Should invest in replacing cracked head

[john.firth.161]

I have a 2006 Silverado 3500 LBZ. I have coolant leak and my mech advised the head is cracked. I am not sure if I should invest $6500 to make repair
Anyone have ideas if I should invest in my truck with only 170k. Thanks for any advise


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[Chevy1925]

youre going to have to give us more info than that.

is the truck apart and that is what was found? what is the 6500 covering? whats done to the truck?

we cant make this decision, only you can but you gotta give us your ying and yang as to why you are considering offing the truck or sinking the money into it, then we can offer advice along with what you stated.

 

[john.firth.161]

Hi Chevy1925
The mech checked my coolant thinking it maybe gasket leak but upon his inspection by mirror (nothing taking apart) found that the leak was from cracked head.

The cost $6500 included replace both heads and water pump.
My mech has been working duramax since first duramax introduced. He was trained at GM for duramax so I trust him.

Thanks
John


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[Ne-max]

Super odd to see a head crack externally on a LBZ. But weird stuff happens. We see LLYs all the time with cracks around injector bores but not lbzs.

But I would still fix it. 6500 to replace heads is dirt cheap in my opinion. Especially if he uses Arp studs. I would suggest having him show you the crack just because it's odd.

 

[john.firth.161]

Thanks Ne-Max
Yes I agree the price seems more then far. He did tell me he is upgrading the head bolts. He told me if I wanted to use original it would only save me $200. I keep getting P003A code and think I will have him replace the turbo he quoted about $1300 additional

I was going to ask to see the head after the repair.


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[KyleC4]

Ok I’m curious of all this just on a cost basis. Both cylinder heads is roughly 30 hours alldata maybe? Just that job alone in a shop nowadays is $5-$6k labor. The cost of a new Garrett turbo is 1300 by itself. So if this guy is using quality parts and he knows what he’s doing I’d fix it for sure. That complete job through my dealer would probably run about $12k.

But on a lighter side yes I’d fix it. A new truck isn’t that cheap. And if it’s clean inside and out for sure fix it. I’m not questioning the techs diagnosis cause I don’t know nor can I see it.

 

[john.firth.161]

Yes. I agree I looked at new (used) trucks and to me is no brainer to repair. Been thru the dealer for my rear end issue and for sure the cost was crazy.
I have truck fixed up with 50 gal tank in bed and B&W hitch to tow my 40 ft fifth wheel. It is all original stock engine no tune.
Thanks


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[gmc502]

go to a gm part counter and get some of their coolant sealant pills,should stop the leak and buy you some time.fixed a head gasket leak on a volvo turbo motor.engine was running rough and skipping,w/i 5 minutes the motor was smooth and running fine.went on to run for a few more years like that.

 

[john.firth.161]

Thanks for the idea. I will keep that in mind.


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[Ne-max]

Thanks for the idea. I will keep that in mind.


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Don't keep that in mind. Erase it and fix truck properly.

 

[john.firth.161]

Thanks Ne-Max
I agree just trying to figure how to get the money. Being retired money does not come easy anymore lol


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[sneaky98gt]

Unless you have, or are expecting, multiple catastrophic failures back-to-back-to-back (which is pretty rare regardless, but especially rare in a 15 year old 170k mile GM truck), it's virtually always cheaper to repair than to buy something new. What's $6500, 6-8 months of payments on a 50k truck? And $50k doesn't get a whole lot of truck these days...

I was just laughing about this the other day with a coworker. I recently had something break on my 20-year-old Honda beater car. It cost me an honest $70 and 1 hour of my time to fix. He asked me if I was going to trade it in for a newer car "because it was breaking down all the time". LoL, NO! 6 months of payments on a new car would be way more than I've spent on repairs in the last 250k miles. And even if it needed something catastrophic like a new motor, that would still be less than a year's worth of payments (or depreciation if I paid cash).

 

[08lmm72mm]

P003a could be the solenoid in the turbo. $150 and cheap to fix. I wouldn't spend the $1300 unless it is for sure.

 

[john.firth.161]

I also thought about the cost of new (used) truck. That is why I am getting it fixed.
I am going to replace the Turbo as it will only cost me extra for part only. To replace the turbo after it would cost 3k.
Thanks all to help with my decision
Happy new year to you all