07' 6.6 Duramax

I am just curious what experiences people have had while towing with the 2500 Classic with the Duramax. Any issues or things to watch out for as I just purchased one.

Should have bought a Ford PSD...LOL
Duramax is a good truck just watch the tranny on those trucks..

I just bought one..the tranny is the main reason I bought the truck.. The Allison cannot be beat. I had problems with the EGR, I had to take it to the dealer a few times to get it figured out. But it is all good now. I was upset over the EGR problems at first, but know the truck is really starting to impress me. I got 20+ mpg on the highway last week. I dont spend alot of money without doing research first. The Duramax/Allison combo seemed the way to go. The tranny is the best part.

I have an 05. Love it. It can tow my 7000+ pound boat like it isn't there. I really bought it because the way the transmission helps with stopping by down shifting. I am getting close to 36000 miles and have not had one problem with it. Only thing I don't like is how much the dealer charges for maintenance.

You gotta watch the engines on those Fords, powerjoke...

Good luck with your Duramax, I hope it does well for ya. I have a 2001, my dad has an '02, and my uncle just got an '06. We are all very pleased with them. Contrary to what eargasm says, I personally believe that the Allison transmission cannot be beat. I thought I blew mine once, but turns out I just knocked a sensor off the transmission housing when driving in deep, drifted snow! Hope you have great luck with it!

That allison tranny is a tank, you'll love the truck. They've all got their problems, fords blow motors and turbos, Dodges have weaker trannies, GM has some wiring issues and other fun stuff, but they'll all get the job done no problem, it's all in what you like best and are most comfortable fixing yourself If you love busting open and fixing trannies, grab a dodge...if you're an electronics whiz, grab the GM...etc. I want one real bad, i'm jealous!

Thanks for the input, I am excited to tow with it tomorrow.

First of all Shawn, the Allison Trans is bullet proof!
I have a 2002 Duramax and I tow a 35' fifth wheel toybox, fully loaded 10,500 lbs. And I've never noticed any miss givings. The only time I saw the temp raise while towing, was in 108% weather while going up hill, and then it only raised a few degrees. Great Truck, I love it.
Just remember to stay on top maintenance, oil changes, and fuel filter. Diesels don't like dirty fuel.

Two things to watch! Get a pyrometer, so you can watch our EGT's. Even stock, it could save you some grief. Although your really pretty safe set up as stock.

If you add a tuner... once again, watch the EGT's closely. Also keep the power levels down. The engine is capable of putting out way more power than the tranny can handle. Actually it's not the tranny.... it's the torque converter. It's the people who add 100+ hp and 200+ ft. lbs of torque that kill their tranny's and motors.

Well first off the duramax is a decent truck, nice tranny, horrible engine. Now, Daman (who posted first) you should know better than anyone being your a JD/Hitachi field guy that about 90% of all trucks in your industry are FORD...why do you think that is, because of pure towing power and longevity. Up here in norcal you would never see a chevy truck on a jobsite except maybe running to taco bell for lunch. I've been in the
heavy equipment industry for 15 yrs. & own 12 pieces of equipment. We have 2 F250's, 4 F350's,
& 3 F450's. Every one of them go to work towing(bobcats, sweepers, excavators, etc.) and fully loaded w/ tools everyday. And when their done working they're towing the boat to the lake...I guarantee you a FORD will out tow & out last a chevy...

Well, Im not one to get involved in Ford vs Chevy vs Dodge arguments normally. I have owned all three, and have had good luck with all three. With that being said, I have an uncle who is the head diesel tech at a very large Ford dealership in Socal. He told me to get the Duramax. That is saying something.

Shawn,
So is it the tranny or engine? Make up your mind. Above you said watch the tranny, now your saying watch the engine.

Tanner, watch the tranny if your towing alot or long distance can get pretty hot. Motor is
horrible...chevy is still a good truck but there are 2 better options.

yeah ill have to agree, the motor is a piece of junk... the lack of power is driving me crazy! im sick and tired of ford and dodges blowing by me on the inclines!

anyone who believes that one of the big three diesels is that much better than the other two is just ignorant.. they all have their advantages and are nice trucks..

Shawn your a douche! Anyway here is my junk 05 with bad motor and tranny.

Pot (duckguy), meet kettle (Shawn)

Shawn, what have you personally witness that leads you to say that #1, the Allison transmission is junk, and #2, that the Duramax itself is crap? Is there some sort of statistic that you are using?

I totally disagree. I've talked to many GM mechanics, and several have told me that the only Duramaxes they work on are ones that have been chipped out. That seems a night/day difference between the 6.0L PSD. When they first hit market, there were more in the shop than on the road. My own uncle had one in which the engine locked up with 6,300mi on it.

As far as transmissions go, you have no leg to stand on versus the Allison.

I believe that any of the big 3 diesels would serve anyone well. There will be your occasional bug to get out of one, but as a whole, I believe they could all be quite possible of 500k miles+. As far as the engine with the most longevity, you could not go against the Cummins. Fewer moving parts, 6-cylinder. Heck, my dad's 1990 Kenworth 900L with a Cummins has 985k miles on it with the original engine, with an overhaul at 450k and 750k.

Unlike what Shawn boldly claims, a Duramax will more than keep up with a PSD, with any sized load.


Here's a picture of my broke-down 2001 Duramax earlier this year. Sadly, I'm sure it's probably only got about 5k more good miles left on it...

I think this thread got a little out of hand, I was asking more about people who own the vehicle now and what they have experienced. I.E, problems or things to watch out for, I did get some good info. But for the most part these are all things I already know about. EGT's can cause havoc on the turbos bearings, nothing new. Add a tuner your going to have problems unless you are running on low settings. Tranny, engine, axles, anything that moves will pay the price.

Shawn,

As for being a JD/Hitachi Tech I have extensive amounts of experience with Isuzu diesels as they are what Hitachi uses in about 90% of their excavators. Here in Vegas we have one of the largest market shares for excavators (Hitachi and Deere), We have rebuilt "2" Isuzu diesels in 7 years. Both were AA/6BG1's and both were from inhaling unfiltered air for 2,500 hours and the other was 4,000 hours.
Two of the most successful excavators are Deere which is essentially a Hitachi and Cat which is essentially a Mitsubishi. Mysteriously Japanese based equipment. I see tons of Isuzu cab over trucks as well as Ford F350-F450 model trucks. Statistically I don't know what the difference is, but I am willing to bet there is a equal amount of Navistar products and Isuzu products.
Interestingly enough Navistar International doesn't want to pay warranty for their 6.0, I have "heard" several issues of Ford not replacing the second turbo on the 6.0 liter, because of the Navistar lawsuit. We do have several F350 6.0 for skid steer delivery trucks and have not had to many problems, but also we are not running tuners.

I did not purchase the ford for several reasons: #1 is the International lawsuit. #2 the ford has no dual climate control. #3 no ass heaters. #4 no memory seats. #5 no vents in rear seating area. I must say I do love the look of the Ford, but as a consumer I can't feel confident in a product that Ford and International can not agree on warranty claims. Ford had to file to get International to just start production of the 6.4, not good. If it weren't for the lawsuit and the few little option differences I would have probably bought the Ford.

I must say the Chevy has much more stock power though, acceleration is no where near each other.

AGAIN this thread was NOT intended to start a internet fight.

-Daman

Shawn that's funny, ford is the company bombing here. They've put out the last to engines with major issues with the 6.0 that have never been fixed. The new powerstroke with the recall with the flamethrower issues. Great for smores I guess. Yeah ford rocks

Nu Bu is correct sir. And in all this dodge gets kinda left out. I would drive a dodge way before a Ford these days. I think that cummins is a sweet motor, I just dont feel the look as much.

I love my 2500 DMAX. Pulls great 48K and going strong. I had to replace the powersteering pressure hose today but my mechanic says that all chevy's are notorious for busting power stearing hoses.

Actually, the 6.4 flamethrower thing was a minor recall and was only seen on a handful of vehicles, but never let the facts get in the way of a good story!!

I bought the HD Crew Duramax in Nov 06, just pulled my RV for first time this weekend. Pulled my 8000lb trailer no problem, old truck was a HD with 6L gas, the allison tranny stops the jerky motion when coasting, love the duramax!will never go back to gas powered!

People also seem to think the Allison is the only great tranny..... The Ford tranny is great too. They all have a tow-haul mode that downshift for slowing a load. I was hauling close to 10k last month and the truck would slow on its own. Tap the brakes once for the first downshift, again for the second and it'd downshift to 1st on it own around 10mph. That was when I'd use the brakes to stop it all the way.

They all make great products. Pick which works for you. Personally I love the size of the Fords cab. It was the only one that could comforably fit 3 across the front and rear seats.

Yep, the Ford Torqueshift is rock solid and I never hear of any problems with it. I love being able to hold constant speed down the steepest of hills without using the brakes. Then they are cool and ready to go if I really need them.

I am sure all the Diesels have this engine brake feature. This alone, to me, was worth the extra coin for a diesel. Very big safety feature, and well worth it when you have your family and friends in the cab and your pretty boat on the hitch.

Um flux we had a whole fleet of the 6.4's sitting there at our fleet maint shop because we couldn't use them. Each and everyone had to be gone through to fix the problem. We get a few hundred fords a year. Fords are a decent truck, but in no way better than chevy or dodge. I'd take either one over a ford anyday.

I saw a Duramax this morning on the way to work. It was hauling two Centurian boats - One boat was on it's trailer tied down to the trucks rack, and the other was in tow! Needless to say, he was being very carefull in the turns!

Towed my boat this weekend up to Bullards for the first time with my '01 Duramax 6.0. And all I have to say is Wow! First diesel, definitely not the last. I was stoked at how well it did. I will be a diesel owner for life.

Daman- No fight intended, just love a little smack talk once in a while. It's always fun when you get Ford & Chevy talk going. Just so you know I do own 2- Hitachi 330's & 1- 225 excavator. Best damn machine out there. Dirt hogs...

So what exactly was the problem nu bu?? The regen flamethrower?? Or something else?? Please enlighten by adding to substance to comments.

From what I have read, the regen problem occured on a limited number of trucks and as a precaution, Ford recalled the first 50k off the line and retuned them so they would stop fueling the burnoff in the particulate trap when they hit a certain temp.

This is what I have read, and obviously you have much better first hand experience with these things maintaining a fleet, so I am curious is all.

I never said Ford was better than any other truck, I only state the merits of them when I can but don't deny the obvious problems either. I bought a Ford because the Dealership up here supports the Diesels very well. I could not even test drive the GMC/Chevy as they had none on the lot locally, so forget it. Dodge could have been a choice, but I got a very good deal on my Ford and its a beast. Hopefully it stays that way, but you never know.

I would not touch the first model of any new diesel truck / engine combo, and I think your fleet shows why.

Hey Flux- When the ford 03's came out w/ the 6.0liter those things were fallin apart left & right. Ford didn't get it right till about 05'.
I test drove an 08' couple weeks ago I wasn't impressed at all. I'll let them work the bugs out
and keep my 05'.

When I first started looking, I thought I might buy used, but researching the net led me to several places that advised against anything that was not 05-07, so I went with the 06. Yep, Ford messed up the 03 & 04, not all of them, but I would not risk it. Shame because the 7.3 was a very reliable engine by all accounts. My 06 is top notch thus far, and I can always trick it out if I choose.

I have now officially hijacked the Duramax thread, and I am sorry. I hope everyone simply enjoys their diesel trucks, makes hauling a thing of pleasure....especially up the backside of the grapevine passing minivans.

Yeh, I had a 96' F350 w/ 7.3 in it, sold in good cond. w/ 315,000 on her. About 6-7threads down somebody is looking for a duramax mechanic.

Now that I know, I should have looked into a used 7.3, but man I love the power of that 6.0l, it's like a muscle car unloaded and loves to haul. I am looking forward to the 250 miles to the river this weekend. Put it in cruise and sit back and enjoy.

Been hearing mixed reviews on the 08's as well. Most agree the ride and the cab is pretty awesome, but the economy ain't all that and the DPF regen can rob power on some trucks. Others report increasingly better mileage, great power, and no problems with regen. Ford needs to dump Navistar, IMO, too hit or miss with the engines.

I have a 1997 with a Chevrolet 6.5L, the engine had a bad rap because of way the injector pump was designed. It has a pmd which sends the signal to open the solenoid in the injector pump, and the pmd goes bad frequently.

However, once you move it to a cooler space, the engine has been great.

Every diesel has a year or too of crappy engines.

The first years of the dmaxs had terrible injection problems, the 1999 cummins 24v also had severe problems, as well as the ford 6.0.

1994-1998 12v Cummins are money, if you can find one, they are bullet proof.

If I was in the market, I would be all over the new dmax/allison combo.

Here's my experience. 2002 D/A with 55,000 miles. The only problem ever was when it was chipped and towing through the mountains...pulled the chip and the problem went away. It will haul a combined weight of 16,000# at 60 up a 5% grade in its present stock form.

I researched all the Diesels before making a commitment. I talked to owners of the big three. I asked questions, read discussion boards, and talked to mechanics. The majority of people, answers and research lead to the same answer, Cummins therefore Dodge.

I fully agree that any diesel is going to be better than any gasser, it comes down to what you what brand you want more. I personally wanted the Cummins motor but understand that the tranny could be an issue. I also understand that the interior is a little under the other two, even in leather.

All have pros and all have cons, but all will put a big smile on your face when you hook up the boat. We were bringing the boat home yester day from winter boat camp. As we were heading east up to Donner Summit from the Sac area, I came upon another boat being towed. As we got closer I noticed it was a Malibu being pulled by an Expedition. As we went by I noticed the driver on the phone, I can only imagine that he was telling the person on the other end that he wished he got a diesel instead.

Enjoy the Duramax. Enjoy the torque. Enjoy the towability. Enjoy the better economy and for the time being enjoy the cheaper fuel prices.

what is the gas mileage difference between the 3? Chevy, Ford, Dodge in around 02-03?. Just around town and highway

Jim, I am very experienced with Cummins and they injection pump they use, the infamous VP-44! With on simple loss of fuel pressure and say good night to a 1,200 injection pump. The only reason I say this is, because Deere uses the same pump in several of their machines. Internal pump timing issues spring up when ever you run them low on fuel or lose fuel pressure from the supply pump. I guess what I am trying to say is DONT RUN IT OUT OF FUEL!!! Probably one of the most reliable mid duty diesels today other than that and they are finally getting quite.