[BadRancher]

:helpWell guys, I'm about to possibly buy a used 2005 GMC 2500 4x4 Duramax. My thing is It has 199,000 miles. I won't to poll you guys and ask if it is worth the risk. The asking price is $11,000. I have driven it and it sounds good and runs well. The tranny shifts like it should. There is a slight vibration in the steering, the dealer says this is tires. The oil pressure seems to run low (at the quarter mark when warm). And when drivin the temp got up to the 210 mark and then settled back to the quarter mark on the temp guage.

The reason why I am posting this is so I can get some input from you guys. What is the longevity or life on these motors??? Any and all advice will be appreciated. Please help!!!:help

 

[HunterHD590]

theres way better deals out there man

 

[dw2500]

more about the truck. crew cab? short bed? LT?

 

[BadRancher]

Sorry about that. Its a Crew cab long wheel. Fully loaded

The reason this truck caught my eye is its cheap for what it is. I do lawn care and I have a baby on the way. My current truck is a regular cab with a 4.8 V8. It doesn't like my trailor with my equipment on it. I wouldn't putting "heavy duty" stress on it, but I need somethin better than what I have. The bluebook value is $17000-$19000. I know that doesn't mean squat.

 

[HunterHD590]

get her put a tranny kit in start moddin her out and steering wheel shake prolly rotors

 

[dw2500]

im not in the market for a truck or anything but it doesnt sound like a bad deal at all as long as its not in bad shape. and 200k is just gettin broken in good. ive talked to several guys that have 400-500k plus

 

[BadRancher]

im not in the market for a truck or anything but it doesnt sound like a bad deal at all as long as its not in bad shape. and 200k is just gettin broken in good. ive talked to several guys that have 400-500k plus

Thanks, I've been searchin on google and I have seen good things about The motor, but I've also seen not so great things.

I'm not looking to mod it out. I jus need a vehicle to pull a
7'x12' trailer and maybe handle somethin slightly bigger later on. And foremost I need to a good dependable vehicle to transport my baby in. Ya don't wanna be sitting on the side of the road broke down in August with a 2 month old in the back and no A/C

 

[msmith6111982]

i just got my '02 dmax in nov. it has 220000 miles but it runs great and i paid more. ive done a couple mods and it runs great now

 

[dw2500]

buy the truck man, that dmax is badass. you wont even know that trailer is behind you. i pull an enclosed trailer on a daily basis. mods arent a necessity at all, its more of a hobby for me. the only thing you really NEED to do is change the turbo mouthpiece out. plenty of threads on here about that. plus that crew cab is good for the car seat, or so i hear

 

[vaughninms]

An '05 CC for 11k? It it cranks, drives, and hasn't been in a rollover, buy it. I just paid 21 for my 05 this past summer and it was the cheapest I could find.
Just like dw2500 said, the main most important thing is to change the turbo mouthpiece on the LLY engine. Also, if it still has the stock exhaust, I'd replace it with a 4" turbo back. This will kill the kitty and still say pretty quiet, unless you romp down on the skinny pedal! As far as the steering, more than likely, it's the intermediate shaft. Easily changed. There are a couple of temporary fixes, but they only last a few months.
Great truck for that price. I'd rather have an LBZ, but for 11k, I'd take that in a heartbeat if it looks good. As soon as you get it, I'd probably have the trans fluid and filters changed, then turbo mouthpiece (ASAP mod!!!!), then exhaust. Just my .02

Oh, and you will LOVE the feel (or lack thereof) when pulling the trailer. The allison tow/haul mode will also downshift automatically when slowing down! Saves your brakes big time!

 

[JoshG]

i just paid 11k for my 03 with 158k. sounds good to me.

 

[BadRancher]

Thanks guys. I have been leaning toward it. Looks like I'll be goin to the bank tomorrow. Anyone else have any input or things I should do when I get it??? I'm new to diesel engines.

 

[JoshG]

first thing i did was straight pipe. sound is big for me.

 

[BadRancher]

buy the truck man, that dmax is badass. you wont even know that trailer is behind you. i pull an enclosed trailer on a daily basis. mods arent a necessity at all, its more of a hobby for me. the only thing you really NEED to do is change the turbo mouthpiece out. plenty of threads on here about that. plus that crew cab is good for the car seat, or so i hear

What is this turbo mouthpiece??? Again not familiar with diesels.

 

[vaughninms]

The LLY engine has a design flaw in the turbo mouthpiece. It is very restrictive and causes lots of fan clutch activity. I live in Brandon, only about 30 miles from you. Like I said, I would have the tranny fluid flushed and new filters first. Then I would upgrade the turbo mouthpiece. There are basically 3 options. 1 - Cheapest (less than $100) is to order a LBZ (next generation Duramax) mouthpiece from GM. You will have to modify it a little (die grinder and saw). You will also have to go to Home Depot or Lowe's to get a 4" coupling clamp. There are people on this site who have installed this in less than an hour. 2 - Order the AFE turbo mouthpiece (about $200) from a vendor on this site. 3 - Order KillerBee's IOH kit ($325). He is a vendor on this site. His kit is a 6-piece kit and contains all the parts from the hose that connects to the air filter box to the turbo mouthpiece. This is absolutely a 15 minute install even if you have never opened the hood on your duramax. His instructions include very clear color pictures. He has a great writeup regarding the problem. His kit keeps the stock look of the LLY engine, and he has a lifetime warranty on the parts. Any of the 3 ways will correct the problem and it will be up to you to decide which way to go. You can search this forum for LLY overheating to get the gmpartsdirect.com part number, information on the modifications necessary to the LBZ, as well as information on the other options. Check out Killer Bee Performance :: Get the most from your Duramax! for information on LLY overheating. The turbo mouthpiece is the real culprit. You may also want to search this forum for "******* airbox" This is a $2 alternative to KillerBee's TCAI (true cold air intake) which costs another $325.
After that, like I said in an earlier post, you will want to get a turbo back 4" exhaust. Again, plenty of vendors on this site more than willing to help out and as a duramaxforum member, you will get a discount! ALWAYS a good thing!!!!

Hope this helps