![]() If you were lucky enough, you’d just get some severe blow by and heavy smoke. That crack would run radially right across the top of the piston crown. “The reason they were weaker is they changed the dimensions from the oil ring gears to the wristpin landings, and they were notorious as soon as you put a set of injectors in there or aggressive tuning with some advanced timing, you’d wind up cracking the wristpin landing right at the bottom of the hole. When the LBZs came out in 20, which were the same motor as the LLMs, those had stronger rods, but much weaker pistons. The earlier ones used to have strong pistons, but weak rods. “Progressing further beyond that, with the LBZ and LMM engines, GM changed the type and manufacturer of their rods and pistons. I know this all too well because it occurred to my own truck. It shuts down and you cannot get a crank signal. When that occurs, it’s game over from your engine. “Those are notorious for snapping the three bolts that hold them to the crankshaft hub. “With the earlier ones, such as LB7s and LLYs – power contingent of course – the least that we do, besides a set of head studs, would be to address the water pumps and the reluctor ring gear on the front of the crankshaft hub,” Strube says. While application and horsepower level are top factors that decide what Duramax is best suited to handle the performance, the different generations of Duramax engines do have certain weak points you’ll want to be aware of and get corrected. “There’s definitely plenty of ways to address that.” Weaknesses They also made the rods stronger than previous versions, but the pistons got weaker. ![]() When they did the LBZ, everything was so much better.”Īccording to Rich, the bottom ends of the LBZ were pretty similar, but they corrected the airflow issues. You don’t have to deal with LLY and its lack of airflow issues with the intake runners. My personal favorite is the LBZ/LMM because you don’t have to deal with the LB7 injector inside of the head deal. “The older Duramax engines are getting harder to come by. For the average guy who doesn’t have tons of money to spend, it depends what they can source. Otherwise, they’re going to a Wagler full aluminum DX500 and so on. Those are the foundations that everyone’s using for high-end competition like the 3.0 and 3.5 classes. “The L5Ps have the best rotating assembly by far to date. However, the guys with deep pockets tend to go with the newest ones. “For drag racing, it’s a little bit less expensive of a sport for the average guy to get into, so I don’t think there’s any one preferred Duramax engine. “For sled pulling, it depends whether you’re doing Street Stock, Work Stock or Modified,” Strube says. Dirty Hooker Diesel competes with Duramax power. The stresses of sled pulling versus drag racing versus street performance are all very different, and certain Duramax engines are better suited for each. What ones get built up depend on the application. When it comes to the different Duramax engines out there these days, there are a few that you see more often than others. Plus, they scream and they sound sick doing it.” Common Duramax Engines You definitely get more rpms out of them. The Duramax seems to make a little bit more power right off the bottom end, and they hold out that power band a little longer. I’ve got several different generations of them. “When it comes to the Duramax, it’s one out of every 30 or 40 guys who are playing around with those things and can successfully make clean, reliable power. It’s awesome how well those engines are designed, but everybody’s doing it. The Cummins is a hard one to contend with because the Cummins is bulletproof. ![]() ![]() “I stopped doing Fords altogether because I got tired of the same things happening over and over again due to the engine design. As far as the platform goes and the foundation of the Duramax, it’s not the cheapest one to build by any stretch of the imagination, but it has reliability and you’re able to produce the power you want to and do it over and over again. I know the Ford Power Strokes are a V as well, but getting them to stay together is a different story, and nothing against the inline sixes. “The Duramax is definitely my favorite,” Strube says. Rich Strube of Richie’s Diesel Performance has a Duramax making nearly 1,400 hp. We recently caught up with Rich to take a look at why Duramax engines are at the top of his list and are for many others as well. If you ask Rich Strube of Richie’s Diesel Performance in Hicksville, NY what his favorite diesel engine family is, the quick reply is Duramax.
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