Duramax Upgrades?

[SGRIM]

I am thinking, again:tongue: , of doing a simple few upgrades to my Duramax. It is an 05 2500HD. I would like as much power and fuel mileage as possible while as stock as possible. Not really looking to upgrade exhaust etc.....

Simple Hypertech flash, Diablo, or something like an Edge Juice? I would like the option of turning it up on the fly a little, but don't want to hurt the trans or motor.

I do often pull my enclosed trailer with a buick inside:biggrin: Really need to pick up mileage on the long trips but there again don't want the headaches of egt guages etc...

 

[Quiky One]

dieseplace.com >second generation electronics or go there then go the the LLY section

Jason

 

[forcefed3.8's]

It would be wise to do an exhaust. The LLY's have cats, and getting rid of them really helps keep the EGT's down. You can buy a dynomax downpipe from Summit for under $200 that will eliminate the cat (for some reason the headpipe on the Duramax is called the downpipe, so when you hear downpipe, it is not the pipe from the turbo, it is the pipe after that). I had the Summit complete exhaust on my old Duramax, and it sounded good, and is pretty cheap. With the LLY's VVT turbo, you will get alot of whistle with an exhaust. As far as tuners, I would recommend the Quadzilla. You are not looking to go crazy, so for $ to power the the Quad is the best. The Edge makes the most torque (atleast for the older LB7's), but is very expensive. If you don't want to upgrade the tranny, keep the power upgrades around 100hp. You can get away with a 135hp tune if you just save it for worth while victims:biggrin: . Go to kennedydiesel.com for the Quad box.
I ran a Diablo programmer on my LB7, and it had high EGT's for the power output. I also had a 150hp Van Aaken module, and it was a very nice box for the money.
One more thing to consider. You will not be able to tow with these high hp tunes. They are more for fun. You can tow with a 40hp to 65hp tune. If you have a programmer, you are stuck with the tune you have in it unless you want to reprogram for different uses. With a module, you can switch different levels on the fly. Most modules can't adjust for tire sizes or remove the speed limiter, while a programmer can. You can run both stacked, and get the best of both worlds.

 

[SGRIM]

Thanks!

Stacked seems the way to go becuase I do have different size tires. Ran them for 25,000 miles. I hope I didn't hurt anything

I really need the towing help though. Pulling the buick I am only getting 8-9mpg Of course I run 77-78mph on I-95 too so....

 

[Turbo Indian]

Shane sent you a pm.

Steve

 

[EightSecV6]

Shane,
I would jack it up real high and drive a brand new Ford under it.That would be the best possible thing you could do!:biggrin:

 

[SGRIM]

Shane,
I would jack it up real high and drive a brand new Ford under it.That would be the best possible thing you could do!:biggrin:

Right here recently my Duramax's, have a GMC wrecker too, have been pulling some broke down 6.0's 100K and the injectors go night night Got one right now with a blowed head gasket. My friend has 5 of them and selling all the 6.0's, keeping 7.3's, and buying duramax's:biggrin:

You get good and bad ones in both, I have just always been a chevy man. My friend is selling a 04 King Ranch 250 has 99,1000 miles on it. Has a little warranty left, if you got a legit Ford dealership that will fix the injector problem we will let it go for 26-7K

 

[Tom Tom Turbo]

Bully Dog!

 

[SGRIM]

Come on now! As many diesel's as a see at tracks somebody has got to have some input!

 

[Quick6'n'-K.C.]

Shane,
I would jack it up real high and drive a brand new Ford under it.That would be the best possible thing you could do!:biggrin:

At work we purchased 2 6.0 diesel F-550 turds this past summer. Both trucks blew orings on the injectors within 3,000 miles, then 8k 19k 32k ect ...

The biggest bitch is the tow truck driver knows more about these trucks than ford and us!!

Oring blows and fancy sensor says ding fries are done, trux broke on da side of da road! LOL

What are you guys doing with this new fuel they are selling?

BW

 

[Turbo Indian]

What are you guys doing with this new fuel they are selling?

BW

burning it.:biggrin: actually the petroleum manufactures are saying that the only problem you may see is the initial first few tank fulls you may need to change your fuel filter because it acts as a cleaner. they also say that it is compatible with the silicone o-rings in the engines made today. but they are not saying what they are using as a lubricant since sulfur is no longer used. I personally am not taking any chances, the tolerances are so tight in the pumps on todays trucks if they are not lubricated properly they will fail prematurely. so for my insurance for every 20 gallons of ULSD I add 1 qt of cheapest gas engine motor oil I can find. I practice this even in the big rig. it is a hell of a lot cheaper than $23 per gallon fuel additive.

 

[GregInAtl]

Right here recently my Duramax's, have a GMC wrecker too, have been pulling some broke down 6.0's 100K and the injectors go night night Got one right now with a blowed head gasket. My friend has 5 of them and selling all the 6.0's, keeping 7.3's, and buying duramax's:biggrin:

My buddys 6.0 w/ 50K has had numerous injector failures, and a blown head gasket, (Which ended up being stretched head studs) Its a shame its not reliable, because it looks awesome, and runs w/ our buddys WRX. I will admit it pulls a 30ft enclosed w/ car 20 weekends a year, and a 53' a w/ two cars a few weeks a year. Alot of work for any truck.

 

[Quick6'n'-K.C.]

burning it.:biggrin: actually the petroleum manufactures are saying that the only problem you may see is the initial first few tank fulls you may need to change your fuel filter because it acts as a cleaner. they also say that it is compatible with the silicone o-rings in the engines made today. but they are not saying what they are using as a lubricant since sulfur is no longer used. I personally am not taking any chances, the tolerances are so tight in the pumps on todays trucks if they are not lubricated properly they will fail prematurely. so for my insurance for every 20 gallons of ULSD I add 1 qt of cheapest gas engine motor oil I can find. I practice this even in the big rig. it is a hell of a lot cheaper than $23 per gallon fuel additive.

LOL, i use regular ol' engine oil too!

Have you noticed your truck doesnt blow as much black smoke when you get after it? Mine used to billow smoke, (injectors and box) but lately its not as smokey when i romp into it. dodge 24valve

BW

 

[Nojug]

Go with a Diablosport Predator set it on 65hp, correct your tire size and leave it alone, get yourself a nice MBRP or Magnaflow exhaust and a EGT, with that you will average 12-14 towing at 70-75. If you get a edge or VA or any other switch on the fly box it is tempting to turn it up and you will hurt the trans

 

[broke1]

Put a Cummins in it

Thatll give you all the power and fuel mileage you need.Not to mention itll last 5x longer than the competetion.

 

[S2V6RACER]

Shane,

Running the Bullydog power programmer. Real happy with it even though Billy will hand me my a$$ with anything, including a golf cart.

 

[turbov6joe]

I use the Predator box on my LLY and have had good luck with it thus far...
(21,000 miles). I have to tell ya that the 85hp setting will limp your tranny in 5th gear ricky tick quick! Keep the 85hp and higher settings for 1-4 gear pulls only. I'd also highly suggest a cat-less 4" DP and some kind of a good intake kit or a free flowing filter to keep the EGT's in check. Until I sent my box back to Diablo Sport for the revision they released last year, my EGT's were kinda high and it shifted like crap in the 65hp setting. I'd also highly suggest you buy a box new and from an authorized dealer for that brand. I bought mine used and when it came time for programming revisions I had to pay $90 when it should have been covered under warranty.

If your worried about exhaust sound, I'm here to tell ya that with a 4" straight pipe turbo back exhaust, it's not that loud at all...hell, both my Dodges were 10x's more violent sounding then this Chevy is....varriable vane turbo takes a lot of the noise out but sounds real good IMO...kinda like a jet taking off.

As far as MPG is concerned...fagetaboutit....you'll have a hard time keeping your foot out of it unless your on a long distance highway run and then that's still a blast.

I tow a 25' enclosed with a TR inside and have NO problems jerking it down whatever road is in front of me.

 

[ijames]

What are the different duramax engines (codes and years) and should any of them be avoided? I'm jonesing bad for one after living with my 88 K1500 work truck for 3 years now .

 

[Turbo Indian]

What are the different duramax engines (codes and years) and should any of them be avoided? I'm jonesing bad for one after living with my 88 K1500 work truck for 3 years now .

yes there are differences. the early ones 2001-2004 are LB7, these are good ones but they did/do have inj. problems, but I think most of that has been worked out. 2004.5-2005 are LLY ones the biggest problem with these are overheating problems, again not all of the trucks had these issues. 2006-2007.5 now the "early" 06 ones are LLY then they went to the LBZ, but if I'm not mistaken the early LLY ones are LBZ motors with an LLY computer program in it. also the LBZ's have stronger internal components.

on a side note I have tried the Hypertec tuner & the trans. could not learn it in stage 3, I just purchased a Bully Dog power pup, it should be here in about 3 days.

 

[turbov6joe]

As for the over heating problems with the LLY motors I see it like this. If you go to Diesel Place - Duramax Diesel Discussion Forums and really read the posts from the guys with OH problems you'll notice that these are the trucks pulling 65,000 pounds up a 45degree grade in death valley during summer. I've owned my LLY for 2 years now and have put 22k miles on it since new. I pull a heavy 1995 steel framed 25' enclosed trailer (giant wind brake front end)...inside is my full weight TR, compressor, generator, tool box and tools, air tools, fuel, wheels and tires, Raptor ATV, and whatever other crap I think I will/could use while away. I have never had 1 issue with my truck running hot or anywhere even close to hot. Once up to running temp the gauge barely moves north of its normal spot no matter what the ambient temps are. The only issues I have with my truck is the fan running all of the time in the summer and that's only a small issue I might try and address with electric fans. According to the PCM that I'm reading with my Predator tuner, my truck's IAT's only run 1-2 degrees hotter then ambient at speed. I know a lot of guys complain that their IAT's are real hot no matter how fast they go...I guess I'm the luck guy with a good one! I just checked this the other day when the ambient was 21 degrees...my IAT was reading 22 degrees.

The LLY's also have a cat converter which, depending on your dealer, might pose a problem if you remove it. I took mine off almost immediately and have never looked back. The boost spool up is now fast and the EGT's are much lower. The LB7 motors didn't have cats unless they were going to CA.
The new motors are so clogged up from cats and scrubbers it's a wonder how they make the power they do. If your looking for a truck they you will not try and mod, then there is noting wrong with the new LBZ. If your wanting to make all kinds of mods I'd suggest the LB7. As for the LLY, it's been out long enough to have been figured out by now. I've never had to take my truck back to the dealer for a motor issue...keeping my fingers crossed.

I forgot to mention that the LBZ motors have a Allison 6 speed auto behind them...I don't have an opinion about that traany either good or bad...someone else will chime in on that I'm sure. Good luck!