Looking to buy a 02 duramax need some help!

[Slmd92DIME]

Hey guys im looking at a 02 duramax with 98,000 miles. Just wondering what I need to look for when checking out this truck. My buddies dad had to get heads replaced on his right around 100,000 so I was wondering if that is common or just a mishap. I dont know much about diesels and appreciate all the help and info I can get. Also I will be towing my lwb 65 with it. Thanks a lot

[JohnC]

We have a 02 Duramax, and just rolled over 200,000 miles. Only problem we have had with it is the injectors. Check to see if they have been replaced. If not the warranty to cover them I believe was extended to 180,000 or 200,000 miles by GM. Other than that we have had no problems with it. It's a greast truck, and if you pull a lot with it you will love the power that the Duramax and the Allison tranny provide.

[hatchaddict]

yeah its a great engine and tranny the only issue is the injectors gm extended the warrenty to 7/200 but your out by date. and the only dmax that really has a head issue is the 05-06 but its a gasket issue. im a gm diesel tech and work on theses things every day and i would buy one in a heart beat

[Slmd92DIME]

Thanks for all the info guys. Would you be afraid of miles on these motors? I am really looking for a crew cab short auto.

hatchaddict- do you know of any good deals up around your area on one that I am looking for? I am only about hour and a half from you. i cant find a whole lot around here.

[JohnC]

These trucks are just getting broken in at 100K. Like I said ours just rolled over 200K, and runs perfect. If you didn't look at the odometer you wouldn't know that it had that many miles on it by driving it. I have a 03 1500HD with the 6.0 that has 107K on it, and it still runs like new too.

[Slmd92DIME]

I also found a really nice truck with the 6.0. What kinda gas mileage are you getting outta the 6.0 The gas mileage is the only thing steering me away from the 6.0

[JohnC]

I have the 1500HD Crew cab Short Bed 4x4. Around town driving mostly I get around 12mpg. The best I have got out of it I did a whirlwind trip to Dallas and back. It was exactly a full tank of gas trip. I filled up, drove about 70-75mph down the interstate, and back, and had to fill up when I pulled back into town. I had just installed my soft tonneau cover on the truck too, and I got 14.5mpg.

When we were looking for another truck for our business we were actually looking for a 2500HD Duramax Crew cab. Since we already had one we knew what to expect from it. I did drive a couple of the 2500HD's with the 6.0 in them, and they felt sluggish to me. The engine just didn't seem to have the power I would expect it to have. Now in the 1500HD's there seemed to be just enough difference in weight that the 6.0 works really well in it. Unloaded that is. I have a 24' gooseneck trailer. When I load it up it doesn't pull near as well as the 02 Duramax we have, which is expected. It struggles mostly from the start. Once you get to speed it handles the load fine, except on steep hills and such. With the trailer brakes it stops it fine as well. In my situation I don't pull everyday with it, maybe once every other week or so. If I pulled more regularly I wouldn't bother with the 6.0, I would go for the Duramax. We bought the 1500HD because a good friend of ours was going to trade it in on a new truck, so he made us a sweet deal on it since the dealership wasn't giving him squat for it. That and since we had the 02 Duramax we knew that the 1500HD was really a secondary truck anyway.

I would just really look at what your needs for the truck will be. The Duramax's will pull just about anything you put behind them, and you get good mpg's out of them to boot. However the maintenance costs are a little more. The cost of diesel where I live is just a little higher than gas. So the difference in mpg's probably equals out. The initial cost is usually more as well, but if you need the power then it's money well spent.

I hope I haven't rambled on too much, and have answered some of your questions.

[Slmd92DIME]

thanks man. I actually found a 6.0 for a decent price that I am going to be looking at tomorrow night. I will only be towing probably once a month if that. Just to long distance shows. The cost of the diesels are so much more than I am willing to pay. You helped me out though. glad to know the 6.0 will handle the trailer at interstate speeds as well.

[JohnC]

Yeah if you are just hauling a car it should handle it pretty well. Steep hills will kill momentum, but that's about it. If you get it make sure and post up some pics.

[palposity]

Originally Posted by Slmd92DIME

thanks man. I actually found a 6.0 for a decent price that I am going to be looking at tomorrow night. I will only be towing probably once a month if that. Just to long distance shows. The cost of the diesels are so much more than I am willing to pay. You helped me out though. glad to know the 6.0 will handle the trailer at interstate speeds as well.

I have owned both the 6.0 and the Duramax. The 6.0 is a great motor, but I got 14MPG hwy vs. 21MPG hwy on the duramax. Plus I just LOVE driving a diesel.

The Duramax also holds its resale value much longer.

If you are concerned about the injectors (wise to check them out) and you find a duramax you are serious about you can always call a Chevy dealer with the VIN number and ask them to run a check to see if and/or when the injectors were changed under warranty. Also you can take the truck to the dealer and they will plus their machines in the OBDII port to check the fuel balance/return rates on the injectors. This will tell you what kind of condition they are in.

Whichever way you go I'm sure you will be happy. Can't go wrong with a Chevy truck.