Breathe new life into your GM Duramax Diesel with this rebuilding guide from CarTech's Workbench series.

Whether you have an engine that is old and tired, are contemplating picking up a used engine for a swap, looking to hop up what you have, or simply want to understand the inner workings of a Duramax engine, this handy guide will be a valuable resource for years to come.

Author and diesel expert Jason Gonderman takes you through full step-by-step sequences of the removal, disassembly, evaluation, reconditioning, and reassembly of both the 2001-2010 style of engines and the later 2011-2016 models. Also included is a history of all six generations of Duramax engines, as well as a chapter on performance modifications to this versatile platform.

General Motors began offering diesel engines in its light-duty pickups in earnest in 1982. The engines were designed and produced by Detroit Diesel, and filled the role in C/K pickups until the 1999 model year. The engines were first a 6.2L naturally aspirated V-8 then grew to 6.5L and added a turbocharger in 1992. The 6.2L diesel achieved better fuel economy than the company's gasoline V-6 when introduced, and in 1982, fuel economy was a major factor in many people's buying decisions.

Fast-forward to the late 1990s, General Motors decided it needed a clean slate in its diesel designs to keep up with the Cummins and Power Stroke engines being offered by the competition. To accomplish this, General Motors partnered with Isuzu to create a brand-new diesel engine that would be the first high-pressure common-rail, direct-injection powerplant to hit the US vehicle market. The initial engine was produced at the newly built plant in Moraine, Ohio, on July 17, 2000. Now, 21 years after the joint venture DMAX Ltd. was created in 1998, more than 2 million Duramax engines have been built. Until the introduction of the Duramax, GM's all-iron, indirect-injected (IDI) 6.5L V-8 produced just 215 hp and 440 ft-lbs of torque in its most powerful configuration. The new, aluminum-headed 6.6L Duramax V-8 hit the market with 300 hp and 520 ft-lbs of torque in its first configuration, and it has gotten stronger with age while still meeting increasingly strict emissions requirements.