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GM Authority

Silverado, Sierra With 3.0L Duramax Diesel LM2 Engine Back In Production

Production of the 3.0L I6 LM2 turbodiesel Duramax engine for the Chevy Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 pickup trucks has once again resumed, GM Authority has learned.

As covered late in August, General Motors temporarily halted production of the 3.0L I6 LM2 turbodiesel Duramax engine due to a supplier issue. Then in September, GM Authority reported that the production stoppage was expected to continue through the remainder of the 2021 calendar year.

Now, however, General Motors has indicated to GM Authority that the production stoppage ended up lasting only two weeks, with production priorities once again shifted to the diesel engine.

Production of the 3.0L I6 LM2 turbodiesel Duramax engine takes place at the GM Flint Engine Plant in Flint, Michigan. The engine is offered as an optional powertrain for the Chevy Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 pickups, as well as GM’s full-size SUV lineup, which includes the Chevy Tahoe, Chevy Suburban, GMC Yukon, and Cadillac Escalade.

Specs for the 3.0L I6 LM2 turbodiesel Duramax engine include output rated at 277 horsepower at 3,750 rpm and 460 pound-feet of torque at 1,500 rpm. The engine has an aluminum head and block, plus a forged steel crankshaft and forged rods. The cylinder liners are made from iron, while the pistons are hypereutetic cast aluminum alloy. Additionally, the engine features a DOHC valvetrain, 90mm stroke, 84mm bore, and 15.0:1 compression ratio. The fueling includes a common rail and direct fuel injection, while a liquid-to-air intercooler keeps the charge air temperatures down.

The 3.0L I6 LM2 turbodiesel Duramax engine offers a nice mix of torque and fuel efficiency. Under the hood of the 2022 Chevy Silverado, equipped with rear-wheel drive and a 10-speed automatic transmission, fuel returns are estimated at 23 mpg in the city, 31 mpg on the highway, and 26 mpg combined.

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Jonathan is an automotive journalist based out of Southern California. He loves anything and everything on four wheels.

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Comments

  1. YAY!

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  2. Great news, now if I could only get heated seats. I would order one. Not a high country, something a little less money.wonder how much the this engine will cost over the 5.3

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    1. J’ai commander un AT4, et là ils me dissent pas de banc chauffant/ventilé. To bad ils vont perdre une vente. Sur le AT4 2022. Il y a une différence de 900$ à l’achat entre le V8 5,3L et le duramax

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      1. i really love that duramax 3.0 , but a bjg concern i have is it dont always start due to a flywheel sensor situation ? my son has a chevy truck with this problem and no fix or not even a idea of the actual problem ? is it anywhere in scope if things being corrected ir fixed for the 2022 model year 🤔

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        1. There is a reflash for the software that repairs that concern. had mine done 3 weeks ago, all good since. go get the reflash softare

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        2. LM2 is POS

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    2. I have a ’21 LT with this motor and a minimum of options, but do have heated seats and steering wheel since I live at 11,000 ft in Colorado. Got it out the door for around 50 grand. My truck works, and isn’t a suburban primadonna. Had the high-revving 5.3 in my ’14 and this is hands down a better motor over the 5.3 or 6.2. Driving on a mountain pass? 1500 rpm. With a trailer? 1500 rpm. And a loaded bed? 1500 rpm. And you cant even hear it in the cab. Plus I get twice the mileage as my buddies with a 2500 (and the 5.3 gas motor for that matter).

      This will be a legendary motor.

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  3. Best news of the week. FYI, my dealership told me earlier this week that indeed the Duramax engine been back into production but looks like there is an issue with GMs ordering system as not a single Denali and High Conuntry enter production because of the rear seat heating option. There is apparently a bug / something prevents those models and my truck to be built. This or my dealer tells me fake information. Anyways, happy to hear that the engine is back into production, both for GM and us as customers, premium fuel is about 1.65$CAD per liter here in the Montreal area (Canada)…

    Let s hope GM will have solid ‘rebates’ in the upcoming months for the LTD models too… Pretty expensive to buy a half ton up here these days and we are also getting the trucks with missing features.

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    1. The General apparently went to the part(s) vendor, put the heat on big time, and fast tracked the fix to decrease it from approximately 3 and a half months to scale it down to a two week shut down. Or the cargo ship on the West coast finally got unloaded.

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  4. That’s my plan Evan, I’ll wait. Thanks buddy

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  5. Great motor, insane mileage for a half ton truck.

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  6. I have the ’21 Sierra with this engine. Wow, the gas mileage rocks! Love all the bells and whistles too it has. Heated & vented seated seats, heated steering wheel, and the step tailgate is saving my knees. There are times I forget I’m driving a truck. The ONLY thing I want is the ability to purchase tow mirrors for it. Local dealership said I can’t bc of the way it was built without max trailering pkg option. Hoping aftermarket guys start making something soon. Embarrassing to use rubber strap on mirrors on such a good looking vehicle. Overall, very pleased and I get complements when someone rides in it.

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    1. I tow a 19 foot Coachman Freedom Express with the stock mirrors with my 21 Sierra 1500 AT4 and have no problem.

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      1. I’m sure a smaller camper is easier to see, but mine is 33′ and the bigger or extendable mirrors that come with the tow Max option would be a safer option.

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  7. Simple computer tune wakes this diesel up big time.

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  8. Are they building Tahoe’s and Yukon’s again with this engine or is it just the trucks?

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    1. That’s my question….

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  9. Does anyone know of ANY other brands of oil to put in this motor other then Mobil 1 0w-20 and GM brand 0w-20 full synthetic . Both are very specific to this motor. Thanks.

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    1. Try Shell or Motul full synthetic 0w-20. Stay with the same brand / API weight throughout the life of the engine. The oil additive chemistry within the motor oil which has a base liquid of either fossil petroleum or cooked animals (synthetic), acclimates to the metallurgical surfaces and metal surface depth within the engine.

      0w-20 in a diesel seems too light to me. But I didn’t engineer this engine.

      Glad to see the 3.0 production resume. Diesel engines 10X’s better than gasoline engines.

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  10. At my Birmingham, Alabama dealership we recently received 4 2022 1500 RST Z71 with the 3.0 diesel. These trucks are missing nothing and list at about 59,200. One of them will be mine in a few days. I’m replacing a similar 2021 truck with the 5.3 and look forward to the fuel economy and towing my 7100 lb camper. Rock on Chevy!

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  11. With gas prices way up, this diesel is the way to go and diesel fuel pricing is only a little higher then regular unleaded.

    If you can get 25-32+ mpg with this high torque engine, the weekly fuel bill is cut by 40%+.

    No doubt that potential truck buyers are looking more closely at weekly fuel expense as regular tops $3.50 per gal.

    This is also true for the GM full size SUVs. The diesel really cuts the fuel bill.

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  12. the diesel is back thats awsome now i can place anorder

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  13. Is alright to get a 3.0 diesel or just a gas truck because this wil be my last motor vehicle to get in my life time

    Reply

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