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Old 01-07-2019, 07:15 AM   #1
cookinwitdiesel
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Diesel Truck Maintanence

I am new to having a Diesel vehicle - got my truck new in late August and have not even put 1000 miles on it yet. I have gotten the impression that Diesel engines need more care and attention than gas counterparts.

Historically, with my gas daily drivers, I just take them in and get the scheduled services and oil change every 5k miles. As the truck is an extra vehicle and not driven regularly, I would take it in at least once a year (if that year includes less than 5k miles). Is there any reason that this service regimen would not be sufficient? On average the truck probably gets driven once a week for hauling something or going to Costco so it is not idle for long periods of time, but not used nearly as regularly as my SUV. Up to this point, I have just been filling it with the Diesel sold at the Shell a few miles from me in town - have not made any special effort to find "Top Grade" fuels or used any additives - has ran fine so far (only 3 fill ups).

As mentioned, I am no gear head (5k mile dealer services on my SUV), I just want to take reasonably good care of my vehicle so I can get a full service life and value out of it.

Thanks in advance for any advice and tips you can share!
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Old 01-07-2019, 07:59 AM   #2
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Unless it's changed from mine the book says "10000 miles or once a year" on oil changes. I generally just go by the % gauge, change around 10%. So far 131k miles on the current truck, 176k on the previous & no problems on either.
There are those that claim diesel periodic service is much more expensive!!. Your SUV is serviced every 5k is 3 to 5 services per year if driven daily, your diesel is once maybe twice if driven daily. Don't know what it cost to service your SUV, but my truck is $89 at the GM dealership twice a year +/- as it's our daily driver. The fuel filter is expensive, but in that 131k/6 years it's been changed 3 times & the spin on tranny filter gets changed about every second or third oil change.
I would however take a good long drive once/twice a month to let particulate filter (that's what the DEF is for) go into a regen cycle.
Also keep an additive that contains a water absorption agent & a bacteriacide in the fuel & keep the tank full when it's just parked.
The thing with the diesel is the miles, mileage & performance will increase with miles, it's not even broke in good til 50-60k miles.
I don't have any first hand experience with the other 2 brand of diesels, but they would have work pretty damn hard to beat the last couple Duramax/Allison trucks I've had. You made a good choice! Take care of it & it'll last a loooong time.
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Old 01-07-2019, 09:08 AM   #3
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My posts are normally frank and this will be no different. First of all if you don't drive a diesel truck more than 5k a year you should not own one. I have never heard of sub par diesel or a refinery that produces sub par diesel in the USA or Canada. The filtration systems on Diesels will provide clean fuel to the injector system provided proper filters are used. Define old fuel? How old is old? Somehow it is inferred that Diesel will go bad in 30 days or so. It's been 15 or 20 years since there has been mandatory fuel tank inspections or replacement. This law literally put every Mom and Pop shop out of the fuel reselling business. There is now strict regulations on underground storage tanks. Buy fuel wherever you like at the best price.

My prior neighbor had a Class A Diesel, Cummins powered no DEF, Used it 3 times a year, Memorial weekend, 2 weeks over the 4th of July and Labor day weekend. Serviced once a year, covered, outside in northern Ohio. He did this for 12 years, never a issue, never worried about bad fuel.
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Old 01-07-2019, 08:19 AM   #4
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Did you buy the truck new? What does your owner's manual say? When my trucks were under warranty I had the dealer service it so if there were an issue they were the only people that worked on it. No argument that a third party did something wrong but that's just me.
There are diesel forums out there that have a wealth of information on maintenance. The key to longevity for a diesel as I understand it is regular use, and drive it long enough to get it fully warmed up and exercised, oil changes with correct oil and filters, draining the water seperator regularly, changing the fuel filters with proper filters, use fuel from stations that sell a lot of diesel, flush cooling system as mfg recommends and use proper antifreeze. A diesel is a large investment that will last several hundred thousand miles if maintained properly. It's not an engine that will survive well if cheap filters or inferior/incorrect fluids are used.
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Old 01-07-2019, 08:20 AM   #5
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2008 GMC Sierra DRW just passing 280000 miles and no nightmare issues with engine / transmission to this point. I also follow the gauge for fuel and oil filter changes. I do my own oil / filter changes and yes the fuel filter is a bit pricey, but as pricey as replacing a stuck injector because it has crude from fuel in it.I did a 50/50 trans fluid change around 250000 miles and have changed the trans filter about 4 - 5 times since new. As far as fuel choice, IMHO, it's all garbage now that it's ULSD. The removal of the sulphur did 2 detrimental things to the fuel. 1. Make it much more expensive to refine / produce / purchase and 2. removed the beneficial lubricating properties (sulphur) from the fuel, thus causing more friction in pumps and other fuel system components, causing them to wear faster.
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Old 01-07-2019, 08:31 AM   #6
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IMHO, the three MAJOR factors in diesel longevity are fuel quality, regular maintenance and frequent use. Any diesel fuel will "go stale" and "stuff" can grow in diesel fuel that can clog any fuel filter in just a couple of miles. If you're going to park it and not use it, be sure to use a quality ("approved") diesel fuel additive that prevents mold/bacterial growth. Better yet, use the truck as a "daily driver" with enough commute time to allow it to fully warm up frequently.
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Old 01-07-2019, 09:25 AM   #7
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While fuel and oil filtration is important, unlike your gasser at around 14 to 1 air to fuel ratio, your turbo diesel can be as high as 100 to 1. Quality air filtration and regular inspection is just as important in my opinion. JM2¢, Hank
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Old 01-07-2019, 08:58 AM   #8
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I work from home so do not have a commute (IT sales). Occasionally have to go into the office or customer sites but not crazy amount of mileage normally. My daily driver gets about 12k a year. Now that vacation travel will be on a separate vehicle that will go down.

I considered having the truck as my main vehicle but size and cost of operation just make that impractical.

As mentioned, I like to take the truck out at least once a week to "exercise" it and it sounds like that is a good practice. Even then though, those outings are less than 20 miles and not highway but largely stop and go (if that matters). I live in the Northern VA suburbs, traffic is life haha. A 20 mile trip could be 45-60 minutes of truck on time though.

I do plan to only have the dealers service my truck throughout its warranty for the reason mentioned above, they can't play the blame game if something goes south and always manufacturer recommended stuff. I do this with all of my vehicles.

I had seen some posts and conversations that made Diesel vehicle ownership seem much more onerous but it sounds like I already have a good bead on this.
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Old 01-07-2019, 12:24 PM   #9
flybouy
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cookinwitdiesel View Post
I work from home so do not have a commute (IT sales). Occasionally have to go into the office or customer sites but not crazy amount of mileage normally. My daily driver gets about 12k a year. Now that vacation travel will be on a separate vehicle that will go down.

I considered having the truck as my main vehicle but size and cost of operation just make that impractical.

As mentioned, I like to take the truck out at least once a week to "exercise" it and it sounds like that is a good practice. Even then though, those outings are less than 20 miles and not highway but largely stop and go (if that matters). I live in the Northern VA suburbs, traffic is life haha. A 20 mile trip could be 45-60 minutes of truck on time though.

I do plan to only have the dealers service my truck throughout its warranty for the reason mentioned above, they can't play the blame game if something goes south and always manufacturer recommended stuff. I do this with all of my vehicles.

I had seen some posts and conversations that made Diesel vehicle ownership seem much more onerous but it sounds like I already have a good bead on this.
In my opinion this will do more harm than good. By exercising I'm talking driving at highway speeds for 20 miles. Stop and go and then shut it down will just build up carbon and likely contaminate the oil quicker. One other piece of advice if you've never driven a turbo. When driving along, especialling towing, your turbo charger will be turning fast and hot. Don't blast into a rest stop and shut it down. The oil can drain out while it's still spinning and damage the bearings. You should stop and let it idle a few min first, or better yet don't shut it down if only making a quick stop. I would urge you to do your homework and read as much as you can to protect that nice new investment.
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Old 01-07-2019, 01:30 PM   #10
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My truck is apples to oranges compared to a 2018. But, I have it as a tower and it sits as a driveway queen. About 15 months to get 5,000 miles on it. Oil change at 5,000 miles. I try to drive it to work once every 4 to 6 weeks. That trip is 25 miles each way all freeway. I cannot say it costs more or less than a gas engine truck. I have had both, any 1 ton or 3/4 ton has higher costs vs a 1/2 or smaller vehicle. As I recall the brake rotors where about 3x on the f350 as much than a f150 I had each changed out a few months apart.
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Old 01-09-2019, 09:29 AM   #11
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In my opinion this will do more harm than good. By exercising I'm talking driving at highway speeds for 20 miles. Stop and go and then shut it down will just build up carbon and likely contaminate the oil quicker. One other piece of advice if you've never driven a turbo. When driving along, especialling towing, your turbo charger will be turning fast and hot. Don't blast into a rest stop and shut it down. The oil can drain out while it's still spinning and damage the bearings. You should stop and let it idle a few min first, or better yet don't shut it down if only making a quick stop. I would urge you to do your homework and read as much as you can to protect that nice new investment.
Thanks for this - had never considered it. My Mazda CX-9 also has a turbo but I have always treated it like a normal car in terms of start/stop when I get somewhere. Does the engine recirculate the oil that goes through the turbo bearings or are they sealed? Even at idle, the engine is putting out exhaust which will spin the turbo - so is the goal to just let it slow down some before shutting off?

If it matters, watching 2 trips to Home Depot and back over the last couple days, RPMs barely got over 2000 and if they did it was for maybe 5 seconds. Most of the time I was hanging around 1200-1800 RPM ranging from starting from a stop at a light to 65 MPH on freeway. Based on that, I would be inclined to think that the turbo is not spooling up too high? There is so much torque I never need high RPMs and lower gears
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Old 01-10-2019, 06:24 AM   #12
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Originally Posted by cookinwitdiesel View Post
Thanks for this - had never considered it. My Mazda CX-9 also has a turbo but I have always treated it like a normal car in terms of start/stop when I get somewhere. Does the engine recirculate the oil that goes through the turbo bearings or are they sealed? Even at idle, the engine is putting out exhaust which will spin the turbo - so is the goal to just let it slow down some before shutting off?

If it matters, watching 2 trips to Home Depot and back over the last couple days, RPMs barely got over 2000 and if they did it was for maybe 5 seconds. Most of the time I was hanging around 1200-1800 RPM ranging from starting from a stop at a light to 65 MPH on freeway. Based on that, I would be inclined to think that the turbo is not spooling up too high? There is so much torque I never need high RPMs and lower gears
I know this has been answered previously but the example I gave of pulling into a rest stop after driving highway speeds and stopping and shutting down doesn't equate to "around town" driving. I would guess your trips to HD were not located on the side of the interstate. As previously pointed out driving down the side street, pulling into the parking lot, etc. accomplish the same results as idling for a min. or two. Turbos can spin at upwards of 100,000 rpm. They are powered by the extremely hot (while under load) of the exhaust. The bearing are lubricated and cooled by the engine oil. So, shutting the engine down while these surfaces are very hot can cause the thin film of oil to varnish over. The bearing surfaces of the turbo shaft will score with no oil flow. Some "high end" engines have an electric oil pump and a built in timer to keep the oil circulating for a set time or temperature after shutting the key off. There are kits you can add as well but most folks just let it idle for a few min.
I'd urge as I stated to do some reading, i.e. research. There are tomes written on this site, diesel truck forums, as well as other sites online that can be found with a simple search. You've made a huge investment (at least to the average person's budget thinking) in your new truck it only makes sense to do everything possible to protect it but that choice is yours.
Enjoy your new found joy and take some time during the cold months ahead to snuggle in and do some reading.
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Old 01-07-2019, 09:23 AM   #13
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Thanks for the confirmation on fuel choice.

I got the truck to primarily pull a travel trailer, any other uses I come up with for it are bonus. My wife and I wanted to get an RV and the truck+trailer combo made more sense than a Class A+towed vehicle or Class C (and was cheaper). I got a diesel because it offers a lot of advantages over gas when towing 10k behind it. We are well off so the extra cost was not a big issue (as stated, still cheaper than a new Class A and tow car or Class C). We were all in with new truck and new trailer at about $85k. I can live with that. To upgrade my "RV experience" I only need a new trailer and can continue to reuse the truck (within reason on weights) for a long time.
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Old 01-07-2019, 10:12 AM   #14
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I have the 2018 Duramax too. In all honesty this big boy does better on fuel then my smaller 2015 5.3 gas truck did (also a gmc) and better then my wifes SUV once it got some miles on it. Diesels cost more up front but wow they are amazing for towing and fuel mileage. Def costs some too but to me the benefits for towing far outweight the "extra" maintenance. I use the supplied winter front once winter comes to Canada and that lets it warm up much quicker. They do seem to it warmer.
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Old 01-13-2019, 08:47 AM   #15
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I personally don’t see an issue with your maintenance plan. My concern outside of fuel quality is the DEF. def goes bad, your DEF will last you about 5k miles, but it’s not good for a year. I’d try to run what you have out in the next few months and then only add about a gallon at a time with your limited use.
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Old 01-13-2019, 01:34 PM   #16
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I'm with the rest. Good filters as recommended by your guages, not the dealer selling you extra oil changes and put some miles on it when you drive it. If you are in cold country and filling late in the year put the winter grade in early. Few years ago we decided not to leave MN until December. Our October summer fill jelled up b4 we left. NOT CHEAP REPAIR for simple fix.
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Old 01-07-2019, 10:46 AM   #17
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That Duramax and Allison transmission combo will do you right for a long time...I drive less than 5K a year in most cases with mine..

Do take it out once a month and after it’s warmed up give it some gas and clean it out...watch rear view mirror ....I typically see a tad of black smoke for about 3 seconds when I do this..afterwards it’s clean..no smoke on hard acceleration..

I would recommend using an aftermarket additive to the fuel when filling up.. this adds extra lubrication for the fuel pump..

Lastly I’d have the rear differential gear oil drained and replaced with Amsol sever duty synthetic gear oil ...front don’t need it if you have 4 wheel drive..

And DO NOT let anyone convince you to have the transmission power flushed .... you can read about this directly from Allison website...

You only need to drain oil pan on transmission and replace external transmission fluid filter...

My duramax is 11 plus years old... no breakdowns and no part replacements.
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Old 01-07-2019, 10:59 AM   #18
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Cookin,

Thanks for starting this thread. I am also a relatively new diesel truck owner. This is lots of good information.
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Old 01-09-2019, 09:30 AM   #19
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Also, as the truck is new and still "breaking in" should I get an oil change after the first 1k miles or anything of that sort? I know that the early oil in an engine picks up a lot of mess and metal shavings as everything smooths out.
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Old 01-09-2019, 10:04 AM   #20
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Also, as the truck is new and still "breaking in" should I get an oil change after the first 1k miles or anything of that sort? I know that the early oil in an engine picks up a lot of mess and metal shavings as everything smooths out.
Had my oil changed the first time at 2000 miles. Had to argue with the service writer. He said "the computer will tell you when to change the oil". Had to remind him who's truck it was.
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