gomulego

I have a stock 2006 QC 3500 5.9L dually that I bought new and it has been a fantastic truck for me that I hope is my last. I bought it to tow with and it has been great for that. I've really had zero problems with it. It isn't a DD at all and mostly just tows. Usually 10-17K lb or so.

The truck only has 36K miles at this point (I don't tow for a living) but one of the trailers I pull is a heavy horse trailer and I'm wondering about a couple of things that I know this truck could be susceptible to and want to be proactive before it decides to leave me and a bunch of horses on the side of the road.

My one regret, and possibly the truck's biggest possible achilles heel is that it is a 48RE automatic. The tranny has not been a problem at all...yet, but I know I should be thinking about upgrading it before it does. Is Gorend still the best way to go with that or what other options should I consider and how far should I go with it?

The other thing I've heard about is that the fuel lift pumps on these trucks can cause expensive failures if not caught in time. Is FASS what I should be looking at here or are there even better options to replace the OEM pump?

The truck has been paid off for a long time and considering the cost of a new one I have no qualms with putting some cash into it now to make it even more dependable than it always has been. I'm happy with the mileage (avg 17 or so) and have never felt like it needed more power but if a chip mod would help make it better in those areas I'd be open to hearing what to think about there too. The truck is long out of warranty so no worries there.

Thanks for any input!

Lary Ellis (Top)

Nice truck

First I wouldn't touch the trans unless you have to!..if you are not beating the truck that thing will last a long time...once you start adding power to it is when they tend to suffer.

Same thing with the fuel pump, if you are running stock power you are fine..you do however need better fuel filtration to keep the injectors alive the stock filter just doesn't get the job done.

Get something like the Glacier 2 micron set up we have here in the DTR Store and save the rest of your money for something you really need

.boB

The trans does appear to be a weak spot. I had mine rebuilt at about 35K miles, and it does not tow anything heavy. I had it rebuilt by the dealer under warranty, and it's been good since then - now at 125K miles.

The big killer of an auto trans is heat. Keep a close watch on the temps. If it gets near 200*, stop! If it's a common occurrence, add an additional cooler.

I take mine to the trans shop every year for a flush and fill. I could do it myself, but I don't want to. Auto trans fluid is like beach sand - it gets everywhere.

Other than that, stay on top of the routine maintenance - all of it - and the truck should last just about forever.

ssandlin

My first thought is that if it's not broke, don't fix it!

I also concur with the maintenance, that's the most important thing to do. I've got 154K miles on mine with no engine or transmission related problems.

If you've not done it already, replace the #4 injector line.

Good luck!