2008 duramax and 2011 power stroke issues?

[stew47]

Hi all. Doing a little truck shopping today and I found a 2011 f250 xl 6.7 and a 2008 Chevy 2500 with the duramax. What are some issues that I should be checking for both trucks? I haven't driven either yet.... Maybe Tuesday but I'm just hoping for tips on questions to ask or verify what's been serviced.

[rmoore0852]

gmckenzie wrote:

SoCalDesertRider wrote:
The best diesel pickup engines are-


'02-'06 Duramax 6.6

Didn't the 02 - 04.5 still have injector issues? 07 is the one's to look for. Pre DEF but injector and cooling issues solved.

06-early 07 is the sweet spot for duramax. They changed to the new body style with DPF halfway through 2007. They are referred to as 2007 Classic and 2007 NBS (New Body Style). Key is you want the LBZ engine. Fixed the injector issues, beefed up the cooling system, added a sixth gear to the transmission.

Easiest way to tell the difference is to look at the little badge on the doors above the 2500/3500. If it reads DURAMAXDIESEL you are looking at an earlier model with the 5 speed. If the badge reads ALLISONDURAMAX then it has the six speed and LBZ engine.

With that being said, lots of guys have had no issues with the newer duramaxes. The 2011-2012's had a few issues when they added the DEF system, but the vast majority of trucks seem to have few issues.

[1jeep]

My point....there are a lot of ford trucks out there that have been trouble free!

Some people make the 2011 ford 6.7 seem like it had the same amount of issues as a 2004 6.0

BTW turtle I never said the ford 6.7 was the best engine made or even second best.

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

1jeep wrote:
Once again I had the only good ford diesel as my 2011 ran 110k miles with zero issues, I only traded it in because it was a f250 and I needed my payload.

But hey my pervious 2008 6.4 ford was also a unicorn and is still running with almost 300k miles, friend bought it and has loved it....truck was a regular cab.

If your looking at a ford truck on a dealers lot ask for an oasis report this will show what has been done to the truck.

What's your point? I have a 5.7 diesel in my Caddie. It's never given me any problems. It must be one of the best diesel engines designed and made with your way of thinking. :R

[1jeep]

Once again I had the only good ford diesel as my 2011 ran 110k miles with zero issues, I only traded it in because it was a f250 and I needed my payload.

But hey my pervious 2008 6.4 ford was also a unicorn and is still running with almost 300k miles, friend bought it and has loved it....truck was a regular cab.

If your looking at a ford truck on a dealers lot ask for an oasis report this will show what has been done to the truck.

[SoCalDesertRid1]

Hopefully there is no C4 in the engine. That could be catastrophic for everyone around.

[Vintage465]

I actually think you could drive yourself nuts trying to find "the best truck". Dodge has a great motor, no doubt but then you hear about computer issues. I was riding in a Cummins Dodge the other day that had 55,000 miles on it with a 6 speed auto and that dude was hunting all over the map to find a gear to be satisfied with. OK that's not for me. Ford? Well, always been a Ford guy, but the company I work for has replace tons of the 6.7's. Seems we can't keep a 6.7 running long enough to see if the tranny will last. So I bought a 2013 Denali with a Duramax and so satisfied with the Allison. Then I start reading about the C4 pump and started sweating! Well, I bought it with 10,000 miles on it. It has 31,000 miles now. Runs perfect. My answer? I purchased a warranty for 6 years and 60,000 miles. Cost me $2900.00 bucks, but it's the best piece of mind I can find. Also, most people(except the haters)will tell you that for each failed C4, there is likely 2000 of them that don't fail.............for what it's worth. It's mine now and I will live with it happily. I just hope it doesn't puke it's C4 guts downstream during rush hour traffic in some big city!

[gmckenzie]

SoCalDesertRider wrote:
The best diesel pickup engines are-


'02-'06 Duramax 6.6

Didn't the 02 - 04.5 still have injector issues? 07 is the one's to look for. Pre DEF but injector and cooling issues solved.

[KD4UPL]

The Chevy 2008 Duramax really didn't have any issues that are notable. It is not the first year for that engine. The engine came out in mid year 2007. I had a 2007 with that engine and it was flawless for 36,000 miles. I know that's not a lot but I sold it then due to a slow down in business.
I'd pick the Chevy every time over that Ford. If for no other reason than the more reliable CP3 injection pump. Ford seems to not want to replace the CP4s under warranty.

[sparechange]

If you don't have emissions where you live, deleting the emissions equipment on the chevy might be an option. I have a deleted 09 and couldn't be happier. Never blows smoke, doesn't stink mileage went up a hair with none of the reliability concerns of the first gen dpf emissions stuff.

[SoCalDesertRid1]

The best diesel pickup engines are-

'89-'06 Cummins 5.9
'94-'02 Powerstroke 7.3
'02-'06 Duramax 6.6

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

stew47 wrote:
Ok after reading the forums about those topics I'm almost sick to my stomach. A 25000 bill? I just don't know what I would do. Does duramax have a high pressure fuel system? 10 grand to fix?

Not the year your looking at. They had CP3 pumps which were good pumps. Expensive to make, but good pumps.

Let me say this. The HPFP problems weren't so common. I wouldn't say rare, but not too common either. The big problem was the expense. About 15 big bills give or take. So if it was your turn in the barrel it was devastating.

The turbo problems weren't the same way. They had a LOT of turbo problems and that's why Ford went to the single wheel design in 2015. That ended the problems like NOW. No more common problems with the turbos on this engine.

There are other problems with that early engine like the plastic oil pan. I thought it was a good idea at first but it didn't work out for them. They didn't use the correct type of plastic so there were problems. Another problem was bottom end failures because of the tangless bearings. Pretty rare but like the HPFP, when they went, it took out the whole engine.

And GM does not get off scott free for the engine you're looking at either. They had a LOT of DEF tank level problems. The stupid level sensor would not read correctly and it would limp the truck. I think they fixed it with new sensors and software.

No matter what you buy be sure it's checked out very well by a trusted mechanic.

Good hunting!

On edit: Never mind about the DEF sensor problem. That is later and NOT the year you're looking at. Sorry about that.

[stew47]

Braun ambulance. Which they wouldn't know anything about the chassis unless it affects the box.

Our two medics are a 2010 f450 with a 6.0 ( makes me nervous every day) and 2014 ram. Rams been great except for how the ram computer talks to our hydraulic suspension. I swear these manufacturers just don't understand what a strain it is for an ambulance to be out of service. I'd be ok with v10s.

[Greene728]

stew47 wrote:
I should add to that we went with the ram when the 6.7 was in its first year. We didn't want to trust it. Ambulance manufacturers tell me the 6.7 has been good to the ambulance market. Ugh this is gonna drive me crazy lol.

Stew47
Not real sure where you got the above info from, but, the 6.7 PS has been marginal at best in ambulance applications at best for us. I'm a 21 year veteran in the Fire/EMS biz and with the exception of the 14's and up, they didn't fair real well with the emissions and cooling systems due to extended idle times and cold to wide open use in the drop of a hat. Great engine with loads of power when running right though. We had one that literally spent more time out of service than on calls by a wide margin. And it was a 2011. Our entire fleet now which is 9 front line units are gas V10 if that tells you anything, with the reserve being one of the last diesels a 2013 that is being traded for another gas next month. And BTW, yes we have a very rigorous preventive main program with all services being performed on time and spot on.

[stew47]

Ok after reading the forums about those topics I'm almost sick to my stomach. A 25000 bill? I just don't know what I would do. Does duramax have a high pressure fuel system? 10 grand to fix?