I have been looking for a replacement lift pump and am leaning towards a mechanical pump.  Are there any major differences between the Fuel Boss and the Predator? Anything that makes one so much better than the other such as quality of parts, kit completeness, customer service, etc? This will be going on the truck in my signature plumbed in with the stock filter for now. Im trying to build a reliable low maintenance driver/tow truck, not some high hp toy. Thanks for any opinions/experience that you can provide.

4 minutes ago, 24Vdodge said:

Whenever I change a filter, I fill the filter up with fuel, over fill a little even, spin it on, or drop it in canister, wipe off the access fuel, start truck. Never had the need to prime them when doing it that way. 

 

I never fill the filter with canned diesel it dirty fuel and unfiltered. That is the first thing to the injection pump. I always work the primer lever or the prime cycle on the key to fill the filter back up. 

17 hours ago, Mopar1973Man said:

 

I never fill the filter with canned diesel it dirty fuel and unfiltered. That is the first thing to the injection pump. I always work the primer lever or the prime cycle on the key to fill the filter back up. 

 

Cummins mechanic taught me to do that 25 years ago, he said they always have a 5 gallon can of fresh fuel in the shop for when they change filters.  Saves wear & tear on the starter, and you don't have to stroke that lever dozens of times, save all that pumping & stroking, for when you get home he told me. 

 

I remember asking him about it not being filtered fuel?  He said stop and think about what you just asked me, any fuel coming out the output line of the "filter" going to the injection pump, will it be filtered...... filter. Run it threw a paint strainer if you are that concerned with it, he said. 

 

Good enough for certified cummins shop, good enough for me. 

I always used the lift pump to fill mine. Just a short bump on the starter for 25 second run of the pump.

19 minutes ago, 24Vdodge said:

I remember asking him about it not being filtered fuel?  He said stop and think about what you just asked me, any fuel coming out the output line of the "filter" going to the injection pump, will it be filtered...... filter. Run it threw a paint strainer if you are that concerned with it, he said. 

 

Good enough for certified cummins shop, good enough for me. 

Not if you're filling the filter through center hole, center hole is where fuel comes out to go to injection pump. You'd have to screw piece of pipe to keep fuel from going in center and prefill through smaller holes. Then you have to be sure pipe you screwing in isn't dropping shavings down the hole, and I don't trust any filters that don't come with plastic cover over the holes. Then it's a crapshoot either way. It's sad when first thing you do is blow garbage out of the hole. That goes for more expensive K&N filters, I seen cardboard and junk on the threads and down inside the filter. 

Best is to put filter on then prime the system with electric pump, even if the fuel looks clean the damaging particles cannot be seen with naked eye. So yeah most of us are getting lucky one way or another.

I quit changing filters at mileage interval, I look for pressure drop before I touch them now. I think changing them too often will bring more chances in putting particles in fuel system and causing more harm then good. The least amount of times I open fuel system the better. This is GMO. 

Fuel filters are like oil filters anything poured into the center hole is unfiltered. This why I will not fill oil filter or a fuel filter before installing. Even though many shops still fill the filters before installing. It only takes a little bit of debris and it will do its harm to the engine or the injection pump. The only way you can fill a filter without the worry is fill through the side ring holes which is the filter inlet or don't fill it at all and use the pump to prime or priming lever. 

 

Even if you ask @AH64ID he will tell you the same thing. 

4 minutes ago, Dieselfuture said:

I quit changing filters at mileage interval, I look for pressure drop before I touch them now.

 

I have been getting 60k miles from my fuel filters now.

 

Edited July 1, 20195 yr by Mopar1973Man

I understand what you guys are saying.

 

Knock on wood, I have only lost one injection pump, on the 8 dodge cummins trucks I've owned. I know for a fact, it was not because of the way I change my fuel filters. 

Much to the chagrin of my two esteemed friends above, I do fill my fuel filters when changing them by pouring it straight into the filter. I cant believe that little bit of unfiltered fuel is going to wreck any thing. I used to do my oil filters that way too but just spin them on dry now. 

 

But to their credit I understand where they are coming from. We get to make our own choices.

That is true life is full of choices, and we all do our best to make the right ones. What works for one might not work for the other you just never know. Used to know a guy that didn't believe in changing oil, he went like 60 k or more before he finally did change it, and it was only because I was over at his place and we were both bored at the time. Some just get away with whatever and others could do everything by the book and still have problems. 

There is zero need to fill a fuel filter, as the lift pump will prime it. VP trucks are a little more forgiving than CR trucks, but still not something that's worth the 2 seconds you save. 

 

It's not the injection pump that gets the brunt of damage from unfiltered fuel, it's the injectors. 

12 hours ago, Dieselfuture said:

That is true life is full of choices, and we all do our best to make the right ones. What works for one might not work for the other you just never know. Used to know a guy that didn't believe in changing oil, he went like 60 k or more before he finally did change it, and it was only because I was over at his place and we were both bored at the time. Some just get away with whatever and others could do everything by the book and still have problems. 

 

I know a guy that does that. Only changes his oil every 70-75k miles, but he does spin on a new filter and adds one quart of oil every 5k miles. His claim is, oil needs to be filtered, not changed every few thousand miles. 

 

Glad it seems to work for him. I wouldn't do it. 

1 hour ago, 24Vdodge said:

 

I know a guy that does that. Only changes his oil every 70-75k miles, but he does spin on a new filter and adds one quart of oil every 5k miles. His claim is, oil needs to be filtered, not changed every few thousand miles. 

 

Glad it seems to work for him. I wouldn't do it. 

 

Member here on M73M which happens to be @dorkweed he ran his CR engine 80k plus miles on a single oil change on WalMart SuperTech 15w-40 and Fleetguard filters and a MotorGuard bypass filter. Was testing every 7k with blackstone and no issues till somewhere around 80k miles silicone was up from doing valve lash.

 

He did the same thing change filters and topped off.

 

Edited July 3, 20195 yr by Mopar1973Man

12 hours ago, 24Vdodge said:

 

I know a guy that does that. Only changes his oil every 70-75k miles, but he does spin on a new filter and adds one quart of oil every 5k miles. His claim is, oil needs to be filtered, not changed every few thousand miles. 

 

Glad it seems to work for him. I wouldn't do it. 

That sounds like amsoil, which I suppose with quality oil and fine filtration should work fine. But I'm like you I'd rather change it every once in awhile to have a peace of mind. By the time you spent money on oil analysis you're almost there to change the oil. I suppose depends on driving conditions you could see what others get out of their oil life, and do half of that and you know you'll be safe then.