Just talked to my buddy and he got his from Merchant Automotive about 3 yrs ago. They were the cheapest place he could find them. He got fuel lines from Napa. They were like $65 each instead of $100 each he was finding elsewhere.
CK5
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03 gmc duramax with 350k (BBT) transmission fun
- Thread starter ashman
- Start date
My friend doesn't like working on diesels,but was bribed into changing the valve cover gaskets on a Duramax once a few years ago..
(He said "never again!)...he and I were both surprised to see there are WIRES made into the gaskets !..
.
I assume they are for the injectors ?..
The truck was skipping and leaking oil from the drivers side VC gasket,and you could see where the gasket had failed,and the wires were likely shorting out to ground in that spot..it ran good again once assembled,but he had a hard time getting it to start,the fuel syatem got airbound once it was apart..
(He said "never again!)...he and I were both surprised to see there are WIRES made into the gaskets !..
.I assume they are for the injectors ?..
The truck was skipping and leaking oil from the drivers side VC gasket,and you could see where the gasket had failed,and the wires were likely shorting out to ground in that spot..it ran good again once assembled,but he had a hard time getting it to start,the fuel syatem got airbound once it was apart..
Replace the soft lines from the filter head to the cp3 and soft from cp3 to FCIM while you are at. it.
Also your loss of power while towing could be collapsed line behind the driver valve cover, or transmission crossover.
I'll look into that as well.
This is the first diesel I've ever owned, so gonna be learning on the fly.
...and at the moment I don't have my shop.
Lincoln diesel specialties. Great prices and service. They have kits that come with everything needed.
yup, found this on their site:
http://lincolndieselspecialties.com/i-23846144-2001-2004-oem-bosch-reman-lb7-fuel-injectors.html
another $575 for the fuel lines though... also probably need the install kit too. Another $125.
I don't know from experience, but I had a buddy tell me that it's best to drain the coolant, just on case you pull a cup. This saves getting it out of the cylinder.
But you may have already thought of this.
But you may have already thought of this.
Swing by if you get a chance and I can check and see what's going on. That's a lot of money to spend without knowing for sure. I usually charge about 4,000 to do a set of injectors with gaskets, oil change, fuel filter, etc. Utah and surrounding desert trucks don't normally need fuel lines. I have only pulled one injector cup in the 40+ sets of injectors I have done.
Thanks @bigblock72 That would be a big help. I'll give you a call.
Good news! Injectors were fine. My worst case balance was +1.8, so all looked good. Fuel pressure regulator was way off, so hopefully that is the source of my issues. Also, radiator needs to be cleaned (outside).
Thanks @bigblock72 for checking it out for me.
Thanks @bigblock72 for checking it out for me.
Good news! Injectors were fine. My worst case balance was +1.8, so all looked good. Fuel pressure regulator was way off, so hopefully that is the source of my issues. Also, radiator needs to be cleaned (outside).
Thanks @bigblock72 for checking it out for me.
Awesome! @bigblock72
if (when) you end up needing injectors, I've recently been told either Exergy or SSS are the only way to go by multiple good sources. Former Bosch engineers at those places or something along those lines. My brother wasn't wrong when he said the injector payment is about $100/month for a LB7. The rest of the truck may be paid for but the injectors never will be. And you definitely want to keep them fresh. I've broken a handful of pistons in one incident and have a cylinder with 30psi after the recent injector problem. Every 30-40K mile changes were recommended for hard use with a turned up engine.
I could write a pretty entertaining novel about my LB7. The most recent chapter ends in Kentucky with a hung injector, a dead hole and a LML...
I could write a pretty entertaining novel about my LB7. The most recent chapter ends in Kentucky with a hung injector, a dead hole and a LML...
Yeah, I've been aware that injectors are going to be needed sooner or later for awhile now. Luckily they've held out longer than I expected, which is kinda why whenever there is a problem I pretty much assume it's the injectors until proven otherwise. :P
My engine is unmolested, and I don't run it hard, so hopefully that contributes to a longer life for the injectors.
My engine is unmolested, and I don't run it hard, so hopefully that contributes to a longer life for the injectors.
Finally got the fuel pressure regulator replaced over the weekend. Not a difficult job, but it was time consuming to remove everything to get to it.
Started out here:
After removing the intake, upper radiator hose and ac compressor we can at least see where it is:
The red circle marks the spot. Still have to remove the rest of the intake, part of the fuel return line and several small hoses before I could access the bolts.
One of the intake horn bolts is a real bitch to get out and would have been a nightmare without a ratcheting end wrench. The regulator itself uses 3 t25 bolts, but I stripped one of them by using a t20.
Luckily it wasn't too bad and I was able to get enough pressure on the correct socket to turn it out. I had to reuse that bolt so I hope that doesn't bite me some time in the future. 
Oh, and you'll definitely need a magnet to do this. I dropped bolts down into the intake valley multiple times and it's a long way down in there.
While I was working on all this I took the time to blow out the radiator as best i could. I got a LOT of dust out of it, but it really should be removed and cleaned properly. I can see a lot of dirt in there still. I'd have done it, but reading about the process estimated a 3.5 hour job just to remove it
. Umm, pass for now.
I was able to make use of my new lift to get this done too.
I did actually put the truck up on the lift and use it correctly too. Got the tires rotated and oil changed.
Started out here:
After removing the intake, upper radiator hose and ac compressor we can at least see where it is:
The red circle marks the spot. Still have to remove the rest of the intake, part of the fuel return line and several small hoses before I could access the bolts.
One of the intake horn bolts is a real bitch to get out and would have been a nightmare without a ratcheting end wrench. The regulator itself uses 3 t25 bolts, but I stripped one of them by using a t20.
Luckily it wasn't too bad and I was able to get enough pressure on the correct socket to turn it out. I had to reuse that bolt so I hope that doesn't bite me some time in the future. Oh, and you'll definitely need a magnet to do this. I dropped bolts down into the intake valley multiple times and it's a long way down in there.
While I was working on all this I took the time to blow out the radiator as best i could. I got a LOT of dust out of it, but it really should be removed and cleaned properly. I can see a lot of dirt in there still. I'd have done it, but reading about the process estimated a 3.5 hour job just to remove it
. Umm, pass for now.I was able to make use of my new lift to get this done too.
I did actually put the truck up on the lift and use it correctly too. Got the tires rotated and oil changed.
I am happy to report that replacing the fuel pressure regulator did the trick. I towed the blazer from SLC to Moab and back, and the power was definitely back. It felt like the trailer wasn't even there again on all but the biggest hills.
The overheating is gone as well. Never had even a hint of it. I pushed the truck hard on a few hills just to see and it just wasn't a problem. Blowing out the radiator evidently made a huge difference, but I'd bet better fuel regulation had something to do with it as well.
The Blazer and flatbed weigh less than my travel trailer, so I should temper my expectations, but it really does feel like a huge improvement already.
The overheating is gone as well. Never had even a hint of it. I pushed the truck hard on a few hills just to see and it just wasn't a problem. Blowing out the radiator evidently made a huge difference, but I'd bet better fuel regulation had something to do with it as well.
The Blazer and flatbed weigh less than my travel trailer, so I should temper my expectations, but it really does feel like a huge improvement already.
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Got a new issue. While replacing another broken door handle (3 out of 4 now) I managed to break the door panel.
It looks like that white plastic piece that broke is just held on by 3 screws, so I'm hoping someone can help me find one.
It looks like that white plastic piece that broke is just held on by 3 screws, so I'm hoping someone can help me find one.
Oops! Someone didn't watch enough YouTube videos before they manhandled the door panel. It happens.
I guess you could try some really good glue.
Anybody know if the Tahoe had the same door panels? I'm striking out on finding trucks, but there are lots of tahoes in local junkyards.
