Gangly

186K miles on my 2020 8-spd. Butter smooth shifts.

I have a 2" lift, so the equivalent of the factory trail boss height, and it has been on the truck for approximately 165,000 miles. I don't believe the lift to have had any significant adverse affects on the ball joint. The socket was dry of grease and warbled out over extended use, but the ball/bolt itself wasn't broken, stripped, bent, or anything. It just pulled out when the UCA socket bore wore enough for the ball to slip out.

I was in Utah this week attempting a bow hunt in the Wasatch mountains with friends. On the evening of the first hunt, making my way across a ridge to a friends camp, the upper control arm on the driver's side separated, the CV axle got trashed, and the wheel was dang near at a 45 degree angle to the ground. I was able to get it towed off the mountain and into town about 3:00 am, and spent the remainder of the night in an O'Reilly's parking lot. Luckily, there was a Chevrolet dealership not to far away so I was able to get to the dealership and pick up a new CV and UCA. It would have been a few days before they could have gotten to the truck and I brought tools with me on hunt since it was a two day drive to get there, so I did the repairs myself in the O'Reilly's parking lot. What's interesting is that the UCA ball joint didn't break, it just popped out of the bottom of the UCA. There was VERY LITTLE evidence of grease on the ball joint or in the socket, and you could see where the ball joint had warbled out part of the socket over time. I guess that's what happens over 186K miles of use :) Big Kudos to O'Reilly's for letting me work on the truck in their parking lot. However, they made a $150+ off of me from the purchase of various tools, so I guess it was in their best interest anyways :) Getting towed off the mountain. UCA Ball Joint Socket Trashed CV Suspension disconnected and UCA and CV Removed New UCA and CV installed with the suspension buttoned up.

Be careful, service plans will sometimes approve the replacement of the damaged component with a used, but in good condition component if its cheaper than the repair of the original component. I had a radiator replaced that way without my knowledge until it was too late. In your case, it would probably be cheaper for the service provider to purchase a used rear end from a salvage yard than to pay the dealer for the rebuild of the one you have. Be wary, trust but verify.

160K, mine are good. If you have a 2wd truck, I can guarantee you that your camber is off if your still on your original shocks. There isn't a 2wd truck on the road running factory suspension that isn't wearing out the inside tread of their front tires. Take a look at any stock suspended 2wd truck that has more than 20K miles, and the camber is noticeable even when parked. You can actually see it on some of the 2wd's that are brand new on the dealer lots.

Not a 6.2, but a 2020 5.3 with 160k

Nope. I wanted everything to be factory/OEM and that was the price quoted. I walked from the service department to the parts department and purchased most of the parts I needed right then. They didnt have all of the parts, so I drove to another dealership for the remaining components.

I would love to try out the 3.0L, but it does not fit my driving style, to the point where I believe it would actually be detrimental to the 3.0 diesel engine. Although most of my miles are highway miles, the drive from my house to my office is about 3-5 minutes MAX. I make that trip 3 times a day if I’m not on the highway, and each time I make that trip the diesel would never get a chance to warm up before shutting it back down again, and that’s HARD on a diesel engine. Again, I would love to give the 3.0 a try, but I believe my incredibly short daily commute would kill it over time.

SCR, DPF, etc. HAVE been a thorn in the site of large diesel manufacturers since Tier 4 regulations, but the real issues stem back to Tier 3 with the introduction of mandated EGR systems. Diesels by themselves are not any less reliable than before, but the required accessories attached to diesels have created substantial issues, primarily the EGR system. The amount of diesel engine failures resulting from an EGR cooler failure are substantial, to the point where next gen diesels will most likely run without EGR's and rely on elevated engine temperatures to run cleaner. Elevated diesel engine temperatures bring about a whole new bucket of issues, but the manufacturers are more inclined to deal with those issues than the current situation they find themselves in. Regardless, in 2027 model units, the SCR, DPF, etc. systems will lose a lot of their bite since the EPA is drastically reducing penalties for improper operation or delinquent DEF fluid refills. Your diesel will no longer go straight into limp mode if you don't have DEF fluid in your reservoir for any reason, and you can continue to operate for a designated distance without cussing out your vehicle.

I have had to add a little coolant every 30k - 40K miles since new. I will get a waterfall/gurgling sound behind the dash when it gets a little lower than full (nowhere near the low indicator on the tank), so I add enough coolant to get a little above the "high" indicator, and the sounds go away for another 30k - 40k miles.

I would steer away from the 5100's, not because they are bad, but because there are better options nowadays. Check Eibach out. I swapped my Eibachs out with another set of Eibachs after having over 100K miles on the first set, and they were still in good shape.

Grumpy, The FRAM Synthetic Endurance is a relatively new filter, but I would love to hear your thoughts on it, if you have any.

I prefer FRAM's new Synthetic Endurance. I would never use their base filters, but their new Synthetic Endurance, and their Ultra Synthetic are very good filters from what I can gather. The Synthetic Endurance is rated for 25,000 miles, but I swap them out every oil change which usually around 7,000 to 7,500 miles according to the OCI light on the dash. The oil generally has a slightly darker amber tint to it when it gets changed, which is significantly cleaner/clearer in appearance than any oil change I ever did with the OEM filter (dark as coffee).

The engine most likely doesn't need to be replaced, but he is correct that it still might be cheaper to replace the engine. If I remember correctly, the dealer wanted 11K-12K to swap out my lifters and cam. My engine didn't need the lifters or cam replaced, I just wanted to swap the lifters because of the truck's mileage and to avoid any potential reliability concerns in the future. I went ahead and purchased the lifters, trays, pushrods, etc. and did it myself over the weekend for a little over $2,000 in parts, replacing everything with OEM parts, bolts, gaskets, etc. You could probably save a bunch using aftermarket components, but I stuck with OEM and have put an additional 40K miles on it since then. Out of curiosity, I asked the dealer what a brand new engine would cost and it was around 7K if I remember correctly. But that was just for the engine, no labor. If you are willing to do the work, or have a good mechanic that is cheaper than the dealer, a new engine might definitely be cheaper than the cost of having the dealer tear into the old engine to replace the cam and lifters. With my truck sitting at 160K miles right now, I know that if I ever do have lifter issues, I'd probably just buy a new engine and install it myself since my miles are getting high.

Yes, the lifters can turn in the trays and cause damage. If you are going to replace one lifter, you might as well replace all of the lifters and trays since 95% of the work is already done. If one lifter has already failed due to mileage, type of usage, maintenance intervals, or whatever, I would assume the others aren't too far behind since they have experienced the same usage and wear. I think its something like 10 head bolts to remove the head if you've already removed the other side. And don't forget to replace your high pressure fuel lines while your at it.