noob diesel questions

[Steebu]

Hiya, hopeful Duramax owner here with some extreme noob questions, so please bear with me. I did do a good bit of research but wanted to get this forum's input since we'll have some good tribal knowledge here regarding this specific engine.

1. Does "any" diesel work in the D-max? Biodiesel, #1, #2, #4, synthetic? Can you switch based on availability with no issues?
2. Do you need to add a fuel additive?
3. Any 'ol DEF work, like the stuff on Amazon? Better to keep it consistent or can you switch brands as needed? Any brands to avoid?
4. Due to garage constraints, planning on reverse-parking in the garage but that puts the exhaust just under a foot away from our gas water heater. When idling/warming up are there gigantic clouds of black soot shooting out the exhaust pipes (exaggerating, of course - but hope not)? Is this going to potentially damage the water heater? I don't think there's any kind of "intake" on the water heater; the flue and piping are all up top anyway but wanted to doublecheck.
5. About city driving: majority will be 15-minute drives to-and-from work, with several days of inactivity in between. We won't be marshalling cars around in the driveway so it's not like there will be 30-seconds of activity and then none for a week, but the majority of the trips will be short. Summer will have long camping trips and winter will have long drives to the mountain.
6. About winter driving: will parking for a few days straight at the ski resort when it's below freezing below cause any issues? Any tips/thoughts/aftermarket mods needed? Again, we're talking about a few days to the mountains - we don't live in Montana under 4' snow (although that sounds awesome).

Thanks much!

 

[Pro299]

There will be various advice. All free. Here's mine:

1. Use only Diesel #2. It gets blended for the season wherever you buy it. #1 is for extreme cold (think Prudhoe Bay). As for Bio, I think the limit is B10 for the 3.0. It's in the manual. It's not available in my area and I don't look for it when travelling.
2. No. (And yes, there are many who use additives. I only add them to my 6.6L since the fuel standard has changed since it was built.)
3. There is a standard for DEF (ISO 22241), and it should be labeled as meeting all US standards. Don't try to cheap out and it will be fine.
4. It won't hurt to start your vehicle close to a gas heater, but no way I'd let it sit idling in a garage to warm up--heater or no heater. There's no smoke from a modern diesel, and usually no smell unless you happen to hit a Regen cycle just right.
5. I often drive 15 minutes or so and have had no problems. There are occasional longer trips, so I don't even think about it. I just drive it like any other vehicle. This is a modern engine. If there were any expectation that serious damage would result from certain kinds of usage you can bet GM would have found a way to sound a warning and throw a code.
6. No personal experience since we only get mild winters here. A few nights in the single digits is about as bad as it gets. I don't even use the block heater, although I'm glad it's there, just in case I ever find myself having to go further north in winter than I ever want to again. Our skiing days are in the past, so we only go to the northern tier from May to September.

 

[Snowbound]

I believe @Pro299 covered it pretty well. Only thing I would add is biodiesel has better lubricating properties than the other ultra low sulfur fuels.
As for additives it’s not a bad idea to use some anti gel in cold temps, what they add to the fuel is inconsistent. I add some cleaner and cetane booster every other tank but keeping filters clean are the most important.

 

[Stbentoak]

Also on #3.. just use Wal mart Super Tech DEF. Cheap, always fresh, and available practically anywhere.
Don't waste your money on fuel additives, they just drive your cost per mile up. Maybe a little Power Service if its super cold in the winter (like 0F or below..)
But by and large, additives are just not needed...

 

[swathdiver]

5. About city driving: majority will be 15-minute drives to-and-from work, with several days of inactivity in between.

Some folks wake up to dead or low batteries after many short trips. The car is not on long enough, or going fast enough to get the battery fully recharged. I can't say that your commute will do that, just keep it in the back of your mind and maybe check the voltage at the end of a week. I keep a battery tender on mine when our trips get short and few.

 

[CTown Duramax]

IMHO, maybe read the supplementary diesel owners' manual. I found it was helpful. You should have a paper copy in your glove box. Here is the Chevrolet website online pdf of the "3.0L Duramax Diesel Engine Supplement". https://www.chevrolet.com/bypass/pc...l_3.0L_SUP_en_US_U_84557033C_2021FEB09_3P.pdf

 

[CTown Duramax]

PS - I don't think any of the concerns you raise should stop you from getting this great engine. I drive our Duramax in very heavy traffic most of the time, no problems. If you go into regen in stop and go traffic, just keep driving until regen stops after you've gotten out of stop and go traffic.

 

[Rangerdeepv]

If I am in traffic or stop and go when the regen light comes on I will keep driving until it goes out.

 

[Jtpmedic]

what?
There's a REGEN indicator?

 

[Pro299]

what?
There's a REGEN indicator?

Nope. That's one of the reasons i don't pay any attention to it. If it were really critical, GM would at least provide some form of signal so you'd know when it's entered the cycle. I can usually tell by the sound of the exhaust but that's the only indication you get.