I have an '03 GMC Duramx with 70K miles. It randomly will not start or will quit within a few seconds after starting. To get it started after one of these events, I have to push the primer pump on top of the fuel filter housing until it will build pressure. The dealer cannot figure out what the cause is; they need the problem to occur at their shop so thay can observe it. This all started happening after I received an offer from GM to have the fuel filter replaced at no cost to me. The were offering a newer version of the filter. I had them replace the filter, and shortly thereafter the problems began. Any one else have a similar problem? Anyone have any idea what could be the cause?

If its an '03, that means you have a LB7 motor- I'd post this in the LB7 forum if I weres you.

Sounds like maybe a crack in the filter housing, or possibly injectors. Check the oil for level and smell of fuel. How many miles is on the filter thats in there now? Check the gasket on the top of the filter and the gasket between the filter and water-in-fuel sensor on the bottom.

Welcome to the forum...

Moved. :)

I remember when my truck did the same thing after dealer replaced filter. Mech didn't tighten filter and sensor very tight. would suck air and sometimes dump fuel. It sucks when all of the Ford PS 250 running by looking at you grinning:D took about 3 minutes to figure out the problem and I was bad on the road:)

I HAS THAT HAPPEN ALSO BEFORE I STARTED WORKING FOR gm LOL. you prob have a fuel leak . have you had any replaced lately?

if not prob need to have air

I would check to see how tight the filter is, could possibly be the filter is not tight enough and the o-ring is not seating properly. More likely could be the little blue seal on the bleeder screw on top of the housing. It will seep just enough air to cause your engine not to start. Hope this helps. Good luck.

My bet is missing or mis-aligned gaskets on the fuel filter.

Or the dreaded cracked fuel filter housing.

I had a similar problem. One afternoon, I backed my truck out of the driveway to go to the store and it died right in the middle of my culdesac. It would crank all day, but no fire. I started digging around under the hood and noticed some fuel leaking from the filter area. Like you, I pumped it up only to notice the leaking got faster. I tightened it up as best I could, then took it to a local mechanic and had him swap the filter out. Haven't had the problem since. With the number of posts on this thread related to that I would focus on that area. As with the other guys who have posted here, my suspicion about your issue is that there is a leak in your fuel system that is allowing air in. If any air gets in, these things just shut down.

The dealer should be able to run a pressure test on the fuel system and locate it though....my guess is that they're just being lazy. I will add that I did have to have my injectors replaced for a starting issue at one point. The odd part of it is that the issue would only surface after being driven for period of time. For example, if I would drive 50-60 miles and stop at a store to grab a bite, I would come out and the truck would not fire up. Funny part about it was that if I waited for a few hours, it would crank up just fine. So you might want to them to replace the injectors for you if they haven't already done so.