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looking into purchasing a 2002 duramax. what should I look out for?

devildogadam

devildogadam

Active Member
Messages
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Location
Yakima WA
I am looking a very clean 2002 lb7. It has 256,000 miles on it and is bone stock. It drives great, the only thing I saw was the oil pressure Guage was moving around more than I liked. At idle it was about 30 psi but with any throttle input it would jump to 80psi. Also when he first went to start it the starter ground on the flywheel. Then he just waited a bit longer for the glow plugs to go of and it fired right up. Is this something I should be worried about or an easy fix?

Any input would be great as I have never been around the drama much, also what where some common problems with these trucks
 
Make sure injectors were done. I hear they are a problem and very expensive to the tune of $2500
 
That's not a problem. I have never had a problem with ifs and it is super smooth. It has new front brakes and stops on a dime. Way better than my 1994
 
Just have to get the receipt from people about the injectors imo. Like Leroy said, the expense is too high to risk, or you have to discount the cost from your purchase price knowing you will have to do them.
 
Except for the injector issue (as said above and I understand the new ones are a huge improvement) you can't go wrong with the GMT800 series.
 
The suspension is fine in stock form I got 200k w/ T-bars maxed out.

Injectors need to be questioned. I got my 02 w/ fried injectors for $2,500.

My 06 has ground the fly wheel on occasion since I got it, 5 starters from 3 stores and no change, added race day cables and it seems better but still grinds sometimes.
 
Some trucks have issues with the starter grinding, a new OEM starter normally takes care of it(pricey, but don't get an aftermarket cheapy and end up worse off). Injectors are an issue, but are an issue for any common rail injection engine(yes, even the mighty LLY, LBZ, and LMM's are having injector issues as well now). ONLY use BOSCH remans, or injectors from a BOSCH licensed repair facility. BOSCH holds the patent on them, and will not sell parts to companies that are not licensed or approved of by BOSCH, and hence ONLY those shops can get teh parts to rebuild them. The only parts available on the aftermarket for inejctors are nozzles, and the nozzles rarely are the problem portion of the injector when they go. Front ends can be an issue depending on how it's been used. Idler and pitmans are prone to wear out just like the earlier trucks. Also check the upper ball joints where they press into the control arm. The ball joints themselves don't normally wear out, but the stamped steel control arms woller out and let the ball joints move around. Boosted launches or pulling hard in 4 wheel drive can bend the inner tie rod ends, but a set of sleeves will take care of that if they aren't already bent. And the 01-02 trucks seem to peg the oil pressure gauge out alot. 30-35 at idle how is normal for 01-02 trucks, but the early trucks seem to jump straight to the top of the gauge when you touch the throttle when in reality they are probably only making 40-60(the squirters open up around 40-45 PSI to cool the pistons, and the regulator opens around 60-65).

And don't forget to have it checked for pump rub. The transfer cases are known to develop a wear hole where the pump rides inside the rear housing, causing fluid to leak out while driving from the top of the rear case halve. When you run out of fluid, it tears up the transfer case. So long as theres no wear hole, it is easy enough to split the case, and put a wear plate in to keep it from happening. And the Nuetral safety backup switch on early trucks was a problem area. If it has been upgraded to the grey switch from ALLISON, it has been fixxed, but if it still has a black one on it, plan on changing it out soon.
 
Thanks for all the info gents. That will be a huge help. Now I am not so worried about the oil pressure and starter. Will post pics if I get the truck. I am still keeping my old 6.5 for my truck and the wife will get the luxury of leather seats and a drama under her hood
 
Decided against the duramax I was looking at. Too many miles and they wouldn't come down to a reasonable price.
Instead I purchased this new to me 2006 jeep liberty diesel crd. With only 100,287 miles on it.
 
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