Jake is a founder of 8020 Media and has been creating automotive content online since 2017. He has been the lead writer for Chevy Trucks and has transformed it from the old and outdated site it was into what it is today. Jake creates a ton of GM related content for the 8020 Media YouTube channel and specializes in Duramax and Vortec information but has a wealth of knowledge across all GM cars and engines. Jake believes the L5P is the best diesel on the market today.
The L5P is loaded with emissions equipment: selective cat reduction, diesel exhaust fluid, diesel particulate filter, diesel oxidation cat, and exhaust gas recirculation. The L5P doesn’t have a whole lot of common problems with its emissions systems, but they are very expensive to replace when they do break and they are restrictive to performance. Deleting…
The Duramax LML got a few new emissions systems that the LMM didn’t have, most namely being the SCR system in conjunction with DEF fluid. Of course, many early model LML’s experienced SCR and DEF problems, resulting in expensive repair bills. While the Duramax emissions systems are good for what they are meant to do…
A handful of simple bolt-on performance upgrades can take the L5P past the 550whp and 1,200wtq territory. We’re going to discuss how a few upgrades like tuning, an intake, exhaust, downpipe, and intake horn can add impressive power to the Duramax L5P. We’re going to discuss power limits of the engine along with supporting mods…
Five simple bolt-on mods can take the Duramax LML past 500whp and 1000wtq. However, the engine does have some weak points from a tuning perspective that must be addressed if you plan on adding more than just an intake and tune. We are going to cover: ECM and TCM tuning, cold air intakes, exhaust systems,…
A cold air intake is the second best performance modification for a Duramax LML, with the first being tuning. An intake will provide horsepower and torque gains through airflow increases, but will also increase throttle response and turbo spool, and add about 1-2mpg of fuel economy improvements. We’ve been installing intakes on Duramax trucks for…
The Duramax LB7 was the first engine released under the new 6.6L Duramax platform. The LB7 was considered a strong and stout engine for the time, producing 235hp and 500lb-ft. of torque which was upgraded to 300hp and 520lb-ft. of torque in 2004. Fortunately, this is a pre-emissions engine and therefore can be easily modified…
The 4.2 Vortec received a Ward’s 10 Best Engines award for 4 years in a row in the early 2000’s. Despite these awards, it did suffer from common problems such as fan clutch failure, worn valve seats, issues with the cooling system, sway bar end links, and cylinder sleeves. While some of these problems sound…
AFM or active fuel management is a GM/Chevy technology meant to improve gas mileage. AFM works by deactivating half of the engines cylinders under certain circumstances to reduce fuel usage. It essentially turns your V8 engine into a V4 which saves fuel. GM claims fuel improvements ranging from 5%-15% depending on the engine. So why…
When you have a problem with your Chevy truck a common symptom is a loss of power when you try to accelerate. The caveat is that sluggish acceleration can be caused by numerous problems making it difficult to diagnose. Our family has had a 2002 Chevy for 20+ years now and over time it has…
The Duramax L5P was introduced in 2017 as a replacement for the LML. While the engine uses the same 6.6L design, many major engine components were completely refreshed in order to increase power as well as engine reliability. The L5P has made great reliability improvements and is, in my opinion, the most reliable diesel engine…
GM’s L96 engine is a variant of the Vortec 6000 engine line. The L96 is the Gen IV version of the engine, launching in 2010 and replacing the LY6 6.0L engine. The LY6 is also a Gen IV Vortec engine, however, GM decided to upgrade the engine and add flex fuel capabilities which is the…
Early to mid 2000’s Chevy trucks and suburbans have a common problem with the stabilitrak and traction control service lights appearing on the dash. For most truck owners, the warning lights occur frequently when the truck is idling and then disappears and reappears while driving. The “Service Stabilitrak” light will usually appear first and then…
