Gangly

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.

Yes, necessarily. If you want to say you can replace the head bolts without removing the head, you are correct, but the steel bands of the head gasket are deformed if they are leaking, and deposits are being created between the steel layers. LS/LT gaskets are MLS gaskets, and if you have coolant leaking into the combustion chamber through that head gasket, regardless of cause, then you now have deposits and moisture between the mating surfaces of the steel layers which are now warped due to improper clearances associated with improper torque specs and heat cycling. That requires the head to be removed and the gasket replaced, otherwise you will have the same problem a few miles down the road, regardless of whether you removed old head bolts and installed new ones to proper torque. If coolant is getting into the combustion chamber, the head needs to pulled, period. At best, all you will need to do is pull the head, clean the surfaces, replace the head gasket, and use new head bolts. At worst, you have to mill the heads due to warpage from heat cycling under improper torque and heat cycles. You can bootleg it if you want, but coolant in a combustion chamber is a ruined head gasket and that requires a head removal for effective long term use.

I believe it might be a Molex MX150. That's the pin type for what's used in a connector at the rear of the truck that I had to re-pin.

Either way, your pulling the head off the engine.