i'm gonna buy a chevy!!!!!!!!!

[rashwor]

I'll bet money it is not bad fuel. Find another dealer and let them have a shot. It is a legitimate problem. Mine started loping at idle when it is cold last week. Does it sometimes and not other times. This will probably be really hard for them to track down.

 

[rbattelle]

Once again ignorance on the part of DC customer no-service turns off a buyer. I suppose it happens with the other brands, too, but that doesn't make it any easier to take.



If the "bad fuel" thing catches on among dealerships (and it certainly seems like it's beginning to) as a way to deny warranty coverage we're all in big trouble.



I feel for you, tobaccogrower. If DC screws you, go elsewhere... it's the beauty of a free market economy.



-Ryan

 

[CAT 385]

I to bought a duramax made it 1 year and 31,000 miles, it was in the shop 7 times (3 diffrent shops) they replaced injectors, programmed the computer to stop setting codes and when I finally had it the trans would shake and shudder everytime I took off. I finally went back to a dodge this is my forth cummins and I will never by anything else EVER.

 

[Big MAK]

Perhaps you can get them to let a Cummins shop work on it. Especially since the dealer you bought it from no longer has a tech. You have to set it up in advance for it to be "allowed (covered under warranty)"; but it's worth a shot.



A couple yrs ago when the dealer claimed a friends truck needed a new high pressure injection pump (it didn't) he towed it to Cummins where they fixed it for a couple hundred (simple vapor lock; should'a fixed it ourselves); then the dealer refunded that plus what he wasted at the dealer.



I. e. it might be worth it to have a 'real' diesel shop diagnose the problem (even if it's out of pocket); then dispute the best way to fix it when you have trustworthy facts to work with.

 

[tobaccogrower]

well, i contacted dc cotomer service and started a file. go figure i get a woman who dosnt know her ***** from a fuel filter. dc called me back and explained that the local dealer has to send the fuel to a independant lab to be anylized. it may come back ok to spec. lets hope at least!!... james

 

[NSperduto]

If dc has to send a sample out, I'd be there when the guy takes the sample and seals it and sends it. I don't trust anyone any more.



Nick

 

[smokejunkie]

got my 04. 5 600 in May 04

 

[BHolm]

While you obviously have an incredibly frustrating problem with the Dodge, I will echo the experiences with the Chevy trucks. I owned two, an '01 and an '03, lots of problems and they don't pull like a Cummins no matter what anybody says.



Customer service is the same with all of the big three. I had to argue for days with some knob at GM C. S. It was over changing fluid and filters in an Allison trans. He said I shouldn't have to change the filters again, even though the fluid was burnt black, because they are good for 30k mile intervals and it had only been 5k miles since the filter was last changed They are know nothing phone jockeys. While others are saying to calmly state your case... . well maybe on the first couple of calls but after that I got downright nasty and demanding. I did not back down or accept anything less than what I thought was right. I got what I wanted, I got it that day, they paid for it.



One other option is the lemon law. The BBB is the facilitator in most states. I hate to say this but you are going to have to FORCE them to respond. In your case I would be very temted to persue a deal on a replacement truck. Make them take yours back on trade for a new one at cost. Good Luck

 

[swalls]

Wow, what a lot of misinformation abounds about clear and red diesel. A few facts: Off-road red diesel has NOT gone through the extreme "hydro-cracking" process which removes the excess sulfur. This refining process actually LOWERS the lubricity of the diesel -- it is the process; not the low sulfur, which "harms" the diesel. Sulfur is NOT a lubricant; but clear low-sulfur diesel has less lubricity due to the extreme refining process. FACT: Clean fresh red diesel is actually "better" for your fuel system than the low-sulfur stuff due to the otherwise similar cetane & chemical characteristics, plus the higher lubricity... not that I even REMOTELY recommend it; it is highly illegal and getting caught will result in stiff fines. Sulfur compounds result in higher nitrous oxides in the exhaust; not excessive particulates. The slight amount of sulfur in clean fresh red diesel could take over 100K miles to contaminate the catalytic converter under normal operating conditions. And there is no sensor on any on-highway vehicle (that I am aware of) to "detect" the presence of red diesel... although I'm quite sure that there are numeous state troopers who have the equipment to detect it in your tank. I am not a petroleum engineer; I am a service manager at a farm equipment/tractor dealership. These facts are readily available in trade magazines like DIESEL PROGRESS and on the internet.

 

[sag2]

If the fuel is dyed, and the dealer has a sample, I would be very polite in asking for help. When we get a truck in and it has red fuel and the owner turns into a raving maniac, a quick call to the feds shuts them up fast. If your going to do illegal stuff, you better watch out what you ask for!

The fine when they catch you will more than pay for all the parts that could be bad.

 

[DragRacer]

SWalls,



Most of what you said is right on the money. I stick by my original comment however. Sulfur content in diesel fuel impacts particulate emissions not NOx. See the web page below.



http://www.adb.org/Vehicle-Emissions/General/diesel.asp

 

[patcarman]

hello people,i drive a truck and my grandpa has a farm. now there is no differance between red or yelow fuel except you have to pay tax on the yellow or(road fuel)the differance is a dye is added to the yellow so the dot can physically tell the diffarence in looks. construction and farmers and people that do not run over the road can use that red fuel. the fine is ten thousand if u get caught. that is the facts as they lay.

 

[catoiler]

Wow, what a lot of misinformation abounds about clear and red diesel. A few facts: Off-road red diesel has NOT gone through the extreme "hydro-cracking" process which removes the excess sulfur. This refining process actually LOWERS the lubricity of the diesel -- it is the process; not the low sulfur, which "harms" the diesel. Sulfur is NOT a lubricant; but clear low-sulfur diesel has less lubricity due to the extreme refining process. FACT: Clean fresh red diesel is actually "better" for your fuel system than the low-sulfur stuff due to the otherwise similar cetane & chemical characteristics, plus the higher lubricity... not that I even REMOTELY recommend it; it is highly illegal and getting caught will result in stiff fines. Sulfur compounds result in higher nitrous oxides in the exhaust; not excessive particulates. The slight amount of sulfur in clean fresh red diesel could take over 100K miles to contaminate the catalytic converter under normal operating conditions. And there is no sensor on any on-highway vehicle (that I am aware of) to "detect" the presence of red diesel... although I'm quite sure that there are numeous state troopers who have the equipment to detect it in your tank. I am not a petroleum engineer; I am a service manager at a farm equipment/tractor dealership. These facts are readily available in trade magazines like DIESEL PROGRESS and on the internet.

Yep your right on one point!They will fine you pretty good if caught running red dye!!As for the rest,come down to the refinery and watch as the dye is injected into the fuel and then the same pump will load clear!

 

[Kirwin]

My 0.02

I'll take a stab at this. Do you get normal Wait to Start light indications? If yes, are you seeing post heat cycles on the truck's volt meter as the truck idles? If not, check to see that the solenoids on the fender well are connected properly. If yes, using a test light, does the intake heater grid actually get power during intake heater operation? Does the heater block get warm to the touch during a preheat cycle? Your indications seem to point to a malfunctioning intake manifold grid heater. Are the indications the same if you plug the truck in for 4 hours prior to the cold start? Have you changed your fuel filter lately? Just some things to check. Ken Irwin

 

[tobaccogrower]

all seems normal with the truck. light comes on like usual. i belive the grid heater is operational because when idleing when it comes on the lights dim and the tone of the engine changes. i changed the fuel filter in november. i dont know if i stated this before but i'm getting 13. 1mpg hand calculated around town with 13,000 miles on the od..... james

 

[jsimpson]

Are you using farm fuel in your truck? If so, kiss the warranty good bye when they go through the fuel system. and chevys are not bad trucks. I hear the duramax is good for about 20k miles :-laf

My brother's Duramax has been trouble-free for over 40,000, and I wish my transmission shifted like his! Don't believe everything you hear.....

 

[rashwor]

James,



you might want to dip you a sample from the tank too, have it analyzed by a lab of your choosing and compare the results with the sample the dealer gets from the tank.



If you can, video or something you taking the sample so there is no doubt of the date, time, vehicle, location that the sample came from. Just in case their sample comes back "funny".



JAT. Good luck and keep us posted. IMO, I don't believe this is a fuel quality issue, but I think the dealer is trying to get out of solving the problem... only problem is, he can hurt you in the process. Get your own sample.

 

[tobaccogrower]

i'm willing to bet they took the sample from the water drain on the filter housing. if thats the case all the seditment would be in the sample. the dealer still hasn't told me where the sample was taken from!..... james

 

[SMorneau]

I am happy when I get good service on a stock vehicle. I can't imagine taking my truck to the dealer with aftermarket injectors and a box and talking to them about the kind of problems you are having. Hope it all works out for you but I don't think it is DCs responsibility at this point.

 

[tobaccogrower]

is my signature hard to read? my 04. 5 is stock except for the afe filter and torque tube. my 99 has a ton of mod's! the 99 with all the mods listed and 103,000 miles, it hasn't been in the shop as much as the 04. 5! thats just plain old WRONG!!!... ... james