I wish all trucks had a useful tilt forward hood. I just touched the new GMC C4500 and C5500 that was introduced in Vegas last week. It is going to take some time to get used to the look. But they do have great visibility. GM is bringing back the Kodiak Chevy nameplate and the TopKick for GMC. The crew cab won't be out until 4th quarter this year with 4x4 coming out 2nd quarter 2003. Engines and tranny's are identical to the 2500 and 3500 HD and are rated the same HP and Torque. But you can get some really low axle ratio's. I think the GVWR is just 500#'s more than the Ford F450 and F550. Which brings me back to the gripe I keep bringing up, exhaust brakes. Finally exhaust brakes are a factory option on the GM Chevy and GMC C4500 and C5500!
These
new trucks have a wider front axle, creating a very short turning radius,
shorter nose for the improved visibility and semi-truck looking mirrors.
Generally I like a pull forward hood just like the big boys, and that did make
me happy until I opened it. Usually it gives you better access for servicing,
but not this one. It only makes it easy to access the power steering reservoir
and the one of the batteries. That was a disappointment. The engine compartment
is almost as cramped as the 2003 Dodge 2500. Because these trucks as with Ford,
are only available in cab & chassis, I will wait to report on the test drive
until I can drive a crew cab with an aftermarket body, trailer ready. The worry
I'll need to test is a dirt road test. I remember the 2 ton trucks International
had in the Sixties and early Seventies. I think they were called the 1600
series. These trucks had an extra wide front axle. The theory as with the new
2003 GM C4500 was to turn tighter and ad stability. But on dirt roads the wider
axle put you closer to the soft shoulder and you had to be careful when meeting
traffic.
Special
Update, October 8, 2001 on the 2001 GM Duramax.
I've spent more time driving the new Duramax. When you read the press releases from manufactures, you have to sort what they are selling you. I've heard from GM folks that the Duramax is the same engine that Isuzu has been using. I can't find that engine in the Isuzu trucks. If you find one please email me so I can see it. And I've had the GM reps. that I talked to at "Trucks in Motion" program, which was a good program where you could drive GM products on a track, get free food and hear mini-seminars on GM trucks, these GM reps. told me that the Allison Automatic transmission behind the Duramax was the same tranny offered in the big rigs and RTD buses. Well I looked at the Allison in a medium Duty F750 a AT2500 and it looked about twice as big. Two decades ago when I was a feed manager at a feedlot, we has a AT540 Allison and it was at least twice as big as what I see behind the Duramax. Actually the Allison I see behind the Duramax diesel is the smallest one I've seen. It does have things I like. The Allison 1000 has some nice features. (a $2300 option) It has a spin on filter, they all should have that, the Allison has a lockup torque converter in all 5 gears, and a PTO option. The tranny temp gauge is an option with the Allison, get that.
The Duramax has some good qualities also. It uses a manifold heater like the Cummins in the Dodge and glow plugs like the Power Stroke in the Ford which makes starting superb. The Duramax has gear driven timing, oil pump, and water pump as they all should. And you've always heard it said that you have to cool down a diesel. This is because the turbo is pressure fed oil to lubricate and cool the bearings in the turbo. When the engine is shut down, no more oil for the turbo. The turbo on the Duramax has a water-cooled center section to cool it down after a hot shut-down. Now we finally have all of the "Big Three" manufactures offering diesels with full waste gate turbo's and intercoolers, just like the big rigs were 20 years ago!
I've driven the Chevy Duramax, Dodge Cummins, and Ford Power Stroke, all duallys, all automatic transmissions, pulling 1/2 ton loads, one after the other. The Ford was the fastest because it had the 4.10 rear axle, not offered on the Duramax dually. The Chevy and Ford accelerated down the stretch about the same. Because the Dodge Cummins diesel is a in-line 6 cylinder diesel, it as done shifting while the Chevy and Ford with their V-8 diesels were still picking up speed, with one more gear to go. That's an advantage of a V-8 diesel you have an extra 1000 RPM so it's very much like having another gear. The Duramax is the quietest diesel I've been around. The other companies will have some catch up to make their diesels that quiet. I talked to people from all around the country and I'm surprised at what I hear. The happiest Duramax owners are the ones who don't pull a trailer with them. I've had people tell me of broken crankshafts, transmissions and lots and lots of replaced head gaskets. The aluminum head problem has to be addressed. Aluminum expands at twice the rate of cast iron. You put the two metals on top of each other, throw in the heat and compression of a diesel engine and what do you thinks is going to happen. I thought 2002 was the year of the Duramax, but they end the third quarter with declining sales number, with Dodge staying the same and Ford picking up. I will be looking for improvements in the 2002 Duramax and report them.
We all need batteries, especially diesels, why not have the best.
This is my earlier review of the all new GM Duramax Diesel.
Competition is a good thing, or we would
all be driving boats that get 10 miles to
the gallon and start using oil when they
have 80,000 miles on the engine. Competition
from Japan in the 80's improved our cars
dramatically. I like seeing competition in
trucks. It helps us all. I'm not sure where
this "I've got more horsepower"
contest between manufactures is going though.
Just how far over the speed limit do we need
to tow that 40 foot fifth wheel pulling a
20 foot boot! Now in reviewing the new General
Motors diesel, I feel like I need to give
a warning here. If you remember of the 5.7L
diesel, you will know what I mean. That "almost
a diesel," almost single handedly stopped
the growth in diesel sales. I like to warn
folks about buying the first year of any
product. Don't do it! On the last interview,
the new Ford Super Duty had about five replacements,
recalls and adjustments in the first six
months. Vehicles are the most complicated
consumer product you can buy. And when demand
is high, these very complicated things are
built with people jogging beside them at
3 M.P.H. trying to attach parts to them.
Time does a better test than Consumer Reports.
And you know how cheap new model trucks are!
Isuzu has designed and built this new engine.
I am told by GM reps. that this motor is
different from the one they put in the Isuzu
cab-over medium duty trucks. Isuzu is one
of the oldest truck companies in the world.
They are the oldest in Japan. If you've ever
seen the World War ll film footage of the
buses driving on the Great Wall of China,
those are 1918 Isuzu trucks. I think Isuzu
makes a good medium truck. Though I never
understood why all these decades G.M. never had Detroit Diesel, the #1 selling
over the road truck engine, make an engine for their truck. Well now it doesn't
matter, they sold Detroit Diesel to Dodge's parents in Germany. Now Mercedes
will know what to do with a truck engine. That will help Dodge in a few years.
Now what GM did right finally was to use the Allison Automatic! They've had
Allison for decades too. Now there is nothing bad to say about this
transmission. They have been the first choice in buses and RV's for decades. I
hope all the truck manufactures can get this transmission. All three do have the
same German 6-speed manual transmission behind their diesels this year. The
Allison is a five speed and as we all know the more the better. Coming downhill
it will shift down when you brake. It has a spin on oil filter. That's nice,
I've had trucks that I've put 300,000 mile on and changing filters should be as
easy as possible. The transmission filter is the one you put off the longest
because it's a pain! Now for the engine. I was trying to think of who else has
an aluminum head on a diesel engine. VW had one in the Rabbit diesel and Duetz
had them in tractors and combines, both of Germany. Diesels run on heat and high compression.
They have to be built heavy duty. Most of
them are 17 to 1 compression. It takes a
lot of bolts just to hold the heads on a
diesel and then there is the heat. The reps.
from G.M. that I talked too said they knew
the heads would expand and contract, "float"
being aluminum and all. To combat that, they
use a three-piece head gasket. It has ceramic
on the top and bottom. I hope these engines
aren't like the old Harley's were they had
to have their heads torqued regularly. The
bottom of the engine is aluminum too. It's
a cast iron block though. The crank is cross-bolted,
which is good. It has a gear driven water
pump like the big boys. They are intercooled
and the diesel has electronic injection.
It's a common rail injection with over 20,000 psi in that rail. I hope it doesn't leak
at that pressure. Do you remember when GM
put the coil inside the distributor cab in
the 70's? That shocked a lot of mechanic's
the first year. I hope this high-pressure
fuel line that sits on top of the engine
doesn't harm the mechanics. I can't tell
you how much I hate side terminal batteries!
And this truck has 2 of them. The engine
only holds 10 quarts of oil with a 1-quart
filter, compared to the Ford's 15 quart and
2 quart filter in the Navistar. Oil capacity
is related to engine life and cooling. The
big rig's hold over 20 quarts. Of course
they expect a million miles from an engine.
You should be able to spec out a 2-quart
filter to fit it, there is room for it under
there. On the farm I used the 2-quart filters
from a 366 cu on my 454 cu. Both the fuel
and oil filter are in good positions for
service. Call me old fashioned but I like
universal joints in a truck and if I wanted
CV joints I'd buy a car, at least not in
a truck I was pulling large loads with. I
know why G.M. does it. Like in most of the
½ tons today with CV joints, they turn sharper
corners. And the A-frame suspension has a
better ride than leaf springs. Fine put them
in the ½ tons. But GM keeps the double
arm, A-frame, wishbone or what ever your
manufacture wants to call it, front suspension
in their ¾ ton and one ton's. Sorry for the
rambling, I've owned Ford, GM, and Dodge
and pulled with all three and I was just
remembering all the cussing I used to do
replacing the front suspension bushings on
my Chevy C30.
Now the good news, I drove one. It was a
regular cab dually with the Duramax diesel
and the Allison Automatic. When I first started
it, it was a similar noise as a Ford Navistar.
But after it warmed up and sealed up it became
dramatically quieter. This I liked! You might
get away with this one at a drive up window
without shutting it off as long as the wind
is blowing in the right direction. The brakes
seemed spongy. GM Anti-Lock-Brakes are
hydraulic instead of electronic. I'm not
wild about either of the mirrors offered.
But once again this is the first year. It
is a serious contender. Now if GM can build
enough. It's hard to find an extended or
crew cab with a long box. That happened the
last model change also. Actually if GM could
avoid the strikes, general confusion and
get production up, they could out sell everyone.
Expect a lot of excitement in the pickup
truck market. That's another reason to get
a 2 or 3 year lease, so you can try out the
next new model it's SECOND year.
One stop truck shopping, comparing, buying, and
selling, new or used. I highly
recommend this great service.