You can’t make this up elk hunt gone wrong

Had a 2001 duramax loved that truck, dont miss paying for diesel though and that was at 4 per gallon. could not keep a set of injectors in it to save my life
 
That’s a bummer man. If you decide to keep the truck do yourself a favor and get the Nicktane fuel filter adapter and run a CAT filter. Does wonders for the Duramax. Also the Cognito pitman arm/idler arm combo and braces are money for the steering.
 
If you elect to part it out..., I learned this weekend my transfer case is going bad. I have a 2003 GMC that is shifting into limp mode because of the transfer case. Chained up digging through snow up hill jumping out of gear was not a fun experience.
 
That’s a bummer man. If you decide to keep the truck do yourself a favor and get the Nicktane fuel filter adapter and run a CAT filter. Does wonders for the Duramax. Also the Cognito pitman arm/idler arm combo and braces are money for the steering.
Thanks for the tip, I’ll have to look into that. I’ve done a lot of preventative work on this truck before the hunt and now will have done even more work and as someone else said there’s so much new on the truck part of me wants to keep it. This has by far been my favorite truck and most reliable (up until last week).
 
If you elect to part it out..., I learned this weekend my transfer case is going bad. I have a 2003 GMC that is shifting into limp mode because of the transfer case. Chained up digging through snow up hill jumping out of gear was not a fun experience.
Yikes. Were you able to get it out or did you have to be towed?

I probably wouldn’t part this truck out. The price of used diesels is through the roof right now, and being in California I know I can get more than usual for it because it has a “federal” vin number so has nearly no smog regulations even in California. So that adds to what I can get for it. Because so many guys in the area want to modify and not worry about smog regulations. Looking online I can probably get close to what I paid for the truck in 2016.
 
Yikes. Were you able to get it out or did you have to be towed?

I probably wouldn’t part this truck out. The price of used diesels is through the roof right now, and being in California I know I can get more than usual for it because it has a “federal” vin number so has nearly no smog regulations even in California. So that adds to what I can get for it. Because so many guys in the area want to modify and not worry about smog regulations. Looking online I can probably get close to what I paid for the truck in 2016.
Because of my industry I'm looking at many of the Diesel regulations coming down the pike in CA. There will be a lot of Modified Diesel owners who are going to find themselves out of compliance regardless of Vin Numbers and age. CARB rules with a heavy fist and even rail car moving rail engines are being forced to go to electric gensets by 2023, or face fines.


CARB Regulations for Older Vehicles with Diesel Engines

The CARB “Truck and Bus Regulation Compliance Requirement Overview” document states that diesel vehicles over 14,000 pounds can no longer be legally registered after January 1st, 2023 or earlier without a 2010 or newer engine or an equivalent aftertreatment system.​

The purpose of the new regulation is to reduce emissions of diesel particulate matter, NOx, and other pollutants from the use of diesel-powered vehicles. Therefore, the regulation states that diesel vehicles must reduce their emissions, either with a modern engine or an emissions system that will filter out these harmful substances. The deadline is dependent on the vehicle’s engine model year and weight class.​

According to the CARB website, the published schedule shows that any 2004-2006 diesel truck can no longer be used in California after January 1st, 2021, due to not being in compliance with emissions regulations. Trucks like this would either need a new engine or a DPF retrofit if they wanted to remain in use.​


Don't be surprised when they lower that Weight limit to include Passenger trucks.......

2027 is the next significant date where new regulations are anticipated for commercial vehicles. Only time will tell what the regulations will be for privately owned vehicles. We recommend staying up to date with CARB regulations by keeping up with DES industry news articles.​

 
Similar experience for me, ended up changing the water pump in a rest area in -15 degrees, still didn't fix it, possible radiator leak but couldn't pinpoint it, ended up limping home 3 days early and only getting about half a day of hunting in, the worst end to a season I've ever had.
 
On Thursday the blizzard hit with negative temps and strong winds. Whiteout, and drifts made keeping power up but speed slow difficult.
The road zigged and I did not stay on it buried it over the hood.

Tow bill would have been $700 but my two brothers that I was supposed to be meeting, showed up used two high lift jacks and his truck to lift back end up onto road enough to drag it out.

After watching 100 head of elk decide to run off.

Then I chained up to go up to bma sign in box and had the transfer case hickups.
$1800 for a new one or about $800 for new internals.
 
Sorry to hear of your truck problems guys. I've got a story of my own.
Last hear I headed out from Missouri towards Idaho for a short range weapon deer hunt. I made it to just east of Evanston, WY when I suddenly lost power. I got towed into Evanston and a nice mechanic got me in right away. It wasn't throwing any codes, so he checked everything. He even dropped the exhaust manifold and blew air through the exhaust. He said he thought there might be a little restriction through the catalytic converter but he couldn't be sure.
It seemed to run better so I continued on west. Just short of Ogden, UT I lost power again. I could barely make it up the slightest incline. I limped it into Ogden to an Oreilly automotive. This time it threw a code for the catalytic converter. They had an exhaust manifold/catalytic converter assembly in the warehouse for $750, so while I waited for it to arrive I shoehorned myself under the Subaru in the parking lot and dropped the exhaust. By this time I had been up for a day and a half on just one hour sleep.
After I got it all put back together it was still running like crap, so I reluctantly decided to head back east. I had a Wyoming region A deer tag, so I was hoping to maybe do a little deer hunting on the way back if I could. As I drove down the road, it slowly started running better and by the time I hit Rawlings it was running normal. I think the motor was just badly carboned up from the previous exhaust restriction and it finally cleared itself out. I briefly considered heading back west but thought better of it. As a consolation prize I was able to shoot a small buck with my bow on my Wyoming tag.
A few weeks later I decided to make another run at it. I had the CV axles replaced around noon on the day that I left. I was about 20 miles east of Lincoln, NE when all of a sudden I heard a clunk and I no longer had any power to the wheels. I got towed into Lincoln and I checked into a sketchy motel right next to the transmission place, as it was Friday evening and I would have to wait until Monday morning.
I watched a lot of TV and lived on hotdogs and cheap Hamm's beer from the convenience store about a mile down the road. On Sunday I had to call 911 on the druggies in the room next to me, as they were screaming and yelling at each other, and the woman was yelling "get away from me! Get away from me! Don't you touch me!" After I called 911 I told the manager what was going on, so he went over to their room. They cleared out and left before the police got there. Probably drugs and/or warrants.
On Monday, I was finally able to get the Subaru looked at. That afternoon they called me so I headed over there. There was no problem with the transmission, but one of the newly installed CV axles had come out of the side of the transmission. They said all they would do was put in some new ones, as they would not re-install the one that came out. The next day, $900 later plus the motel bill I was back on the road to Idaho. A big thank you to my girlfriend for sending me some money.
I finally made it to Twin Falls, ID, but was only able to stay for a day and a half because I was almost completely out of money. I drove and hiked and glassed all over the unit as best I could, but never saw a single deer. Not even any deer on the private land alfalfa fields. I didn't even see any deer along the road at night at any point while I was driving in the state of Idaho.
After I got back, I talked to the owner of the shop that had put in the CV axles. I had the axles with me, along with the paperwork from the transmission place in Lincoln. He stepped up and cut me a check for the total of the bill from Lincoln. That sure helped a bunch.
 
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