I love my '01 3500 Dually! It has the same 496/Alison package. Yes it is a gas hog especially with the new ethanol fuels, however it pulls like a demon and it has been very reliable. I did the crank position sensor about a month ago (my vin # was just outside the recall) and it only cost me $250 at the dealership. I was told it was best to let them do it because it is a pain in the arse.
I put the cold air intake on, a Magnaflow exhaust and I installed the computer upgrade. The power difference is amazing, I can light up the dual rear wheels when I mash the throttle.
The only thing that would make my truck perfect would be if it were a crew cab, I got the extended cab. However, the back seat in it is much better than the Ford or Dodge extended cabs.

I owned a 01 2500 hd with a 6.0 and hated it. When I came across a 02 2500 hd with an 8.1 I jumped on it. I have had the truck for 3 years now and love it. I put a 6" lift with 35" tires and have pulled every thing from a 29 fountain to a 36 outlaw with no problem but about 6-8mpgs. I put a crank sensor in it last year ($40 part but you will need a case of beer after you are done).

owned one myself an '01 GMC EC 4WD.
Strong truck. Had my ECM done and the 3.73
Blast blowing off ricers and other wanna-be's
Not such a blast putting fuel in it all the time- the 26 gal tank is small for that combo- a 40 would be more like it.
10 driving it easy
funny thing is you could rod it thru a tank or tow thru a tank for the same 8MPG
what I'm saying is that if your not driving it like an old lady
it just pulls 8 MPG period doesn't care what you're doing with it!
did I mention the truck was a blast?

Tons more pull in the DMax everywhere but you gotta get it rolling
The gas motor was right there as you would expect.

Sounds like alot of truck and there's alot of work left in it for that $

When I was looking for a truck I thiught about the Duramax. I'm a tech at a GMC dealer and right at that time we had 3 of them in the shop with injector problems. i didnt want any of that. Back in 03 the injectors were a big job to put in. They now are much easier so that is a good thing. Anyway I bought the 8.1 and have no complaints.
Also on the new diesels did any of you know you now have a fluid tank and injector to add this fluid directly to the exhaust. This fluid will freeze so there is also a heater and I think will run out after about 3 tanks of fuel. Also if ran out I beleive it will also go into reduced power mode. There was about a 6 page document on the new exhaust system. I have forgotten most of it now but pretty interesting.

Sounds like a urea system. Lots of manufacturers are being forced into that for emissions reasons. Adds a TON of costs for everyone - OEM have to charge more as they have to warranty all of it and this cost gets passed on the buyer. Same with replacement parts. I want to say the exhaust system on a ram is something like $6k but they may have been exaggerated a bit.

As for 8.1L/496 oil usage, I think there was a bulletin that called for replacing the intake manifold bolts.

I had an '01 Yukon XL so no Allison. 4WD and 3.73s. With almost 200k I was still getting 13mpg empty and 9mpg towing my '91 Formula 311 (around 10k total). I'm shopping for an '03+.

Does the alison trans have a wine to it.

A new D-max's performance kills the BBC. However, a 2001 stock Dmax vs the BB? I'm not so sure. I'd say the BBC will be more responsive, and nearly equivalent torque. Mileage was the big differentiator.

My 08 does not while at highway speeds but at low speeds (1-20) it seems to.

Why is this thread not in the truck forum??