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Fuel filter change

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435 views 12 replies 10 participants last post by  greg pa  
#1 · (Edited)
How many of you change your fuel filter when advised and how many just reset the computer without changing it? 2017 Sierra 6.6 diesel, 184k, bought used, dealer said he changed when it came in.
My truck is running fine but pop up display is saying time to change, and it seems like a waste to toss a perfectly good filter. I'm wondering if I can run it twice it's life cycle with no issue? I get the argument about it's fine now, but it's at the end of its life cycle...but I don't really know that, you could change it every 1000 miles 'just to be safe' if you want to walk down that road too far.
I'd like to hear your thoughts.
 
#2 ·
No risk to changing it now and then keeping your schedule, probably no risk in letting theirs ride if you are seeing commanded/vs actual pressures being within normal ranges.

Filters will filter better the longer they collect filterable material. The risk with fuel is organic buildup, water in fuel (beyond what the filter can separate/house, and reduction of necessary fuel flow due to increased filter resistance.

For fuel filters, imo, better done not too far ahead of schedule. Lots of people run aux filters which drastically reduces the need to change the OE on much of a schedule at all.

My duramax knowledge really ends with the LML, on yours, their might be more of an answer someone can provide
 
#4 ·
If we imagine a fuel filter as a screen, then a little debris in the filter is partially blocking the 'holes' in the screen.
A filter with some debris in it will catch smaller particles than a new filter.
Follow the diesel supplement recommendation.

Filter in the 2017 + 6.6 is same as the one in the 3.0
(3.0 has a higher mileage rec, but same time and filter minder req)

The 6.6 spin on was changed in about 2011.
The newer filter had/has much better life that the earlier on.
When I ran the '04.5 with the old filter (prior to 2010) I always carried one in the truck.
(but haven't carried one with the newer spin on and the cartridge used on L5P, LM2 and LZO)
 
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#7 ·
Threads OP has a 6.6.

'17+ (L5P) uses the same fuel filter as the 3.0 -- GM diesel supplement recommends 22,500 miles for the 6.6
(more fuel thru per mile...)


Image
 
#9 ·
Depending how may miles are on the filter once a year is about all I’d do. Also highly depends on the fuel quality as well. I run a lift pump with two additional filters on my truck, so those take the bulk of the filtration and water separation duty off the OEM filter. So i don’t need to change mine very often at all. The L5P is a bit different than mine though in that it has its own lift pump so the filter life isn’t monitored in the same way as mine. But, I still prefer to change them once a year on those. You can pick whatever interval works best for you though and stick with it. Also, having a clean appearance to the filter after changing it is good, but not always a sign that it didn’t need to be done. It does not take much to trash the modern fuel systems.
 
#12 ·
Not worth the risk of contamination in the fuel system. You can buy a hundred fuel filters (or more) for what it costs to repair the injection system. I too have a 17 with 95k on it. If you follow the recommended change interval it works out to about every other oil change. The change is easy like changing an oil filter.
 
#13 ·
Do you trust the dealer? Did the mechanic forget the filter or forget to reset the maintenance reminder? How does the truck track when to change the fuel filter? Is it purely off of miles? Does it include a calandar timer? Does it use sensors? Have you drained the filter to make sure it isn't filled with water?

I don't know much about your truck or engine, but I am the maintenance engineer for a very large fleet of diesel powered generator sets. We spend millions on preventive maintenance (PM) every year. I work to make sure my fleet has just enough of the right needed PM to ensure a reliable low maintenance life. I talk with engine and generator application engineers on a regular basis.

Those SMEs have shared the following. The fuel filter is essential to long engine life. Most engines today use a common rail fuel system with electronically controlled injectors and high pressure fuel pumps that can put out 30,000 PSI. For reference, water cutters cut rocks and steel with 30K to 100K PSI. Both the pumps and the injectors can be damaged by tiny particles and water. The particles can act like abrasives and wear metal inside the components. Too much water in the fuel can turn to steam in the injector and blow off the tips of the injectors. You want to protect the fuel system from wear for engine power, fuel economy and to control emissions.

Fuel filters capture the tiny particles and separate the water from the fuel. Filters can fill up with particles, eventually reducing fuel flow and pressure to the engine high pressure pump. Fuel filters also degrade with time. I suspect the over time degradation affects the water separating capability more than particle capture, but I've never asked.

I've asked about extending intervals and none of my OEMs like the idea. They push back hard and give me plenty of reasons to use their intervals. It's curious too because they could sell more replacement engines/parts if I wasn't doing enough PM. I think some of this reflects that we don't have affordable technology to determine the actual condition of the filter (condition based maintenance), so we change them before they reach a worst case failure. The filter is protecting the engine for the whole PM interval when continuously fed contaminated and water filled fuel, but what if the fuel is good quality, clean, and filtered prior to filling the tank. The OEM nor the engine really know which is the case they plan for the worst due to the high costs of failure. Oil change intervals are really problematic for this same reason. I reviewed oil analysis results in the 1990s and I saw recommended change intervals that were double or more of the hard oil change interval. The longer intervals reflected the engine condition and favorable environmental and operating conditions.