plugged fuel filter

[buckeyebob]

i have a 2007 new style chevy silverado 6.6 litre duramax.at 10080 miles the fuel filter went from 53%lfe to 0 %.took it to the dealer he replaced filter for $134.00 110 miles later and of course on thanksgiving day it went to 0% again!!!!!couldnt pull camper to southern ohio deer hunting,had to ride with a buddy.they analized the fuel from walmart and couldnt find any dirt!!!they said filter they replaced must have been bad,but why did first filter go bad?is 10000 miles the life of a fuel filter?has any one else had this problem?i only buy at walmart in sandusky.thank you buckeyebob

 

[ct0218]

A plugged filter, in Ohio, in cold weather, is usually gelled diesel. It will do that everytime it gets cold, then dissolve when it warms up. Someone at the distributor (usually Murphy Oil for Walmart/Sam's) possibly forgot to add anti-gell to the tank. It is always a good idea to keep some additive with anti-gell properties in the truck and add it with winter fill-ups. Biodiesel gells at an even higher temp, but #2 will gell in the 20's w/o the anti-gell additive.
#1 diesel has kerosene added to #2, which keeps it from gelling unless it gets really cold, but kerosene has a low btu output and your mileage will drop several mpg's.

 

[TXBobcat]

Intresting information. I had heard about Diesel Gelling but did not know the difference between Diesel #1 & #2..

Always good information out here.. Where can you get the Anti-gell additive. Auto parts store???

 

[snuffy]

Changing the fuel filter in not that hard. I keep a spare in the truck but I've never had one plug up and I replace every year or at least 15,000 miles. $100 labor is a bit steep for my budget.

 

[dewwood]

Sounds like you got a bad batch of fuel like was noted above. It is not unusual to have to replace the fuel filter more than once when that happens. I would get some diesel fuel additive for this tankful and try to run it out, you may need to change filters again once you have it cleaned out of your tank. They should normally run for a year without problems sometimes longer but I usually change mine at least once a year unless I have problems before that.

Good luck!

 

[ct0218]

The MAXIMUM life of a filter for the GM Duramax is 15K miles. As said above, it is easy to change. I carry 2 spare filters, and I stop at the first auto parts store and buy another if I have to change one on the road. Here's what happened to me in Montana: I filled my truck at the same time that a tanker was delivering fuel to the station. Apparently the filling disturbed a lot of trash and sludge on the bottom of the tank, and I filled my tank with it. Thirty minutes down the road, in the middle of nowhere, the truck died. I had 1 spare, and had some miles on the filter in use, so I changed it thinking it was just due because of miles, and headed further into the middle of nowhere. It died again--and 4 or 5 hours later, after a $350 tow, I was back in civilization. I learned 2 lessons: Don't fill when the station is getting fuel, and carry 2 spares. I have gotten a tank of fuel that obviously did not have the anti-gell additive, the fuel looked like very cold vegetable oil, and was about the same consistancy. That will not go thru the media, and I believe that is most likely what happened with OP buckeyebob. Either cause could do it though.

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

Another fuel related problem

Monday, I started the truck and it ran for about 4 seconds and died. I went to crank it again and the batteries were toast. I've been expecting this for quite a while as they are 5 years old. If we took several short start & stop trips, it would crank noticeably slower. Anyway. I pulled the batteries and replaced with Walmarts Maxx 78's. Cranked like crazy but wouldn't start. I thought it may be fuel related and somehow associated to the low voltage of the other batteries not allowing the fuel pump to do it's thing. I then primed the filter and tried again. Success! Ran fine and actually seemed to run better than it has for quite a while. The same thing happened today. It started, ran a few seconds and died. Still cranked like crazy but wouldn't re-start. I primed the pump again and it started. Any thoughts on this one? I can't find or don't see any fuel leaks.

 

[SmokeyBare]

I had that problem when my 02' was brand new with less than a 1,000 miles on the truck.... well... it acted just like what you've discribed...

It turned out to be an internal leak in the fuel injection pump. When it was pumped up.... it would run fine... till it shut down again... Mr Goodwrench replaced the injector pump on mine... been running OK ever since...

Daggnabbit.... sure hope I didn't just Jinx my self !!!

 

[dewwood]

Ray,

I am not a mechanic but the bad news is it sounds like you may have an injector pump problem the good news is they have a 100,000 mile warranty. They will act up like that sometimes when they are bad. Had to replace a couple of them on my old 6.5 turbo in a 98 Chevy 1 ton. They were known for having pump problems but I have not heard much about the duramax's having that problem.

Best of luck maybe that is not what it is.

 

[ct0218]

The Duramax has had few injector pump problems. The only major engine problems were the injectors in the LB7 engine, 01 thru 04.5 model years, and some experiencing overheating in the LLY engine, 04.5 thru 06.

 

[Terry H]

Ray,

I had the same problem, I tighted the black bleed screw a little tighter. It is located on top of the filter housing next to the primer button. I have not had any problems since.

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

Thanks for the replies gents. Thankfully I have a warranty that will cover it either way. Lately it seems to crank a bit more than usual before it starts too. I guess a trip to the dealer is in order. As soon as I get it taken care of I'll do an update.

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

Ray,

I had the same problem, I tighted the black bleed screw a little tighter. It is located on top of the filter housing next to the primer button. I have not had any problems since.

Thanks Terry, I did see a little fuel around that bleeder so after I primed it today I snugged it up a tad more. Maybe I'll wait to see if it happens again before I bring it to a dealer. My only other fear would be getting stranded somewhere. I have road service but it doesn't cover inconvenience.

 

[ct0218]

Ray
I replaced that nylon bleed screw with a stainless one with an o-ring. Much, much better. Contact Gregg at www.lubricationspecialist.com. He has Amsoil products, Fumoto drain valves, the bleed screw, etc.

 

[ct0218]

I was checking new threads on a couple of GM Diesel truck forums over the weekend and noticed that there were several threads and quite a few posts from truck owners that had had fuel gelling problems in recent weeks. The refiners/distributors may be cutting back on the anti-gelling additive as a cost cutting measure. I think I'm going to add a little more to my tank--I hate getting stranded, waiting for the fuel tank and filter to warm up--that could take days!

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

After a few more episodes of the truck not wanting to start, I decided to take it to the pro's. The fuel filter "adapter" was allowing air into the fuel system causing an air bubble in the top of the filter housing and this was causing the problem. This adapter is actually the part that the filter screws onto. The last time I changed the fuel filter I used a new tool to remove the filter. Not remembering righty tighty isn't the same when upside down and backwards caused me to overtighten the old filter when I was trying to remove it. This might have caused my problem. Live, learn and pay I guess. At least all is well now.

 

[Terry H]

My suggestion was real close to the problem!

 

[mcbubba]

Fuel Filter

Hey Bob, Met you at Hocking Hills this summer. Don't trust the fuel filter past 9,000 mi. in our winters. If you can find anybody working at a Chevy dealership they can get you the filters for under $30.00. If not you can get them on EBAY cheaply also. The process is roughly described in your owners manual and after the first time you do it, shouldn,t be too bad. Take care, McBubba

 

[buckeyebob]

fuel filter plugged

hello! i had the original filter replaced when it failed and the next one 100 miles later!right after topping off at the same walmart i always use.the 4.5 gallons i topped off with came out slow,but i figured it was just a slow pump.2 miles later the filter was plugged!i was about to hook up to the camper for the gun season in hocking hills st. forrest.well i took it to the dealer friday and left it and bummed a ride and bunk with a buddy.real glad i didnt take the 5er as i would of had ice on all three slideouts!!!!my buddy spent an hour on one slideout on his tt.walmartgirl at murphy mart admitted she had to change the diesel pump filters 3 times cuz they got slow!!!this tells me someone didnt put anti gellin in the mix!!!!filed a claim with murphy oil ,we will see.i bought some additive to put in with future fuel.bob

 

[buckeyebob]

update1111RECEIVED CHECK FOR 289.00 FROM MURPHY OIL FOR 2 GELLED FUEL FILTERS!!!!!!!!!!filter plugged the other day but i added more anti gell additive and ran truck till it cleared.i hate winter