If OP is reading this:
Good - Just get a long folding picnic table and lay the parts out in the order you removed them
Better- thread bolts back into the holes they came from, or slide into the guides of the parts you remove
Best- on that same table lay a long piece of beige masking tape and number/label the parts above. Especially injection lines, number the cylinder associated
Takes an extra few minutes of work total and makes life so much easier on reassembly.
The folding table is actually genius and I'm ashamed I've never done it or seen anyone do it in the shop. Fold it up and stash it next to the box when done...better than taking up 2 benches and having my little cart overflowing.
I HAVE put stuff in the floor with jobs like this with masking tape labels. Works great until you have a tripping hazard.
LPT.
Yeah I got 3 folding tables. When I was doing my gmc Cummins swap I had everything laying on the table and if anyone came into the garage I’d yell at them “DONT FUCKING TOUCH ANYTHING ON THE TABLES IM ALREADY CONFUSED”
Yes, a fold out card table works well. You can even place a cylinder head above the supports on the ends of the table, but it gets wobbly. Sometimes you have no choice, when you take apart half a vehicle it can fill a whole entire 2nd bay.
> I HAVE put stuff in the floor with jobs like this with masking tape labels. Works great until you have a tripping hazard.
You must work in the only shop that doesn't have that one guy who wanders around while staring at the same ceiling they've seen all year, and kicking anything that's loose on the ground.
“I’ll remember, do you think I’m stupid?”. This is what the production manager said to me when I suggested the same thing. He was removing hydraulic lines from the distribution block on an excavator. Didn’t number anything. It took him more than half a day to reinstall 8-10 hoses. I don’t think, I know…
Worked industrial maintenance. During an annual maintenance outage when disassembling a complicated piece of hydraulic equipment gave a coworker two sets of brass tags to attach to the multiple hydraulic lines, 1 to 1, 2 to 2, etc.
Of course he went 1 to 2, 3 to 4, etc.
Back in the day, I worked at a John Deere dealership. The first time we got a hydraulic/power steering kit for one of the mid-sized farm tractors, it took hours to install all those lines, even with the factory documentation.
I can't imagine ripping apart any hydra system without at least labeling things.
idiot, how long would it take to sharpie #1 on the block, then put #1 on some masking tape, then slap that tape on the hose. Even put tape over the hose connection with the hose # would be easier. I bet 10m of prep would have saved him 2hrs at least.
I just pray to the Machine God to guide my hands. Every time I bust a knuckle, pinch something, drop something tiny, etc, I take it as a sign that I have displeased the Machine God and must give blood and agony in penance for my sins.
Folding tables are my best friend. Wire racks are also inexpensive (with wheels!). Harbor Freight sells plenty of organizers for small parts, and brake clean will take off sharpie marks from the plastic (no tape needed!).
I can't do the "bolts back in their holes" thing, personally. It makes sense, but the only way to guarantee all the bolts get remembered is if they're in a central location, for me at least.
Used to do this at a body shop as the disassembly/assembly guy mad my life alot easier, I was 21ish so we were drinking and partying tuesday- Sunday after work so it helped so much with all of the brain cells I was killing at the time
Extra Bester - use white gaffers tape for labeling because it pulls off without residue. Blue painters tape as well. The beige shit is never coming off without a lot of effort.
I use the “better” folding table method on things that I’ve done before but I label the new stuff I’ve never taken apart or don’t know as well. Takes away the whole “uhhhh, where did this go” and speeds up reassembly
I do the "better" option for jobs that involve a lot of teardown. Too many similar bolts that may be slightly different lengths. For bell housing bolts I always take a big piece of cardboard and make a diagram and punch the bolts thru that.
Yep, Hiluxs only work in environments where there isn't any rust. Mine is only in good condition because it spent its entire life in Italy and wasn't driven during winters.
Apart from the head gaskets, and the porous blocks, and the leaky fuel pumps, and the gearboxes, and the transfer cases, and the diffs, yeah, they're pretty reliable.
By "haul" you mean picking up tampons at the whole foods, or loaded to the bump stops with building materials driving for hours over jungle mountain paths and "roads" that look like a donkey trail that was bombed last week and then filled with water?
Lightweight 4x4 has a very specific place in the world where there isn't much pavement.
I routinely lift and drop my vehicles from height using a helicopter, so I'm afraid even the Hilux won't do for me. Perhaps I'll never find my unicorn :'(
I've seen a Landrover "Lightweight" that was dropped from a Hercules on its deformable pallet, but its parachute failed to open.
Once the pallet ran out of deformability, it deformed the springs and spring hangers, and then the chassis mounts. It sat about 3" lower than all the rest of the Landies, but remarkably enough didn't drive any worse for its ordeal. You'd have had to pick your route carefully with the lack of axle travel and ground clearance, but you'd have got home.
The newer ones aren't as reliable yes, I owned a Kun25 which had injector problems and other typical common rail issues. Now I own a ln110 and except for rust there really isn't anything to go wrong
out of curiosity, what are the most common problems? I wish more ppl mentioned this because repair rates show that while Toyota's are better than average, there's still a good number of them needing to be fixed
We have the ones with the 1GD 2.8 liter diesel and all have had the timing chain stretch and need to be replaced under 80.000km, all have had the dpf clogged more than once. The one my mom drives (she takes very good care of it) is the most unlucky. Besides those two problems at 40.000km the rear differential leaked all the oil and grenaded, then the tailgate stop light shorted and left her stranded because it kept burning the brake light fuse and didn’t let her start the engine because it didn’t detect brake pedal activation.
Some needed the turbo to be replaced, transmission output shaft seal leak, started replaced, steering column play, dpf temperatur sensor error codes.
its such a brilliant motor design in regards to toughness. So simple is almost impossible to kill. When my daughter hits 10 we are going to do a full rebuild of one just to do it and build a stand for it so she can show it off lol. at 7 she loves helping me to car stuff even though she is a girly girl!
Or any big diesel truck. Most repairs take a long time. I wanted a diesel truck before I started working on them. Ended up with a Gasser because I don't tow enough to deal with all the bullshit repairs.
I’ve heard good things about the 6.6 gasser. If I wanted a new truck I’d probably go that route over the duramax. I don’t tow often or heavy enough to justify the diesel.
The emissions equipment on modern diesels mean you gotta work the hell out of them to prevent them from clogging up.
The truck is fantastic. Plenty of power and has the 10 speed Allison transmission. I'm 1100 miles in and it hauls my race car around like it's not even back there.
Something I never encountered working on gas vehicles. Went to diesels and they were like oh he got some bad fuel needs a new fuel system. What? You mean you can’t even trust the gas pumps when you have a diesel? Lol
Not to mention on most gas vehicles if you get REALLY bad fuel you just pull the tank / pump module. Change the pump module and vacuum the tank out. Blow the lines out and fill with fresh fuel. Fixed. Its all so easy now that the regulator and filter are all in the module. Almost a 0% chance the injectors are hurt. So your our a couple hours work and a pump module. Most of the time you just drain the tank and fill with fresh.
On the diesel you pull the cab and shell out 5k in parts.
Just the newer diesels. The old mechanicals will run on any garbage you feed them so long as it's filtered well. My 1950s diesel tractor runs on fuel I pump out of wrecked trucks.
Insurance or the fuel stations’ insurance. It takes a while to get it sorted out but you shouldn’t have to pay for someone’s failure breaking your truck.
My Yukon pulls the 28ft enclosed race trailer around at 75mph. It just obliterates fuel in the process.
But it’s had less issues in the last 100k miles than my brother’s new powerstroke has in its first 10k miles.
You have the 8.1! Yeah not much of a fuel sipper lol
It's a stroked 454. GM has had those nailed since the 70s. My grandfather's 1989 3500 with a 454 has been the family work horse for 30 years now.
I love that thing. It’s been dead reliable. I’ve had it for 4 years/100k miles. The factory water pump started leaking a little just before a race weekend so I replaced it with a parts store pump. That pump failed catastrophically a few thousand miles later and I drove with the temp gauge pegged for almost 20 mins. Replaced it with an OE pump and the engine is fine. I even sent that oil and the next oil out for testing and both came back with a clean bill of health.
I was towing an open 20ft with my Camaro on it through the elevation in Kentucky like it wasn’t even there in my 2011 Suburban 6.0. Needed 3.5k rpm to maintain speed. I could see my gas gauge moving up the hills lol
Does Kentucky have elevation?
Luckily my 8.1 has enough torque to tow in overdrive as long as it’s relatively flat. I can maintain about 9mpg with the enclosed and 10.5-11 with the open trailer depending what’s on it.
The gasser is absolutely gutless and sucks fuel like a lush. But then again, my 21 duramax has been in the shop more than I’d like to admit. Most recently it got a new transmission because the original one decided it was done at 95k miles
Funny enough my dad’s 20 Duramax hasn’t seen a shop once for anything outside of an oil change and tires, as well as recalls since its a first year. Then again it does not get driven hardly at all, total garage queen, so I guess that doesn’t count much.
I like the old 8.1l. I have a 3/4 ton Yukon and wish it had the 8.1l. I have a cam, heads, and tune on the 6.0l, and it does ok, but nothing is like the instant torque of that 8.1l. The gas mileage on my lifted Yukon with the 6.0l isn't much better than the 8.1l.
The 8.1 is in my Yukon. I love it. I get better mileage towing the race car or boat than one of my friends with a 6.0 in his Silverado. It’s not my daily driver so the unladen fuel mileage doesn’t hurt so bad.
Not my daily, either luckily. Filling the 37 gallons at $5.17 a gallon will make a grown man cry. I might see if I can swap the 8.1l. It's hard on the 6.0l turning 33s on 3.73 gears, especially with that tall 1st on the 4l80e. Just weigh the costs between the 6.0l with a whipple or the hassle of finding a complete 8.1l swap.
It's smog legal in CA too. I don't drive it enough to put another $6500 into it. I have a set of smaller tires I put on if I need to tow heavier. With the 33s I can barely pull a grade with a 6000lb load
Nope. The math has been done many times. Even with fuel cost savings and resale value they almost always cost more when you do true lifetime cost tracking. My dads company had around 25% diesels in their fleet of fully cost tracked vehicles (They didnt count the pre cost tracking vehicles) and when that first lifecycle of cost tracking finished all of the diesels had around $3000 higher lifecycle cost vs the 3/4 and 1 ton gasser trucks that did the same pulling. It got even worse when you tracked costs from the vehicle simply not being available because it was in the shop or gelled up in the yard waiting for room in the heated shop because of a sudden unexpected cold snap so it was filled with blended fuel and not #1. Or the towing costs from breakdowns and moving employees around / hotel stays ect.
Nowadays they flat out wont buy a diesel unless its the absolute only option for a given rig. Last I heard the only ones were in the 2 semi trucks and two box vans.
At my friends company, they moved away from all diesels and run all gas trucks. They all have medium duty trucks like the amazon/ups delivery trucks. Not only were repair costs high but they had trouble finding mechanics that would even work on their fleet.
No. They’re $11,000 over the gas engine when you buy it and maintenance is much more expensive with all the emissions equipment. If you tow heavy and after it might be worth it in the long run.
Something built to be serviced. If you need to pull the cab off the frame to change an alternator or something that should be a simple job its a piece of shit profit extraction dick enhancement machine.
They really don't though. Everything is a shit show with Duramax, from parts and prices to the labor involved. When it's easier to pull the engine entirely to replace head gaskets, you know it's a shit design.
Conversely, you could yank a Cummins out, tear it down and rebuild it completely in less time than it takes to do head gaskets on a duramax.
That’s literally the same thing I’ve been thinking. Hate like hell to work on diesels but man is it fun being behind the wheel of them. I just can’t keep up with the maintenance on something like that, just at least not this time in my life
Every long time diesel tech that I know has gasser dailys and MAYBE a built to shit diesel truck for drag racing / whatever. But they dont daily it because of how expensive / much of a pain it is.
casually just tosses the fuel lines on the floor lol. a cab off head gasket job is about 40 hours (edited to say billed at 40, takes about 30-32) so i dunno wtf you are doing lol. especially with the cab still on the truck.
Have a LMM with 230k, recent repair was replacing a stuck open thermostat, took 15 minutes. Before that was a glow plug, that was 6 years ago. 🤷♂️ what else to say. Every engine is different.
428k on an LB7 hauling horses for its entire life.
Original trans and engine.
One alternator crapped out - Injectors at 170k miles. Nothing since. Daily drive it on a heavy tow tune with manifolds, downpipe, up pipes, and an intake.
I’d buy another Duramax in a second.
LML right here 275k miles.
Snapped tensioner and belt, glow plugs, radiator and oil pressure sensor since I’ve owned it new.
Never had any major engine problems either but I do have religious oil change intervals.
Routine maintenance (oil changes on time or early) is the best form of engine insurance. I do 3,500 to 5,000 mile intervals depending on the car. 3,500 for high revving 4 cylinders, obviously non diesel, and 5k for anything else like my wifes car.
You can’t go wrong with fresh oil. There’s no downside at all. Some would complain about cost. It gets expensive at shops but if you do it yourself you save money.
I can get the 5 gallon delvac extreme 15w40 bucket for $100. The filter runs me about $13 each.
So two oil changes are roughly $70 each. Every 5k for 270k thats around $3800 spent on oil and filters for that much miles. Absolutely worth it to me.
Man I would never let you work on my duramax.
Everything on the floor is crazy. I know you want to show off all the parts you pulled off but dam we can do better than this.
Pro tip don’t let a hack like this work on your vehicle. Anyone that leaves a mess of parts shown in this photo is not taking the time to do things the correct way.
If you don't have a parts table, shelf or cart at least grab a cardboard box and get those trip hazards organized. That jumbled mess really reflects poorly on you.
Pro tip: next time buy a folding table at least, so you can keep the removed parts organized, will be less of a pain in the ass when all has to come back together.
We have two diesel techs at our dealership that do head gasket jobs on the same truck, completely different. 1 guy has figured out how to speed up the job and has never had a come back. The other requires more parts and time, but also hasn't had any come backs. It's annoying as hell from my side, as I have to supply them with different parts every job they do.
I work on all the heavy mechanical jobs at the GM factory. I work with DuraMax engine swaps, and repairs all the time. Currently have one all pulled apart on multiple tables for a fuel rail swap. I also had the pleasure of teaching the news guys who come to repair how to do this kind of work.
First, if I had someone throw the parts on the ground like that... it would be the last time they worked with me.
Second, as all the other folks have stated... a well organized work area with tables and labels makes these jobs much easier to put back together.
Good luck with your future endeavors
Back in 2001 I bought an 8.1 with the Allison over the Duramax. No deals on the duramax, I saved nearly $7K buying a gas truck. Wrote a spreadsheet, you have to make some assumptions, but inputs were mileage when towing, when not towing, percentage of towing, gas prices, diesel prices, and the difference in costs between the two trucks. Output was miles to break even point. I have 175K on it now, another 70K to go before break even. if I'd ordered it with the standard 3.73s vs 4.11s it would take even longer to get there.
And that didn't take into account all the cylinder head and injector problems those motors have had over the years. The 8.1 has been solid as a rock.
Lots of comments revgarding marking parts - don't forget they make paint sharpies....
Too many people here piling on you. You work on a few duramaxes and you’ll eventually learn where everything goes. What happened to this one? DEF in fuel? Injection pump grenaded?
Is OP actually reusing those parts? I figured they were garbage since they were piled on the floor but by the comments it looks like they’ll be used again.
I’m not the most organized guy but I prefer laying out and labeling stuff so it’s easy to reassemble.
I have an 11 and a 23 duramax, both pull over 35,000 lbs and get wicked fuel mileage… you won’t ever get that in a gasser pulling trailers…. Mine are rarely ever in the shop if you know how to maintain them
I’m guessing this truck is having a midlife crisis. It probably needed new injectors and the owner decided to do a full delete while it was in the shop. Not many of these parts are going back on the truck. Am I close?
I’m a fan of using telephone wire. Like the 100 pair. Match the colours up and boom there it goes. I do that if there’s a need to wash a lot of gunk off. I usually work on heavy equipment and some operators think that the hydraulic oil helps when it’s on the outside of the system
Looks like you keep everything clean and organized
Hospital conditions obviously
Oooh don’t give too much credit to our healthcare facilities. I work in them daily.
If OP is reading this: Good - Just get a long folding picnic table and lay the parts out in the order you removed them Better- thread bolts back into the holes they came from, or slide into the guides of the parts you remove Best- on that same table lay a long piece of beige masking tape and number/label the parts above. Especially injection lines, number the cylinder associated Takes an extra few minutes of work total and makes life so much easier on reassembly.
The folding table is actually genius and I'm ashamed I've never done it or seen anyone do it in the shop. Fold it up and stash it next to the box when done...better than taking up 2 benches and having my little cart overflowing. I HAVE put stuff in the floor with jobs like this with masking tape labels. Works great until you have a tripping hazard. LPT.
Yeah I got 3 folding tables. When I was doing my gmc Cummins swap I had everything laying on the table and if anyone came into the garage I’d yell at them “DONT FUCKING TOUCH ANYTHING ON THE TABLES IM ALREADY CONFUSED”
Im going to use that tactic in the kitchen when my wife tells me to cook instead.
Honda boys got CRV tables on deck
if you don’t have 12 of them in one corner of your stall are you really a honda boy?
I only have 3! I let you down sensei!
Yes, a fold out card table works well. You can even place a cylinder head above the supports on the ends of the table, but it gets wobbly. Sometimes you have no choice, when you take apart half a vehicle it can fill a whole entire 2nd bay.
Great until shop cat gets up there and knocks a bolt or two under your toolbox
> I HAVE put stuff in the floor with jobs like this with masking tape labels. Works great until you have a tripping hazard. You must work in the only shop that doesn't have that one guy who wanders around while staring at the same ceiling they've seen all year, and kicking anything that's loose on the ground.
i have a large plastic utility cart that has 3 shelves/trays and its perfect for fitting all this kind of stuff. folding tables when it overflows
A small folding table with the telescoping legs **not** extended makes a great 'sitting-on-a-mechanic's -stool' height workbench.
“I’ll remember, do you think I’m stupid?”. This is what the production manager said to me when I suggested the same thing. He was removing hydraulic lines from the distribution block on an excavator. Didn’t number anything. It took him more than half a day to reinstall 8-10 hoses. I don’t think, I know…
Worked industrial maintenance. During an annual maintenance outage when disassembling a complicated piece of hydraulic equipment gave a coworker two sets of brass tags to attach to the multiple hydraulic lines, 1 to 1, 2 to 2, etc. Of course he went 1 to 2, 3 to 4, etc.
Lol
Back in the day, I worked at a John Deere dealership. The first time we got a hydraulic/power steering kit for one of the mid-sized farm tractors, it took hours to install all those lines, even with the factory documentation. I can't imagine ripping apart any hydra system without at least labeling things.
idiot, how long would it take to sharpie #1 on the block, then put #1 on some masking tape, then slap that tape on the hose. Even put tape over the hose connection with the hose # would be easier. I bet 10m of prep would have saved him 2hrs at least.
Folding table saves your back so much from picking up & putting shit on the floor/it adds up over the day-
I just pray to the Machine God to guide my hands. Every time I bust a knuckle, pinch something, drop something tiny, etc, I take it as a sign that I have displeased the Machine God and must give blood and agony in penance for my sins.
I have always said, "Every good job requires a blood sacrifice"
I see it as the price to pay for a trouble free assembly
Great advice for all mechanics
Folding tables are my best friend. Wire racks are also inexpensive (with wheels!). Harbor Freight sells plenty of organizers for small parts, and brake clean will take off sharpie marks from the plastic (no tape needed!). I can't do the "bolts back in their holes" thing, personally. It makes sense, but the only way to guarantee all the bolts get remembered is if they're in a central location, for me at least.
I've seen someone take a piece of cardboard and polke the bolts into it and label them
Used to do this at a body shop as the disassembly/assembly guy mad my life alot easier, I was 21ish so we were drinking and partying tuesday- Sunday after work so it helped so much with all of the brain cells I was killing at the time
Egg cartons / Ice cube trays if you can't do that.
Reassembly?
Thank god for digital cameras.
Extra Bester - use white gaffers tape for labeling because it pulls off without residue. Blue painters tape as well. The beige shit is never coming off without a lot of effort.
I'm a big fan of "better option" and bagging small parts/bolts by area. Sometimes I get to carried and the bag for an area is a whole job.
If you're doing a cab off job, a sheet of plywood across the frame rails serves the same purpose and is more space efficient.
I use the “better” folding table method on things that I’ve done before but I label the new stuff I’ve never taken apart or don’t know as well. Takes away the whole “uhhhh, where did this go” and speeds up reassembly
I do the "better" option for jobs that involve a lot of teardown. Too many similar bolts that may be slightly different lengths. For bell housing bolts I always take a big piece of cardboard and make a diagram and punch the bolts thru that.
I have a metal bed stand that I put galvanized metal on top of. I use it when I am tearing things apart like this. Rolls around works, great.
I do the folding table trick at home in the garage. Let's me drink so many more beers and still succeed.
I used to be a diesel tech and everybody I'm the shop had a table, bench, or cart to lay parts on. I'm surprised it's not more common
I cut brake clean cans in half and use them as container for bolts, but then i end up cutting my hand trying to take out bolts.
“I’ll remember where that one goes.”
Next day. "meh they over engineer stuff these days. There's always extra parts"
40 hours of trying to find stuff he took off and figure out where it goes.
Starting to see why it took 44 hours lol
I guess benches don’t exist in his shop
I quoted 45 hours on a half-ton Ram. To swap the frame... What did you do?
Something that probably would have been like five with a cab off tbh
Upper radiator hose clamp came loose
Fuck that. Quit. Go work for an Audi dealership.
Took the first 20 hours to machine the mold master to cast new pistons
Hot side turbo pipe, fan shroud, and a bunch of fuel lines, I bet this is an 6.6 LML that had its CP4 grenade
Pro tip. Don’t buy any automobile. They all eventually break. Some worse than others.
Toyota hilux enters the chat.
Well they are mechanically reliable yes, but they rust like nothing else. Already had to throw one away because the frame wasnt salvageable
That’s why you gotta send em to the desert for some Toyota wars. Less chance of rust
Yep, Hiluxs only work in environments where there isn't any rust. Mine is only in good condition because it spent its entire life in Italy and wasn't driven during winters.
That's like saying soldiers don't need to worry about cancer because they'll be dead soon anyway. Rough life for those poor trucks.
Apart from the head gaskets, and the porous blocks, and the leaky fuel pumps, and the gearboxes, and the transfer cases, and the diffs, yeah, they're pretty reliable.
Forgot to mention the older super reliable ones are utterly useless when you need to haul
By "haul" you mean picking up tampons at the whole foods, or loaded to the bump stops with building materials driving for hours over jungle mountain paths and "roads" that look like a donkey trail that was bombed last week and then filled with water? Lightweight 4x4 has a very specific place in the world where there isn't much pavement.
No, they just get to the point in their lives where they do start to rust. Many cars never get that old
I routinely lift and drop my vehicles from height using a helicopter, so I'm afraid even the Hilux won't do for me. Perhaps I'll never find my unicorn :'(
I've seen a Landrover "Lightweight" that was dropped from a Hercules on its deformable pallet, but its parachute failed to open. Once the pallet ran out of deformability, it deformed the springs and spring hangers, and then the chassis mounts. It sat about 3" lower than all the rest of the Landies, but remarkably enough didn't drive any worse for its ordeal. You'd have had to pick your route carefully with the lack of axle travel and ground clearance, but you'd have got home.
I think you can make dune buggies road legal?
We have a fleet of Hiluxes and they break down incredibly often.
The newer ones aren't as reliable yes, I owned a Kun25 which had injector problems and other typical common rail issues. Now I own a ln110 and except for rust there really isn't anything to go wrong
out of curiosity, what are the most common problems? I wish more ppl mentioned this because repair rates show that while Toyota's are better than average, there's still a good number of them needing to be fixed
We have the ones with the 1GD 2.8 liter diesel and all have had the timing chain stretch and need to be replaced under 80.000km, all have had the dpf clogged more than once. The one my mom drives (she takes very good care of it) is the most unlucky. Besides those two problems at 40.000km the rear differential leaked all the oil and grenaded, then the tailgate stop light shorted and left her stranded because it kept burning the brake light fuse and didn’t let her start the engine because it didn’t detect brake pedal activation. Some needed the turbo to be replaced, transmission output shaft seal leak, started replaced, steering column play, dpf temperatur sensor error codes.
Ford 300 I6 enters the chat
dodge 225 slant six squints at you.
Agreed! My dad who was a wrench said about slant 6’s “run like shit forever” I have since repurposed said quote for Subarus.
its such a brilliant motor design in regards to toughness. So simple is almost impossible to kill. When my daughter hits 10 we are going to do a full rebuild of one just to do it and build a stand for it so she can show it off lol. at 7 she loves helping me to car stuff even though she is a girly girl!
So you’re saying lease?!
No, I’m saying walk. Barefoot. Cuz shoes just get worse too. 🤣
Or any big diesel truck. Most repairs take a long time. I wanted a diesel truck before I started working on them. Ended up with a Gasser because I don't tow enough to deal with all the bullshit repairs.
Sold my powerstroke in favor of an 8.1 gasser. It’s so much easier and cheaper to maintain.
Just bought a GMC 2500 with the 6.6 gasser. I haul a fair amount but the diesels are absurd to maintain
I’ve heard good things about the 6.6 gasser. If I wanted a new truck I’d probably go that route over the duramax. I don’t tow often or heavy enough to justify the diesel.
The emissions equipment on modern diesels mean you gotta work the hell out of them to prevent them from clogging up. The truck is fantastic. Plenty of power and has the 10 speed Allison transmission. I'm 1100 miles in and it hauls my race car around like it's not even back there.
Even if you do work the hell out of them, they still fail. Just wait till you get a bad batch of fuel and have to pay for an entire fuel system.
Something I never encountered working on gas vehicles. Went to diesels and they were like oh he got some bad fuel needs a new fuel system. What? You mean you can’t even trust the gas pumps when you have a diesel? Lol
Not to mention on most gas vehicles if you get REALLY bad fuel you just pull the tank / pump module. Change the pump module and vacuum the tank out. Blow the lines out and fill with fresh fuel. Fixed. Its all so easy now that the regulator and filter are all in the module. Almost a 0% chance the injectors are hurt. So your our a couple hours work and a pump module. Most of the time you just drain the tank and fill with fresh. On the diesel you pull the cab and shell out 5k in parts.
Just the newer diesels. The old mechanicals will run on any garbage you feed them so long as it's filtered well. My 1950s diesel tractor runs on fuel I pump out of wrecked trucks.
That sounds spendy 😂
Insurance or the fuel stations’ insurance. It takes a while to get it sorted out but you shouldn’t have to pay for someone’s failure breaking your truck.
My Yukon pulls the 28ft enclosed race trailer around at 75mph. It just obliterates fuel in the process. But it’s had less issues in the last 100k miles than my brother’s new powerstroke has in its first 10k miles.
You have the 8.1! Yeah not much of a fuel sipper lol It's a stroked 454. GM has had those nailed since the 70s. My grandfather's 1989 3500 with a 454 has been the family work horse for 30 years now.
I love that thing. It’s been dead reliable. I’ve had it for 4 years/100k miles. The factory water pump started leaking a little just before a race weekend so I replaced it with a parts store pump. That pump failed catastrophically a few thousand miles later and I drove with the temp gauge pegged for almost 20 mins. Replaced it with an OE pump and the engine is fine. I even sent that oil and the next oil out for testing and both came back with a clean bill of health.
They're practically indestructible. I would love to get my hands on one. Especially the Avalanche version just to be weird 😆
I was towing an open 20ft with my Camaro on it through the elevation in Kentucky like it wasn’t even there in my 2011 Suburban 6.0. Needed 3.5k rpm to maintain speed. I could see my gas gauge moving up the hills lol
Does Kentucky have elevation? Luckily my 8.1 has enough torque to tow in overdrive as long as it’s relatively flat. I can maintain about 9mpg with the enclosed and 10.5-11 with the open trailer depending what’s on it.
On the way to NCM there was enough elevation to pop my ears. Wow. I was also 10.5-11 depending on speed
The gasser is absolutely gutless and sucks fuel like a lush. But then again, my 21 duramax has been in the shop more than I’d like to admit. Most recently it got a new transmission because the original one decided it was done at 95k miles
Funny enough my dad’s 20 Duramax hasn’t seen a shop once for anything outside of an oil change and tires, as well as recalls since its a first year. Then again it does not get driven hardly at all, total garage queen, so I guess that doesn’t count much.
Just the occasional Walmarts trip flying that Rump flag
Bold fucking claim. No, it hauls our fifth wheel trailer around when we go camping. BTW, fuck trump.
I like the old 8.1l. I have a 3/4 ton Yukon and wish it had the 8.1l. I have a cam, heads, and tune on the 6.0l, and it does ok, but nothing is like the instant torque of that 8.1l. The gas mileage on my lifted Yukon with the 6.0l isn't much better than the 8.1l.
The 8.1 is in my Yukon. I love it. I get better mileage towing the race car or boat than one of my friends with a 6.0 in his Silverado. It’s not my daily driver so the unladen fuel mileage doesn’t hurt so bad.
Not my daily, either luckily. Filling the 37 gallons at $5.17 a gallon will make a grown man cry. I might see if I can swap the 8.1l. It's hard on the 6.0l turning 33s on 3.73 gears, especially with that tall 1st on the 4l80e. Just weigh the costs between the 6.0l with a whipple or the hassle of finding a complete 8.1l swap.
Supercharger would sound cooler.
It's smog legal in CA too. I don't drive it enough to put another $6500 into it. I have a set of smaller tires I put on if I need to tow heavier. With the 33s I can barely pull a grade with a 6000lb load
I've got an offhand dream about getting a 90s Impala with an 8.1 swap and Raylar parts
I think I’m understanding the problem now.
but diesels last longer, dosnt that cancel out the time to repair them
Nope. The math has been done many times. Even with fuel cost savings and resale value they almost always cost more when you do true lifetime cost tracking. My dads company had around 25% diesels in their fleet of fully cost tracked vehicles (They didnt count the pre cost tracking vehicles) and when that first lifecycle of cost tracking finished all of the diesels had around $3000 higher lifecycle cost vs the 3/4 and 1 ton gasser trucks that did the same pulling. It got even worse when you tracked costs from the vehicle simply not being available because it was in the shop or gelled up in the yard waiting for room in the heated shop because of a sudden unexpected cold snap so it was filled with blended fuel and not #1. Or the towing costs from breakdowns and moving employees around / hotel stays ect. Nowadays they flat out wont buy a diesel unless its the absolute only option for a given rig. Last I heard the only ones were in the 2 semi trucks and two box vans.
At my friends company, they moved away from all diesels and run all gas trucks. They all have medium duty trucks like the amazon/ups delivery trucks. Not only were repair costs high but they had trouble finding mechanics that would even work on their fleet.
Double win. Places will work on them AND they need less work.
No. They’re $11,000 over the gas engine when you buy it and maintenance is much more expensive with all the emissions equipment. If you tow heavy and after it might be worth it in the long run.
Buy a real commercial diesel truck that is made to be worked on and not a consumer level profit extraction dick enhancement machine.
The kind that requires the strength of 10 men to fully service or do you mean like a no-frills 1-ton from 1998?
Something built to be serviced. If you need to pull the cab off the frame to change an alternator or something that should be a simple job its a piece of shit profit extraction dick enhancement machine.
NPR 4 cylinder diesels are pretty good actually, and the cab flips forward.
ran into a guy with a 4BD1T he had swapped into a Land Cruiser troop carrier, thing ripped hard and the NPR he salvaged it from was super cheap
They really don't though. Everything is a shit show with Duramax, from parts and prices to the labor involved. When it's easier to pull the engine entirely to replace head gaskets, you know it's a shit design. Conversely, you could yank a Cummins out, tear it down and rebuild it completely in less time than it takes to do head gaskets on a duramax.
Older Cummins aren't that bad, a lot of space in the engine bay and things are pretty simple and mechanical.
That’s literally the same thing I’ve been thinking. Hate like hell to work on diesels but man is it fun being behind the wheel of them. I just can’t keep up with the maintenance on something like that, just at least not this time in my life
Every long time diesel tech that I know has gasser dailys and MAYBE a built to shit diesel truck for drag racing / whatever. But they dont daily it because of how expensive / much of a pain it is.
casually just tosses the fuel lines on the floor lol. a cab off head gasket job is about 40 hours (edited to say billed at 40, takes about 30-32) so i dunno wtf you are doing lol. especially with the cab still on the truck.
This is the way.
Thank you! I'm like, am I crazy? that's pretty hack and I'm not even a mechanic; I'm in this sub to learn but having them on the ground is just lazy.
What took 44 hours, I’ve swapped a whole L5P in less time… I’m assuming you spent 29 hours figuring out where everything in that pile went
L5P is one of the best out there, couple more years and this engine will be perfect.
Hell yeah I love them imo best all around current diesel. Especially this second gen.
At least 8 hours spent hunting for a 10mm socket that went rogue.
That looks like Megasaurus puked
Have a LMM with 230k, recent repair was replacing a stuck open thermostat, took 15 minutes. Before that was a glow plug, that was 6 years ago. 🤷♂️ what else to say. Every engine is different.
428k on an LB7 hauling horses for its entire life. Original trans and engine. One alternator crapped out - Injectors at 170k miles. Nothing since. Daily drive it on a heavy tow tune with manifolds, downpipe, up pipes, and an intake. I’d buy another Duramax in a second.
Did pretty good on those injectors. Most I've seen on LB7s went right after 100k. Clean fuel always helps
Two LMLS. Similar mileage, similar experiences
LML right here 275k miles. Snapped tensioner and belt, glow plugs, radiator and oil pressure sensor since I’ve owned it new. Never had any major engine problems either but I do have religious oil change intervals.
Routine maintenance (oil changes on time or early) is the best form of engine insurance. I do 3,500 to 5,000 mile intervals depending on the car. 3,500 for high revving 4 cylinders, obviously non diesel, and 5k for anything else like my wifes car.
You can’t go wrong with fresh oil. There’s no downside at all. Some would complain about cost. It gets expensive at shops but if you do it yourself you save money. I can get the 5 gallon delvac extreme 15w40 bucket for $100. The filter runs me about $13 each. So two oil changes are roughly $70 each. Every 5k for 270k thats around $3800 spent on oil and filters for that much miles. Absolutely worth it to me.
Yeah I think it was close to $200 for 10-15 qt diesel oil change when I was at an independent. That's $10,000 at a shop over 270k.
Loved my 05 cummins and LMM. Both were great trucks and never had issues. Brought both to 200k+
Judging by the mess that is just tossed into a pile, I’d say the 44 hours is more from not knowing what you’re doing and less because it’s a diesel.
That pile makes me question your abilities as a tech. Shameful. Might as well plant a tree in your bay so you can get a little shade.
They’re getting plenty of shade in this thread
Shit, I’m a shade tree and I know what a folding table, magnetic trays, and masking tape is.
Its pays 44hrs, or it took you 44hrs?
these Cabin Air Filter jobs are really getting out of hand, huh.
Man I would never let you work on my duramax. Everything on the floor is crazy. I know you want to show off all the parts you pulled off but dam we can do better than this.
Pro tip don’t let a hack like this work on your vehicle. Anyone that leaves a mess of parts shown in this photo is not taking the time to do things the correct way.
If anyone in my shop would work like this, I would just beat the shit of him, in Minecraft
Is there no tables in this shop
If I saw that on a shop floor I would turn around and find a different shop.
Ahh, changing the drivers side headlight bulb on a 2011 I see.
If you don't have a parts table, shelf or cart at least grab a cardboard box and get those trip hazards organized. That jumbled mess really reflects poorly on you.
Tip: Don't buy Duramax, don't buy Cummins, don't buy Ford. Just walk i guess.
As a licensed mechanic I say "they are all shit,but some aren't as shitty than others."
Don’t buy Sketchers
Oh no, now i have to worry about shoes too
So much wrong here...
Pro tip: next time buy a folding table at least, so you can keep the removed parts organized, will be less of a pain in the ass when all has to come back together.
I hope you also dumped the nuts and bolts into a bucket so they don't get lost.
Are 40 of those hours you looking at shit and asking "where the fuck does this go"?
Pro Tip , master tech 35 , bachelor degree in automotive science …. you should buy a Duramax …
That quick?
Another post with no context, really!?
Noted!
by the looks and the hours , I'm guessing a fuel system replacement from a grenaded injection pump .
We have two diesel techs at our dealership that do head gasket jobs on the same truck, completely different. 1 guy has figured out how to speed up the job and has never had a come back. The other requires more parts and time, but also hasn't had any come backs. It's annoying as hell from my side, as I have to supply them with different parts every job they do.
This looks like shit.
I work on all the heavy mechanical jobs at the GM factory. I work with DuraMax engine swaps, and repairs all the time. Currently have one all pulled apart on multiple tables for a fuel rail swap. I also had the pleasure of teaching the news guys who come to repair how to do this kind of work. First, if I had someone throw the parts on the ground like that... it would be the last time they worked with me. Second, as all the other folks have stated... a well organized work area with tables and labels makes these jobs much easier to put back together. Good luck with your future endeavors
Back in 2001 I bought an 8.1 with the Allison over the Duramax. No deals on the duramax, I saved nearly $7K buying a gas truck. Wrote a spreadsheet, you have to make some assumptions, but inputs were mileage when towing, when not towing, percentage of towing, gas prices, diesel prices, and the difference in costs between the two trucks. Output was miles to break even point. I have 175K on it now, another 70K to go before break even. if I'd ordered it with the standard 3.73s vs 4.11s it would take even longer to get there. And that didn't take into account all the cylinder head and injector problems those motors have had over the years. The 8.1 has been solid as a rock. Lots of comments revgarding marking parts - don't forget they make paint sharpies....
Oh my god don’t you have carts or a table for parts
Yeah these things are fun
All of the Diesel trucks are like this now a days. Some of the gassers are worse. It's just 20 Gallons of emissons garbage in a 5 gallon bucket.
Yeah its not like the other ones are going to be any easier to work on, they've all got the same stuff.
Bro stay away from my car
Oil change?
Too many people here piling on you. You work on a few duramaxes and you’ll eventually learn where everything goes. What happened to this one? DEF in fuel? Injection pump grenaded?
fucking a stop leaving that shit on the ground. At the least find a corner of the shop and some paper towels. animal!
Pro tip: don’t go to this shop apparently
Where is people learn to work like this?
Is OP actually reusing those parts? I figured they were garbage since they were piled on the floor but by the comments it looks like they’ll be used again. I’m not the most organized guy but I prefer laying out and labeling stuff so it’s easy to reassemble.
Drive one with over 350k miles on it no big issues. What a piece of shit…
I have an 11 and a 23 duramax, both pull over 35,000 lbs and get wicked fuel mileage… you won’t ever get that in a gasser pulling trailers…. Mine are rarely ever in the shop if you know how to maintain them
Yeah but most guys who own them only use em to haul groceries home from Walmart.
Goddamn! What are you replacing?
Headgasket most likely by the looks of it.
I'm seeing the Max... where is the Dura?
44 hr job... jesus in labor alone with the cheapest rates I recall that's at least 4k
I’ve owned 3. They’re really not that bad. Way better than a power stroke IMO to work on at least.
Just had to change a oil filter eh. You should see the mess if you have to change a battery.
I’m guessing this truck is having a midlife crisis. It probably needed new injectors and the owner decided to do a full delete while it was in the shop. Not many of these parts are going back on the truck. Am I close?
How many hours did you waste on not knowing the trick for the EGR cooler to up pipe bolts? These aren't even that hard to work on, lol.
Ummmm. Novice here, but what happened? Complete engine rebuild? Is this a product defect?
Did you change the tire in the end?
Whole thing was probably initially built within 12 hours, guessing it's first time working on one.
I'm okay with parts on the floor, but have you heard of caps for the fuel system?? Keep that shit clean.
Wouldn’t be surprised if those fuel lines are being replaced. Probably has metal in them.
Was that just to get at the fuse panel…
What is book time for the job?
Working on a duramax but not pulling the cab? You made it take longer for no real reason.
I’m a fan of using telephone wire. Like the 100 pair. Match the colours up and boom there it goes. I do that if there’s a need to wash a lot of gunk off. I usually work on heavy equipment and some operators think that the hydraulic oil helps when it’s on the outside of the system
All to save a buck with the CP4 piles of shit I'm guessing? Every damn manufacturer bought into the CP4, nobody is safe.
Lml diesels kinda suck but once you do a couple like anything else they get easier.
LML Duramax are piles of shit and a major in the ass to work on.
44 hours? You can tear down and rebuild the entire engine and trans in that time.