you pull the steering shaft, because when you go to put it back in the hard lines are right where it it supposed to be. Right where it turns to braided, so no matter how you do it the braided lines kink as soon as you get a few heat cycles in them then it goes into limp mode.

There are lots of people with the same problem, the truck settles, shit moves, fuel lines crimp and you keep going limp.

Back to back, one week then the next I replaced the steering box, lines, and hydro boost on both trucks. Just refreshing the systems.

The lq4 was half the work of the Duramax and I did the lq4 first.. so I should have been well practiced when I got to the Duramax.

Its a large motor compared to the ls based engines, and it has more shit shoved in there with the turbo setup.. but the engine bay is the same size.

It's a great truck. I don't want the dually, but if I could have my same truck with the Duramax I may take that option just for double the milage and the towing tq, but working on the two is not comparable.

If we are going to stay on this topic I should move us to a new thread.

[6]

No, you’re right, LQ4 to LBZ. The turbo & downpipe is a knuckle bruiser behind the engine…I’m just saying the relative lack of emissions leave more room than current models. When my LQ4 was in there, it was swimming in the deep end.

-P.

Absolutely. I hate working on the new stuff. We have a 2012 ford diesel. I hate that truck. Very, very much. The interior feels like it was plastic molded in one big mold. It's cheesey in there. I don't like the way it drives and I absolutely HATE working on it. I'll take the Duramax over that any day and twice on wrench days.

[6]

Goshawk What's the swap like from lq4 to lbz. I'd imagine it's a nightmare.

At that point I may as well do a 7.3. besides the motor and trans mounts being available it's probably less work.
At some point I'm going to have to pay the fuel bill on this thing. I got 25mpg with my 7.3 in the 350. We get 17 with the Duramax. ..

I don't think I would do the swap, everything being Available cheap for this setup is nice. But damn the mileage is rugged.

[Goshawk]

It’s not so much the issue with the physical swap, but it’s the electronics and getting everything to talk with each other.

-P.