If the water-in-fuel light comes on, the first thing to do is to stop driving the truck. Repeat, STOP driving the truck.
The Dreaded Water-in-Fuel Light
Category: Turbo Diesel Register
A Voluntary Do-Not-Drive Recall for Brake Fluid Issues?
Believe it or not, one of a brake fluid’s most vital characteristics is its ability to absorb water. Yes, you read that correctly—brake fluids absorb water by design…
The Case of the $942 Fuel Filter
(or How to Change a #5 Injector) Solving the mystery of a vehicle’s mechanical problem can require some lengthy detective work—as demonstrated in this repair that I call “The Case of the $942 Fuel Filter.” The initial complaint by the Ram Turbo Diesel’s owner provided me with scant evidence for solving the problem: “It runs good,” he said, “for a while after I change the fuel filter, but it has low power.” I doubted that the fuel filter was the culprit. But I had little to go on. This would…
The Many Steps to Diesel Success
When I was a small boy I was live baggage on family trips from the Northeast to visit the grandparents a thousand miles away in Indiana. There were no Interstate highways – just the promise of the Pennsylvania Turnpike with its four smooth concrete lanes and many child-pleasing tunnels. The rest of the way was two lanes, small towns, and diners with steamed-up windows. Constantly in the way were highway trucks, only lately powered by weak-but-economical six-cylinder Diesel engines making 160 horsepower. Drivers knew what was next on their routes,…
About 2013-Current Ram Turbo Diesel DEF Systems
Background The Turbo Diesel Register editor called me a couple of months ago asking some questions about DEF systems. It seems that the folks at Geno’s Garage had been seeing an increase in phone calls related to the high cost of repairs to their DEF equipped trucks, specifically for the DEF emissions components. After our conversation, I did not give it much more thought and was going to cover another topic in TDR Issue 102. It just so happened that I was going to look at a customer’s car in…
Keeping Dodge Cummins Batteries Alive
A Cummins diesel engine and four-season climate present a challenge to batteries. East of the Sierra Range, winter lows dip below zero while the high desert summers spike thermometers to 106°. Arguably, summer heat is hardest on a battery, though either temperature extreme takes its toll.