The only possible way the filter base can leak (lose vacuum) is the o-ring seal from filter to base, o-ring on bleeder screw on top, water sensor on bottom of filter, or the inlet/outlet hoses/clamps..

I have asked them to save the parts so I can figure out what happened...but I have a friend who recently had a cracked housing. I should have it back within a day or two.

kewl, I am curious what the exact reason is. Good luck...

mwr, did you get it back yet? what was it?

Hello everyone!
My name is Doug Smith and I live in Southern NH. It gets cold here. I bought a 6.6L LB7 this summer and I am experimenting with a B70 blend with Kerosene. So far so good. I did experience a problem with losing pressure in my filter. I believe I got that solved. One thing that comes to mind is if that gasket for the filter (or any of them for that matter) were rubber I can explain the trouble easily. Biodiesel is corrosive (violently) with rubber and will in it's pure (B100) form degrade rubber in a matter of days. This should not be an issue with the newer filters, but if you are buying inferior Chinese knock offs who knows. Wix 33910 is what I use and I do not feel the fuel is the issue. I previously drove a 7.3L on the Biodiesel and it was very forgiving.

As for your injectors it is not uncommon for the injectors to fail multiple times in the older trucks. This is why Chevy warranties the injectors for 7 years or 200,000 miles on all of the LB7's except the 03 and 04 which may get added soon. Make sure the dealer installs 3rd generation injectors and not the (rotating) older stock prone to failure.

I make my own Biodiesel and have for many years now so I can tell you with a very high degree of confidence that it is most likely not the fuel. One Caveot is that Biodiesel will clean the sludge left by petroleum diesel and it will clean it out quickly. If you are using an inferior filter it is possible that some of the sludge got through and damaged your injectors.

On another note. It is also possible that the dealer is just trying to rip you off and telling you that because of the Biodiesel your injectors are bad so he can get payment right away and not have to wait for Chevy to pay him. The burden of proof is on the manufacturer and their representatives (the dealer) to prove beyond a doubt that the fuel caused the problem before they can legally refuse the work under warranty. They will all try to take advantage of our ignorance so beware.

Well I had a lot to say didn't I. I hope this helps and I will let you all know how my research on B70 with Kero goes.

BTW, if you can afford to add the second tank and the extra cost to heat the tank with coolant then you are better off and will be able to run all winter on B100. This does assume you can heat it when the engine is not running (i.e. a coolant heater better than the standard block heater).

Quote:

quote:

Originally posted by duramadmax:
I agree that there could have been a vacuum leak at the filter to housing interface (Gasket) but fuel starvation causing injector failure, I hardly doubt that. Water in fuel can blow the injector tip from extreme expansion of water vapor...So everyone that runs out of fuel will have injector failure. Come on... too much of a liability.

You have touched on a subject that I am experiencing right now. I can pump my primer and get more fuel in the filter occassionally and before I do this I get hesitation under medium to hard acceleration. I prime the filter again and it goes away for a bit then returns. I wrenched the filter again yesterday and today all seems fine. I will repost if it happens again if not repost assume I fixed it.

quote:

Originally posted by duramadmax:
The only possible way the filter base can leak (lose vacuum) is the o-ring seal from filter to base, o-ring on bleeder screw on top, water sensor on bottom of filter, or the inlet/outlet hoses/clamps..

You know my bleeder screw on top is plastic and has no o-ring.

Yes it is plastic and has a o-ring uner it since the threads don't just seal. I believe the o-ring is purple in color but I am may be wrong.

quote:

Originally posted by duramadmax:
Yes it is plastic and has a o-ring uner it since the threads don't just seal. I believe the o-ring is purple in color but I am may be wrong.

Now I am curious. I will have to look next time I replace the filter. I did not open it all the way this time so I did not get a chance to look. Just assumed since it was plastic it did not. Should I open the bleeder when I am priming? I tried and it did not seem to work. Maybe I should exercise more patients (but I am not a doctor so I have no patients ).

yes you do. In order to prime the filter to void the excess air, you need to open bleeder, pump say 10-30 times and the once fuel seeps out, close bleeder. otherwise air is in the filter still and can be a performance and starting issue.

quote:

Originally posted by duramadmax:
Well I understand your concern. The ole' lly motors had injector issues. Lb7's and LBZ's they were corrected. So fuel could be an issue but most of the fuel systems today are resistant to such chemicals and additives. However, if the fuel is DRY, converted and DRY...it should be fine.

The first generation of 6.6 is the LB7 and was used until 03 then they introduced the LBZ for 04-05 and in 06 -07 there was the LLY, then in 08 they introduced the LMM. I might actually have the LBZ and LLY reversed. But I know that the LB7 was first and I have one in my 02. It is the engine that had all the injector issues. Mine were replaced just before I bought it with 3rd generation injectors so I should never have a problem. My fuel is spray dried for anywhere from 8-24 hours. I do not heat my Biodiesel to dry it as it will not really be dry when it first looks dry under heating. I also believe it takes less energy to dry longer at room temp then to heat and dry. One other note, you will notice your humidity jump when you are drying.

I believe most of my issues stem from me not having replaced a filter before so I probably made some mistakes. I liked the 7.3L Ford's fuel filter placement. It was easy to replace, but I always wondered what happens when you swap the filter as the dirty side and the clean side are in direct contact with each other while you replace the filter.

Also, I should note that I use strictly Canola based WVO to convert for truck fuel in the winter as it will not gell until well below 20 degrees. I ran my 7.3L last winter into December (then ran out of Biodiesel and was moving) without any issues. No blending just straight B100. Well I am not going to try that with my 6.6 as I know they are a lot more finiky than that 7.3 and much peppier.

I am glad that we have this forum here to discuss this also, but I feel there should be an actual 6.6 forum or this one renamed to Chevy Diesels.

Hi yall, Joined a few weeks ago, first post. I have an 02 lb7 long bed w/banks system. Yes we have injector issues. My buddy has an 03 with banks and butt load of other stuff. My other bio partner has a 03 7.3 l expedition (need ear plugs w/ that thing, lol). Have made several 40-50 gal batches and haverun ~b50 or less a few times. Well we are going for it. we just got a 750 gal steel cone bottom kerosene tank and are in the process of accumulating the parts to get it going. Also have a bunch of other tanks for wvo storage. We have 600 gals of wvo thats been settling for weeks now. Here in st.pete fl we got lots of wvo, as long as you can handle 8-20 mls of KOH, lol...

I am hoping more people post on here. Seems like most threads ive read get going and then simply stop. ??????????


Im not sure of the etique aaround here so I will limit my posting in this section to just my experience with my duramax. Which the lb7/banks is by far the best engine performace wise. Cant wait to start using b100-----all the time... Then nitromethane!!!!!!

quote:

Originally posted by Hootep:
Hi yall, Joined a few weeks ago, first post. I have an 02 lb7 long bed w/banks system. Yes we have injector issues. My buddy has an 03 with banks and butt load of other stuff. My other bio partner has a 03 7.3 l expedition (need ear plugs w/ that thing, lol). Have made several 40-50 gal batches and haverun ~b50 or less a few times. Well we are going for it. we just got a 750 gal steel cone bottom kerosene tank and are in the process of accumulating the parts to get it going. Also have a bunch of other tanks for wvo storage. We have 600 gals of wvo thats been settling for weeks now. Here in st.pete fl we got lots of wvo, as long as you can handle 8-20 mls of KOH, lol...

I am hoping more people post on here. Seems like most threads ive read get going and then simply stop. ??????????


Im not sure of the etique aaround here so I will limit my posting in this section to just my experience with my duramax. Which the lb7/banks is by far the best engine performace wise. Cant wait to start using b100-----all the time... Then nitromethane!!!!!!

I am in Land O Lakes and have an 03 duramax. Looking into producing and running B100, would like to know what your experience has been so far.

03 Duramax. Doing Eng Oil Analysis and compression tests regularly to monitor performance. Went from PD to B50 at about 60k. Noted increased fuel economy by abut 10
%, which is interesting. Also noted an increase in compression, perhaps due to lubricity? Initial engine oil analysis looked good, 500 miles of B50, no change. Will repeat the OAP and the compression at about 2500 miles and post. If all looks good at 2500 miles, plan to do B75 for another and recheck. So far, so good!

I'm waiting for my bp190 to come. I was wondering what intervals I should change filters. Should it miles or time. And how frequent. Anybody have a link to a great deal on factory filters since I would buy bulk discount.

I did the factory times for the filters when on ULSD. Believe it's based on 15k miles for the time to expire on the DIC. During Bio transition I would do half the times until you go to a steady BXX state. Then you can go back to the factory times if you want.

I've got a 2004 Duramax. I've run B100 for about
5 months now. Truck runs like a charm. I've run almost 400 gallons through it and gone about 6000 miles without a hiccup. I get the same fuel economy and performance as Dino diesel and engine runs smooth and quiet. FYI

quote:

prim

Hello, I am having issues with priming my truck. I started making biodiesel in January of '06 and have had a few issues. I have gone through 3 filter housings not priming. They replace and it is OK till the next filter change. I am suffering from my original sin when I used poor technique to produce biodiesel. I used NaOH to produce originally and did not wash in the beginning. My thoughts are the glycerin fell out in the tank and from time to time it gets sucked up and clogs the filter. I had the dealer take down the tank to clean it out but my assumptions are they just pumped the tank and did not give it a good washing. I still have clogged filters, especially when I run the fuel low. I can only guess at what the issue is but would like some input. I think the priming rings are the culprit. I saw some posts where people replaced theirs with 1-3/16 X 1-1/2 X 5/32 BUNA 80A from Hydropak. I also saw someone who claims they can fix the priming issue. http://www.dmaxwrenchkit.com/FuelFilteradapter.html Does anyone have any direction for me? I am stuck and unable to start my vehicle.

quote:

Originally posted by pharmgdb:

quote:

prim

Hello, I am having issues with priming my truck. I started making biodiesel in January of '06 and have had a few issues. I have gone through 3 filter housings not priming. They replace and it is OK till the next filter change. I am suffering from my original sin when I used poor technique to produce biodiesel. I used NaOH to produce originally and did not wash in the beginning. My thoughts are the glycerin fell out in the tank and from time to time it gets sucked up and clogs the filter. I had the dealer take down the tank to clean it out but my assumptions are they just pumped the tank and did not give it a good washing. I still have clogged filters, especially when I run the fuel low. I can only guess at what the issue is but would like some input. I think the priming rings are the culprit. I saw some posts where people replaced theirs with 1-3/16 X 1-1/2 X 5/32 BUNA 80A from Hydropak. I also saw someone who claims they can fix the priming issue. http://www.dmaxwrenchkit.com/FuelFilteradapter.html Does anyone have any direction for me? I am stuck and unable to start my vehicle.

The NAOH is not a real problem I used it till just recently because I could buy it at the local hardware store, other than a little extra soap that has to be washed out works fine.
The not washing however,yikes, even if you filtered well it still would settle stuff out for days, not just glucerol if you did not drain well but soaps and other solids, after washing and letting sit it will have a layer of yuck on the bottom so, without a wash your tank would be the recipient of all this wonderful stuff!
The tank is not that hard to drop the lines are easy enough to get at and only two straps to drop it. Helps if empty or mostly, then you can make sure it is clean. Also blow the lines out.
Also without a wash there would still be methanol in the mix which would be rough on the aluminum parts of the filter mount and such.
Don't know a thing about the filter redo other than the site but seems a bit spendy for a brass bleeder on your old filter mount.

Curt
2001 Duramax 23K on B100 1 fuel filter
90 12 valve 300K on clock last 20K on B100 1 fuel filter

quote:

pharmgdb

I had problems with injectors on my 04 D-max LLY. Had to take to shop to replace injectors (under warranty, thanks GM for picking up the $1,400 tab!) They did mention there was a strange looking fluid in the fuel. I figured it had to do with biodiesel and took the tank off to eliminate future problems. GM may not be so forgiving next time. Taking out the tank and cleaning it out is your ounce of prevention. The pound of cure is the hours of time and hundreds of dollars in injectors, along with the fact that you will probably break down at the most inconvenient time (mine did 2 hours from home, luckily I was just away to college and had a number of rides to class). All you need is a set of metric sockets and ratchet to take the straps loose, a small flat screwdriver and take the lines loose with fuel line disconnects (5 bucks for an assortment at AutoZone, Napa, etc). O and a set of coveralls you can ruin . It's obviously best to have the tank as empty as possible as diesel weighs around 9 pounds/gallon. The pic is one I took just before I took it all loose. If you have any problems with taking the tank out, just e-mail me (I always like to have an experienced contact handy). Turn the tank upside down and if you want to see exactly what you had in the tank, have some sort of container ready to see what was in there. Take a digital cam and take pics of the inside of the tank so you can really see what you've got. I found traces of glycerin that settled in the heat of summer (apparently 2 weeks settling in a funnel-tank and running through a 5 micron filter wasn't quite good enough). Again, e-mail me if you have any run ins. I did this 15K miles ago and it's ran great since.

sorry, pic is too big to post. Send me your e-mail if you want a couple. I'll show you what the line hook-ups look like as well as what I found in my tank. I took paper towels and wiped every square inch of the inside of my tank.