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'Killing a Duramax' Gale Banks YouTube series methodically tunes a diesel to death

Learning or perfecting a skill by watching YouTube videos is known as attending YouTube University. GM Authority picked up on one of the video site's more fascinating courses, hosted by Gale Banks; in a fair world, he should be referred to as Professor Banks when it comes to diesel engines and truck tuning. A few months after GM introduced the updated L5P 6.6-liter Duramax diesel V8 in the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD that ships with 454 horsepower and 910 pound-feet of torque, Banks decided he wanted to methodically tune the engine to death. The purpose of the resulting series, called "Killing a Duramax," is to push more power out of the engine in order to discover which parts break and when — or, as Banks puts it, force-feed the Duramax "until the crank hits the street and the heads hit the hood." With that knowledge, Banks can figure out all the weak points on his way to building what he calls a "Superturbo," that being a supercharged, twin-turbo race engine with more than 1,000 hp. What makes the series fascinating is Banks' knowledge, paired with the company's comprehensive iDash engine monitoring system that keeps tabs on a glut of parameters every step of the way. So for instance, you get Banks explaining the differences between inches of mercury and barometric pressure, how those are different from the water content of the air measured in grains, then showing those readouts on the iDash, then explaining in detail how they affect the air density in the Duramax system. The stock Borg-Warner variable turbo gets a lot of airtime — Banks accuses it of being "out to lunch" because he feels it's the weakest link on the engine. That turns into a turbo teardown and a deep explanation of performance pitfalls, such as when air pressure on the turbine begins to diverge from the boost pressure coming from the compressor. Banks says he can keep close tabs on where power's coming from, because the iDash monitors the horsepower contribution provided by the ambient air, the turbo, and the intercooler separately. The major changes so far are a stouter Precision 7675 turbo and TurboSmart wastegate (episode 5), a twin intake (episode 6), a custom liquid-cooled intercooler from a marine engine, a new GM oil cooler and synthetic oil (episode 10), and new injectors (episode 11).

EcoCar2 is on the hunt for a better, cleaner Chevy Malibu [w/video]

The students spent three years transforming an ordinary Chevy Malibu into a revolutionary vehicle. Not far from the building where General Motors once invented the Chevy Volt, a dozen or so college students are standing on the blacktop alongside a test track, watching a professional driver push the limits of a plug-in hybrid car they've built that's far more radical. These students, from Colorado State University, have spent the past three years transforming an ordinary Chevy Malibu into a revolutionary vehicle. At first glance, it still looks like a regular sedan. But under the hood, they've installed a hybrid powertrain that contains both hydrogen and electric power sources. Even by the standards of the Department of Energy competition they're participating in, it's an outlier. That's exactly what they had in mind. "We didn't want to come here and tell them how to build a better Volt," said Tom Bradley, faculty adviser for the Colorado State team. "They already know how to do that. We can tell them how to think about these possibilities in a whole new way." After three years of work, it all comes down to this. The Colorado State team was one of 15 that came to GM's Milford Proving Grounds last week for the final stretch of the EcoCar2 competition, which challenges regular college students who have no automotive experience to do nothing less than reinvent the American car. The teams have come from across North America, and include schools like Ohio State and Virginia Tech that have a long history of participating in similar competitions, and schools like the University of Washington and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University that are here for the first time. After three years of work, it all comes down to this. The teams have operated 24 hours a day for almost two weeks here at the Proving Grounds, running a gamut of tests that include a 310-point safety inspection, emissions and energy-consumption tests and road tests, in which professional GM drivers ensure they're road worthy. The winning team will be announced tonight in Washington D.C. Revolutionary cars, ordinary package While other green-car competitions encourage extreme designs, this one comes with a somewhat constraining twist: Yes, students must improve fuel economy and reduce emissions, but in the end, they still have to have a car that would appeal to mainstream customers. In practical terms, that means they must keep conveniences like air conditioning and trunk space.

GM recalls 330,000 fullsize trucks for airbag replacement

General Motors has announced a recall of 330,198 fullsize pickups in the US in the aftermath of the announcement made on May 19 that doubled the number of vehicles being called in to replace Takata's defective airbag inflators. That announcement expanded the nationwide recall to an estimated 33.8 million vehicles in the US. Heavy Duty versions of the 2007 and 2008 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra are included in GM's move, for the purpose of replacing the passenger airbag inflators. The announcement made by the National Highway Traffic Safety Association cited long-term exposure to moisture as a possible cause of the inflator issues. GM says it isn't aware of any problems with the recalled pickups due to moisture, nor has it had any reports of crashes, injuries, or fatalities, and has not received any complaints. GM will notify owners, who can then take their trucks to the dealers to have them repaired free of charge. You'll find a statement from GM and the recall notice from NHTSA below. Related Video: General Motors Statement General Motors is recalling 330,198 2007 and 2008 model year full-size Chevrolet Silverado heavy duty and GMC Sierra heavy duty pickup trucks in the U.S. to replace the passenger air bag inflators manufactured by TK Holdings Inc. (Takata). This recall implements Takata's air bag inflator equipment recall announced on May 19, 2015 (NHTSA recall number 15E-041). GM is not aware of any humidity-related ruptures in Takata air bag inflators in any GM-badged vehicles in the field and knows of no crashes, injuries, fatalities or complaints regarding air bag performance in these vehicles. Including Canada and exports, the total number of vehicles being recalled is 374,715. Population breakdown: United States 330,198 Canada 39,630 Exports 4,887 Total 374,715NHTSA RECALL NOTICE: Report Receipt Date: MAY 28, 2015 NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V324000 Component(s): AIR BAGS Potential Number of Units Affected: 330,198 Manufacturer: General Motors LLCSUMMARY: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2007-2008 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD and 3500HD trucks manufactured November 28, 2006, to August 29, 2008, and 2007-2008 GMC Sierra 2500HD and 3500HD trucks manufactured November 27, 2006, to August 29, 2008.