[TDFDiesel]

No such implication was made by me, what I said was:

"IDK, the "average person" is not likely to own a HD diesel truck in the first place. There is also onstar and AAA etc to come help out."



I also never said anything such as "Duramax owner can prime their fuel system" or that any percentage of diesel owners are in any way a mechanic. Those were all embelished extrapolations you created on your own.



To me, the average motorist I was refering to drives a gasoline powered vehicle such as sedans, minivans, light duty trucks, etc. I would bet that a higher percentage of diesel owners are a lot more aware of their vehicle's operational needs than the average gas owner. Sure, there are a lot of people who buy diesels who simply use them for grocery getters or posing (compensating?) but most people who shell out the extra $10k+ for a diesel/Allison are far from the average motorist.

Further, priming a current diesel is pretty much a no-brainer for anyone who can check their own oil, tires, trans fluid, tie their own shoes, etc. (my Ford van didn't require any technique after running out of diesel other than add more diesel and crank away. Worked fine for me the 2 times I ran out in that vehicle) The method described in my LML manual appears to be about the simplest thing a person can possible do with a basic tool. It would only be easier if the method involved hitting something with a roadside rock. Additionaly, my GMC came with 2 batteries which should allow for quite a lot of cranking.

I felt that your statement that the average consumer wouldn't own a diesel truck is where you implied they could prime their own fuel system. Implying they have mechanical know how. To say they know more about the "operational needs" of their truck implies a mechanical knowledge.

I disagree with you just as much about a diesel owner being less likely to run their truck low on fuel. I know I didn't have to take an aptitude test to buy my truck, did you?

As for priming the truck, I agree it's a simple procedure, but watch how many people post threads up here because they didn't follow the procedure correctly, didn't know the procedure was necessary, or didn't know what the procedure was.

As for battery cranking, you obviously are not an engineer. You are taking this WAY to far, but to help you out. Our trucks require a lot more cranking amps to start them then a gas engine, this is one reason that they have multiple batteries. That said, gas trucks can have dual batteries as well. Either way, you can crank ALL day long and if the fuel isn't primed it'll NEVER start.

To conclude, I'm just glad you're not a GM engineer. You obviously seem at least competant enough to understand your truck requires priming if you run out of fuel, but if someone hadn't told you that along the way you wouldn't know. The GM engineers have to idiot proof these trucks, because the AVERAGE consumer doesn't know or want to know how to prime their fuel system. These trucks are designed to be operated by anybody, not just the mechanically knowledgeable. You are WAY too confident in the consumers, if all the consumers are so in tune with their trucks and no when it needs fuel, why do they need to have a low fuel light? I mean the owners look at the gauge right?

 

[mxpop]

I felt that .........you implied ........ Implying .........implies a mechanical knowledge.......

I am glad that you are getting in touch with your feelings, if that's what you are implying...... :taunt

I didn't have to take an aptitude test to buy my truck, did you?

Maybe you should have. You would be enjoying your Dodge/Ford right about now.....

 

[TDFDiesel]

Maybe you should have. You would be enjoying your Dodge/Ford right about now.....

Because I obviously understand marketing, business, consumer needs and mechanics more than you?

I'm glad you know how to prime your fuel system because you read a manual.

 

[TDFDiesel]

I'm going to go ahead and unsubscribe from this thread as opposed to continuing to have this conversation.

The facts are...

The fuel light comes on at 20 gallons in the tank due to design. GM engineers felt this was necessary in the design for consumers.

The truck needs to be "idiot proof".

I was not saying this was for you or I, but you obviously took this very personally.

 

[droogsma43]

run it till the light comes on and then fill up and you know how much you burned compared to what is left, check with the dic and if it is close then you should be able to trust it for knowing what you have left, as long as you zero everything out.

 

[droogsma43]

How much does the 52 gallon tank cost and how hard is it to put in. Also what else do you need to do to make it all work

 

[mxpop]

I'm going to go ahead and unsubscribe from this thread as opposed to continuing to have this conversation.

Great decision thanks:


Oh wait, what is this I see below.....?

The facts are...

The fuel light comes on at 20 gallons in the tank due to design. GM engineers felt this was necessary in the design for consumers.

The truck needs to be "idiot proof".

I was not saying this was for you or I, but you obviously took this very personally.

I never addressed you until AFTER you addressed and labeled me. Oh well, I guess you wont be reading this anyway.... :neener

 

[bryanbdp]

running out of fuel is a PITA. It is also hard on the injectors when flushing air out of the system.
If you run out of fuel, add at least 5 gallons or more of fuel, then prime the system as after changing the fuel filter. If the filter isn't very new, you may have to replace it, or it still may fail to prime/start. Been there, done that. Even though it was running before, it may fail to prime if the filter isn't pretty clean.
Last time it took me about an hour to restart. You DO NOT want to burn out your starter. That means you have to let it cool after each cranking episode. You will probably need to jump the batteries before it finally starts.
I would crank for about 20-30 seconds each time, then let the starter cool for about 10 minutes after each attempt. After 6 or 7 attempts, it started up. If you crank for too long, or too often without cooling off, the starter will overheat and suffer damage, whether it fails immediately, or just much sooner than it should. Also try not to kill the batteries, it is very hard on them. Better to charge/jump as you go, if possible.
I would strongly suggest keeping an extra fuel filter in the truck, along with a filter wrench and a wrench to change the sensor. If the filter gets restricted, the truck goes into reduced power mode, which can be a problem if you're towing. I've had it happen at 70% of filter life more than once.