2021 Tahoe Duramax: Cold Hesitation, Shudder, and Throttle Lag — No Codes

[Mikeyhunter]

Hello everyone,

I’m hoping someone here can help because I’m honestly at my limit with my local dealer. I won’t vent here, but if I listed every issue I’ve had with my 2021 Chevy Tahoe Duramax (60,000 miles), it would fill a whole page.

Right now, I’m dealing with a few really frustrating symptoms:

• Hesitation/jerking when the engine is cold , usually during the first 5 minutes of driving.
• Inconsistent throttle response ,when I press the gas lightly, the truck either suddenly surges or feels extremely lazy before responding.
• Shuddering when I lift off the pedal under a small load, especially noticeable at low or moderate speeds.

Here’s what I’ve done so far:

• Cleaned the MAF
• Replaced the air filter
• Changed differential oil
• Changed transmission fluid

No trouble codes at all.

I’m hoping someone else with a 3.0 Duramax has experienced something similar and can point me in the right direction. Any help is appreciated.


Thanks!

 

[Z15]

Poor engine performance may be due to fuel contamination.

 

[genestoy]

Has the fuel filter been changed every 15,000 miles?

 

[StephenPT]

It sounds like a fuel delivery problem or an injector with poor performance. As suggested, make sure your fuel filter is in good shape.

Also, on the earlier LM2s there's a handful of wire harness issues that can cause all sorts of issues, depending on which wire gets pinched/chaffed. Here's a full TSB that includes multiple GM engines including the LM2 and areas to look for pinched/chaffed wiring.

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2022/MC-10212919-0001.pdf

There's another issue where the foam noise insulator on top of the valve cover can cause stress on the injector wire harness.

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2022/MC-10208993-9999.pdf

Generally wiring issues will trip the MIL and you'll have stored codes, but not always. Do you have a local independent shop or a friend with a scan tool that can show live data? If so you should be able to watch the injector balance rates and see if one or more injectors looks out of the ordinary.

 

[Mike8017]

Hello everyone,

I’m hoping someone here can help because I’m honestly at my limit with my local dealer. I won’t vent here, but if I listed every issue I’ve had with my 2021 Chevy Tahoe Duramax (60,000 miles), it would fill a whole page.

Right now, I’m dealing with a few really frustrating symptoms:

• Hesitation/jerking when the engine is cold , usually during the first 5 minutes of driving.
• Inconsistent throttle response ,when I press the gas lightly, the truck either suddenly surges or feels extremely lazy before responding.
• Shuddering when I lift off the pedal under a small load, especially noticeable at low or moderate speeds.

Here’s what I’ve done so far:

• Cleaned the MAF
• Replaced the air filter
• Changed differential oil
• Changed transmission fluid

No trouble codes at all.

I’m hoping someone else with a 3.0 Duramax has experienced something similar and can point me in the right direction. Any help is appreciated.


Thanks!

Hello,

I had the same thing happen and my fuel pump finally quit. It ended up that my diesel fuel, the tank, fuel pump, and fuel filter, had the "Diesel Bug". The fuel system was flushed and the pump & filter replaced. Now I need to find a biocide additive for diesel fuel to try and stop it from happening again.