Hi, I have recently purchased a '93 D250. Today I got acquainted with the engine and changed oil, oil filter, fuel filter and air cleaner. It went well using all the info I read over the last week on this site. Thanks. I have a couple gauge questions.

Most of the gauge recomendations I see are from people who have modified to a higher pressure lift pump or those with later model 24 valve engines etc. If I plan to stay with the stock lift pump, would I still benefit from a fuel pressure gauge? How much drop in post filter pressure do you see when the filter needs changing if you are running the stock setup?

I figure I could put a pillar pod on the truck with a fuel pressure and a transmission temp gauge on it but want to know if I will truely benefit if I plan to stay stock.

thanks for any input here,
Rocky

 

Some people will say you don't need a fuel pressure gauge on a 1st gen because they run low pressure and the fuel systems are generally more reliable than later years. I'm not one of them.

There are plenty of reasons to run a fuel pressure gauge, even with the stock lift pump. 24v owners cry about the high price of their pumps, both lift and injection, after fuel problems of one sort or another result in some failure. But they're a darn sight cheaper than a complete overhaul after one of our pumps dilutes the crankcase enough to spin a bearing. You can also save alot of money on fuel filters. Most guys change them on a regular basis, and a minimum of at least once a year is probably not a bad idea. If you are getting good fuel I suspect most of the fuel filters that get thrown in the trash have plenty of life left in them. OTOH, if you get a bad load of fuel it's nice to know at a glance when the fuel pressure suddenly starts to drop.

My fuel pressure gauge was invaluable to me diagnosing my fuel system when installing and configuring my bed tank and electric pump. Takes alot of the guesswork out of it.

 

Be sure to get the isolator (majority of the cost)... it'll keep a bunch of nasty diesel fuel OUT of the cab should a line rupture!

A bud broke an oil pressure line and got a pint dumped under the dash of his jeep... what a mess!

 

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The isolator is a good preventative measure, but fairly expensive. I sheathed my oil pressure line in larger nylon tubing and have a needle valve in front of the snubber on my fuel gauge. You can buy alot of that kind of stuff for the price of one isolator.

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