You can see the relationship of the driveshaft to the filter here. It measures a little over 5” at the filter. Sounds close but based on the available compression available at the axle , over 2 feet back, this will never get close enough to contact the filter unless I blow a u-joint.
Today I worked on the wiring and installed the oil pressure switch. With that old filter housing I also cut the connectors from the engine harness to the fuel heater and WIF sensor. This allows for making an extension harness that will plug in to the factory connectors at the original filter. I soldered these to a set of wires and routed them up to the engine, wrapped in split loom. Still need to finish the engine side of that harness and the power wire connections for the pump relay, but the rest is done, fuel lines bled, and she fired right up. Probably will be a couple of days before I can finish it up.

 

Jumping back to 2 weeks ago- Having a factory filter assembly in the back is nice because I was able to prime the whole system with the primer and verified no leaks. And when I need to replace the filter it’s a stock part. No need to chase down Cat or Baldwin filters. I finished the power wires, mounted the control box, verified power supply to the pump and pump operation. The pump definitely made a difference. The engine idles smoother and quieter. It’s more responsive, and quicker to build power on even light throttle input. I haven’t finished the sensor wiring extension yet. And hopefully there won’t be any gelling issues in winter.
Next was prep for a camping trip. Checked fluids, greased, aired up tires to 80 (had them at 65), and washed & spray wax.
The buckles on the bed cover always annoyed me because they were just loose to flop around and would rub on the back of the cab. I put Velcro on them to keep in place when the cover is on.

I did drive the truck a few days and rechecked fuel lines and the filter. All looks good. Then loaded up the truck & trailer for our trip. Put over 600 miles on last week without issue.
I’m still working on the problem with my CTS3 not showing data but I’ll hold off on that for now.

 

Not sure why you feel you would have to "chase down" Baldwin filters, the BF7633 which is a 4 micron fuel filter that meets CAT specifications is readily available from B-LINE FILTERS in Odessa Tx or even on Amazon and they are about half the cost of the factory filter. Also the BF1212 AND BF970 are readily available. The mount head for these filters is not expensive and they all take the same mount. You are better off running filters with different micron ratings such as a 20 and a 10 with the factory or equivalent up front and if a water separator is important to you, the Baldwin BF 1212 is one of the best. In 450k+ miles, I have never had the water indicator come on.
I can't say that mounting your fuel filter above the driveshaft is a good idea, most of us mount them behind the cross member for the torsion bars which gives it protection and a heck of a lot easier to access. It is easy to fabricate a mount off the the top of the frame rail.
Also, if you are running a lift pump or transfer pump, you don't need the plunger on the factory mount, just another potential leak.
Otherwise, you have a very nice looking truck !

 

I agree that where I mounted the filter I isn’t exactly ideal, but it was a compromise. The hose barbs on the head point at weird angles. Any other location and it just doesn’t work. Mounting there it didn’t add any additional hose length than original. If I didn’t already have the filter assembly I probably would have gone with a Baldwin assembly, mounted on the frame rail with the pump.
Hope I can get 400k+ miles out of my truck, That’s impressive! Any major repairs to speak of on yours?

 

Just the usual, water pumps, front wheel bearings, glow plugs, one set of injectors due to bad fuel in Idaho, still has original CP3. I did change out the rear carrier from the crappy light weight G-80 to the heavy duty Dodge unit, same housing, bearings and ring gear assembly, all AAM, just a better, stronger unit for pulling big trailers in deep sand on the farm or my buddies plantation. I recently upgraded the transfer case with an aluminum tail housing, the original housing had the pump rub kit but it developed the snap ring knock which if not caught early can ruin the TC. I run several fuel filters, all Baldwin, BF1212 water separator 20 micron, BF970 10 micron and the BF7633 4 micron which is equivalent to the CAT filter and I run B-100 which I produce, Baldwin oil and transmission filters and all synthetic fuids. I do not run a power tuner, just a mild fuel economy tuner and I don't beat on the truck.
You have done a lot of work on your truck and the mileage is low considering the age.

 

I caved during Amazon Prime days and bought a couple things for the truck. First was a tailgate strut kit. I went with the cheapest one available since they all have mixed reviews. And second was the Z-Offroad headlights. The PO had installed some cheap ones right before I bought the truck and they have begun to delaminate. Seems that most stuff out there is either on the cheaper end or 5x the cost. These look good and have good reviews so I ordered them. Install is pretty straightforward. Have to plug everything in and test marker & turn light functions before snapping the lights back in because the plugs simply go in to the bulb sockets and being LED they are polarity sensitive. If anything doesn’t work, unplug it and rotate to plug in the other way. They did include a roll of cloth electrical tape to wrap all connections once they are set. Fitment is good and they look good on the truck. I haven’t tested at night yet but they look like the light output will be much better.

 

My OEM GMC headlights are not yellowed nor delaminating.
That said, I took a 1200 mile trip through Wyoming last week and that's a key upgrade I would like to do.
Got a bird strike also which broke the previously cracked bug deflector.
Heavy signage on open range 2 lane roads for Cattle, Pronghorns and Sage Grouse.
Went around the corner and there were the 2 pronghorns just waiting to run out on the road.
I did not harvest the Sage Grouse that caused the bird strike.
Lucky it just rolled up onto the windshield and didn't break it.
Any recommends appreciated, truck has 73k original miles and will be the last truck I buy.

 

Deleted, Carry on my friends


I have a whole binder full,

 

Deleted

 

Oh shoot @JXsedan i didn’t mean to post those here, sorry I’ll delete

 

I was wondering……🤣

So, back from camping trip #2, truck ran great! This trip was only ~220mi round trip. Only hang up was the morning of the trip I noticed the left steer was low. Turned out to be a bad valve stem, leaking around the wheel. Luckily the local tire shop fixed it quick for me.
And I still haven’t driven at night to test out the new headlights yet. Some of the cheap LEDs I installed in the dash bits are starting to go out already. I’ll have to invest in good ones at some point.
My CTS3 had been randomly shutting off while driving, sometimes not booting up on start-up, and sometimes I notice odd readings on a few data PIDs like Vehicle Speed was 0 or boost stuck at 7. Then it stopped showing data all together, giving an error for Unable To Initiate Gauges or some other error. Oddly it still identified the vin and could read codes. First I tested the OBD connector pins but aside from being dirty they tested good. I replaced the pins and connector anyway but no change. Tested 2 other scan tools and they did connect and showed data. I called Edge and they said it needed to be updated. Updated over WiFi and no change. Edge said it needed to be connected to the computer and updated through their site. Got that accomplished and still no change. Sent the unit to Edge, they updated, tested, verified and sent it back no charge. Still no good. They sent me a NEW unit, FREE !?! Still no good. So, lots of reading and learning, most likely it’s something sending bad or too much data on the serial data wire which connects to Everything, or a problem in the data wire splice packs S205 & S207. I wanted to try pulling fuses for different modules to disable them 1 at a time but I don’t have an owners manual so that didn’t go far. Next I unplugged the TCM, the CTS works. Plugged that back in and pulled the fuse for the ABS, no good. Unplugged the fuse for the Banks 6-gun, CTS works and the truck runs fine, live data looks good. So that’s where I left off. An owners manual set is ordered from eBay and I plan on disconnecting the 6-gun completely and running the truck without for a bit to see how everything behaves. Also going to contact Banks about it since I can’t find anything about the unit I have. It’s pretty old.

 

Very strange. If a module was "jabbering" seems like you'd get a code.

Look into All Data. I looked into buying a manual for my truck but at $400+, it seemed pretty ridiculous. I subscribed to All Data for 30 days and looked up and downloaded what I needed to solve a problem in my instrument cluster. Now I have pdfs of about 10 different schematics stored on my laptop. Cheap, cheap too.

 

Nope, no codes ever and runs great. I like AllData a lot and used to have subscriptions for all my vehicles and some for friends. But when they changed their pricing from ~$40/year to $30/month I stopped paying and let everything expire. Definitely going to invest in it when I’m ready to tackle a few jobs at once again. Never occurred to me to download the diagrams, guess I assumed it wouldn’t allow me to. 🤦‍♂️

 

My CTS3 was doing something similar - would sporadically not turn on when truck started, would cut off sometimes, etc. Voltage was fine and I had autozone check their scanner for codes - they could read everything fine. Sent unit to Edge. They said they updated and replaced the screen. Got it back and it turned on a couple of times then nothing. So … I bought a new obd cord and it hasn’t missed a beat since - about 10 months ago. Might be worth a shot - cord was pretty cheap.

 

Edge sent a new cord with the new head unit. Didn’t make any difference, with my old head unit or the new one. Only after disconnecting the TCM, and later the 6-Gun, did things start working again. I completely unplugged the 6-Gun last night. I’ll have to reconnect the CTS and drive it a few days now.

 

Took the Camaro out today for a shakedown run before headed to a car show tomorrow 70 miles away. First time out of the garage this year. Smooth sailing the first 5 miles, then went WOT and she started to break up, backfired, and cut out completely. Quick diagnosis on the side of the road, no RPM signal, and found the terminal on the distributor power wire is bad. Got it running and back home fine. We’ll take the truck instead lol

 

Edge sent a new cord with the new head unit. Didn’t make any difference, with my old head unit or the new one. Only after disconnecting the TCM, and later the 6-Gun, did things start working again. I completely unplugged the 6-Gun last night. I’ll have to reconnect the CTS and drive it a few days now.

Edge sent a new cord with the new head unit. Didn’t make any difference, with my old head unit or the new one. Only after disconnecting the TCM, and later the 6-Gun, did things start working again. I completely unplugged the 6-Gun last night. I’ll have to reconnect the CTS and drive it a few days now.

pls post an outcome / what the outcome or fix. My cts3 has had few hiccups and I’d like to know your result.

 

I’ve been stealing time when I can to figure out this data communication issue. Unplugged the S205 splice connector to test each module individually. Nothing seemed to stand out as the problem, similar readings on each module circuit. Same with the Banks 6-Gun plugged in or disconnected. And with everything reconnected, my original CTS3 still had the same issue- no data when the 6-G connected, reading but with missing PIDs with the 6-G disconnected. I tried the New CTS3 again, with the 6-G disconnected, and it works fine. I removed the 6-Gun completely now.
The main Engine-to-Chassis harness connectors had some corrosion in them also. I dug around to find out what terminals are used and ordered a full set of replacements. Metripack GT-150 & GT-280 Sealed terminals. The smaller 32pin male connector was the worst and I replaced all pins in that connector. The other ones only got new terminals where it needed them. I bought way more than I needed 🤦‍♂️.

She fired right up after this and runs smooth as silk. New CTS3 reading fine also. I’ll get some drive time later this week.

 

Looks like FUN! Not.

 

I actually like this kind of work lol

Also did the hidden radio antenna mod last week. Turns out the cable was corroded out of the base so I had to replace that as well. The truck looks so much cleaner without the antenna sticking up

I made the bracket to hold the base using a slack adjuster servo bracket. Perfect size and stainless steel.

 

I’ve done this on two trucks and neither of them really work well. I live in a city as well.
However I don’t really listen to radio that frequently now that I have bluetooth.