Towing Advice - Amsoil, extra filters, etc

r4man2

Member
As soon to be full-timers, I need to keep my '03 2500HD LB7/Allison tranny in good condition. We have done some vacation towing with a TT but never a 5er and certainly nothing this big.

Lots of posts on the Duramax forums argue the virtues of Amsoil and 25,000 mile oil changes, extra oil and gas filters, etc. What I would like to know from the FTimers is that is their experience? What do I really need to do for maintenance on the road? Do I need these the extra filters etc. because of 'bad diesel' fuel? Can I really tow a 3400RL 25,000 miles without an oil change and NOT hurt the engine?

Thanks for the help
 
C

Chulinw

Guest
I always carry extra fuel filters with me. You never know when you can get a load of bad fuel. I have also installed a extra fuel filter on the fuel line of my Duramax which I change out at 20K miles and my DIC tells me when to change out the orignal fuel filter. I also run Amsoil in my transmission and just change it again. I know that I change mine more than required but I feel save doing it that way. I also change out my oil every 20K miles and I send in the oil every 8K to have it test by Amsoil. I am not full timer so I will let one of them tell you what they do. Have safe trip and many happy camping days.
 

ct0218

Well-known member
I run Amsoil in everything, and have since the late 70's. I use the dual bypass filter system and have my oil analyzed like chulinw. If you plan to run extended drain intervals you really need to have it analyzed. Additives get depleted and soot builds upI carry 2 extra fuel filters, and several years ago in a different truck I got some bad fuel and 2 filters only got me about 40 miles. The motor died as I pulled into the parts house parking lot. Not a fulltimer either. Also, the synthetic fiber filter material that Amsoil uses appears to out perform all the others.
 

phranc

Well-known member
It's a good idea to carry extra filters . Wrap them in a plastic bag or some thing that would be dust and waterproof and store under the seat..
Hey, you never know..
 

r4man2

Member
Install of Amsoil 2 stage

I don't seem to have a local diesel mechanic who has done the install. How hard is it on an '03 2500HD Crew D/A? I'm a retiring MD with only very basic mechanical skills and very little diesel knowledge. Is this something I should try or should I wait till I get to someone who does this for a living?

Besides the oil filter what else would you recommend for me to put on the truck. I have EGT/boost gages with a 4" exhaust. Am considering an Edge EZ because of posts on the Duramax forum that this chip used at low level boost can actually boost mpg about 5% without hurting truck or transmission. Do I need a deep pan for the Allison? Bigger air filter? Could care less about the opinions of 'quarter mile' set and would like the opinions of the '50k mile Tow masters'.

Thanks
 

jpmorgan37

Well-known member
When I had my o4 GMC, D/A, I ran the Edge Juice on level 2 and a K & N air filter. I used Amsoil synthetic in the transmission after the first oil change at 20k miles. I used Delvac 5-40 synthetic (GM's recommendation) in the engine after 10k miles. I changed oil every 10k miles and trans oil every 25k miles. I didn't put a larger pan on the transmission because the trans temp never got too high, even in hard mountain pulls. The fuel filter is not the easiest if you don't have the right tools. I changed mine every 20k miles and didn't have any problems. As far as fuel economy, I saw an increase after I put the Edge and K & N on. I picked up an average of 1 to 2 mpg, depending on terrain. Mountain performance was greatly improved. I never changed the exhaust.
 
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