6.6 Duramax engine

[Mr.Jack]

I have heard that the 6.6 Duramax engine is not reliable.
Is this true?
Planning on getting my "wife" a pick-up truck, which she wants herself.
Should I rather go for the 5.3 Vortec?

 

[yates ™]

I have 9500 miles on mine with no problems What is going to be the primary use for the truck?

 

[Mr.Jack]

She does not have the license to haul trailers, so I will have to do that (with my Tahoe).
Mostly driving the kids to kinder garden, groceries, getting stuff for her horse and mostly driving short distances.
We are looking at the 2003-2006 Silverado.

 

[scoobyxj]

Well...

Here diesels fetch a premium over a gas model. Oil changes are almost double to over double of a gas motor. Most of the time diesel fuel is more per gallon than gas. FWIW the slight advantage of the fuel mileage of the diesel over the gas motor would take quite some time to recuperate. Personally unless you where towing regularly with the truck I would choose a 5.3, or 6.0ltr over the diesel motor....

 

[BRUTUS_T_HOG]

Short trips and grocery getting is what kills diesels. If your wife is driving it like a granny get a gas engine.

The early duramax had issues, but they all got worked out by 2006. Don't get any diesel 2007 and up they are JUNK due to all the technology added to meet stricter emissions

 

[livingez_123]

I you rather tow with a diesel then my Denali any day of the year, I would trade my denali for a Cummins or Dmax without question. I should have never sold my dually. Dont get me wrong, I like my Denali, but it's no Cummins.

 

[yates ™]

Short trips and grocery getting is what kills diesels. If your wife is driving it like a granny get a gas engine.

The early duramax had issues, but they all got worked out by 2006. Don't get any diesel 2007 and up they are JUNK due to all the technology added to meet stricter emissions

Please tell me how they're junk.

 

[THE YETI]

Please tell me how they're junk.

I'm curious too. I've been looking at a new duramax.

---------- Post added at 11:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:46 PM ----------

I have heard that the 6.6 Duramax engine is not reliable.

Is this true?

Planning on getting my "wife" a pick-up truck, which she wants herself.

Should I rather go for the 5.3 Vortec?

Buy her mine. 6.2L 403hp. Weeeeeee!!!!

 

[livingez_123]

Pre 07 is junk? you have no clue. I put 600k on my 97 Dodge and another 250k on my 04.5 Dodge. Sure the early Dmax had an injector issue, but GM did the right thing and upped the warranty on them from 100k to 200k. And the later years work fine. Cummins was the first to meet the tight 2010 emissions....in 2006! While Gm and Ford had to put urea injection to meet the emissions, Cummins didn't have to for 2 more years. Now with the BlueTec and other clean diesels on the market more people will buy them. Also, Dodge is the first light duty truck mfg to offer a diesel in it's 1/2 ton market. I would love to have a common rail V6 diesel in my denali. 30mpg on the highway sound good to me. Plus 400+ftlb of torque to tow with. I'm ready to go back to a diesel, but no money to do it. Brutus, do your research before you open your mouth.

 

[BRUTUS_T_HOG]

Please tell me how they're junk.

The DPFs clog up left and right. Ill say the duramax has been the best so far, but stil has issues.

I've had to replace the $2000 DPF on one 6.7L cummins 2 times in 10k miles due to the owner being a contractor and letting the engine idle all the time ad taking short trips like OP is saying. On top of all the updated parts and EGR cleaning to slow down the soot. Came back last week with codes for soot accumulation and she was fed up.

They are only reliable if they get driven on the freeway regularly or extended time and then you get to watch the fuel gauge sink down as it enters regen. to burn the DPF clean.

The big 3 did this to meet new 2007 emissions standards and all 3 have had numerous failures. Then they got even worse when they introduced urea injection a whole new system with its own problems.

---------- Post added at 11:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:21 PM ----------

Pre 07 is junk? you have no clue. I put 600k on my 97 Dodge and another 250k on my 04.5 Dodge. Sure the early Dmax had an injector issue, but GM did the right thing and upped the warranty on them from 100k to 200k. And the later years work fine. Cummins was the first to meet the tight 2010 emissions....in 2006! While Gm and Ford had to put urea injection to meet the emissions, Cummins didn't have to for 2 more years. Now with the BlueTec and other clean diesels on the market more people will buy them. Also, Dodge is the first light duty truck mfg to offer a diesel in it's 1/2 ton market. I would love to have a common rail V6 diesel in my denali. 30mpg on the highway sound good to me. Plus 400+ftlb of torque to tow with. I'm ready to go back to a diesel, but no money to do it. Brutus, do your research before you open your mouth.

I said post 2007. And yes modern diesels have awesome power and economy but in the real world when I work on them and see several thousand dollar repairs in high frequencies then I know what I would buy and wouldn't buy.

Works out great for my pay check but very bad for the consumer I feel bad for them