Duramax Rebuild

[amcardon]

A friend has a diesel shop in Yukon, I know that's likely out of your range, but he's got a great reputation for doing excellent work.

1E Tuning (405) 441-6511

 

[HiredHand]

So just got a call from the mechanic. He said the head gasket is blown and there’s a noise coming that makes them think there’s a piston problem. He suggested dropping in a new engine due to how much it would cost to replace the head gasket and the pistons. I don’t really like that idea. He said rough ball park for new engine is 15k. This is Same Day Auto repair in Sand Springs. I don’t really trust them too much. Just needed it diagnosed.

Anyone know anyone close to Tulsa. Got AAA premium so I can get it pretty much anywhere in 100 miles.

Diesel Power Plus

 

[Bigdawg90]

Diesel Power Plus

Just looked this guy up. His responses to yelp reviews are hilarious. Lol

 

[Bocephus123]

Have the dealer diagnose it then you can mull over the repairs.

 

[cowadle]

is it turbocharged? could be the turbo let go

 

[Cowcatcher]

So where would I start? Well based on what you’ve stated……you primed the filter to get it going again but then it started cutting out and white smoke. I like to start with the simplest things. Most shops don’t get paid enough to fix simple stuff. So I know air in fuel can cause diesels to run rough and white smoke. I also know a rough running diesel can sound like metal shrapnel bouncing around in a barrel. I also know that seals can go bad in the filter head around the primer pump and then air gets sucked into the injection pump which then leads to poor running and white smoke. So me I’d pressure test the filter head, replace the filter head or re-seal the filter head especially around the hand pump. Make sure filter is tight too. You can put a clear line between filter and injection pump so you can observe if air bubbles are getting in. That’s what I’d do.

 

[HiredHand]

I’d also drain or treat the fuel if I suspected water in the fuel which could cause similar symptoms to the one’s described in the OP.

 

[1911Sooner]

Even at $15K is might be worth it. I don't think you can get a new three quarter ton or 1 ton diesel under 70K now in any brand. If the rest of the truck is good a new engine should last you another 300K.

 

[Bigdawg90]

Towed it to Diesel Power Plus today. Owner seems like a great guy. Hopefully they’ll get it in this week and I’ll get some good news.

 

[Bigdawg90]

Diesel Power Plus was a lot more honest. They said the reason why the cost is so high is simply those LB7 6.6 are so much labor to disassemble. He said the engine looks to be in great shape save the head gasket and one injector. Looks like I’ll be turning my Father in Laws shop into a diesel repair shop. Lol

I’m pretty excited to tear into another engine project. I just can’t justify paying someone $13-15k when I have the tools and know how to do it myself. This will be my first diesel rebuild but my FIL has done them before. I’ll probably update this thread in a year saying I’m finally finished and tally up how many Coors Light I went through. Haha