Newbie Duramax Owner

[heyfishguy]

Hi guys, I just bought a 2005 GMC 2500HD with the Duramax/Allison combo. I am new to diesel motors, but am already learning alot from this site. I have a few questions though. Where is the fuel filter and is it hard to change and how often? How many miles or kilometers can you expect out of a duramax motor? I noticed that the allison has a spin on filter, does it also have an internal filter, and when should those two filters be changed as well how often should the fluid be changed? Anyone know where I can find a maintenece schedule?

[660RS27]

Go to gmc.com and click on the 'owners' link. Fill out your info with your vin# and the schedule will be there.

[ob_1jr]

the fuel filter is on the passenger's side right by the fenderliner in the back. The allison has 2 filters, one internal, one external. When you change the external, there should be a magnet on the top of the filter. As far as when the fluid and filters should be changed.

External filter - no more than 10000 miles
internal filter - upon overhaul of tranny (or when you have to take the pan off)
Fluid - it depends on your fluid and driving conditions, but every 25,000 miles for "severe" and 50,000 for normal.
Fuel filter - GM says every 15,000 miles, but I would change it more like every 10,000 or sooner. It's cheap insurance on the engine.

And by the way, welcome to the site!

[heyfishguy]

Thanks for the great info guys. Do any of you know if their is a repair manual like chilton or hayes available that covers these trucks with the duramax/allison combo? Also I noticed that my truck has 2 batteries in the engine compartment. One is in the usual space the other is on the passenger side by the firewall. What is this second battery for?

[duramaxdavid]

I havent seen any "over the counter" repair manuals for these truck. The diesels take more power to turn the engine over and the glow plugs pull alot of juice. Thats why there are 2 batt.

[heyfishguy]

So with the fuel filter you just unscrew it like the oil filter and put a new one one? Will diesel fuel spill out while its unscrewed? Do you need to lubricate the filter gasket some how? Also what type of oil do these things take? The dealer said they did an oil change on it, and I can see the new fram oil filter but the oil itself looks dirty, compared to conventional say 5w30 or 10w30 then I thought that maybe it uses some sort of other oil that is just darker to start with. Also how do you then reset the change oil and change fuel filter message. Thanks again. So far I am loving my first diesel truck, it is a big step up from my 2000 gmc sierra 2wd with 4.8 v-8 that I had before. The power and torque you feel from this truck is insane. I will post a picture of my new truck in the next day or so. Also does anybody know the average life expectancy of a duramax motor?

[heyfishguy]

Here's a picture of my new truck.



Here's a picture of my old truck that I traded in for the new one.



As you can see I kept the canopy off the old truck for the new one, along with a bunch of other little things.

[ob_1jr]

Originally Posted by heyfishguy

So with the fuel filter you just unscrew it like the oil filter and put a new one one? Will diesel fuel spill out while its unscrewed? Do you need to lubricate the filter gasket some how? Also what type of oil do these things take? The dealer said they did an oil change on it, and I can see the new fram oil filter but the oil itself looks dirty, compared to conventional say 5w30 or 10w30 then I thought that maybe it uses some sort of other oil that is just darker to start with. Also how do you then reset the change oil and change fuel filter message. Thanks again. So far I am loving my first diesel truck, it is a big step up from my 2000 gmc sierra 2wd with 4.8 v-8 that I had before. The power and torque you feel from this truck is insane. I will post a picture of my new truck in the next day or so. Also does anybody know the average life expectancy of a duramax motor?

It is a little more involved that that. Did you not get any manuals with your truck? I can e-mail you the diesel supplement that you should have gotten with your truck. But, to answer some of your questions..you need to unplug the WIF sensor on the bottom of the filter. If you get your filter a little loose, you can drain the fuel out of it, but it shouldn't start pouring out. The dirty oil that you have is normal...EGR doesn't help this since soot and such gets kept in the engine. In some trucks it takes longer than others to turn the oil black. It also depends on how long the dealership lets it drain. Anyway, let me know if you want the diesel supplement e-mailed to you...just pm me your e-mail address.

[Here We Go]

I would appreciate a supplement e-mail to me.

Thanks
Keith

lhgayelevator@aol.com