first off, my van is an chevy 2006 duramax with 40k miles.
everytime i change my fuel filters, i have a hard time getting the system primed. i think this time, its not going to prime.
when i turn the ignition on, to turn the "pre-pump" on (if thats what you call it), i can hear it running but it doesnt sound too good. kinda like it has a bad bearing or something. this pump is part of the pre-filter housing, which has a part # 15812465.
i opened the drain cock on both filters while the pump is running, and no diesel comes out.
does it sound like my "pre-pump" is bad?
what's the proper name for this pump?
does the 100k mile warranty cover this?
is this part only available from gm?

:(

It will make a lot of noise while it is getting the air out. How many times do you cycle the key before you start it ? The pump runs for a set amount of time. I always do it 3x before I attempt to start. When the prime pump on dads van failed it just quit working with no warning.

Well the pump doesn't run with every key cycle. You have to wait at least 15 seconds after turning ignition off, before turning ignition back on to activate the pump.

I cycled the pump on at least 15 times. It just never primed. I only have a quarter tank of fuel, I wonder if that matters.

What's the pump's warranty?

Not sure on the warranty, Dads was well over 100k when it failed.
So you turn the key on and wait for how long ? Could you hear the pump running and the sound of fuel pressurizing then the pump shut off ?
My tank has been at all kinds of different levels and it never seemed to matter.

Each time, I turn the key on, and the pump runs till it shuts off, which is maybe a minute.
I get underneath the van and can feel the prefilter/pump vibrating and making noise.
My new filters are still dry. The pump runs but no fuel. The pump is fairly loud. I'm sure it is shot.

Were you having any issues before you changed the filters ?
When Dads failed it just quit with no noise or anything. I am just wondering if you have another issue.

No other issues, except having trouble priming my fuel system the last two times that I changed my filters.
This pump only runs at start-up right? So no other symptoms would show, right?

Correct, the prime pump only runs at start up. I would say if there was a problem with the prime pump the van would have never started before.
I know this is going to sound stupid but are you out of fuel ?
Are you on a incline and fuel is so low it will not pick up ?
From the prime pump to the tank is there any moist fuel lines ? Maybe you are sucking air and it cannot prime.
Undo the fuel cap and see if that does anything ?

Correct, the prime pump only runs at start up. I would say if there was a problem with the prime pump the van would have never started before.

not necessarily true. the fuel lines dont drain out every time you shut the engine off. there was always fuel in the lines before...no air in there. even if the prime pump didnt work, the lines were 100 percent full of fuel, so the main pump would suck the fuel like it does always.
now when i took the filters off, the pre-pump went dry, and now cant create enough suction to prime itself.

The van will not start without prime pump. Dad had a full tank of fuel and parked level. The power wire to the prime pump had come loose from a connector not allowing the prime pump to run or the van to start. He cranked forever and nothing until the wire was fixed.
Are the fuel lines going into the filter housing solid and tight ? The suction line is pressed into the housing and can work loose causing fuel to leak when shut off and to suck air when trying to prime.
Maybe dump in 5 gallons and see if that helps ?

there are no leaks anywhere.
did your dad change his filters at the same time his wire fell off?
if not, then how did air get in his lines?

i'm going to call the dealer tomorrow, and see if this pump is covered.
maybe the cold fuel in combination with a worn pump is not creating enough suction to get the pump primed.

He did not change his filters because he knew they were good. Here is the 3 separate issues he had.
#1 prime pump failed.
#2 prime pump power wire came loose
#3 inlet line pressed into housing came loose leaking fuel when not running and sucking air when running.
Anywhere from the prime pump to the tank it can suck air. It would be better if the pump was in the tank then the only time it could suck air is when you are out of fuel.

i'm guessing a new pump is going to come with new lines pressed in??
i'm kinda glad gm didnt put the pump in the tank, especially since the pumps dont last. dropping tanks is no fun.
if warranty dont cover this, i'm doing it myself.

I think his had died around 150k, mine is still good at 112k.
IIRC on top of the housing there is 3 bolts that hold the pump in. It was just a little piston pump.

I would still check and do all the free stuff first just in case it is something simple you have overlooked. I hate wasting time and money when I do not have to.

i ran the pump while the drain cock was open on the filter, and nothing comes out. the pump just cant get a prime started. it must be shot. maybe it would pump fuel when fuel actually reaches the pump, but what can i do now? vacuum out the air??

I have never opened the drain cock before.
Filters are good and tight ? O-rings are in place ?
Did you try cranking the engine over at all to see if there was a change ?
While the pump is running blow some air into the tank (small amount) to help pressurize it.

I have never opened the drain cock before.
Filters are good and tight ? O-rings are in place ?
Did you try cranking the engine over at all to see if there was a change ?
While the pump is running blow some air into the tank (small amount) to help pressurize it.
i just opened the drain cock to see if any fuel was moving since it didnt sound like the pump was pumping.

yes, filters are tight, but even if they weren't, fuel would spill out.

cranking the engine is the worst thing to do, because then you'll have air all the way up to the injectors, if your priming pump isnt working. i did that before, and its not fun. had to crank a long time to get the air out of the injection system, after i got the priming pump to pump fuel. the priming pump was acting up before also. this time the pump sounds a lot worse.

so for the hell of it, i went back out to the garage to see if the pump would prime this time, and guess what? it ran loud for 5 seconds then actually primed itself and started pumping fuel. :shake:

now what do i do? everytime i change my fuel filter, it takes longer to get a prime. next time it might take a week to get a prime. :mad:

Maybe you should only change your filters when you have a full tank.
How often are you changing your filters ?
How do they look when you change them ?

i bought my van, and at 2k miles i had a filter plug up/gell on me on the way to the dealer for a check engine light for low fuel rail pressure. it was cold out, and i was using additives. ever since then, i decided to replace the filters at every oil change. and every time i take out the old pre-filter, it's black. i'm probably on my seventh set of fuel filters, with only 40k miles.
and i always fill up at the same Mobil gas facility.
maybe having a full tank of fuel will help with the priming, but the pump should prime at any fuel level, right?

i'm going to see what my dealer says about this.

I change my fuel filters around 20k and usually the cartridge filter is about 75% black. I use Stanadyne every tank and been doing 2 stroke oil on full tanks.
If your filter is 100% black every 5k then my guess is you have fuel problem.
If it was me I would drop the tank and take a peek inside and see what is on the bottom.
Clean it out good and maybe try a new station.
Fuel level should not matter.
Bad fuel and maybe you got the fungus growing in your tank and that would be hard on your fuel system.

I fill the filters when I reinstall them to reduce the problem you are having .I also do one at a time and start the vehicle in between each filter . Try filling the filters and a little air pressure to the fuel tank (never tried the air to the tank ,sounds like something to try ) It is weird that your pump is air bound .Good Luck and post what you found , I,m curious .It used to take 15 minutes of cranking to get 3 feet of air out of my Olds diesel when I had a cracked fuel line .

i spoke with the local gm service guy, and he looked up if there were any bulletins or updates to priming the system, and there were none.
basically just do like the manual says.... change filters, key ignition on for 2 minutes, then start.

he also told me that the pump is covered under the 100k warranty, but only if it fails 100%.

big windy,
i like your idea of doing one filter at a time, and starting in between.....or at least, ignition-on and priming in between.

maybe having a full tank of fuel might help gravity feed the line to the priming pump, while jacking up the rear of the van so that the fuel flows down the lines towards the pump.:idea: :Pshyco:

i dont know if adding airpressure to the fuel tank will do anything, since the pressure would increase on both the outlet and return lines.

Dad and I have never filled our filters just done it like the manual says. I wonder if there is an issue that needs to be addressed by GM that there is a problem with some vans ?
I am not sure where the return line is but the suction line should be near the bottom and it would fill faster than if the return was at the top where it should be, not to stir up the crap on the bottom that will form. But what do I know I am just a dumb lil fat heater kid.

well my van is extended. maybe the pump cant cope with that extra 20".:rolleyes:

next time i'll change one filter at a time, and with a full tank of fuel.

and here's pics of my old prefilter. look normal? maybe 7k miles on it

Mine is extended also.
My filter looks better than that at 20k. You have a fuel issue.
If mine looked like that at 7k I would drop the tank and flush it.
Then start buying fuel at another place. I buy fuel all over the state of MT and my filters have never looked like that.

What exactly makes the filter black?
My van sat on the dealer lot for 1 year before I bought it. Could that have effected the tank? And what will flushing remove?
And the gas station I buy from is no older than 5 years.

I was told it was water that makes them black. Mine sat for a year also but I had no problems. But maybe yours has the fungus growing in it. All the bad stuff (water,fungus,dirt & heavy things) go to the bottom of the tank. Your fuel pick up is a little off the bottom to help not to suck up the bads.
Somebody dumped some bad fuel in my Val6 that had the fungus growing and wiped out the pump within a few hours. Fungus is bad.
Just because the station is new does not mean there is good fuel being put in the tanks. Maybe the fuel truck had crap in his tanks and dumped into the stations tanks. Maybe the refinery had a oops and let some bad fuel out. A customer yesterday was watching the news where some stations got caught on film topping there tanks of with water ! They would take a garden hose and stick it right in the tank.

I think your best bet would be to pull the tank and take a look. You are spending a lot of money on filters when they should go longer.

Has there been anything in the bottom of the bowl ?
Do you use an additive every tank ?

The bowl was pretty clean. I only use diesel power service in the winter time.
I wonder if I could find someone with a bore camera, and stick it in the tank to inspect it.

Run it low on fuel and just drop the tank. In my old gas van I could change the fuel pump in an hour without a hoist. Its not that bad.

Any new developments or ideas ?

not really.
the van runs great. i just dread doing a filter change next time. i'll do one filter at a time, and prime the system between the filter changes. and have a full tank of fuel.

i might change or at least inspect the pre-filter in a 1000 miles or so, and see if it gets black quick. if it does, i might be forced to inspect/clean the tank.

Since you have fresh filters maybe throw in 16 oz of 2 stroke oil and something like Stanadyne Performance Formula. The pump will greatly appreciate the oil. Then if the pre-filter looks better then you know you need the addictive because of bad fuel or fungus.

are you saying the additive will make the fuel/filter look cleaner?

Its worth a shot. Additives are good for it. I run Stanadyne every tank and 2 stroke on full tanks. The Stanadyne has given me about 5% MPG increase plus the other benefits of it. I just want to share everything I do to my van that might help you in getting longer filter life. When I am out of Stanadyne I am thinking of trying the Monster Diesel.

if i do have "fungus" in my tank, is there anything that will kill it?

I am pretty sure much of the additives do that or at least prevent it from forming. Since you are already running Power Service products maybe try Bio-Kleen or Diesel-Kleen.

i changing my filters this week first time for my self. (I had the stealer do it last time) Is there anything difficult about doing it.

Nope, they are very easy to get to. Just make sure you cycle the key at least 3x with no crank before starting. You will hear the pump run and the sound of air and fuel getting pushed through. Let us know what the cartridge filter looks like and how many miles was on it if you could.

I will do just waiting for the filter to arrive. Also waiting for some Monster additive. Hopefully it will help too.

Wow it was extremly black. I think there are about 10,000 miles on it. Went well. Just gotta make sure to Prime it right. Now my radiator is leaking.

Do you use any type of additives ?

Yes I have been since about November. RBP additive.

Will the additve make the filters dirty fast?

Also why is the fuel system on the Duramax van so much different than the Pickups?

I am just trying to make a comparison between filters - mileage - additives - fuel. My primary filter is usually 75% black at roughly 20,000 miles. Is my filter better because I run Stanadyne every tank ? I get my fuel from all over the state just not 1 station.

Here is something I read somewhere and no my dumbass cannot remember where. The higher sulfur fuel would help kill the fungus. I am not sure if this is true or not but it could help explain some fuel issues especially with people that do not drive much and the fungus has time to grow.

http://www.uwex.edu/ces/crops/FuelBacteria.htm
Ron Schuler, UW Extension Ag Engineer, recently reported that bacteria and fungus “infections” are possible in diesel fuel and can cause clogged fuel filters and fuel injection nozzles. This problem is most likely to occur when water accumulates in the fuel system, primarily the fuel tank. Also, it is more prevalent when an engine is not used for long periods of time. These microorganisms are able to live in the water and feed off the fuel.

The first sign of a problem is an accumulation of a mucous like layer on the fuel filter element /medium. Draining the fuel system will reduce but not eliminate the problem. There are biocides available to destroy the microorganisms in the fuel system. Power Service Product (Address P.O.Box 1089, Weatherford, TX 76086, 1-800-643-9089, psp@ powerservice.com) has a biocide called BioKleen for this problem. Another product is Pri-Ocide, sold by Power Research Inc. (6970 Portwest Drive Suite 180, Houston, TX 77024, 1-713-490-1100, pri@priproducts.com).

To reduce the risk of a microbial diesel fuel infection, drain the water trap in the fuel system frequently. When changing the fuel filters, look for the mucous like accumulation. If the mucous is present, use a bio-cide. Check with local fuel supplier as a potential source of the bio-cide.

Take steps to reduce the potential of water from getting into the fuels. Be sure fuel tank caps and/or covers are in place unless the tank is being filled or serviced. Fill the tractor fuel tank at the end of each day instead of in the morning, which reduces the potential for water condensation in the tank.

http://www.powerservice.com/bk/

So did you go pick some up ?

the biokleen? i've never seen it for sale around here. i do use the regular white bottle power service though.

i didnt notice any mucus on my filter though.

If you have a marina or boat store near by they may have the biocide .

Had similar issue w/ '05 Silverado. Now I use mytvac connected to the filter bleed screw hole until fuel enters the little vial that comes with the mytvac. Once its there I know the filter is full and then I use that fuel to fill the system thru the schrader valve behind the alternator.