U-History of the Duramax Diesel

One of the favorite engines of people, especially people who like pickups, is the diesel engine that General Motors puts in their line of heavy duty pickups. This engine is called the Duramax. GM teamed up with Isuzu to produce these engines. They formed a company called DMAX Ltd. The Duramax is a v8 direct injection turbo diesel engine that has 32 valves, the parts in the engine that puts fuel in the cylinders so it can be burnt. When it came out, it was the first “Common Rail” diesel engine. What this is, is a rail in the engine that feeds fuel into the valves at a higher pressure. These engines started to be produced in 1998 and were first on the market in 2000. The first generation was sold until 2004. The first generation was called the LB7. The 6.6 liter LB7 produced 520 lb. ft. of torque. Half way through 2004, the second generation Duramax engine was put on the market. This engine was called the LLY. It produced 605 lb. ft. of torque. The valves were redsigned so the owner can work on the engine easier. The LLY also came out with an intercooler. This helped make the engine more efficient. The air that is recirculated through the engine, through the intercooler, and put back into the engine. The cooler air burns better than warmer air. In 2006 the next generation of Duramax engines was put on the market. This was called the LBZ. The engine was improved to 650 lb. ft. of torque. The engine was designed to be stronger physically so it can take more abuse. This meant that people who like to tune engines to produce more power than they were produced with became attached to this engine. The LBZ also had a bigger intercooler. These were the last Duramax engines were the last one to not have a DPF. The DPF is an abbreviation for diesel particulate filter. This was put on the engine so it can keep the exhaust fumes cleaner when it leaves the vehicle. This was also added so the vehicle was still legal to drive if someone decided to alter the exhaust. The DPF hurts fuel economy. This generation of Duramax engines was also the first to be equipped with the heavy duty Allison transmission. The very next year the LMM engine was on the market. These engines produced 660 lb. ft. of torque. These engines had to meet new environmental standards, but still produced power. In 2010 the current engine was put on the market. This was called the LML. It produces 765 lb. ft. of torque. Everything on the engine was updated so it created more power and ran much cleaner. The Duramax engine is a favorite of many with 1.5 million were sold up to date. These are reliable engines that are put in a sturdy brand of truck.