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Head gasket problem - truth or fiction?

G

gardnerteam

Cantankerous Old Curmudgeon
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Location
Bend, Oregon
At 94,250 miles, my 2006 (Oct 05 build) LBZ, on another 6,000 mile towing trip, started using antifreeze. 3/4 gal in 6,000 miles. Took it to my friends "big" diesel shop to diagnose, and sure enough, both heads are leaking coolant and pressure test fails. No problem - off to the dealer. Very nice and reasonably competent female service writer, after consultation with service manager, informs me that the LBZ has 3 different head gaskets on it, and the only way they can tell is tear it down and take the number off the existing gasket, call the engine manufacturer, and they send out the correct gasket. Could take up to 3 to 4 weeks or maybe only a week. No rental car allowed because diesel warranty does now allow loaner cars. I smell LOTS of RATS!
1. True or false - 3 gasket possibilities on the LBZ, and Vin # can't tell. First I've heard or read of this. Parts person or mechanic - can you confirm or deny this?
2. True or false - No loaner or rental cars on diesel engine warranty? I've read of lots of people on here getting loaner or rental cars when their trucks were down. Does this only apply to the first 36,000 miles?
Normally a good dealership. I have bought trucks here, but not this one as they did not have one and said they could not order at the time (ordered in July 05 as a 06 LBZ only, not a LLY - they would not do). But I would like to know the truth of both questions, whether or not I like it.
Not trying to cause problems, but hate to be lied to or mislead. Thanks for your info.
 
1. don't know

2. rental cars are based on the number of hours of warranty work performed...so they are jerking your chain...
 
Engine - Cylinder head & valves - Head gasket head gasket, all models, left, grade a - 8 cylinder - 6.6l diesel - 8 CYLINDER - 6.6L DIESEL
06-07 $105.22 $62.38

===============================================
Engine - Cylinder head & valves - Head gasket head gasket, all models, left, grade b - 8 cylinder - 6.6l diesel - 8 CYLINDER - 6.6L DIESEL
06-07 $106.69 $63.25

===============================================
Engine - Cylinder head & valves - Head gasket head gasket, all models, left, grade c - 8 cylinder - 6.6l diesel - 8 CYLINDER - 6.6L DIESEL
06-07 $107.28 $63.59

==============================================

looks like there are three...grades A, B and C ...I only posted for the left side to show you...


I don't think there is a huge difference...unless one has to do with emissions...

They had different ones for the LB7 when mine went out..and the difference was just the thickness of the gasket... most just were replaced with the thicker one with no problem...
 
Pretty sure that GM will only comp a rental under the 3/36 if your vehicle is in the shop for a repair with a 3 hour or more book rate. I've been told that, and I've also been told that any repair that requires you to leave it overnight gets a car.

Some dealers have their own fleet of loaner vehicles that they'll goodwill to you, some don't. It's so hard to say because you really don't know who is paying for a car you end up with because yours is at the shop.

Let us know how the head gasket situation plays out.
 
Service writer just called. Agreed both head gaskets need replacing. Standard $100 deduct. Want to charge me to pull front winch bumper which attaches with the same bolts and the same places as the factory. I said NO, if you have to pull it, then give it back and I will pull it.
Asked them to check for egr probs with tech unit - said no, will charge me $97 to check, and if it is warranty, then will credit. I said no. Will tell car salesman they have sold me their last vehicle. Hate being nickeled and dimed with damn lame excuses.
 
I dont know about 3 different types of gaskets but the dealer ended up going with aftermarket on mine since GM gaskets are on some national back order. But i chose to have my truck covered by GMPP instead of OEM so this is why they could put the aftermarket gaskets on. I also got a rental vehicle but in the end GMPP backed out on paying the rental fee. I waited several weeks for the dealer to try and straighten out the rental issue but i ended up handling it myself. GMPP sent me a check for all the rental with no issues after explaining my circumstances and faxing copies of my receipts. The BS of waiting for my truck for over a month and trying to use a useless rental for the limited time they gave me one forced me into buying another D-Max so i could keep my business afloat. I also took my truck to the dealer i used to work at and they treated me great but even then i was fed up with the time it took and dealing with the warranty issues. Good luck to yah, i hope the dealer does good by you.
 
All the parts to finish were there yesterday (Tues pm) and they say it will be done Thurs PM. Interesting that they pulled the entire engine out to take the heads off. Seems like a lot of work just to pull heads and replace gaskets. Glad I was not paying more than 100 towards labor. Is it normal to pull the engine to do a head gasket replacement?
 
saratoga said:
Pretty sure that GM will only comp a rental under the 3/36 if your vehicle is in the shop for a repair with a 3 hour or more book rate. I've been told that, and I've also been told that any repair that requires you to leave it overnight gets a car.

Some dealers have their own fleet of loaner vehicles that they'll goodwill to you, some don't. It's so hard to say because you really don't know who is paying for a car you end up with because yours is at the shop.

Let us know how the head gasket situation plays out.
Click to expand...
Yes, the loaner car is covered only during the 36mo/36K warranty, unless you have the GMPP extended warranty in force at the time of the repair or the dealer wants to provide a courtesy car.

Many shops will pull the engine for major engine work. It is a lot easier to work on and reduces the chances of scratching up the fenders, bumpers, etc.

If it were my truck, I would prefer that they pull the engine.
 
The tech who worked on mine chose to pull the cab. He had the cab off and the engine tore down in one day so it was a quick procedure. What i liked about it was they left the cab in the air and the rest of the truck in the bay instead of moving it outdoors into the elements. He did a good job with assembly too, no noises, body lines are right.
 
OK -got it back last night on schedule. Tech wrote that one of the headgaskets had been damaged since engine was originally built, and the other leaked externally. Lots of new little parts, 36 new head bolts, new antifreeze, and an oil change. I use a synthetic, and they put regular crap in with a new filter, but I can't complain. All in all, satisfied with their effort including time, since they had to order the parts. Decent dealer effort, and SUPERB personal communication effort by the female service writer. Wish they all were like that.
 
Change the oil in the next couple hundred miles, to make sure any antifreeze in there gets removed, and put in what you normally use.
 
No problem. I did the same thing when I changed the Intake gaskets on my SSEi, changed the oil after a hundred miles to make sure that any coolant that got in the oil got out of there.
 
SHEEEEEETZ! Deja VU all over again. Using antifreeze in first 100 miles since head gaskets replaced, enough for light to come on, and when I check it, it is down. No signs of external leaks. Told dealer, and will refill and watch next few days. Also, at lowest rpm's when starting out only, it has a diesel growl or clatter on the drivers bank for a few seconds. NONE of my Duramax's in over 300,000 miles have had this. Developed after they worked on it. Sounds like a light 6.5 clatter. Annoying, but probably not harmful? Any ideas? What did the mechanic forget to tighten?
 
Man, that's terrible to hear. Hopefully it is something simple like an air pocket in the cooling system and the dealer (sadly) didn't bleed it properly.

Make sure there are no exhaust leaks around the manifold or up pipes- look for soot traces. That can cause a ticking sound that can and sometimes will go away quickly once the manifold heats up enough to expand. Look around for traces of soot and have someone start the truck when it's ice cold while you watch and feel for leaks. Start out with the simple stuff that you can verify with your own common sense.
 
My coolant light came on about two days after driving it home from the dealer, i topped off the coolant and it has been fine since. The truck is a touch louder at idle than my othe LBZ but it also has alot more power too with the stock tune in. I drove it for a good 3 weeks with stock tune to be sure everything was seated/broke in before putting the tuner back on it. It is back up to 85HP and man will this thing run, the top end is about the same but the low end is much better than before. I rarely drive the ECSB for the business anymore unless the truck is empty going somewhere. The RCLB sure is getting a workout towing everday and it still smells of coolant on the passenger side although i havent topped it off in several weeks now.
 
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