Duramax 2.8L Diesel Engine

General Motors has announced that it has incorporated the Duramax 2.8 liter turbo diesel engine in to its 2016 Chevrolet and GMC Canyon trucks.  In addition, General Motors has announced that the EPA has certified the trucks for getting 31 mpg on the highway.  On November 17, Engineering News Record reported that the engine is a four cylinder diesel and generates 181 horsepower and 369 foot pounds of torque.  In addition, two wheel drive vehicles equipped with six speed transmissions will get EPA estimated mileage rates of 22 mpg in the city and 25 mpg in combined driving.  For those interested in four wheel drive vehicles, the mileage rates are 20 mpg in the city, 29 mpg on the highway and 23 mpg in combined driving.

Duramax was created in 1998 as a result of a joint venture between General Motors and Isuzu to manufacture diesel engines.  Specifically, the goal was to manufacture the first high pressure, common rail, direct injection engine.  Prior to the Duramax engine, GM used an engine that was made entirely of iron in a V-8 configuration, was of the indirect injection type, took up 6.5 liter, rated at 215 horsepower and 440 foot pounds of torque.  For the most part, GM began installing 6.6 liter diesel engines in some of the full size pickups back in 2001.  As the demand evolved, so did the engine.  From 2001 until the present, there have been 5 variations until now when the 2.8 liter engine has been introduced into the midsize truck range.

Getting Bad Gas?

We’ve been working on an assignment where two vehicles equipped with diesel engines were allegedly damaged by bad diesel fuel. We were asked to determine if the gas station where the fuel was purchased was acutally selling contaminated diesel fuel. Unfortunately, the vehicles were already repaired and any diesel fuel had already been discarded by the time we began our investigation. We have been able to determine that at the time the purchases were made, the water level in the diesel tank was above the state mandated maximum level of 2 inches. As a result, there was a possibility that a combination of diesel and water could have been pumped into each customer’s vehicle when the purchases were made. Once the purchases were completed, the water level could have dropped enough so that the next customers would not have purchased water contaminated fuel. It is also possible that while the diesel tank monitoring instrumentation measure water depth inside the tank, the diesel might be contaminated with something else. Something that would ignite in a diesel engine but at the same time, could cause damage to the engine – like gasoline. Diesel samples were obtained and sent to a lab for analysis. The result of that analysis revealed that the samples did not contain any water but instead contained traces of gasoline. Specifically, levels of toluene and xylene were higher than normal.

If you find yourself in a similar situation, regardless of having purchased diesel or gasoline, it is imperative that you don’t lose your purchase receipt. Your receipt will become invaluable regardless of whether you paid cash or used a credit card. Next, get your vehicle to a mechanic as soon as possible after you suspect engine trouble. Second, advise you mechanic that if the fuel tank or lines have to be drained, not to discard anything that comes out of the lines or tank. Third, collect all contents in a clean, dry, container and label the container with the cutomer’s name and date that the contents were taken. Also save all parts. If possible, photograph the contents and all parts that have to be replaced. If the engine has to be replaced, photograph the engine and record the engine identification number. The mechanic should be able to assist in obtaining the number if necessary. Fourth, if the fuel appears to be contaminated, advise your insurance carrier and then the station owner where the fuel was purchased. Once the initial notifications have begun, each party should begin it’s investigation. The more information is obtained when the discovery is made, the easier it will be to prove the claim or discredit the fraud.