Chevrolet/GMC 2.8L Duramax Diesel Engine Supplement (GMNA-Localizing-
U.S./Canada-14465442) - 2021 - CRC - 2/3/20
Driving and Operating 13
Driving and Operating
Starting and Operating
Starting the Diesel Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Winter Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Fuel Operated Heater (FOH) (VanModels Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Parking over Things That Burn . . . . . . . . . . 19
Diesel Particulate Filter
Diesel Particulate Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Diesel Exhaust Fluid
Diesel Exhaust Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Brakes
Exhaust Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Fuel
Top Tier Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Fuel for Diesel Engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Biodiesel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Cold Weather Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Water in Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Running Out of Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Fuel Filter Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . 34
Trailer Towing
Trailer Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Conversions and Add-Ons
Power Take-Off (PTO) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Starting and Operating
Starting the Diesel Engine
The diesel engine starts differently than a
gasoline engine.
Caution
If the steering wheel is turned until it
reaches the end of its travel, and is held
in that position while starting the vehicle,
damage may occur to the power steering
system and there may be loss of power
steering assist.
Move the shift lever to P (Park) or
N (Neutral). To restart the engine when the
vehicle is already moving, use
N (Neutral) only.
Caution
Do not try to shift to P (Park) if the
vehicle is moving. If you do, you could
damage the transmission. Shift to P (Park)
only when the vehicle is stopped.
Starting the Engine
1. Turn the ignition key to ON/RUN.
Chevrolet/GMC 2.8L Duramax Diesel Engine Supplement (GMNA-Localizing-
U.S./Canada-14465442) - 2021 - CRC - 2/3/20
Driving and Operating 25
Pickups
Vans
The exhaust brake is activated when Tow/
Haul Mode is activated. See “Tow/Haul
Mode” in the owner’s manual. A light comes on in the instrument cluster
when the exhaust brake and Tow/Haul are
activated. The switch must be pressed at
each vehicle start for the system to be
active.
Fuel
Top Tier Fuel
GM recommends the use of TOP TIER Diesel
Fuel to keep the engine clean, reduce engine
deposits, and maintain optimal vehicle
performance. Look for the TOP TIER Logo or
see www.toptiergas.com for a list of TOP
TIER Diesel Fuel marketers and applicable
countries.
Fuel Additives
TOP TIER Detergent Diesel is highly
recommended for use with your vehicle.
If your area does not have TOP TIER
Detergent Diesel, GM recommends the use
of ACDelco Diesel Fuel Conditioner. This will
help maintain optimal engine performance.
GM does not recommend other aftermarket
diesel additives.
If low-quality diesel is used for refueling,
GM recommends adding ACDelco Fuel
System Treatment Plus-Diesel to help clean
engine deposits. This is available at your GM
dealer.
Fuel for Diesel Engines
The selection of a high-quality fuel is
important for maintaining optimum vehicle
performance. Diesel fuel should meet or
exceed the minimum requirements in the
most current versions of the local fuel
standards.
Do not use fuel with more than 15 ppm
sulfur, commonly referred to as Ultra Low
Sulfur Fuel.
Do not use a diesel blend containing more
than 20% biodiesel by volume.
Chevrolet/GMC 2.8L Duramax Diesel Engine Supplement (GMNA-Localizing-
U.S./Canada-14465442) - 2021 - CRC - 2/3/20
26 Driving and Operating
Caution
Use of fuel that does not comply with
the required technical standards can lead
to engine power loss, increased wear,
or engine damage and may void your
warranty.
Some improper fuels are:
.Diesel fuel with the addition of
gasoline.
.Diesel fuel mixed with engine oil or
automatic transmission fluid.
.Triglyceride fuels, such as raw
vegetable oil or animal fat, in any
form, including with blends of diesel
or biodiesel.
.Marine diesel fuel and fuel oils.
.Diesel-water emulsions, such as
Aquazole.
.Aftermarket diesel fuel additives,
which contain alcohols, organo-metallic
additives, or water emulsifiers.
Caution
If the vehicle is accidentally refueled with
gasoline, do not continue driving the
vehicle. Driving the vehicle will damage
the fuel system. Have the vehicle towed
to a qualified technician to have the
gasoline removed from the tank and fuel
system. Refuel with Ultra Low Sulfur
Diesel fuel. It is also recommended to
have the fuel system flushed with Ultra
Low Sulfur Diesel, to ensure all gasoline
is removed.
Some conditions, such as dirty fuel, may
decrease fuel filter life and a CHANGE FUEL
FILTER message may come on in the Driver
Information Center (DIC).
Climate Grade Diesel Fuels
At temperatures below 0 °C (32 °F), avoid
using biodiesel blends above 5% by volume.
Using such a fuel may cause fuel filter
plugging, system gelling, and freezing, which
may adversely impact vehicle starting.
Severe winter grade diesel fuel, such as 1-D
diesel fuel or Arctic grade diesel fuel, can be
used in extreme cold temperatures (below
−18 °C or 0 °F); however, doing so will reduce power and fuel economy. Avoid
using severe winter grade fuel in warm or
hot climates. It can result in stalling, poor
starting, and damage to the fuel injection
system.
Fuels improperly blended for cold
temperature operation may result in
restricted fuel filters. The vehicle is equipped
with a fuel heating system to prevent
gelling or waxing of conventional diesel fuel
and biodiesel blends, but may not prevent
all cases.
In case of severe winter conditions, the fuel
filter may become clogged by wax naturally
present in the fuel. To unclog it, move the
vehicle to a warm garage area and allow the
filter to warm up. The fuel filter may need
to be replaced. See
Fuel Filter Replacement
0 30.Biodiesel
Biodiesel is a renewable fuel produced from
vegetable oils or animal fats that have been
chemically modified to make it compatible
with diesel fuel.
Chevrolet/GMC 2.8L Duramax Diesel Engine Supplement (GMNA-Localizing-
U.S./Canada-14465442) - 2021 - CRC - 2/3/20
86 Index
Exhaust FluidDiesel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
F
Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Replacement (Fuel) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Filter,
Engine Air Cleaner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Fluid Automatic Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Biodiesel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Cold Weather Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Diesel Engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . 34
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Filter Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Operated Heater (FOH) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Running out of Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Top Tier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Water in Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Fuel for Diesel Engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Fuses Engine Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . . 64
G
Gauges
Engine Oil Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
General Information
Service and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
H
HeaterEngine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Fuel Operated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
I
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
L
LampsMalfunction Indicator (Check Engine) . . . . 9
Lights Check Engine (Malfunction Indicator) . . . . 9
Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Power Take-off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Wait to Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
M
Maintenance
Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Maintenance Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73, 77 Maintenance Schedule (cont'd)
Recommended Fluids and Lubricants . . . . 78
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
O
Oil Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Engine Oil Pressure Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Overheating, Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
P
Parking Over Things That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Personalization Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Power Take-Off (PTO) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Power Take-Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
R
Recommended Fluids and Lubricants . . . . . . 78
Records Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Replacement Parts Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Routing, Engine Drive Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Running out of Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30