Guess I'm doing ok

[elshadow001]

After lots of reading about my truck, I have decided I'm doing ok.I change my oil every 3000 miles, and the fuel filter at the same interval.I'm now running the two cycle oil in my fuel too.So! with my new vp44 I think it should last a while longer then it did the first time.My mileage was at 61,000 miles with the first failure. I'm thinking one of the reasons was because of the fact I have not been driving the truck much. In the last 6 years I usually only put around 400 miles a year on it.Winter time it just sits in the yard, and I plug in the block heater.I think I will be driving it more now to keep it exercised.Opinions are appreciated.

[ISX]

Letting things sit is actually very hard on them. Have you ever looked at a piece of steel that has been out in the rain for a while? Rust forms all over it and it just becomes worthless. Your engine is no different. The longer you let it sit without starting it every now and then, the more oil will end up at the bottom of the engine instead of where it should be, so now you have surfaces inside the engine exposed to whatever humidity can throw at it. Axle, seals, everything, it's no different. Everything needs to be ran at least a few times a year to keep everything happy.

[elshadow001]

You are right!

[Mopar1973Man]

Hmmm... 400 miles a year is rather very minial amount of mileage... I would at least drive it about 5K to 10K a year. Every 3K for a oil change is nearly a waste for these beast... Being the suggested oil change for normal use is 7.5K miles but being its sitting al ot you need to change it because of the water issue. As for myself I change oil every 10K miles... As for the VP44 they don't like to sit either as time goes on the rubber seal give up and pum becomes junk... So it might be a good idea to drive the Cummins a bit more... Aim for about 5K miles (13-14 miles a day) a year at least.

[AH64ID]

Welcome. 400 miles, WOW.. I did more than that last weekend..My truck is no longer my DD, so if I haven't driven it in 2 weeks I take it to the store or somewhere to get the oil hot, and lube all the seals. I would do the same on your truck. Be sure you are running a fuel additive, fuel starts to break down very quickly and it sounds like you burn less than a tank a year. I also don't think you need the block heater plugged in all the time, not only is it expensive ($1.56/day at .10kWh) if the truck isn't being driven there are no benefits from it. You also need to make sure you change the oil and filters annually, even if you only put 400 miles on. The fuel filter on my truck was 3 years old, and had 10K miles on it when I bought it and it was NASTY! My fuel filter with 30K miles looked brand new compared to that one.

[elshadow001]

I went to Harbour Freight, and got a fuel injector pressure tester.$18 it screws on the shrader valve, shows 10 psi at idle, and 5 psi under full load.

[Mopar1973Man]

Ummm way too low...

Stay in the green zone...

[flagmanruss]

When I could not use my truck & let it sit several months, the rust wreaked havoc with the brakes & I got a lot of rust on the undercarriage. Now, I try to use the truck at least some once a week, even if only a quick trip to town. I intentionally drag the brakes, under power if necessary, down a long hill to clean off the discs. Russ

[Northwoods]

If you aren't planning to run your truck in the near future, plugging it in does more harm than good because the heater creates a warm spot that attracts moisture, which then migrates to the colder parts of your engine where it condenses into water.If you aren't going to drive it all winter, let it get cold and stay that way so the water vapor will stay on the outside of your engine where it belongs. Plugging it in 12 hours before you're ready to drive, or even firing it up without the heater is better than letting the block heater run for weeks without getting the engine up to temperature.

[Mopar1973Man]

If you aren't planning to run your truck in the near future, plugging it in does more harm than good because the heater creates a warm spot that attracts moisture, which then migrates to the colder parts of your engine where it condenses into water. If you aren't going to drive it all winter, let it get cold and stay that way so the water vapor will stay on the outside of your engine where it belongs. Plugging it in 12 hours before you're ready to drive, or even firing it up without the heater is better than letting the block heater run for weeks without getting the engine up to temperature.

Interesting information...

[AH64ID]

Yes interesting, and logical.I plug mine in got 90 minutes, it gets to 90% of the temp of sitting overnight for a fraction of the cost.