2007 GMC 3500HD
Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2017 5:18 am
About 3 years ago I got a great deal on a used 2007 GMC 3500HD, 4wd. 77,000 miles on it.
A one-ton pickup is a bit of an overkill on pulling a 7,000 pound trailer, fully loaded. But that is beside the point.
Took it on the road this spring. 8,845 miles. 8-13 miles per gallon, pulling the trailer.
Truck has a 6 speed Allison transmission. With trailer towing selection. Towing conditions were such that I was unable to determine any particular difference between the modes for economy. With trailer mode selected, I had downshift, engine braking on downgrades. Does the hive mind have any thoughts?
Upon arriving home, planning on engine servicing, I had the shift cable disconnect in my driveway as I was leaving for the servicing. Wow, after the trip, that was a great piece of timing. Crawled under the truck, slipped it back in place and off to the dealership.
A month later, on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, returning from a 4 night camping trip with the trailer, 33 miles from home the engine disintegrated. I had a 3 hour wait for a tow, that I finally coordinated without the insurance company help. The truck was towed to the dealership. A great neighbor, in the meantime had come to tow the trailer home. On Monday morning visited the dealership, moved high value objects from that truck to my smaller pickup, and coordinated options with the truck. Later in the day, $7,000 was suggested as the damages for replacing the engine. Catastrophic failure of a piston?, wrist pin?, connecting rod?, did in the engine. $7,000 for a "new" engine with 100,000 mile/3 year warranty appeared to be a better option than $35,000-$70,000 to replace the truck. On Wednesday, learned that the existing engine may not qualify for the core charge with the damage incurred. New engine now is $10,000.
Bit the bullet and put it in. The planned upcoming trip with travel trailer and generally overall satisfaction with the truck, pretty much sealed the deal. A new truck would have been nice, but not worth the difference.
Did I mention the "lucky" coincidence of the timing on the engine failure? We left the campground at about 6800 feet in elevation on the Mogollon Rim. We descended and climbed over 7500 feet, then made the descent into Verde Valley at 2200 feet. Then back over 6000 feet with a nice descent to about 5000 feet when the engine failed. We were on level, two lanes, each way, with a 10 foot paved shoulder at the time of the failure.
That is two lucky timing failures in a row. Should I buy a lottery ticket?
A one-ton pickup is a bit of an overkill on pulling a 7,000 pound trailer, fully loaded. But that is beside the point.
Took it on the road this spring. 8,845 miles. 8-13 miles per gallon, pulling the trailer.
Truck has a 6 speed Allison transmission. With trailer towing selection. Towing conditions were such that I was unable to determine any particular difference between the modes for economy. With trailer mode selected, I had downshift, engine braking on downgrades. Does the hive mind have any thoughts?
Upon arriving home, planning on engine servicing, I had the shift cable disconnect in my driveway as I was leaving for the servicing. Wow, after the trip, that was a great piece of timing. Crawled under the truck, slipped it back in place and off to the dealership.
A month later, on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, returning from a 4 night camping trip with the trailer, 33 miles from home the engine disintegrated. I had a 3 hour wait for a tow, that I finally coordinated without the insurance company help. The truck was towed to the dealership. A great neighbor, in the meantime had come to tow the trailer home. On Monday morning visited the dealership, moved high value objects from that truck to my smaller pickup, and coordinated options with the truck. Later in the day, $7,000 was suggested as the damages for replacing the engine. Catastrophic failure of a piston?, wrist pin?, connecting rod?, did in the engine. $7,000 for a "new" engine with 100,000 mile/3 year warranty appeared to be a better option than $35,000-$70,000 to replace the truck. On Wednesday, learned that the existing engine may not qualify for the core charge with the damage incurred. New engine now is $10,000.
Bit the bullet and put it in. The planned upcoming trip with travel trailer and generally overall satisfaction with the truck, pretty much sealed the deal. A new truck would have been nice, but not worth the difference.
Did I mention the "lucky" coincidence of the timing on the engine failure? We left the campground at about 6800 feet in elevation on the Mogollon Rim. We descended and climbed over 7500 feet, then made the descent into Verde Valley at 2200 feet. Then back over 6000 feet with a nice descent to about 5000 feet when the engine failed. We were on level, two lanes, each way, with a 10 foot paved shoulder at the time of the failure.
That is two lucky timing failures in a row. Should I buy a lottery ticket?
