Hi, Vinnie here from Jax Florida. My trucks kind of a rare bird, it's a 97 K2500 Suburban Diesel with a work truck front end from the factory. It has no rust and no filler anywhere other that surface rust on the frame. I bought it to pull my 30 ft Scarab with twin BBC's but have since sold that one and am downsizing a bit. The truck has a massive amount of new parts including the drivetrain.
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Hi Everyone
- Thread starter Vinnie999
- Start date
SnowDrift
Ultra Conservative. ULTRA!
Someone really likes red. 
Welcome to the forum
Welcome to the forum
Will L.
Well-Known Member
Nice suburban.
Are you signing up to share, learn, or sell? Just wondering from the downsize comment.
The “work truck front end”… grille? Or is there more to it? The hood stands out a bit.
Are you signing up to share, learn, or sell? Just wondering from the downsize comment.
The “work truck front end”… grille? Or is there more to it? The hood stands out a bit.
dbrannon79
I'm getting there!
Welcome to the forum! Nice rig you got there. Nice yacht too!
Thanks Doug!
Thanks Stoney! I moved my PMD to the same place but still need to install a good temp gauge. I read somewhere to put the sending unit in the passenger side head, is that where you put yours?
Hi Will, I signed up mostly to learn. My truck had some performance upgrades that I didn't do and I might need to unwind some of them just a tad. The hood came from Goodmark and was installed by the previous owner prior to the paint job.
Much better than blue!! Thanks for the welcome.Someone really likes red.
Welcome to the forum
MrMarty51
Well-Known Member
Nice Suburban, and I like boats. And I like boats with BBCs even better. Only thing that can make a BBC boat any better is two BBCs.
Welcome to the forum.
I got one of those 3 dash pods that mounts to a flat surface. Mounted it to a piece of an aluminum sign cut to the same shape as the base. Mounted the temp gauge for the RR cylinder head to the middle of that.
Have not yet figured what gauges to mount to the other two holes but, fuel pressure gauge with a sender pre and post FFM with a switch for each sender, as suggested by another member of the forum that I now can not remember who suggested that option, will occupy one of the other holes. I know I’ll think of something for the other hole.
I set that pod atop of the dashboard. Before buttoning everything up, I also ran wires for two other gauges and they are within the pod waiting to be assigned to duty.
I also laid in the extra ignition, ground wires and light wire to save having to tear apart everything to get more wires laid in at a later time.
The pod.
Welcome to the forum.
I got one of those 3 dash pods that mounts to a flat surface. Mounted it to a piece of an aluminum sign cut to the same shape as the base. Mounted the temp gauge for the RR cylinder head to the middle of that.
Have not yet figured what gauges to mount to the other two holes but, fuel pressure gauge with a sender pre and post FFM with a switch for each sender, as suggested by another member of the forum that I now can not remember who suggested that option, will occupy one of the other holes. I know I’ll think of something for the other hole.
I set that pod atop of the dashboard. Before buttoning everything up, I also ran wires for two other gauges and they are within the pod waiting to be assigned to duty.
I also laid in the extra ignition, ground wires and light wire to save having to tear apart everything to get more wires laid in at a later time.
The pod.
MrMarty51
Well-Known Member
I dont understand why Amazon has to have such a ridiculously long stretch of symbols to get one simple item to show. 
dbrannon79
I'm getting there!
I have always thought of adding a trans and or a diff temp gauge. both can be handy when towing.
Will L.
Well-Known Member
In the hummers because of the ridiculous gearing- higher speed adds to the heat concerns on transmission and transfer case, diff, etc. so some guys add sensors there.
Then guys like me always screaming about secondary ect gauge and fuel
Pressure gauge, Quickly it could turn into a 747 cockpit.
So a couple guys use a rotary selector switch and one gauge. Pretty sure someone here mentioned thinking of that in their pickup as well. Put in sensors wherever you want. Run the wire to the single switch and one output wire to the gauge.
Then flip the switch around to check secondary ect, trans, xfer, front/rear diff, or how the brisket is cooking in the bed of the truck so you know if you have to pull over and flip the meat.
Sorry, no help if you have to add more pellets or coals.
I am gonna do two pressure sensors on my fuel line. One at ip inlet and one before the filter. All of us guess when to swap that filter, and although some enjoy spending the cash and having an excuse to make a mess, my candyass has decided I will monitor when to do it instead. Gonna take a bit of note taking to learn when, but shouldn’t be hard. Ip pressure going down and prefilter pressure going up compared to when it is new means that filter is getting full. But the gauge will “live” reading the ip inlet pressure since thats where it’s critical, then flip a switch or push button to change to reading the prefilter for just a moment.
Saves money on gauges and on dash space because that is always at a premium. Trucks been doing it for decades on dual tanks.
Or you can drop some big boy bucks on the idash stuff from Gale Banks. That set up even data logs stuff if you want. But $$$. Wait a minute, his name is Banks and you have to own one to afford all his stuff! Or is it that he has so much money he cant hold it in one and needs a couple banks to hold it all?
Then guys like me always screaming about secondary ect gauge and fuel
Pressure gauge, Quickly it could turn into a 747 cockpit.
So a couple guys use a rotary selector switch and one gauge. Pretty sure someone here mentioned thinking of that in their pickup as well. Put in sensors wherever you want. Run the wire to the single switch and one output wire to the gauge.
Then flip the switch around to check secondary ect, trans, xfer, front/rear diff, or how the brisket is cooking in the bed of the truck so you know if you have to pull over and flip the meat.
Sorry, no help if you have to add more pellets or coals.
I am gonna do two pressure sensors on my fuel line. One at ip inlet and one before the filter. All of us guess when to swap that filter, and although some enjoy spending the cash and having an excuse to make a mess, my candyass has decided I will monitor when to do it instead. Gonna take a bit of note taking to learn when, but shouldn’t be hard. Ip pressure going down and prefilter pressure going up compared to when it is new means that filter is getting full. But the gauge will “live” reading the ip inlet pressure since thats where it’s critical, then flip a switch or push button to change to reading the prefilter for just a moment.
Saves money on gauges and on dash space because that is always at a premium. Trucks been doing it for decades on dual tanks.
Or you can drop some big boy bucks on the idash stuff from Gale Banks. That set up even data logs stuff if you want. But $$$. Wait a minute, his name is Banks and you have to own one to afford all his stuff! Or is it that he has so much money he cant hold it in one and needs a couple banks to hold it all?
MrMarty51
Well-Known Member
I’d guess anything temp gauge related could be all wired to a rotary switch, then one gauge could read all of the temperatures.
RR cylinder head, transmission, differentials, PS pump, brake booster, steering gear box, let Your mind run wild. As long as there is enough positions on the rotary switch.
Same with pressures.
A gauge could even be set up to read the pressure in tje radiator, PS system, transmission pressure, etc. as long as the pressures run within the same parameters it would work great.
Say the LP pressure being so low probably would not read so good on a pressure gauge made to read out say 3000 pounds of pressure.
RR cylinder head, transmission, differentials, PS pump, brake booster, steering gear box, let Your mind run wild. As long as there is enough positions on the rotary switch.
Same with pressures.
A gauge could even be set up to read the pressure in tje radiator, PS system, transmission pressure, etc. as long as the pressures run within the same parameters it would work great.
Say the LP pressure being so low probably would not read so good on a pressure gauge made to read out say 3000 pounds of pressure.
Thanks for the info. I'll probably add a fp gauge too, I had an issue with fuel pressure not long after I got it. It drove back from Nashville where I bought it, to Jax Fl with no issues but I left to go out of town a few months later and after 75 miles or so it acted like a clogged filter. I pulled over and changed it but no help, so I nursed it to an auto parts store and bought a new lift pump which didn't help either. I got off the expressway and went home at 45 mph, pumped out 30 gallons of fuel and pulled the tank. It wasn't particularly nasty but the guy I got it from had only put 7k miles on it in 4 years and the sock was varnished up and crunchy. It also was the wrong one as it didn't have a bypass valve. I cleaned the tank and put all the right parts in it and all's been good for the last 10k miles. I would like a gauge to be able to see it coming though.
That's a great idea on the pre and post filter sensors. I'm pushing 70 so I don't enjoy climbing up on top of the engine as much as I used to!
dbrannon79
I'm getting there!
Just be sure not to use manual fuel pressure gauges in the cabin. it's ok for a temporary thing. others have done it using hard line instead of the plastic tubing but things get real exciting when a leak sprouts inside !! the electric fuel gauges are kinda pricy and somewhat hard to find with the lower pressure ranges like our rigs use (0-15psi) most gauges go all the way up to 30+ which will never see that kind of pressures.
those who have done manual pressure gauges with hard line have mentioned using a boost gauge that shows negative pressures is a good thing which will tell you when the LP stops working since the IP can still draw some fuel and put the fuel system in a vacuum causing air intrusion that otherwise never leaked when under pressure.
those who have done manual pressure gauges with hard line have mentioned using a boost gauge that shows negative pressures is a good thing which will tell you when the LP stops working since the IP can still draw some fuel and put the fuel system in a vacuum causing air intrusion that otherwise never leaked when under pressure.
Will L.
Well-Known Member
I used to do the fuel in the cabin fuel pressure gauge that went into vacuum if needed.
I have since recanted that system.
Modmafia .com sells an adapter to put the tap right at the ip inlet for the ds4 ip. It is available other places as well probably a few bucks cheaper.
Leroydiesel.com sells an adapter that goes inplace of the bleeder screw atop the ffm, that reads pre filter pressure. Or add a tee before the ffm.
When you were driving and had the issue- you could have seen lack of pressure at the ip, flipped the switch and saw no pressure before filter. But it wouldn’t have told you it wasn’t the pump. A person would have to have a sensor before the pump to realize that. Not sure that is really worth it for how rare that occurs
These truck tanks loose a coating and have that happen. If it happens again- you might try what others have done. Remove the sock filter in the tank. Then install a pre filter. Something that is 30 -50 microns is common before the lift pump. Any lining that flames off, leaf, etc that goEs through never hits the pump. And when something goofs up you just spin off that filter.
I have since recanted that system.
Modmafia .com sells an adapter to put the tap right at the ip inlet for the ds4 ip. It is available other places as well probably a few bucks cheaper.
Leroydiesel.com sells an adapter that goes inplace of the bleeder screw atop the ffm, that reads pre filter pressure. Or add a tee before the ffm.
When you were driving and had the issue- you could have seen lack of pressure at the ip, flipped the switch and saw no pressure before filter. But it wouldn’t have told you it wasn’t the pump. A person would have to have a sensor before the pump to realize that. Not sure that is really worth it for how rare that occurs
These truck tanks loose a coating and have that happen. If it happens again- you might try what others have done. Remove the sock filter in the tank. Then install a pre filter. Something that is 30 -50 microns is common before the lift pump. Any lining that flames off, leaf, etc that goEs through never hits the pump. And when something goofs up you just spin off that filter.