2006 duramax- 3500

[flyingcow]

Well I lost out on a couple of powerstrokes. But i stumbled across a 2006/3500/SWD/ crew/8ft bed.6-speed allison. 94,000 miles. It's in pristine condition. Southern vehicle, no rust or corrosion issues what so ever. One owner. Price is reasonable, a little more than i want to spend, but the reality is what it is. Also price I'm at with them now is what NADA recommends as clean trade allowance, actually a few dollars higher. Rambling on, whoops

What i want to know from people who know, hows this engine and drive train been holding up? Quirks?

Thanks guys. i've gotten some of the best advice, information from this place.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Well I lost out on a couple of powerstrokes. But i stumbled across a 2006/3500/SWD/ crew/8ft bed.6-speed allison. 94,000 miles. It's in pristine condition. Southern vehicle, no rust or corrosion issues what so ever. One owner. Price is reasonable, a little more than i want to spend, but the reality is what it is. Also price I'm at with them now is what NADA recommends as clean trade allowance, actually a few dollars higher. Rambling on, whoops

What i want to know from people who know, hows this engine and drive train been holding up? Quirks?

Thanks guys. i've gotten some of the best advice, information from this place.

This is by far the best years of the Dmax 06 and 07 classic (pre dpf)(old body style). All in all they are good truck as long as keep stock. The Allison does not like extra HP. If I were going to try a Dmax again, I had one in 05 that was junk, this would be the year. Mine had a different motor and 5 speed Allison. Other than the 2011 its the only one I would consider.

I have maintained a 07 classic 4x4 3500 Dmax since day one for my neighbor. He has had lots of little issues but none major. Transfer case leaked. Tranny cooler lines 3 times now have been replaced (major Allison sore point), carrier bearing went out, 2 rear seals on the Allison (replaced once and leaking again). May have something to do with the carrier bearing. Passengers power seat has not been right since day one. Poor paint, they repainted the bed. His truck is right a 80,000 miles and has averaged 13.5 mpg for its life. Towing 11,000# its a 11 mpg machine. 60 mph on the highway will get 21 mpg stock but any faster and it drops like a rock to around 17 mpg.

All in all his motor and tranny have been rock solid. The truck though is not holding up nearly as well as my 2 powerstrokes, 04 and 06 with more miles. Switches, seats, interior panels, ect. Just not built as good.

I am guessing your SWD means it a Single Rear Wheel Truck like his. That is a good thing. The big let down on many 3/4 ton truck or 2500 series is the GVWR. For the Dmax trucks its either 8,800# or 9,200# while all the 3500 series trucks are 9,900#. The truck weighs about 7,200# so with the 8,800# GVWR 1,500# is pushing it for payload. The 9,900# the 3500 has will give you about 2,500# with a few tools and passengers in the truck.

Things to watch for is front bearings, carrier bearings, leaking tranny cooler lines, leaking rear seals on the tranny and rear axle. These are the common issues I hear about on the Dmax trucks. Also watch the front axle loading. Its torsion bar unlike the Ford and Dodge with a solid axle. Its only rated at something like 4,400# while the Ford is 6,000# and up.

One other though is what is the maintenance history like. With that many miles the guy used it and may be dumping it because the warranty is about up. I could be a POS he is running from????

As for maintenance its not cheap. Here is what I do to his.

Oil = Rotella 5W40 Syn 10 qts and filter $75 for parts or so. 7,500 miles
Fuel filter every 15,000 miles. $30
Air filter every 15,000 miles. $60
Tranny filter every 30,000 miles. $40
Tranny fluid change every 60,000 miles, 15 qts and about $100 for fluid.
Transfer case every 60,000 miles. 3 qts. $15
Coolant every 60,000 miles, 4 gallons Dex Cool. $50
Axles every 60,000 miles. About 3 qts each. $60

We use all synthetic stuff in it. Mobil1 and Valvoline with Rotella Syn 5W40 in the motor.

Hope this gives you some info to go by.

Chris

 

[toddbailey]

If it's well maintained should be a fine truck.

 

[jeffster]

I have an 06 2500 crew 4WD with the D/A. Owned it since new, have 86k on it now. Only thing wrong has been leaking tranny lines, driver's front hub, and really annoying DRLs that burn out somewhat regularly. Shocks are shot at this point, but no surprise there.

The only thing I would worry about with a used truck is if it has had a programmer on it. I personally have no desire to buy a truck that was beat on, and it seems like there are a lot of diesels from all 3 brands that fit into that category by guys that think all they need to do is spend a few hundred dollars and they have instant upgrades. At the very least see if you can have the dealership run a VIN check to see what the service history is. I know GM and Ford are both quick to blacklist the warranties if they see a programmer, so a VIN check would show it if that happened.

All in all though, I really like my truck. There are minor things I would love to change, but I am sure I could find fault with almost any vehicle.

 

[tcartwri]

Our 07 will go through bouts of excessive oil consumption. No reason for this has ever been found. The dealer reflashed the computer as part of an emmisions recall, and I swear he took 100 HP out of it. Other than that, it has been great. It does not have the allison though.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Our 07 will go through bouts of excessive oil consumption. No reason for this has ever been found. The dealer reflashed the computer as part of an emmisions recall, and I swear he took 100 HP out of it. Other than that, it has been great. It does not have the allison though.

I thought all the 07's had the Allison if equipped with the Dmax? I am guessing you have a Auto because there were not many manuals made that year and I believe the only way to get a manual tranny in 07 was to get a Cab & Chassis model. Maybe I am wrong here????

Chris

 

[Beltzington]

My 2006 2500HD D/A FWD has 75k on it and other than oil and filters no issues. This is my first diesel and I have to say the pulling power is awesome. Hooked to 8,000lbs of trailer the performance brings a smile to your face. Neat features like 6-speed tranny and the towing mode which uses the engine compression for braking are very handy. Empty, the ride will let you know you are driving a truck and parking the CC is a pain. Overall I am pleased with the vehicle.

 

[dgleason]

I've had a 06 Dmax crew cab 2500HD for 3-4 years now. It has been a great truck. I use it mainly for pulling an rv and an alpaca trailer. EGR valve and emmission reflash done under warranty at about 45K. Other than that, no problems or leaks. Have about 63K on it now. First diesel I've ever owned and will not tow with gas again. Suspension is pretty stiff and bounces around a bit on rough roads. The Dmax is quiet once you're up to highway speeds.

Get about 12.3 mpg towing the rv, 15ish around home and close to 20 on the highway.

I've kept it completely stock, no reason to change anything.

Best part of all, the xm radio has worked since day one and hasn't cost me a cent. Don't know if the original owner paid for a lifetime membership or what, and I'm afraid to ask.

 

[tcartwri]

I thought all the 07's had the Allison if equipped with the Dmax? I am guessing you have a Auto because there were not many manuals made that year and I believe the only way to get a manual tranny in 07 was to get a Cab & Chassis model. Maybe I am wrong here????

Chris

its a 3500 cube van.

 

[dntfxr]

I have a 07 2500cc 4x4 that I bought new. Has 105000 on the odo, has been a great truck. It's had an Edge w attitude programmer on it running tow tune since 20000 miles. I run 33" tires and get 11.5 towing my 31' 5er, and for the life of the truck including towing, idling and city/highway it averages 18.1. Been a great truck, and I'm keeping it for a few hundred thousand more miles. The 06, 07 Classic were the ones to have.

 

[Diamondpilot]

its a 3500 cube van.

That explains it. Forgot about the diesel vans. Not many of them out there.

Chris

 

[flyingcow]

By all accounts, it's always been stock. Should be OK.

Diamond Pilot-----what do you have for a fleet? BTW..want to sell one soon?

You and soundguy have been great with experience and input!

56fordguy has been great also. And all others than have given their input.

Carfax and others means have been a lifesaver in the"so called deals" .

Once this deal is made, I will post the link. Can't explain now, but overall top notch dealer I am with.

Please, anyone...plus and minus's of this unit? As stated before..good group here!!!!

 

[HK45]

I have an 02 and 06 duramax. If you get the 06 make sure its the LBZ not the LLY. Anyways both truck's are flawless. I did have to have a few injectors changed under warranty on my 02. My 02 has 132,000 and I tow the max with it which is close to 22,000 Single rear wheel. Before my chevy i was a ford guy and they always let me down. I had an 02 7.3 and 04 6.0 The 04 was in the shop 33 times, and I filed lemon law and ford gave me a check for 12,000 and told me to keep the truck. I sold it and went to chevy and never looked back.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Diamond Pilot-----what do you have for a fleet? BTW..want to sell one soon?

I have a 2004 F-250 PSD 4x4 3.73 gears, Extended Cab Short Bed. 120HP Quadzilla Chip, MAC Intake and Filter, 4" exhaust. Upgraded Reece Titan 15,000# 2.5" Hitch and 10,000# GVWR, 16,100# tow rating. 105,000 miles and never in the shop a day.

2006 F-350 SRW PSD 4x4 3.73 gears, Extended Cab Short Bed. 140HP Quadzilla Chip, MAC Intake and Filter, 4" exhaust. 2.5" 15,000# Ford Dually Hitch and 11,500# GVWR, 16,000# tow rating. (yes the F-250 will tow more on paper because its lighter by 100#). 90,000 miles and only in the shop once the first month for a faulty fuel gauge (replaced entire dash cluster).

2008 Nissan Titan 4x4 4.10 gears, 2" lift and 35" tires, Dana 33 spline axles and Detroit Lockers. Its a Extended Cab Short Bed also. Only add on is a K&N Air Filter. Standard 2" hitch and 6,500# GVWR and 9,500# towing capacity. 47,000 trouble free miles and never in the shop.

No, would not sell any of them right now.

All my truck work. I would guess the F-350 has 70,000 of its 90,000 miles towing loads 12,000# or more. The F-250 has about 60,000 of its 105,000 miles towing 10,000# to 16,000# loads. A few thousand towing 7,000# loads. The Titan has well over 25,000 of its 47,000 miles towing loads from 7,000# to 9,700#. Yes, I know its a little over but it does not know it.

Last poster is right about staying away from the LLY and getting a LBZ. I had a LLY and much like his Ford my Dmax was always in the shop. I sold it after 9 months and took a bath. GM did not treat me as well as Ford did him. Thats when I ordered the 06 F-350 I still have.

Chris

 

[RollingsFarms]

another thing to look out for on the 04-07's is the hub bearing assembly tends to go out on alot of these trucks(1/2 tons and 3/4 tons). When you replace one side you might as well go ahead and do the other at the same time because it won't be long before you're back in the shop.

What causes this I'm not sure but it never happened to my 04 Z71, however it happened twice on my friends 2004 Z71 and 3 times on my friends 2006 Duramax.

 

[Diamondpilot]

another thing to look out for on the 04-07's is the hub bearing assembly tends to go out on alot of these trucks(1/2 tons and 3/4 tons). When you replace one side you might as well go ahead and do the other at the same time because it won't be long before you're back in the shop.

What causes this I'm not sure but it never happened to my 04 Z71, however it happened twice on my friends 2004 Z71 and 3 times on my friends 2006 Duramax.

Yea, that is one of the problem areas I mentioned. My neighbors 07 has been fine so far with about 80,000 miles but I have a friend with a 06 and another with a 05 and they have replaced 3 on the 06 and 2 on the 05.

Not that bad. The part is about $175 per side but it can leave you stranded. Pretty easy to change for most shade tree mechanics or a $100 labor at your local shop. I have done 1 personally. Its the same part for the 01/07 classic 2500/3500. They made a change with the body style change in late 07/10. Time will tell if its better or not.

Chris

 

[Dogballs]

I've had 3 Duramax's and they've all been great trucks with very few problems. The early (2001, 2002) versions had some injector problems and GM extended the warranty on them. Most have probably been replaced by now. Transmission cooler lines are an issue, mine (2008) leak a few drops when it's cold out.

The Allison is light years ahead of the trannys that Dodge and Ford put in their diesels, in terms of smoothness and reliability. I disagree with whoever said they can't handle additional power (in moderation). I know plenty of guys with 4-500 horsepower Dmaxs with the stock Allison. They've had very few, if any, problems. My local Chevy dealer tells me they can count on one hand the number of Allison failures they've seen over the last 10 years.

My 2008 with the DPF is now getting 20 on the highway and 17-18 around town, at 44,000 miles. That's almost as good as the pre-DPF Duramaxs I had.

 

[Dano5509]

I have a 2005 Silverado Duramax, longbed crew and will be replacing my front hubs/bearings at 54,000 miles....

I ordered these from WBI, American-made for $323.00 for a set. The Timken and even some SKFs are either Asian or Mexican made. Other than that, my LLY has been trouble free with the only mod being an AFI fresh air intake. Thinking about a 4" turbo-back pipe and will skip the tuner...

MIBearings LLC, Automotive Wheel Bearings

 

[flyingcow]

Appreciate all the responses. This has been very helpful.

 

[workinallthetime]

cooler lines have been an issue with allison for years
change the fuel filter every 15 k no matter what!
hubs can be an issue especially if it has larger tires than stock, buy them from a dealer once with a lifetime warranty and forget about it
allison- trans is a scaled down at540 out of a school bus, developed just for that truck, tough and easy to rebulid. took me longer to get them out of the truck than to build.
check all your seals and have a preofessional replace them with the right seal puller and installer. some are tripple lip and if not done right they wont last.
NO NO NO NO NO fuel additives ever !!!!! only thing you can add is stanadyne power junior or performance formula. anything else will corode the fuel system from the inside and at 260000 psi corosion tears stuff up.
truck was tested in -30 degree climate with no 2 diesel with no issues.
before you buy it have the fuel system inspected, make sure it will make max pressure, make sure your injectors are with in spec, and make sure no trans codes. most shops will charge you an hour or flate rate to do this.

but what do i know-15 years as gm diesel tech i still like 6.5"S lol