2013 Chev LML Turbo-Charger Fail, Time for upgrade?

[D2Reid]

6 years old, 112,000 miles on it. 20,000lb 5th wheel. Coming up a hill near Temecula, CA and got trapped between some slow movers so backed off of the throttle while it was pulling hard. 210 on the dash engine temp gauge. Engine threw a code and went into "Reduced Power Mode". Crawled to up a bit and got pulled off. Turned the engine off, restarted it. Engine check light stays on, appears to have full power.

Keep going or stop for repairs? It's always a dilemma. 14 miles to RV park, 23 miles to Chevy dealer. Ok, stop. Got the RV settled and took the truck to the Chevy shop, they came up with this:

"Scan vehicle for codes, p2263, p2599, p0234 for turbo charge over boost. Code set when engine load was at 99% while towing. Turbo vein stuck in the high boost position, due to high load, high heat condition. Recommended replace turbo charger for p2263, p2599, p0234…. p140c set for exhaust gas re-circulation system"

Essentially they said I have 3 problems, and some of them are related and once cleared will clear the other problems. EGR and Def system problems are related. Bad EGR or bad regin, won't know till they really start working on it. The Turbocharger codes are a bit more of a problem, no turbocharger no power to pull, I can drive it around the city all I want, but as soon as I load the Momentum the turbocharger may or may not work properly.

I am about to find out if my extended warranty insurance is worth a hoot, come Monday...

But that brings me to the other question, is it time for me to buy a new truck? I know diesels are supposed to go 200-300k, but I doubt that is pulling 20k trailers around the mountains every day, ok, not every day, but more than average. I only pull at 60mph no matter a higher speed limit. I traded my 05 Chevy for a 13 Chevy in 2015. I had hoped the 13 would last till 2021, that's when my new truck savings account would have enough in it to buy a new truck, although the price keeps going up.

My son tells me I should buy a Ford, he says I have never had a Ford break down on me, well DUH, I have never owned a Ford. Idiot. But I have to admit the F450 is looking pretty good. Then the service rep at the Chevy dealer, who is diesel savvy, starts touting the improvements in the Chevy/GM 3500 Duramax 2020 models. Definitely and improvement over my 2013 and even the 2019 models. However because of the upcoming improvements the 2019 sales are off, thus there are pretty good incentives (around 7k) for 2019's, local one listed at 66k, enticing. 88k for F450.

Like most decisions in life there is no right answer here, only a decision to be made. But if anyone has any wisdom to throw out there I am listening. Because I am cautious in large expenditures I will probably opt for repair and keep saving for new truck, or not, it's tough trying to make the correct decision.

[GeoffnCheri]

Tough decision. I would consider the value of the current Chevy vs the cost of the repair. 112,000 miles is not much for a diesel and if a few thousand in repairs would get me another 112,000 miles then I would go for the repair, vs the monthly payments for ? months for a new truck. Likely 6 months worth of payments on a new truck would equal the cost of a large repair in the Chevy.

[D2Reid]

Likely 6 months worth of payments on a new truck would equal the cost of a large repair in the Chevy.

Yes, but the question: Is this the beginning of the end, will I have to make a $1500-$3000 repair now every few months?

Basically, I am thinking that if the extended warranty company ponies up I will keep the truck. If they say no pay Jose I will do an intermittent maintenance to clear the codes and start looking for a new truck. I asked the service writer about cleaning the EGR valve and the turbo-charger. He said that is band-aid stuff, works for the short term but does not correct the underlying issue. I really liked this guy.

[kevinpo]

Dallas,
I agree with your reasoning. Sounds like a good plan to me.

All the best,
Kevin

[Country Campers]

I am not liking this , I have the '15 model year with almost 60k miles. Is this what I have to look forward to?
I do not tow as much as Dallas , so maybe I can get more life, hopefully.

Brian

[Canyonlight]

@D2Reid - Dallas - If I recall, you shared the trials and tribulations with an engine replacement a couple years ago. I think you also shared some information about a small CG in southern Utah or norther AZ who treated you well......."Rose" was in the name, I think. Many of us learned about your infectious positive outlook on life and things in general of which I for one and many others really appreciate.

Trusting I am correctly recalling the engine replacement, were any of the current possible problem issues replaced or serviced then ? The extended warranty you reference, was that purchased at that time or ? Maybe the dealer who did the enigne install and related service could be a source to learn more to help with this issue and direction on "to fix or move on."

I have not read much about major failures on the generation trucks you and I have (2011-2014.) There were and are more issues with the 2011 related to the first release of the DEF trucks from GM mainly emission items.

Dan

[cfowler55]

I face this situation fairly often trying to advise my customers on the same thing , and it is tough. Your truck has a solid drivetrain so I wouldn't be too concerned there. Now fuel controls and emissions are a different story. If you lose an injection pump , which will probably take out the injectors with particulate metal , you will have a catastrophic failure (do an Internet search if not already aware). If you have your current failures repaired those should be ok for a good while.
Other than that how's the rest of the truck? Body - interior - tires - accessories all good? And are you good with overall performance? Do you tend to drive them the way you buy or do you have you spent a bunch on upgrades that will need to be done on the next one also?
So - if I was happy with it before I would fix it and move on. If I was already on the bubble and had been looking at new ones on line , this would force my hand.
Sorry for you the long post and good luck.

[el Rojo]

Sorry to hear about your troubles Dallas. I hope the extended warranty works out for you.

Red

[CoChris]

Best of luck to you and please let us know how it goes for you. Is the extended warranty through the manufacture (Chev/GM) or 3rd party?

Chris

[howson]

... it's tough trying to make the correct decision.

Following this post, Dallas. Look forward to reading what your decision is (and how you came to it).

-Howard