I considered a Duramax (from a wrecked donor vehicle) with an Allison. The cost was in excess of $15K, and some of the earler Duramax had "issues" - a major one being the need to replace injectors @ ~$600 each.

I ended up with the drop-in AMG 6.5L TD - a major plus was NO electronics and a non-wastegated turbo.

The extra weight of the 3208 could be a serious consideration, because AFAIK, some of the MCC chasses are aluminum.

Contemporary engines (like those Gary suggests), while probably capable replacements, come with the baggage of complex electronics, which may require redoing dash instrumentation, in addition to revising the firmware to accommodate an RV.

quote:

Originally posted by Rusty:
I considered a Duramax (from a wrecked donor vehicle) with an Allison. The cost was in excess of $15K, and some of the earler Duramax had "issues" - a major one being the need to replace injectors @ ~$600 each.

I can attest to that. GM replaced 4 sets of injectors in one of my service trucks under warranty. 2003 GMC 5500



They stated that they have finally figured out what was wrong with them and has assured me that they will last another 100k miles now. They said this 2 other times too.

The Duramax that you want allows you to change the injectors without removing the valve covers. I think that design change was around mid 2004.

This truck is currently retired... just sitting in my yard. Sad too - since GM went bankrupt and closed their HD truck division, my local dealership no longer sells these. I bought this so I could respond to GM calls - now my fleet is 100% Freightliner.

Doug,

In tech search type in;
8.2 engine gone? repair/repair?
this one is dated 10-06-2003 posted by Jim & Barb.

Also type in 8.2 thermostat
this one is dated 02-16-2005 posted by Jim & Barb.

These posts are about my 1985 Barth Regency when my engine water jackets spilt and destoryed my engine. While the early model 8.2 were prone to a heat problems I was told the later models were not that prone, however any engine is subject to prolong overheat problems. To be sure my replacement would not overheat I replaced my two thermostats with ones ten degrees cooler. The parts sales guy kept telling me the ones I wanted
were incorrect for the 8.2 however I bought them anyway and have not had any overheating problems.

Hope this helps,
Jim