new to the dmax world. what upgrades should i do first?

csummers

csummers

New member
Joined
Sep 26, 2011
Messages
77
just bought me an 05 duramax extended cab long bed 3500hd single wheel truck first one ive ever seen like it, its a 1 owner truck very clean and well maintained its bone stock and just rolled 190k

what do you guys think i should upgrade on it i want a stout truck but im not ready to upgrade the tranny yet lol
im thinking a cold air intake with the mouth piece

fass fuel system i was looking at the 1 thats just a pump its called the flow enhancer ddrp its half the price of a good pump

exhaust and egr delete of course,do you have to have a tuner installed to
block the egr or is that somthing i can do befor a tuner?

and a decent efi live tune.

im not planning on doing everything at once just little by little when money alows me to.

ive also seen a few other things that cought my eye
xdp race fuel valve? yes or no idk

industrial injection stage 1 bag of parts..is it somthing i should think about?

ppe crankcase breather kit..i figure thats somthing i should do first its cheap and i would assume a good investment

ppe adjustable electronic boost controler..is that somthing i should look into? whats a safe boost level for a stock motor without studs and whats stock boost level?

like i said im new to dmax's but not to diesels just trying to get some openions and figure out what to do with it.
and i dint kno much about the allison 5speed eather i kno guys around here have stock trannys with exhaust,cold air intakes,and a good tune and they dont have any tranny problems. but like i said im new and just looking for some info.all help will be greatly appreciated,thanks guys
 
You got to pay to play. Good tuning will make more power than the stock trans can handle. That's where it ends until you beef the trans up.
 
yea i figured an agressive tune would kill it but with just like a 80to100hp tune,exhaust,cai,egr delete,and a fuel system you dont think a stock tranny will take it? all i wanted to do to the tranny for now was put a deep pan on it
 
would an ats co pilot or a efi live tuned tcm help my tranny..im prolly gona have duramax tuner do the efi tunes the only thing they dont have is a lope tune i always thought that sounded cool but i hear its not good on ****
 
csummers said:
just bought me an 05 duramax extended cab long bed 3500hd single wheel truck first one ive ever seen like it, its a 1 owner truck very clean and well maintained its bone stock and just rolled 190k congrats

what do you guys think i should upgrade on it i want a stout truck but im not ready to upgrade the tranny yet lol
im thinking a cold air intake with the mouth piece

Intake not necessary unless you start making north of 4-500rwhp, LBZ mouthpiece is a good idea though
fass fuel system i was looking at the 1 thats just a pump its called the flow enhancer ddrp its half the price of a good pump
check out ppe's pump, not a bad deal either for a pump only.

exhaust and egr delete of course,do you have to have a tuner installed to
block the egr or is that somthing i can do befor a tuner?
definately do both of these...kinda hit or miss on egr codes, every truck is different. If it sets a code, it's a soft code, so no limp mode, but you will need a reader or tuner to shut it off
and a decent efi live tune.
like these guys said, pay to play. keep it conservative, trans will be fine.... too much hosepowa, and schit hits the fan
im not planning on doing everything at once just little by little when money alows me to.

ive also seen a few other things that cought my eye
xdp race fuel valve? yes or no idk
ppe sells a shim kit as well, not really necessary unless you have problems with popping the relief valve open.... usually once you start tuning the truck and spiking the rail pretty hard

industrial injection stage 1 bag of parts..is it somthing i should think about?

unnecessary... save your money. spend it on an LBZ cp3 regulator

ppe crankcase breather kit..i figure thats somthing i should do first its cheap and i would assume a good investment
also a must. get that crankcase vent out of the intake. that, combined with the egr functioning are the worst case of corking up an intake system on a duramax
ppe adjustable electronic boost controler..is that somthing i should look into? whats a safe boost level for a stock motor without studs and whats stock boost level?

50/50... I wouldn't buy one.Mine saw north of 540hp and around 45-48psi before I corked the headgaskets.... not to say it can't be done a stock motor, cuz I've seen those too. Tuning the truck will only amplify the problems. Stock boost on the 05 LLY is limited to around 22-23psi

like i said im new to dmax's but not to diesels just trying to get some openions and figure out what to do with it.
and i dint kno much about the allison 5speed eather i kno guys around here have stock trannys with exhaust,cold air intakes,and a good tune and they dont have any tranny problems. but like i said im new and just looking for some info.all help will be greatly appreciated,thanks guys
Click to expand...

see red

All in driving habits... a heavy foot on a conservative tune can't waste a trans in no time....
Powerstroked162 said:
Mod #1: Designer jeans
Click to expand...

Helpful SOB, ain't you
 
Trans is gonna probly be a must especially with those miles . I would do an egr delete full 4 inch exhaust and some good efi tuning along with a Ppe race valve and ported fittings . If you do an egr delete get an lb7 up pipe or you can get the egr port cut off and welded shut if you don't the bellow will eventually crack and leak like a mofo . I usually cut the bellow off and tig weld a saddle as I like to call it over the pipe. Make sure to get tunes from someone who knows what their doing like Idaho rob what kind of power are you looking to get ou of the truck?
 
csummers said:
would an ats co pilot or a efi live tuned tcm help my tranny..im prolly gona have duramax tuner do the efi tunes the only thing they dont have is a lope tune i always thought that sounded cool but i hear its not good on ****
Click to expand...

That's because lope tunes are for flat billed pussies.:homo:

EFI makes power not stupid lope tunes
 
Exhaust and a tune would be the first things to do for sure. Stay around 90-100hp over stock and the trans will live. Definetly do the egr delete and I would wait on the lift pump until you build the transmission. Leave the bag o parts alone.
 
images
 
Neither of my first two mods will add power but save you big time in the long run...

1) Tie rod sleeves
2) Transfer Case Pump rub fix. (All Season Diesel - Tony Burkhardt has the cheap one, Eric Merchant has the $$ one. Both will work)


From there... exhaust, EGR blocker (cheap) or delete (more expensive), PCV rerout, tuning.
 
thanks for all the openions every1! im gona look into the tie rod sleeves and the pump rub kit for sure..the only other questions i got are..should i investest in a tuned tcm or an ats co pilot? are eather worth the money and do eather help the tranny hold on longer? and should the torque converter be upgraded ive heard of buying a factory gm lmm converter to replace the lly converter for a cheap upgrade.or should the converter just wait til the tranny needs built?


and sorry about thinking the lope tune sounded cool..ive only heard 1 truck do it and i thought it sounded cool, i hear every1 online talk about a lope and smoke tune and that i think is retarded theres no point to make ur truck smoke for no reason.
 
I'd say no to both of those. Save your money and build your tranny. I have had several co-pilots and and ran one first on my 02 LB7 before I built the tranny. Limped it after about 3 passes on the 120 setting of the old quadzilla I had at the time. If you are not going to drag race or do a lot of big power in 4x4 the sleeves are not really necessary. They are cheap however and easy to install.

Rub kit is good, but I've had 6 Dmax's and a chit load of big power 4x4 time and never hurt one. I'd do the mouth piece for sure, also the egr and 4"exhaust. I'd contact Idaho Rob and get an EFI Live Autocal. Great custom tuner, can have what your want for power depending on what you have done to your truck also clears codes. You will want to be easy on the tuning, a truck with that many miles probably has limited life felt on the TC and tranny. You don't have to spend a fortune to put a decent build on your tranny that will hold what power you are talking about. A truck with a 450-500 hp tune will haul ass and make you smile. Just remember these things are as addicting as any drug. You always want more. Don't try and push a stock motor too hard or you will break it for sure. Blown head gaskets and bent rods come to mind. Trust me been there done that.
 
I don't think transmission tuning will help it last longer. IDK about the LMM convertor being a slight upgrade. Someone else will have to reply there.

IMO just wait on trans mods until you can build it properly.

Staying away from being WOT while shifting into 4th gear & 5th will probably help save the trans the most.
 
ok thanks for the info...not planning on racing it just daily drive,occasionaly pull a car trailer,and have some fun it will never get pulled and never drag raced unless i have to build the tranny then it will get the occasional race lol just looking for some fun power and to be able to atleast but hopfully beat all my buddys with there 24v cummins's for now i think im just gona do exhaust,lift pump,egr delete,crankcase vents and a cai hopfully tranny will hold that and then a small efi live tune. if the tranny goes i guess it goes lol but i am going to flush it and get a deep pan for it and for sure keep my foot out of it between 4th and 5th! thanks again guys
 
and i dont remember where i read it at but some1 said a lmm converter is a dual disk and from gm it is half the price of a decent aftermarket converter and a lly is a single disk so im guessing if it will fit in the 5speed allision it would be a decent upgrade but like i said ive never been around a dmax.i had a twin turbo 12valve that ran me broke and then a 7.3 that i absolutly hated lol and ive always been a chevy man soo i figured id try out a dmax
 
Ive got an 05 with exaust, egr delete, ppe tuner (set on 90hp), AFE turbo inlet, and an Air Dog, and I love the way my truck runs and pulls a trailer. I can also get over 20 mpg (hand calculated) on the hwy. but I drive like a grandpa lol My next upgrade will be a tranny and crankcase breather relocater.
 
ben99 how many miles is on ur truck? and has ur tranny slipped or done anything weird yet? thats about the same set up i wana run just with efi live instead of a ppe

and to every1 else what should a built tranny consist of?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top