I now have 140k on my truck and I have never checked the fuel screen. I don't know if the previous owner had either so I know that I need to do this. I just had some questions on how to do it. Is it the plastic bowl on the lower drivers side of the motor. Does it have an o-ring to seal it and should I have a new one in hand before I start. Is it pretty easy to do. I am away from my shop but I am headed on a long trip so I would like to do it before I leave. If it is dirty does it have a big effect on performance or fuel mileage. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.<br>

 

If you're talking about the fuel preheater screen, it's just in front of the fuel pump low on the driver's side. I think Cummins sells a service kit for it but I just re-used the old O-ring oiling it up good before re-installing it. It's pretty easy to do. I think it's a 17mm wrench. You can reach it from the top if you don't want a diesel fuel shower. A word of advice, don't unplug the electrical connector to the heater element. I did and the connector pins started sucking air. Ended up replacing the wiring harness and the heater element. Cummins sells both for 1/2 the price of the dealer, but the money could have been spent on better stuff. :

 

Service kit comes with a new screen and o-ring(s). Don't recall if the bolt has a ring itself or a sealing washer. Costs about $15 from Cummins (that's from memory, cost subject to inflation or if wife can overhear : ).<br><br>Not hard to do, just a little messy. Good peace of mind if you are doing other maintenance.

 

This might help a little.<br><br>http://dodgeram.org/tech/dsl/filter/pre-filt_clean.htm