vulcancowboy
Gold Member
My '03 Chevy Duramax needs a set of injectors after 162,000 miles. Guess I may be lucky, I have seen many people who after that many miles are on their 3rd set. :thumbdown::thumbdown: A 3K expenditure I wasn't planning on!
Well, I guess it had to happen sooner or later
- Thread starter vulcancowboy
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HHR
Platinum Member
Not bad. I would add a supplemental lift pump to keep a solid supply of air-free fuel to the new injectors.
Turbys_1700
Elite Member
That is not uncommon at that mileage. I've got a neighbor that hauls cars on an 08 6.7 Dodge Cummins with a roll back. Last week his muffler clogged. Service to clean the muffler is $350 with total replacement at $1800. DEF, egr's, converter, etc are all built in the muffler assembly. Keep your 03 Duramax.
Diamondpilot
Super Star Member
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OP
vulcancowboy
Gold Member
The Duramax is my 2nd diesel, I also had a Dodge. As much as I like the sound of the diesel, given the added fuel cost (diesel here is $3.15 regular unleaded is $2.69) and I really don't need the pulling power, I don't see myself buying another diesel.
Turbys_1700
Elite Member
I agree. I sold my camper last June and sold my F350 dually with it. Owned it for 10 years and was a good one. Last run of the 7.3's. Since I was selling the camper I didn't really need that much truck anymore. The buyer wanted the truck to pull the camper so I sold it to him. I replaced it with a gasser. Suits my needs better now.
Gem99ultra
Elite Member
I had no idea that a set of injectors were that expensive. I've been complaining about the high maintenance cost of my old diesel '97 Chevy turbo powered 6.5L. Heck - the whole truck isn't worth $3K. I suppose I best shut-up about it, and drive it 'til it won't.
OP
vulcancowboy
Gold Member
I was anticipating my injectors going, but the symptoms that I was looking for were: hard starting, smoking, loss of power, etc. None of that happened. What DID happen was suddenly, my oil pressure dropped to 1/2 of what it normally read. I was hoping it was the gauge malfunctioning. I made an appointment with the Chevy dealer to get it checked out and the day before I was to take it in....DISASTER! I drove the truck to work, the Low Oil Pressure warning came on momentarily as I pulled into the parking lot. When I came out after work, the truck had dumped A LOT of oil (and as it turns out diesel fuel) onto the parking lot.
Had her towed in and the next day got the bad news. Apparently, when the injector(s) failed, fuel started dumping into the crankcase, thinning out the oil, causing the pressure to drop. Still not sure how the oil/diesel got dumped onto the parking lot. Truck should be done on Monday. I'm thinking seriously about trading it on a 2014 1500 Silverado.
Had her towed in and the next day got the bad news. Apparently, when the injector(s) failed, fuel started dumping into the crankcase, thinning out the oil, causing the pressure to drop. Still not sure how the oil/diesel got dumped onto the parking lot. Truck should be done on Monday. I'm thinking seriously about trading it on a 2014 1500 Silverado.
dodge man
Super Star Member
The newer diesels are almost all what they call high pressure common rail. They run high pressure lines to the injectors, usually something near 30,000 psi or a little less and the injectors fire electronically. Sounds expensive doesn't it? It is. Take the Cummins engine in Dodge trucks, the old mechanically injected engines are pretty cheap to work on, which I assume is similar to your 6.5 diesel. The injectors also don't have as tight as tollerances so they aren't so sensitive to a little wear and when they do need replaced it cost a lot less.
The advantage of the common rail engines is less emissions and more power but also at higher maintainance costs.
Beltzington
Platinum Member
I am not a certified mechanic, but how would fuel get into the crankcase, much less the parking lot due to injector failure. You trust this dealership? Maybe a second opinion would have been warranted.
Good Luck!
