Hi, new here! Hoping you all can help a big dummy out. So, in 2015 I bought an off-road pop up camper and an eco diesel because I wanted to pull the camper all over the west, especially up mountains, and the mpg for doing that is excellent. I’ve had all service work and oil changes done at the local dealership, all the recalls done, but I’ve never owned a diesel anything before and don’t really understand them. I can do simple car repairs by watching YouTube but not much of a car person.
Over the course of owning this truck I eventually came across the idea that there’s something called a fuel filter that has to be changed. The dealer never mentioned it ever. The next time I took the truck in for an oil change I asked the service advisor about it and they looked at me like I had three heads. They truly did not know what I was asking about. So I thought, it must not be all that important.
I watched a YouTube video, bought a replacement filter and the tool, and did it myself at the 75k mile mark. In the process I broke the plastic drain thingy so I glued it back in with JB Weld. The whole process was super stressful because I really didn’t want to screw it up and have the truck not start afterward, plus having the diesel fuel splashing out near my head lying under there, very nervous about breaking something else while pulling the old filter down and off and getting the new one back on.
In the last couple months I’ve had the water pump replaced and the crankshaft position sensor done, nearly 6k total. The position sensor failed on a trip so it was repaired at a different, more rural dealership. When I picked it up I asked about this fuel filter business, like does this really need to be done. This service advisor looked at me like I was crazy for not having done it regularly and suggested maybe getting rid of the truck now. They said that my local dealership probably doesn’t see many diesels and maybe that’s why they didn’t know about the fuel filter. And even out there in the country where they see more diesels, they said their techs don’t like to work on them.
I’m at 110k miles. Was hoping to drive this truck another 100k at least. But have I ruined it by not doing the fuel filter maintenance? Should I sell it to someone who knows what the heck they’re doing??? I was thinking to take another crack at changing the fuel filter again and see how it dirty it looks but would that tell me anything significant?
Over the course of owning this truck I eventually came across the idea that there’s something called a fuel filter that has to be changed. The dealer never mentioned it ever. The next time I took the truck in for an oil change I asked the service advisor about it and they looked at me like I had three heads. They truly did not know what I was asking about. So I thought, it must not be all that important.
I watched a YouTube video, bought a replacement filter and the tool, and did it myself at the 75k mile mark. In the process I broke the plastic drain thingy so I glued it back in with JB Weld. The whole process was super stressful because I really didn’t want to screw it up and have the truck not start afterward, plus having the diesel fuel splashing out near my head lying under there, very nervous about breaking something else while pulling the old filter down and off and getting the new one back on.
In the last couple months I’ve had the water pump replaced and the crankshaft position sensor done, nearly 6k total. The position sensor failed on a trip so it was repaired at a different, more rural dealership. When I picked it up I asked about this fuel filter business, like does this really need to be done. This service advisor looked at me like I was crazy for not having done it regularly and suggested maybe getting rid of the truck now. They said that my local dealership probably doesn’t see many diesels and maybe that’s why they didn’t know about the fuel filter. And even out there in the country where they see more diesels, they said their techs don’t like to work on them.
I’m at 110k miles. Was hoping to drive this truck another 100k at least. But have I ruined it by not doing the fuel filter maintenance? Should I sell it to someone who knows what the heck they’re doing??? I was thinking to take another crack at changing the fuel filter again and see how it dirty it looks but would that tell me anything significant?