NHRedneck

so i just bought my first diesel: a 97 reg cab long bed 12v, 190k suncoast trans, fresh paint, fresh axle seals,fresh brakes and ive got a couple little questions, though im pretty sure ive already got the answers.......

ive noticed my fuel gauge tends to wander about an 1/8 of a tanks worth from time to time (sending unit im assuming?)

my temp gauge seems to stay at 140 even after 45 min, but sometimes wakes up and reads what seems properly (190 ish) yet again im assuming sending unit

when i first start up my truck the oil light comes on for about the first 5-7 seconds after startup.... does that mean that the oil filter doesnt have an anti drain back valve on it? or is it just normal operations??

what brand oil do you guys rec running, and how often between oil changes??? ive heard good things bout the rotella stuff....

what ULSD fuel additive do you guys reccomend??? the only 2 that i know of are summit and Power Service (white bottle)

and how big should my gas tank be???28 gallons??

ill get pics up later...... thanks for any help/info you guys

CIN'S DODGE

Welcome NHRedneck! We use RotellaT 15-40 in all of ours, we also use the Power Service also. We change our oil every 3,000 miles. That is what my temp gauge was doing after I would haul some mulch, now it is working fine again, it may be a loose wire also.

NHRedneck

ok thanks for the info, anyone else care to take a stab at the other questions like fuel tank size, oil pressure on start up (normal/ caused by filter or not)? also, what outside temp should i make it a point to run the glow plugs/wait to start??? 45 deg and lower??? yet again, thanks for any/all pointers

displacedtexan

Almost positive you have a 34 gallon fuel (not gas) tank.

The oil pressure takes a few seccond to build, not sure on the design spesifics that cause it, but is normal.

I always wait for the wait to start light ot go off before I crank.

TxDiesel007

Mistake (honest) on ur part

our trucks dont have no glow plugs, they have grid heaters, MUCH MORE efficient and effective than glow plugs, when the real cold comes around u will really appreciate them much more...

Oil pressure on startup? on my 96 it takes a couple of seconds to respond, but even with the twins, i see no less than 40 psi at any time unless the trucks started up...

45 degrees? thats usually a really cold day down here in south texas, Just cycle your grid heaters once, and fire the truck up, believe me it will not be a problem in 45 degree weather. Just make sure ur starter and batteries are up to par and good to go, and make sure you have good tight connections..

Fuel tank size? when my little indicator comes on i think that i have to put 30 gallons to fill the tank, the most ive put in mine is like 34 or so, and it was really low then, i do know its a 35 gallon tank tho..

Hope this helps

Rick

dc10freighter

Another new 12V owner, love the forum guys.

Cummins Freak

the temp gauge will go from 140* to 190* and then right back down it the thermostat opening and closing and its how they work on these trucks. watch it it should do it consistantly while driving

fairlane999

My temp gauge stayed on 140 and never seemed to get hotter. So I bought a new thermostat and found the old one was bad. Now my heater works much better and it seems to stay steady. As for the fuel gauge mine fluctuates with sloshing. I think its the nature of the beast.

Rocket95

35 gal Fuel Tank

Racer9

Your 35 gal fuel tank is about 4 feet long. The fuel sloshing forwards and back, from accelerating, braking, and going up and down hills is what makes your gauge fluctuate.
The grid heaters are computer controlled to remain on longer as it gets colder, so just wait for the light to go out and start it.
Your temp gauge fluctuation is a common thing on these trucks, if you replace it, go with a quality Cummins t-stat.
It's a big motor, it takes a couple seconds for the oil pressure to come up, don't worry about it.
Buy all your motor parts from a Cummins or semi truck or farm/fleet type store, unless you like getting hosed by the dealer. All you need is the data from the plate on the side of the front gear cover.
Another site with tons of technical info on your motor; http://www.dodgeram.org/support_pgs/diesel_ix.htm
If you haven't, search on the KDP, you'll want to fix that ASAP, and the fuel lines are likely going bad and should be replaced.
Welcome, and congrats on buying a properly valved motor

infidel

3000 miles seems pretty excessive for oil changes. I use oil analysis and have found my Delo 15w-40 is still way good to go at 12,000 miles. I change at 8-10,000.

What many people fail to realize is that oil quality has improved tremendously since the service intervals for 12 valves were written.
On the new trucks the manual's change interval is every 15,000.

NHRedneck

ok well you guys have been great with the responses.... 35 gallons - check

the sending unit fluctuation related to fuel slosh i def can understand that, so im really on all that worried about it anyways (specially now that i can mentally gauge how much i have in my tank after each fill up

grid heaters...... never heard of em, where are they located? at the base of the intake manifold? intake runners on the head?

so far the truck has new brake lines, but i havent checked the fuel lines yet...... if it does need them then im just gonna go 1/2" flexible (and prob just get a fass kit)

ive done the research on the KDP, and the shop owner who i bought it from said that they typically do the drill and tap to service the KDP....... one of these mornings ill swing up there and pick up a gallon of the summit diesel treatment and have em double check wether my truck had the kdp dealt with

coolant temp fluctuation, not all that worried about it but good to know its semi normal to have a fluctuation

oil change intervals, i was planning on doing them ever 10-12k

and i got a belt/tensioner/idler pulley that squeaking, if i heard correctly thats also quite common on these things...... typically what is the faulty part and where do you guys get a good replacement??

and yes im a VERY HAPPY NEW 12V owner

displacedtexan

Right under the intake horn, you can see the wires going to them.

And I could have sworn that the window sticker on mine says 34 gal... Oh well I was close

kawi600

Heh, another new england 12v owner, nice! If you didnt already have the trans done Id suggest Mass Diesel.
Infidel, 15000mi on straight dino oil? I thought the frequent oil change intervals were because the oil captures so much soot. Mine looks black as pitch after only a few miles =(
I got that figure of 3000mi someplace too and have been using valvoline 15-40. Not cheap buying 3 gallons of oil =(
If I can make the change intervals every 12k, I might just start using synthetics.
Where do you guys get the oil analysis sample kits from? I want to do one before I start running bio and veg oil.

infidel

That's one of the improved properties of the newer oil grades- the ability to hold much more soot.

The oil in all of my diesels turns black almost instantly. I always figured it's because of old oil residues left in the engine mixing in. I've never worried about it, in fact I would be more worried if it didn't turn black.

Lots of places to have oil analysis done. Any Cummins, Cat or John Deere shop will do them or tell you where to go. Don't pay more than $10.
My local Cummins Northwest even has a 24 hour drop box for samples.

Many people on CTD forums use Blackstone Labs for analysis. Only reason I can figure is because they come up first in a web search. They are a rip off, want close to $25 for analysis that isn't as complete as a $10 one.