Question

[lorne705]

Ok my friend has a 01 gmc d-max and its got 119,000 miles on it and hes always taking it up to 3000 rms. I dont know much about diesel's but i dont think this would be good to do all the time what do you guys think? Gonna have problems with his engine soon or a later?

[WetPaintYukon]

On just about any motor revving to 3 is nothing imo.

[lorne705]

Well i relize that but hes red line starts at like 3100 or 3200 i know for a regular engine 3k is noting but a diesel i thought was diffrent sence there such low end power engines but mybe i was told wrong by people.

[wrenchguy]

It really depends on what the motor was designed to run at.
I ran an old mercedes diesel that I had all the way up to governed limit (about 4700 rpms) all the time. It would cruise 80 mph @ 3000 rpms, that was it's sweet spot. I would run from Philadelphia to WV at that rpm range every weekend. It was as happy as a pig in you know what.

On an old two stroke diesel however 3000 rpms is pushing it.

[red suburban]

he's past his peak torque at that rpm, his max torque is right around 18-2200 rpm's. if he just turns the truck on and revs it like that without letting the motor warm up he will fry it. guy from my highschool 2 years ago fried his d-max in 30k miles doing that, his parents were really pissed.

diesels dont like high rpm's because of their long stroke, some diesels have higher rev limits such as a few mercedes engines, but their stroke is much shorter. high rpm horsepower doesnt mean a thing with a diesel, its all about the torque, so around 2000 rpm's is where he should stay at, not 3k.

[red suburban]

if he is lucky his head gaskets will blow, if he's not so lucky he's gonna have alot worse damage. gassers have mo problem with 3k rpms, but when it comes to the inline 6 and v8 diesels, both for trucks and big rigs, they LOVE the lower rpm's, the higher the rpm the more prone to damage, and will drink fuel like a man lost in a desert who found a watering hole.

ps. a gasser with a red line of 5700 rpms and cruisin at about 5500 rpms for long times is like putting his diesel through what he is doing to it, it will do it for a while, but it will wear out quick.

[K5Fury]

He's not gaining a thing but going to 3,000 rpm.

[duratothemax]

what do you mean by "taking it up to 3000rpms". Thats a little vauge, no offence. Like does he floor it so it shifts at 3000 rpm? Does he just sit there and rev it in park up to 3000 rpm? DOes he rev it when the engine is cold?

I let the engine get up to operating temp before I drive it hard, but other than that I wouldnt worry about it. I mean obviously there is a limit, one persons idea of being easy on an engine is another persons idea of murder on an engine. You'll have to be more specific. Its a million dollar question IMO...

[wrenchguy]

Duramax 6600, bore x stroke - 103mm x 99mm
Merc OM 617, bore x stroke - 90.9mm x 92.4mm
Just in case anyone cared

Engines are meant to be run, not babied, not revved out.
There's a big difference between running hard and beating on a vehicle. Running around town at 3k and shifting at 3k all the time is abusive in this application because of the heat generated. Have you ever seen a turbo glow red? Running down the interstate isn't as bad, but it's pushing the intended operation range of this engine (3200rpms), not to mention wasting fuel. No matter which way you cut it it's pay to play.

[lorne705]

Well alot of what he does is he will just get in his truck not even warm it up and just stomp on it around corners. Cause hes an idiot and he thinks that burning his tires all the time is cool. I keep telling him this is bad but he dont listen so its gonna be his mistake in the end. Sad thing is i was with him when i bought it. Sence hes been doing that all the time iv noticed his engine starting to knock alot louder than it did its just starting to not sound good plus now hes saying hes loosing coolant and dont know why and i told him its propley your head gaskets sence u drive ur truck like an idiot and dont respect it ever. Still he fails to listen to me oh well i just wanted to be sure that what he is doing is bad thanks alot for the answers guys.Btw even if hes at a stop light or at a stop sign or he has to stop he is always taking it up to 3k+ every stop and everytime so im sure i will be seeing his truck in the driveway siting cause he broke it.

[red suburban]

say goodbye to that engine before too long. exactly what my old classmate used to do.

[wrenchguy]

Everything is doomed from turbo to rear axle.
Be a good friend and get him a subscription to a newspaper. He can read it when he's taking the bus.

[lorne705]

Haha ill do that.