Living with a modern HD Diesel daily. What do I need to know?

[VeeDub_L_U]

The family business is picking up the right tool for the job finally. We own an office furniture business and just purchased a 24x8' enclosed trailer. Always being a Toyota family we purchased two Toyota Tundras with 5.7L's. They will pull the trailer, power is definitely not an issue but it's screaming at 3500-4500rpm and burning gas like CRAZY. We literally have to stop at every gas station when we are on the highway. So, my Dad is in the process of getting a 2011 Chevy 3500 Dually. I'm sure it's overkill, but he has always wanted a dually for some reason. My Dad loves cars but his daily's have always been leased so he never really cared too much for them. I keep trying to tell him that he's going to need to change his habits if he's going to daily a diesel. So tell me, what do I need to tell him? How long to warm it up in the summer and winter? Do you need to cool it down? Any fuel additives, especially in the winter so the fuel doesn't gel?

Throw me all the info you can! Thanks!

[Knock Sensor]

Read the owners manual = profit?






They should be pretty idiot proof nowadays.

[VeeDub_L_U]

Don't have the truck yet. Just want to get him prepared if I can. Just need to get it into his head that you can't just fire it up and drive off if it's been sitting for a bit like he does now.

[Numbersix]

Actually...he pretty much can.

My dad has an '09 2500HD Duramax. No real changes to his driving style required from the '89 C2500 with a 5.7L gasser he traded out of.

[Cousin Eddie]

You need a white watch/sunglasses, a flat biller hat, as much Monster energy labeled clothing you can buy, and LOTS of stickers.

[FigureFive]

The only thing I'm aware of is when you turn the ignition you sometimes have to wait a few moments between the accessories on position and ignition. It sometimes has to warm up the diesel fuel before trying to fire up. At least that's how my MiL's Mercedes diesel works.

[GRN6IX]

You need a white watch/sunglasses, a flat biller hat, as much Monster energy labeled clothing you can buy, and LOTS of stickers.

Don't forget the semi-truck, 24" wheels

OP, you can download the owners' manual online from Chevy/GMC

http://www.gmc.com/content/dam/GMC/g...rra-manual.pdf

[iamsuperdan]

The only thing I'm aware of is when you turn the ignition you sometimes have to wait a few moments between the accessories on position and ignition. It sometimes has to warm up the diesel fuel before trying to fire up. At least that's how my MiL's Mercedes diesel works.

Warming the diesel fuel?

It actually warms the glow plugs so that they're hot enough to ignite the diesel fuel.





I drove a 2012 Ram 2500 Megacab from August to December. Put 13000km on it. Drove it liek I drive gas powered trucks. Modern diesels need no special care in particular.

[AndyG86]

If I were you I'd be looking for a pre 07 diesel as they will have less emissions equipment and get better mpg. 07 is when the emissions regulations changed and most truck manufactures had to add dpf/scr/egr systems to meet the standards.

If you do go with the new truck you are going to have to fill up the def fluid tank along with diesel.

[VeeDub_L_U]

Ah well this is all good news. Thanks!

[ValveCoverGasket]

modern diesels dont even have glow plugs.
you just start them like a normal engine.


the myth of having to idle it forever to cool it down, or not turning it off for 10 minutes while youre running into a store is just nonsense.


use it just like you currently use your toyotas.

[Brendon1098]

I daily a brand new Ford diesel, I treat it no different than a gasser. Turn the key and go, sometimes I don't even wait for the glow plug light to go out if I forget it's a diesel.

Oil changes are more expensive (large oil pans and you need high quality oil)

Repairs can get expensive FAST out of warranty

DEF fluid get's annoying to top off on the regular

gas people block the diesel pumps all the time

beyond that, enjoy the torque and like any other turbocharged vehicle, let it idle if you'd been working it hard before shutting down.

[rs4-380]

Warming the diesel fuel?

It actually warms the glow plugs so that they're hot enough to ignite the diesel fuel.

you are technically wrong as well. So be careful before you dish it out. Glow plugs don't ignite diesel in a diesel engine, it is the act of compression that ignites it. Glow plugs help preheat the combustion chamber so that the the process of compression more easily ignites the fuel.

[Yugoslavia!]

modern diesels dont even have glow plugs.
you just start them like a normal engine.


the myth of having to idle it forever to cool it down, or not turning it off for 10 minutes while youre running into a store is just nonsense.


use it just like you currently use your toyotas.

What modern diesels don't have them?

As diesels heat up fairly slowly and most are also turbocharged, my only recommendation is that your father takes it easy the first ~10 mi. or so. But everyone already knows that.

[Shomegrown]

What modern diesels don't have them?

Big diesels (from trucks) that he's used to don't have them.

Small diesels in passenger cars certainly do.

[ValveCoverGasket]

Big diesels (from trucks) that he's used to don't have them.

yup

[Yugoslavia!]

Big diesels (from trucks) that he's used to don't have them.

Small diesels in passenger cars certainly do.

Thanks for that one!

I was completely sure even today's Duramax, Powerstrokes and Cummins had them considering every commercial and pickup engines over here have them. I guess I should blame the lack of real American pickups overhere for that.

[maloosheck]

I keep trying to tell him that he's going to need to change his habits if he's going to daily a diesel. So tell me, what do I need to tell him? How long to warm it up in the summer and winter? Do you need to cool it down? Any fuel additives, especially in the winter so the fuel doesn't gel?

Tell him to get in and drive.

[Sporin]

My father in law has a GMC 3500 Dually Duramax, and early one. They are full time RV'ers and use it to pull around their massive 5th wheel trailer/house.

He "daily drives" it as much as any retired person might, he's put a lot of miles on it not towing as well as the yearly trips from FL to VT and back. The only issues he ever has is parking, ie. size related, not fuel related. Get in, turn key, wait for glow plug lights to go out, turn key rest of way and start engine., Drive as normal.

It's been a great truck for him, only 1 problem but it was a major one at somewhere around 100k miles it started getting sluggish and blowing back smoke. Turned out to need injectors or some such thing, big bucks at the dealership, got no help from GM $$ even though it's a well known problem. http://www.duramaxforum.com/forum/01...n-lawsuit.html

[veedub-less]

As far as know, I believe the injector issues have been resolved. If it were my truck, the very first thing I would do would be to delete every single piece of emissions equipment on it. It's what kills the mpg's on the these things and, imo, the engine too.

If you decide to not delete it, then refrain from letting it idle for long periods of time. The soot builds up inside the egr coolers/dpf filters and will just give you problems down the road.

[Sporin]

As far as know, I believe the injector issues have been resolved. If it were my truck, the very first thing I would do would be to delete every single piece of emissions equipment on it. It's what kills the mpg's on the these things and, imo, the engine too.

If you decide to not delete it, then refrain from letting it idle for long periods of time. The soot builds up inside the egr coolers/dpf filters and will just give you problems down the road.

You are suggesting that immediately after buying a new, $50k HD Diesel pickup, you would rip out "all the emissions equipment"? Presumably to include a number of ECM's and such as well?

Good luck with that.

[veedub-less]

That is exactly what I'm suggesting. I work on these things for a living. It is horrifying seeing the nasty soot that is caked on the inside of the intake on these things.

[Spdmini]

Thanks for that one!

I was completely sure even today's Duramax, Powerstrokes and Cummins had them considering every commercial and pickup engines over here have them.

Cummins use grid heaters.