DURAMAX

[bgott]

It took 'em a week to pull a head, eh? I hope they do both heads, if it got hot enough to blow one it got hot enough to blow the other. Then again, GM isn't going to pay them unless it has a problem with the other head right now. Good Luck!

 

[cj7]

I liked your story. That is a really lame explaination they tried to give you. I can think of so many comebacks for that one. That is cool the way you did. lol I can only imagine the look on the guys face.lol

 

[john4nh]

Well, got the truck back friaday.

Went back to the shop today(monday) replaced one head gasket. It is doing the same thing. Using anti-freeze and being hard to start in the morning (locking up) I believe water on the piston(s) does not compress easy.

Asked for a meeting with the regional mgr. Should get one this week I hope. Iam going for a new engine or the lemon law thing. Which I hear isnt that great of deal for owners.

Any suggestions out there I am listening? You guys that have had warranty work, do you believe it is unreasonable to demand a truck for the rental? Seems only right since last time they had me truck-less for about two-weeks. This time maybe longer.

 

[Egon]

Any time I had warrantywork done on my truck I was always given a loner without asking. In one case it was rental vehicle from a private company.
Demand a new motor or a new truck and accept nothing less. Involve legal representation if it is required.
Egon

 

[AndyR]

You certainly should get a loaner and it sure sounds to me like your are due a replacement if your state has a lemon law. If the problem is right back after they "fixed it" I think I'd demand a bit of satisfaction from that GM RM (regional manager).

Good Luck,

 

[patrickg]

Interesting thread, wish I could have read it earlier but I was tied up taking my Ram 3500 in for yet another repair to the cruise controll. I think this is the 4th or 5th cruise control servo in 66K miles. Of the times it "ran away" with me, only once was I unable to turn the cruise off with the off/on switch on the steering wheel AND unable to disengage it by applying the brakes. That Cummins with a full head of steam up cannot be stopped at highway speeds by applying the brakes and I had to turn the key off at 75 on the interstate and go it without power steering and power brakes.

I have the extended 100,000 mile waranty with a $50 deductable so it is essentially useless for the repetitive "small" problems.

Patrick

 

[Egon]

Patrick:
Consider yourself lucky it shut down when you turned off the key. I just went through a session where mine would not shut off even with key removed. It was the fuel shut off solenoid. A mere $525 plus labour Canadian and all is well agaim.
Egon

 

[patrickg]

Egon, That would not have made my day. I guess we all should have a contingency plan for what to do if you can't make it stop. I was not having fun when the steering wheel mounted switch and or the brakes would not turn off or disengage respectively the cruise which was in the process of trying to get me to set a new land speed record on a busy/crowded freeway in San Diego traffic. Had the key not killed it I would have been in a lot of trouble because the brakes will not stop the truck with the throtle at max with the Cummins Turgo diesel.

The next step would hurt me but would have been neccessary... shift to neutral, and hope for the best!

My wife's MB 5 cyl turbo diesel had a clearly marked (red label) lever under the hood labeled "Stop Engine" or some such, in English no less to cover the case when the key actuated stopper wouldn't.

I have read and heard discussed a scarry diesel situation that I luckily have not experienced personally. With a badly worn engine you can get enough blow by of crankcase fumes to provide the engine with enough fuel that it won't stop even with the fuel shut off. Covering/plugging the air intake deprives the engine of air and it dies.

If you have a manual trans you can let the clutch out at idle to kill the engine but with an automatic it would require you to stop the intake air. So, Egon, what was your situation?

Patrick

 

[Ozarker]

<font color=blue>Had the key not killed it I would have been in a lot of trouble because the brakes will not stop the truck with the throttle at max with the Cummins Turgo diesel.</font color=blue>

They will if you shift into neutral.

 

[bgott]

I'd go for a driver and a new engine. I would also ask the regional manager to have the engine installed by whichever area dealership has the most experience with the Duramax. Hopefully he'll make it right with you.

 

[john4nh]

I did get a rental I just feel they oughta have trucks for those of us that really drive trucks for a reason. I hate borrowing someones truck when I got a 40K truck broke down. Just doesnt seem logical.

Thats a good Ideal about a service center with diesel experience.

 

[Egon]

Mine wasn't anything serious. Just had to stall the engine at idle or get out, lift the hood and and pull down on the rod that shuts the fuel off. Though the price of the solenoid almost precipated a case of mycardal infarction.

Shifting into neutral at full throttle [ after warranty is out] is a scary/costly proposition. Think they self destruct at 3900 rpm and do a lot of head/valve damage starting around 3200 rpm.
Egon

 

[cowboydoc]

Ford has been jacking me around too John. At first they were going to put in a remfg. transmission with only 3000 miles. I said no way it's not a used truck it's a new one!! I didn't buy used I bought brand new. Finally after over a week of fighting they have agreed to put in a new one. I've also been truckless during that time and had to borrow a friends to take our horses to show at the state fair. The way you get treated by these companies is ridiculous for the amount of money spent.

 

[john4nh]

Richard,

I just dont understand how these people just dont want to do the right thing from the get go? Maybe Iam to sheltered/nieve but I just dont get it. I havent had my meeting yet but I hope it doesnt turn ugly. They are not supposed to touch the truck till this regional fella shows up. So who knows it may take a week till this guys decides to show. heck he may never show.

Glad your getting a new transmission.

John

 

[hazmat]

I once had a 40,000 lb firetruck try to run away on me. Luckily it had an emergency stop (air flapper), so I shut it down and stopped it w/o power steering.

Called it in on the radio & the chief had me drive it back to the station. Quite the experience, put it in first gear for the whole ride. Backing it in to the garage was a trick.

 

[MikePA]

<font color=blue>I just dont understand how these people just dont want to do the right thing from the get go?</font color=blue>

When in doubt, follow the <font color=green>$$$$$$$$$$$$</font color=green>. The work done and parts used under warranty will cost someone <font color=green>money</font color=green>. The dealership is probably undercompensated for the work. The middle manager for the mfgr doesn't want to go over budget, so he wants to try and dump it back on the dealer. We the consumers get caught in the middle.

 

[jb112454]

Sorry to hear about your truck. I remember the first scratch I got on my RAM 2500 TD thought I was going to cry. Fortnatly I have not had any of the problems mentioned in this thread and with a 131,000 miles I've gotten past the point there could be a unusual problem such as you are having. By the way do you know who makes the DURAMAX engine? Does GM? Good luck with your dealer I've had simular dealings and can understand how you feel.

 

[cowboydoc]

Isuzu makes the duramax.

 

[Egon]

Q: Is there any truth to the rumors we're hearing about aluminum cylinder head and head gasket failures?

A: While we expect that sometime - somewhere a Duramax head and/or head gasket will fail, as of September 7, 2001, GM Powertrain reports that there have been NO confirmed head/gasket failures in any Duramax 6600 engine produced since start of production in July 2000. Further, among the thousands of Duramax 6600 owners who participate in TheDieselPage.com's online bulletin board forum, none have reported any head/gasket failures. So, no, there is absolutely no truth to the plethora of head/gasket rumors.

The engine itself is built in Ohio.

Egon

 

[gmason]

Cowboydoc
Not totally ture, Isuzu has been building and running diesels for many years in there cars and trucks. And GM bought a large piece of Isuzu a few years ago. So, GM went to the engineers at Isuzu with a plan to build a better Diesel truck engine than the one thay had. The Duramax was born ~1995. I've read where GM tested this engine for many hundreds of thousands of miles out in the deserts of CA. Trying to see if the engine would hold up to the heat and stress.

The engines are now produced in Moraine, Ohio at DMAX Ltd. a joint venture project between GM and Isuzu, and GM has the rights to all the engines that come out of the plant. Currently they are running 3 shifts a day at about 75 engines per shift. They are planning a major upgrade to the plant to more than tripple the output.

As far as the aluminum heads go, I've read also where the heads for the Dmax are a special casting of aluminum and are torqued under specific requirements. None have failed because of head failure as yet.

BTW. I've got almost 16k on my Dmax with not one problem at all. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

gary