2006 Chev Duramax Diesel Problem

[underPSI]

Originally Posted by PlantscapeSolutions

I'm surprised you didn't rent a truck from Longhorn Truck Rentals. I hate Longhorn but it's the only place in town you can rent a truck for towing trailers. Plus the trucks usually have a little wear so you don't have to worry about your guys causing a little wear you get billed for.

The Duramax 6.6 is better then Fords 6.0 & 6.4 but I'll prefer my 02' 2500 Ram, 06' Ram 2500, and 09' Ram 3500 with 5.9 24 valve, 5.9 CR, and 6.7 (DPF Deleted). There are actually companies like Destroked who specialize in yanking our the engines in Fords and replacing them with Cummins engines. There are no companies that specialize in putting Fords 6.0, 6.4, or GM's 6.6 in other trucks.

If you go to the track or sled pulls the Cummins powered trucks rule the roost followed by Duramax's. Ford is a rarity being on the podium at any event unless it's the Special Olympics. The ultimate insult is Ford using the Cummins 6.7 in their F650 & F750.

It's to bad Dodge can't keep up with GM or Ford as they are really falling behind even with their supposed "upgrade" to 800 ft/lbs of torque. Dodge is dead-last compared to Ford coming in 2nd to GM in the tough-truck competition.

[PlantscapeSolutions]

Originally Posted by underPSI

It's to bad Dodge can't keep up with GM or Ford as they are really falling behind even with their supposed "upgrade" to 800 ft/lbs of torque. Dodge is dead-last compared to Ford coming in 2nd to GM in the tough-truck competition.

If you go to the track & sled pulls where they push engines to the limit the Cummins powered trucks are on the podium more then GM & Ford combined. The power race for factory power numbers will never stop and the tittle will continue to change hands.

Ford desperatly needed to be at the top to attract customers since their track record with the 6.0 & 6.4 cost them a tremendous amount of loyal followers. It's still too early to tell if the Ford 6.7 will help people forget about the 6.0 nightmares. You'd have to be crazy to buy an untested 6.7 after the 6.0, and 6.4 were both short lived problem plagued engines. The 6.4 was not as bad but it was not in the same league as the Duramax or Cummins.

The Duramax is a good engine but it had injector problems for several years that could cost you half the price of a whole new motor. There were several years where the EGR cooler on the truck over whelmed the radiator leading to over heated trucks and cracked heads. Many Diesel guys like the old school cast iron heads you find on the Cummins engines better. Plus the IFS front end on the GM's has not held up well under heavy workloads.

The Ram has the best exhaust brake which is huge when your buying a truck to pull trailers. Cummins 100K warranty dates back to 1940 and set the standard a long time ago. As far as the power numbers go you can buy a Smarty and surpass the GM & Ford numbers with a push of a button. My 09' makes 415 HP and 780 ft lbs on a mild setting.

If you look under the hood of a Powerstroke or Duramax you can't even see the engine because there is so much plumbing and other stuff all over the engine. I know with the Ford 6.0 if you blew a head gasket the whole cab had to come off the truck just to remove the head. That's crazy. Look at the straight six on the Ram and there is way less plumbing and moving parts.

Look under the hood of the big rigs and all you will see is straight sixes. Six in a row built to tow. Why have an engine with architecture designed for pickups when you can have an engine with big rig architecture. I'm not saying the new 6.7 is a perfect engine but the only problems have been mostly emissions related on a small scale mostly during the 07.5-8 period. I'd much rather take my chances with a Cummins under the hood. Dating back to 1989 the Ram with a Cummins has been the most durable and problem free Diesel engine you can buy.

[ed2hess]

I was having oil changed at Henna Chev dealer and went in to talk to the service mgr about the repair on our diesel. The repair was not made at this dealer. He told me that they never replace just one injector on failure.

But more important he told me I needed to be using 2stroke oil in the diesel. He said to get TCW3 oil approved for outboard motors. Apparently there is a pretty big problem with lubricity. Any thoughts on this?

[Patriot Services]

Originally Posted by ed2hess

I was having oil changed at Henna Chev dealer and went in to talk to the service mgr about the repair on our diesel. The repair was not made at this dealer. He told me that they never replace just one injector on failure.

But more important he told me I needed to be using 2stroke oil in the diesel. He said to get TCW3 oil approved for outboard motors. Apparently there is a pretty big problem with lubricity. Any thoughts on this?

I'm beginning to think all these dealers are nuts. If there was a widespread problem from the factory they would be issuing bulletins with instructions. TCW3 oil as a modern piezo injector lubricant? Really? At the very least it will screw up the emissions. If it was a fuel problem GM would be pushing a fuel conditioner of their brand.
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[PlantscapeSolutions]

Here is a link www.johnfjensen.com/Diesel_fuel_additive_test.pdf to a study done on Diesel fuel additives for improving lubricity. I use the Schaeffer Diesel Treat 2000 you can get it from McCoys or straight from Jim the local sales rep. From Jim you must buy case quantities but it's not a big deal.

The other thing you can do to improve the lubrication of the injectors is have a FASS or Airdog installed. These system remove all the entrained air from the fuel and feed the injectors pure Diesel. I had a FASS 95 on my 02' Ram 2500 and I have an Airdog on my 11' Ram 3500. These systems will also improve the fuel filtration and you will gain about 5% on your mpg's.

[ed2hess]

Originally Posted by PlantscapeSolutions

Here is a link www.johnfjensen.com/Diesel_fuel_additive_test.pdf to a study done on Diesel fuel additives for improving lubricity. I use the Schaeffer Diesel Treat 2000 you can get it from McCoys or straight from Jim the local sales rep. From Jim you must buy case quantities but it's not a big deal.

The other thing you can do to improve the lubrication of the injectors is have a FASS or Airdog installed. These system remove all the entrained air from the fuel and feed the injectors pure Diesel. I had a FASS 95 on my 02' Ram 2500 and I have an Airdog on my 11' Ram 3500. These systems will also improve the fuel filtration and you will gain about 5% on your mpg's.

So is that an either or thing.....Airdog or additive? The airdog runs $600 plus installation and Jimmy says I need a chip so I guess I am looking about about $2000 on each truck.

[PlantscapeSolutions]

The Diesel Treat 2000 is good basic protection. The Airdog/FASS is for taking your injector protection to the next level if you plan on running your trucks for many years. With the complication of additional emissions and reduced fuel mileage the older trucks are worth spending some extra money on.

I only run the Diesel Treat 2000 in the 06' RAM 2500 my crew drives. The injectors on the Cummins tend to last as long as the truck. For a personal ride a chip or downloader is nice but not for a dedicated work truck. You do not need a chip to run a FASS (Fuel Air Separating System).

[ed2hess]

I was thinking about switching them to propane but now after having one unit fail I don't know. I am a little afraid of messing with them now.

[User Name Taken]

Some peoples misunderstanding of the Duramax engine and GM Duramax trucks in general are amazing..............

[PlantscapeSolutions]

You can do propane injection on Diesels but it's not a substitution for the Diesel fuel. The propane has a very high octane rating and helps the Diesel achieve a very clean and efficient combustion process.

Performance guys tend to favor Nitrous, water/methanol, or just water injection because it lowers the EGTS and allows them to run even larger injectors. Nitrous also helps spool very large turbos very quickly.

I had water/methanol injection on my last truck and loved it. Once you've driven a Diesel truck with over 1200 foot pounds of torque at the rear wheels you'll never own another gas truck again.