Alright, I'm going to go look at/possibly buy a 01' Chevy Duramax later today and I have a few questions about the injector problem with these early Duramax engines. Is it a fairly significant problem as far as the percentage of trucks that have problems? I spoke with the owner and he hasn't had any problems (it has 69k miles). My second question is will purchasing aftermarket injectors fix the problem, or is the problem not just with the injectors but with the whole injection system? I'm new to the diesel world and looking to gain some knowledge. My dad is trying to persuade me not to buy this truck due to the injector issues that could come up. Thanks
01' Injectors
1 - 4 of 4 Posts
Joined
·
9,509 Posts
From what I understand, it was the early injector design that was bad. Also, it could have been caused by poor fuel quality/filtration. That is why GM has come out with 3 different versions of the fuel filter for the truck. Although, I have read on other forums that even people with extra filtration and running additives still had problems. I don't know for sure on the numbers that actually had a problem, but it was enough of a problem for GM to have a special policy to cover injectors on the earlier trucks 7yrs/200,000 miles. (from first put into service)
Joined
·
129 Posts
I have an 01 with 35,000 milles and I am the 3rd owner. This injector problem scares the #ell out of me as I have low miles and my warranty will end in 10/08 since the truck was purchased in 10/01. I am not seeing any issues so far, knock on wood. IMO if you read on here and on diesel place.com you will see that there is really no definitive mileage where you see injector problems. I think it all depends on your fuel, the additives you use, how good the filtration system is and how often the fuel filter is changed. I am currently running Stanadyne Performance formula and have been getting around 450-500 miles on a 34 gallon tank and I plan on changing the fuel filter here soon since I don't know when the last time it was changed.
My suggestion is that you have a reputable diesel shop do a once over on the truck and if you decide to purchase it, I would suggest changing the oil, and all three filters. If you don't know already, the tranny has a spin on on the drivers side.
I can only hope that they extend the warranty out for these trucks and that I don't end up with this issue for a very long time. After all that's a lot of money to be shelling out for an issue that was out of our hands and the only thing to do is treat your truck like gold and do the best for your diesel.
My suggestion is that you have a reputable diesel shop do a once over on the truck and if you decide to purchase it, I would suggest changing the oil, and all three filters. If you don't know already, the tranny has a spin on on the drivers side.
I can only hope that they extend the warranty out for these trucks and that I don't end up with this issue for a very long time. After all that's a lot of money to be shelling out for an issue that was out of our hands and the only thing to do is treat your truck like gold and do the best for your diesel.
Thanks for the advice guys. I ended up buying the truck on friday because I got a heck of a deal on it, almost 3k below blue book value! This is my first Duramax, or any diesel for that matter, and all I can say so far is WOW! The power is unbelievable. Anyways, thanks again for your input.
1 - 4 of 4 Posts
