Duramax Van 2007 Purchased

Joined
Oct 17, 2007
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3,706
Location
utah
Decided to upgrade the work van from 2001 Ford E350 7.3 diesel to an 07 GMC Savannah diesel.

[Linked Image]


Had to drive it 400 miles home, it has way better suspension and ride than the ford van.

Of course you all want to know the MPG on the trip right? Well i had to go 400 miles down and back in same day so i was doing the full 80 mph speed limit whole time. It used 2/3 of a tank of diesel at a hand calculated average of 19.55. The ford would be lucky to get 17-18 at such high speeds.

A friend wanted the 7.3 van ever since i first got it, the tags were up, and this one was reasonable so i went for it. The duramax i believe is an LLY engine with no DPF or DEF emissions stuff.

Planning on keeping it on Rotella 15w40 as previous owner used. It starts up like instantly and is glass smooth. The 7.3 would really rumble compared to this.

Considering changing trans fluid (4L85E) to the new Dexron HP Mobil 1 equivalent that my 8 speed truck takes. Its supposed to be backwards compatible to the specified Dex VI for this year. I guess its just a little fancier and i happen to have a large stash of it on hand.
 
Thanks! I hope it holds up well as i really like the way it drives. Some guy on youtube has one cold starting with bad glow plugs and 652k miles he claims at least. Being derated down to 250hp probably helps them live a very long life.
 
Originally Posted by Donald
Its still a 13 yr old truck for work. I would have thought people wanted newer trucks as work trucks since its their livelyhood.

We only use it maybe one day a week for obtaining goods. Certainly not like a traveling plumber or something like that. Or i would have snagged a like new Hertz cargo van with the 6.0 gas for dirt cheap.
 
Originally Posted by Randy_R
They downrated because they not turbocharged. No room. No Allison trans either. Turbo 4L80E or newer.


That's not quite right, they downrated because of the 4L80E and I believe because there wasn't room for as large of an intercooler as on the trucks. The engine is definitely still turbocharged.
 
I used to loathe vans as a kid because my dad had one and I thought it was embarrassing. Now a few decades later.. nice van!
 
I can assure you it is very turbo charged and you can really feel the torque. While i was in mexico the van had no problem going from 70-95 mph in a hurry passing slower moving vehicles. I'm not sure if this one has an intercooler, the 7.3 powerstroke van was not intercooled.
 
Nice looking van. That's pretty unusual to find a diesel short wheelbase model, especially in a color other than white and with a sliding door. Any idea what it was used for before?
 
Originally Posted by 01rangerxl
Nice looking van. That's pretty unusual to find a diesel short wheelbase model, especially in a color other than white and with a sliding door. Any idea what it was used for before?

Unknown original owner use but its very low wear for the 194k miles so im guessing longer distance hauling. Otherwise, very few people pay the hefty diesel premium. It's in the shop now getting a new waterpump done. Not white and the sliding door is rare before you even get to the 6.6 duramax. It also came with super old 07 DOT tires so i ordered some General Grabber HD tires.
 
Is that factory paint you figure?

Almost 20mpg is flippin' amazing for a van like this. What do the 6.0 gas do, about 13mpg best case scenario?
 
Originally Posted by clinebarger
Dexron LV/HP is not applicable to any other units besides the 8L45E & 8L90E, Whether or not it will cause issues is anyone's guess.

Thanks Cline. I saw on some vendor sites that HP was backwards compatible with Dex VI but i guess i won't experiment. This van has a re manufactured trans with a case stamped 24208421 and that seems to correlate to a 4l80e. Does a 4L85E use the same case? Maybe this thing is just gonna blow up soon and will need to be upgraded so i'l leave fluid alone.
 
Originally Posted by JTK
Is that factory paint you figure?

Almost 20mpg is flippin' amazing for a van like this. What do the 6.0 gas do, about 13mpg best case scenario?


It has evidence of paint work. I believe the 6.0 gas can get 12-16 mpg depending on speed, if you have the 6L80 trans. A 6.0 4L80 van is worse, probably 12-13 mpg as you estimate.
 
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