2005 Silverado Duramax 2500 know problems?

[4bearhug]

My son is looking for a work truck that can be older(over 10-15yr), but needs to be in decent mechanical shape. He found a one owner 2005 2500 duramax with 122k miles. Anybody have any personal experience with potential problems that he should be asking about? Any likely repairs that he can anticipate and cost estimates?

He doesn't really need a 2500 or a diesel, but is open to this because of their longevity and holding their value. Also he doesn't need it to look pristine.

Thanks for your help.

[6_6_Oilburner]

LowRyter wrote:
the only consistent issue is the water pump. they typically fail around 100k miles and parts an labor is about a grand.

I have the same engine in my '04. It only has 60k miles and still has the original water pump. I've never had an overheating issues hauling my 5th wheel. A larger turbo inlet ($200) from Killer Bee guy has been cited as a fix for consistent over heating.

I think it's hard to beat a 2nd gen or newer Duramax for reliability.

A grand is EXCESSIVE for a waterpump job, even at the dealer. And that Killer Bee clown is such a crook he has been run out of most of the Duramax related forums.

Someone else mentioned HGs, LB7s, LLYS and the early build LBZ all had the crimped style gasket which will eventually fail. A $3500-$4k fix with headstuds if you hunt around for a reputable smaller shop that has a good repuation with Dmax trucks.

Injector Pig tails are a common problem. mostly number 2 and 7, but sometims others. The repair ends are $50 a piece or so and a pretty east DIY project.

And of course Pump Rub as well. A $95 kit fixes it if you do it as preventative maintenance. If you wait till the case fails best to just cash it in on a reman.

[minnow]

Not a LLY owner here but rather a 8.1 2004 2500HD. As someone stated the pump rub is a known issue and will, if not checked, create a small pinhole in the transfer case. Also as the OP is from the midwest, look for bad rusting of the brake, gas and transmission lines. The original brake, gas and tranmission lines do not hold up and will rot out. Pay extra attention to the brake lines located under the drivers seat where the ABS pump is. It is in an area up above the frame where salt/dirt accumulates and the lines rot out. Also if in the salt belt, the brakes and rotors are a huge problem with rust. I've has all of these issues on a truck with 71000 miles.

[LowRyter]

the only consistent issue is the water pump. they typically fail around 100k miles and parts an labor is about a grand.

I have the same engine in my '04. It only has 60k miles and still has the original water pump. I've never had an overheating issues hauling my 5th wheel. A larger turbo inlet ($200) from Killer Bee guy has been cited as a fix for consistent over heating.

I think it's hard to beat a 2nd gen or newer Duramax for reliability.

[ktmrfs]

my 04.5 LLY is now my sons, since we now have a 2015 Denali duramax. the 04.5 has 125K miles on it. Other than normal maint items it has had only one repair, done by me. Front wheel bearings. A somewhat known issue through about 2006. How common, don't know, but the fix is about 1/2 hour to replace and about $125 for OEM bearing sets on amazon from gm dealerships selling online.

Other than that completely troublefree. As to overheating, mine never did, and we did tow a lot, mostly a 10,000 TT over many west coast passes.

IMHO some of the "overheating" was owners being paranoid when the fan comes on (you WILL know it) or temps going up near 220-230 and holding steady. Neather is an issue IMHO. Yes, some apparently would get hot enough to go into limp mode till cooled down. I suspect some was also driving style. I ran 4th gear on steep climbs in TH mode, mostly to keep the gearbox from hunting between 4th and 5th, and usually held between 50 and 60. Why 50 -60? well, most of the steep hills also had sharp enough turns that somewhere between 50 and 60 would let me keep constant speed. Full throttle to 60-65+, backing off for the turn, full throttle again, and repeat is another way to get an engine pretty hot.

As long as it has been maintained well, I suspect it will last a LONG time.

[kmbelt]

my parents have a 2005 Sierra and tow 12k regularly. It is a fantastic engine and drivetrain. they have never had an overheat issue.

It will make for a great work truck with good fuel economy and power.

[micar]

My 2005 was a great truck also. I never had an over heat problem, even pulling 12k fiver through the hills of Northern Ontario in 35* C temps....the cooling fan is sure loud though.
Most known problems have already been mentioned, i.e. head gaskets and pump rub. There was also a fix for the injector harness rub that caused the #5 injector to quit working, but this should have occurred on this truck already and be fixed.
I had to replace the fuel cooler lines and a brake line on mine due to rust (gotta love Central Ontario road salt!!)
I would have kept the truck but bigger 5er mandates bigger truck. If the price is right and it suits your needs buy it and drive it like you stole it....it can take it.

[kaydeejay]

donn0128 wrote:
The LLY in 2004/05 had overheating problems when towing heavy. It was fixable supposidly.

A VERY FEW LLYs had overheat problems.
GM Service records indicate fewer than 1% had the GM Service fix applied.
This was to install the LBZ air cleaner (drawing cool air from under the fender instead of hot air from behind the rad) plus a reflash of the computer.)
To the OP - I wouldn't worry about it!

[greatwhitenort1]

I bought an 05 LLY new, & only put 72,000 miles on it in the 10 years I owned it. Was an awesome truck, pulled my 14,000 lb 5th wheel effortlessly. Only put front wheel bearings, shocks, & regular maintenance in it.
That being said, GM had issues with crimped headgaskets on the LLY engines that is not a matter of if they will go, it's a matter of when. They redesigned them when the came out with the LBZ engine in 06. With 122,000 miles on the truck your looking at it may or may not have had the headgaskets done. It is a very expensive job if you can't do it yourself, $5000+ dollars if you go with ARP studs instead of regular head bolts, which I would recommend.
The transfer case on all the classic body trucks from 01 to 07.5 had an issue called pump rub where a clip on the pump will wear thru the transfer case, and if you don't catch it before it happens you will lose all the oil & will need a new case. There are numerous places that sell a kit to replace the faulty GM parts to eliminate this from happening.
The over heating issue happens to all the LLY trucks if you pull heavy up grades in hot climates, if your not in a hot climate, or don't pull you may never see this, mine never overheated once, but I don't live in a hot climate. It was another engineering issue that was mostly improved on the LBZ.

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

Problems?

#1. KMart shocks. (easy fix)

#2. WalMart engine oil cooler lines. (easy fix)

#3. WalMart tranny cooler lines. (easy fix)

#4. KMart sector shaft. (easy fix)

As far as the heating issue goes it was VERY few and far between. The ones that did heat were a pretty easy fix with a new turbo mouth piece. The ones that those did not fix you can do a V2 mod.

Towing or not it will be a nice truck.

[mnm_2]

I would be more concerned about the brake and fuel lines the Duramax Allison combination is a excellent choice. The overheating problems on the few trucks during heavy towing situations can be dealt with

[larry_barnhart]

No over heating issues for our 05 with a combined weight of 22920 lbs.

chevman

[Charlie_D_]

Check for coolant leak near oil filter. I had a leak for several months on my 2006 and I would get low coolant every couple of months. Added less that a quart each time and the light would go out. Found a drop of coolant that would hand on and above the oil filter. Never enough to drip onto drive way. Was told it was a cooler leak. Supposedly it was where it bolted to the engine and there was a replacement gasket. Could have been the cooler itself that did not have a replacement gasket.

[travelnutz]

No known problems with that truck and especially with what your son wants it for. Obviously, you do not know for sure what kind of maintenance the truck actually had etc but lack of usually can be seen somewhat.

Our ordered new in 2004, built in March, 2004.5 CC LB 4X4 Chevy D/A is getting close to 170K and never had anything other than tires and one set of front brake pads needing repair, replacement or be fixed except for 2 replacing 2 burned light 1157 bulbs and one headlight bulb over the last 11 years. Just normal oil, air, and filter changes. Truck is still very tight with no rattles and not one speck of rust and we live in Michigan where they salt the roads in winter. His perspective truck has all 2 sided galvanized exterior body panels including the bed and box. 2005 was the exact same truck and D/A drivetrain as our 2004.5. Our truck has only been used for towing our Carriage Carrilite 5th wheel (12,840 lbs scale weighed loaded to travel) or tour TT or our 11'4" Lance TC as we have other vehicles we use when not RV'ing. Never overheated eith even when climbing to over 10,000 feet in the west in the hot summer towing the 5th wheel. A very small percentage ever claimed or reported overheating but some bashers like to spread the BS thick to make it sound like the sky is falling. The fix was cheap and easy even for those who did have or claim overheating.

Certainly not going to sell or part with ours as why would we? Drives & handles like new, and still looks new inside and out plus gets great fuel economy as it's before all the pollution stuff was mandated, very quiet running, and tons of power. Outstanding truck and many reports of them having 1,000,000+ miles on them now with the same engine and Allison tranny without any engine repairs or rebuilds done! What more could you ask for?

[4bearhug]

donn0128 wrote:
The LLY in 2004/05 had overheating problems when towing heavy. It was fixable supposidly.

I forgot to mention that it really isn't for towing, but it might on rare occasions. It's really just a work truck for him, but I appreciate the heads up.