I bought a 2009 Silverado 2500HD about 3 months ago from a private party (via a broker) to use primarily with a travel trailer. It's a small trailer (4100 lbs full) and I used to tow it with an XTerra which was not ideal.
The first time I used it to tow, I got the Change Fuel filter and it went into limp mode going up I-70 near Evergreen, CO. I wish I would have known at the time I could have been on my way with a simple ECU clear; I ended up spending $230 to get towed to Wal Mart where we stayed the night. I bought a bluetooth OBDII tool, reset the ECU and traveled another 2 hours to our destination with no issues.
I brought the truck to a diesel mechanic I found on Yelp with high reviews. I explained the story, that the fuel filter was replaced with the last oil change, but they said it was pulling vacuum and needed to be replaced (along with the 95C & 105C thermostats) for $800. I drove the truck a couple of times with no issues, but not towing. We left town last week for a trip from Denver to S. Oregon, got a late start, and stopped about 6 hours into the trip to sleep. The next day got a few hours down I-80 next to salt flats west of SLC before the issue started popping up again. I stopped to clear the code but it was coming right back. This is also a long stretch of road without any fuel stations and I didn't realize at this point that the truck was only getting about 5.6 mpg. The truck ran out of fuel, 12 miles east of Wendover.
While waiting for roadside assistance, I called ahead to see if I could get a diesel mechanic to look at it in the next town. A mobile mechanic offered to meet me in the parking lot of a Casino once I got the fuel delivered. After much longer than it should have taken, I met the mechanic where he told me about having the same issue and said it was likely the fuel pressure regulator which fixed the same problem he was having on his own Duramax. He and another tech were there for 5 hours trying to extract the old regulator before giving up. He gave me the part for $20 (it's a plug to replace the regulator), but I gave him an extra $40 for his effort. We drove another 3 hours to Winnemucca where I splurged on an actual RV hookup site. We drove 7 hrs the next day to Grants Pass, OR and didn't have the problem once.
Once we got to Grants Pass, we drove another hour for camping at Patrick Creek and finally got to relax for a couple of days and hang out with extended family. On Sunday, we packed up the trailer and the lodge across the street was willing to let me park my trailer for the planned excursion to the beach another 30 minutes away. Just as I finish parking the trailer, the bolt on the driver side pintman arm breaks. Monday morning I verify the shop I towed the truck to can fix the pitman arm, but they have no interest in looking at the P0087 issue. I drive the truck back to Grants Pass and just want it fixed, so I take it to the dealer. I was supposed to leave for home on Tuesday morning but they say the soonest it would be ready is Wednesday of Thursday afternoon.
The first call I got no issues were found. They call again saying they found the issue based on the bulletin regarding the collapsed fuel lines. I also had a transfer case and power steering hose leaks. The full cost for those repairs was $2014.69
1. Hot & Dry - This only ever seems to happen when it's >80F outside after an hour of driving
2. Bumpy - If I hit a bump or some rough road, I'm already anticipating it throwing that code on the next hill
3. Towing up a hill >60Mph
I monitored the live data of the OBD tool to see what the fuel rail pressure was. The tool I was reading with shows in psi. When the truck was fine, dring under load the pressure was between 18-22k and more steady. When I'm experiencing issues, the high end is more like 42k and I'll see more dips in the pressure. This may be normal, I just want to add as much data as possible. When we stopped for the night about 6 hours from home, I hit a huge dip pulling into the RV park at dusk. When I went to start it in the morning, it wouldn't start. Luckily I had learned from the episode where I ran out of fuel that i should check for air. Sure enough, there was a burst of air when I loosened the screw on top of the fuel filter. On the final leg of the trip, I continued to experience the issue especially as I drove down I-25. It was slow to start in the evening last night, I imagine there is more air in the fuel line.
Here's some more things to note. I troubleshoot networks for a living so the more data I have the better, even if it might not be relevant.
1. About half of the times I fill up, it's spilling a bit of fuel out of the top
2. Previous owner added a 40gallon tank
3. The fan that kicks on when my truck is about 2600 RPM sounds like a loud kazoo.
4. Random issues with electrical components
a. Mirrors try to move past where they can move, so they keep clicking for about 20 seconds
b. The seat always moves all of the ways back
c. Rear passenger lock sometimes doesn't initiate
d. Trailer brakes don't work, all lights work fine. 2 shops said it's fine but my trailer brakes work with every other vehicle I've tried it on
5. The best fuel economy I get is about 11 mpg. Goes to 6-7mpg when the truck is acting up
I can't afford to let a mechanic look at it and sell me fixes that won't resolve this issue. I'm a technical person but I don't have tools or space to do a bunch of work on this truck & if I do need to replace that fuel pressure regulator, it's going to need a tool I don't have to get it out. I have searched forums for weeks now and reading that some people never fix this is rather depressing. Any advice on where to go next would be appreciated.
The first time I used it to tow, I got the Change Fuel filter and it went into limp mode going up I-70 near Evergreen, CO. I wish I would have known at the time I could have been on my way with a simple ECU clear; I ended up spending $230 to get towed to Wal Mart where we stayed the night. I bought a bluetooth OBDII tool, reset the ECU and traveled another 2 hours to our destination with no issues.
I brought the truck to a diesel mechanic I found on Yelp with high reviews. I explained the story, that the fuel filter was replaced with the last oil change, but they said it was pulling vacuum and needed to be replaced (along with the 95C & 105C thermostats) for $800. I drove the truck a couple of times with no issues, but not towing. We left town last week for a trip from Denver to S. Oregon, got a late start, and stopped about 6 hours into the trip to sleep. The next day got a few hours down I-80 next to salt flats west of SLC before the issue started popping up again. I stopped to clear the code but it was coming right back. This is also a long stretch of road without any fuel stations and I didn't realize at this point that the truck was only getting about 5.6 mpg. The truck ran out of fuel, 12 miles east of Wendover.
While waiting for roadside assistance, I called ahead to see if I could get a diesel mechanic to look at it in the next town. A mobile mechanic offered to meet me in the parking lot of a Casino once I got the fuel delivered. After much longer than it should have taken, I met the mechanic where he told me about having the same issue and said it was likely the fuel pressure regulator which fixed the same problem he was having on his own Duramax. He and another tech were there for 5 hours trying to extract the old regulator before giving up. He gave me the part for $20 (it's a plug to replace the regulator), but I gave him an extra $40 for his effort. We drove another 3 hours to Winnemucca where I splurged on an actual RV hookup site. We drove 7 hrs the next day to Grants Pass, OR and didn't have the problem once.
Once we got to Grants Pass, we drove another hour for camping at Patrick Creek and finally got to relax for a couple of days and hang out with extended family. On Sunday, we packed up the trailer and the lodge across the street was willing to let me park my trailer for the planned excursion to the beach another 30 minutes away. Just as I finish parking the trailer, the bolt on the driver side pintman arm breaks. Monday morning I verify the shop I towed the truck to can fix the pitman arm, but they have no interest in looking at the P0087 issue. I drive the truck back to Grants Pass and just want it fixed, so I take it to the dealer. I was supposed to leave for home on Tuesday morning but they say the soonest it would be ready is Wednesday of Thursday afternoon.
The first call I got no issues were found. They call again saying they found the issue based on the bulletin regarding the collapsed fuel lines. I also had a transfer case and power steering hose leaks. The full cost for those repairs was $2014.69
Left Thursday afternoon and drove about 7 hours with no problems and stayed in Reno. The next day after an hour of driving, it comes back. I had to constantly clear the ECU errors to keep driving. The conditions for this issue are almost always the same.
1. Hot & Dry - This only ever seems to happen when it's >80F outside after an hour of driving
2. Bumpy - If I hit a bump or some rough road, I'm already anticipating it throwing that code on the next hill
3. Towing up a hill >60Mph
I monitored the live data of the OBD tool to see what the fuel rail pressure was. The tool I was reading with shows in psi. When the truck was fine, dring under load the pressure was between 18-22k and more steady. When I'm experiencing issues, the high end is more like 42k and I'll see more dips in the pressure. This may be normal, I just want to add as much data as possible. When we stopped for the night about 6 hours from home, I hit a huge dip pulling into the RV park at dusk. When I went to start it in the morning, it wouldn't start. Luckily I had learned from the episode where I ran out of fuel that i should check for air. Sure enough, there was a burst of air when I loosened the screw on top of the fuel filter. On the final leg of the trip, I continued to experience the issue especially as I drove down I-25. It was slow to start in the evening last night, I imagine there is more air in the fuel line.
Here's some more things to note. I troubleshoot networks for a living so the more data I have the better, even if it might not be relevant.
1. About half of the times I fill up, it's spilling a bit of fuel out of the top
2. Previous owner added a 40gallon tank
3. The fan that kicks on when my truck is about 2600 RPM sounds like a loud kazoo.
4. Random issues with electrical components
a. Mirrors try to move past where they can move, so they keep clicking for about 20 seconds
b. The seat always moves all of the ways back
c. Rear passenger lock sometimes doesn't initiate
d. Trailer brakes don't work, all lights work fine. 2 shops said it's fine but my trailer brakes work with every other vehicle I've tried it on
5. The best fuel economy I get is about 11 mpg. Goes to 6-7mpg when the truck is acting up
I can't afford to let a mechanic look at it and sell me fixes that won't resolve this issue. I'm a technical person but I don't have tools or space to do a bunch of work on this truck & if I do need to replace that fuel pressure regulator, it's going to need a tool I don't have to get it out. I have searched forums for weeks now and reading that some people never fix this is rather depressing. Any advice on where to go next would be appreciated.