Anybody ever use automatic transmission fluid to prime diesel fuel filters?
I picked up the habit when I worked at a Ryder diesel shop in Michigan. I used to have a 6.9 IDIaT Ford, I always used ATF from a sealed bottle to prime the filter, never had trouble getting it started afterwards, never had injector troubles, probably cleaned the fuel system a little too, as most of it is returned to the tank at idle speeds. Reasoning at the Ryder shop was that ATF "suctioned" easier than diesel, and was less likely to have microscopic debris in it.
Most other places I worked at just used pump diesel to prime the filter, injector failures seemed to occur right after a truck had been serviced. One place did have a shiny 20 gallon tank that supposedly contained specially filtered fuel for priming, but it always seemed to me like too big of an opportunity for contamination.
I picked up the habit when I worked at a Ryder diesel shop in Michigan. I used to have a 6.9 IDIaT Ford, I always used ATF from a sealed bottle to prime the filter, never had trouble getting it started afterwards, never had injector troubles, probably cleaned the fuel system a little too, as most of it is returned to the tank at idle speeds. Reasoning at the Ryder shop was that ATF "suctioned" easier than diesel, and was less likely to have microscopic debris in it.
Most other places I worked at just used pump diesel to prime the filter, injector failures seemed to occur right after a truck had been serviced. One place did have a shiny 20 gallon tank that supposedly contained specially filtered fuel for priming, but it always seemed to me like too big of an opportunity for contamination.