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first time diesel owner seeking advice

J

JoshuaTDavis

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Location
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85C9844A-DF70-4275-A148-8616AE201058.jpeg hey y’all my name is Josh from Wilmington NC. About 6 months ago a friend of mine turned me on to a 98 GMC k3500 for $4500...did some research and seemed to be a pretty fair deal I’ve just never owned a diesel so wasn’t sure what to expect. Since that time I have replaced both batteries,boost sensor,in-line fuel pump,turbo,oil return tube for turbo,oil pressure sending unit,replaced air filter with k&n style come,starter,fuel tank and fuel sending assembly. All this I’ve been doing just learning as I go after I found out how expensive a shop would be so my question is does anyone have any advice as to what I should work on next? The truck was poorly maintained and now that I’ve got it functioning properly I want to get the preventive stuff out of the way any advice is greatly appreciated.
 
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Fuel pressure gauge for lift pump pressure. Also, boost gauge and pyrometer for measuring exhaust gas temps. they can be mounted into a windshield pillar cluster.
T5rans temp can be helpful too, if it is an auto trans.
Be good to fill out the signature line with the details of the truck and what has been done.
Welcome to the truck stop JT.
 
Welcome To the Truck Stop Josh. The guys here are always ready to help you with expert advice on your truck. They're good at spending your money too...;-)

Side note: I like the Wilmington area. Spent a bunch of time there many years ago working on some equipment at the old bacon plant in Holly Ridge. Nice people in that part of the country.
 
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Welcome. Nice lookin truck.
Gonna double down on the above posts- that starter bracket missing will break the block.

The 1/4” return line out the front of the ip should be replaced with clear line so when issues pop up you can see if air is in the fuel system. best $5 upgrade there is.

What turbo did you install? There are way better choices than the tiny gm ones that limit power, mpg, and overall engine life.

Overheating is a deathnail for these engines.. NEVER above 220. Only above 210 for a couple minutes if at all. Kennedy Diesel fan clutch proven the best for now along with couple fan blade options. Cleaning the cooling stack is always a plus- people are amazed at the mess between them. Specific water pumps to use- have to avoid most that are available- many people replace with crap ones and suppliers just sell for profit not engine life.

Where is your pmd mounted and do you have a spare. Are you familiar with this issue? This is a leave you stranded or even stick wide open throttle problem with these in worse case scenarios many of us have faced. Also cause poor running issues and has had thousands of injection pumps replaced unnecessarily.

Remove and clean all engine ground wires- common problems from it.

On any used rig I get, I like to flush the brake fluid and examine the rest of brake system. Other repairs might keep you off the tow truck, but this keeps you out of the ambulance. Thats the next task on the list for my sons pickup actually. Should have been first on my list.

Post pics of the engine, underneath, where ever- we may spot something askew and save a future headache.
 
Welcome to the forum. Nice looking truck! Read up little on this forum and there are a few others that are good. But as usual there is some bad info out there too. Several of us have been on various sites over the years and are GM and 6.5 fans so look for some of the same usernames so you can figure out which sites are decent. This is one of the best for 6.5's.

That truck has some real value to the right people $4,500 is a score if its running and good shape.

Will covered the important stuff. You can spend as much as you want on these trucks or the basics. How many miles and health are important to know. Then it depends on your goals, expectations, which direction you want to take with the truck, how long you want to keep it, BUDGET, etc etc. How much you want to do yourself again etc.

Read a bit then ask what you want to know.
 
Return the K&N and get your money back on it. Either run the better aftermarket air filters than Krap and N, OEM paper or for the same results just run without a air filter. At least you will get the same ring dusting without the K&N plugging up. Yes, they are that bad of a filter. Aftermarket has stomped K&N for better filtration.
 
Welcome to The Truck Stop Joshua, nice truck. As already mentioned there are some very knowledgeable guys on here in regards to GM trucks.

I have been to Wilmington a few times over the years, I really enjoyed Wrightsville Beach, the times I have been there, wouldn't mind to go back, but there are not many affordable hotels there. Maybe things have changed its been about 14 years since I haver been there.
 
WarWagon said:
Return the K&N and get your money back on it. Either run the better aftermarket air filters than Krap and N, OEM paper or for the same results just run without a air filter. At least you will get the same ring dusting without the K&N plugging up. Yes, they are that bad of a filter. Aftermarket has stomped K&N for better filtration.
Click to expand...
I threw that K&N restriction filter into the trash, that was on My truck when I bought the truck.
 
Change the transmission oil and filter if you haven't already. They need changes every 25,000 miles to keep the TCC valve alive.
 
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