I see this is a 2005. On some years 2003-2004 that I know of There was a problem of water getting into the fuel tank from on top of the tank. There was pictures of the top of the tank. theres two lines coming out of the tank . Only one used on the cummins the other is open and water can get in there. This is a factory bobo. This tank is used for the gassers too and the gassers use the line . The line comes out of the tank in a concaved area. water can lay in the concave and works its way into tank. This line or fitting needs to be blocked off. 6 months or a year ago there was much threads wrote on it along with pictures. Hope this helps

 

Holy cow!! Almost $12,000!!! When you say they're replacing everything, are you talking about the engine?? For that price you better be getting EVERYTHING that the fuel touches (engine, injectors, fuel pump, fuel tank, fuel lines, etc.).

I'm with the others. If they're saying that they're voiding your warranty and the reasoning is due to contaminated fuel then I would make them show you the lab results that prove the fuel is contaminated. Otherwise this is still their problem and they need to pony up the cash to pay for it.

Of course, for that kind of money, it would be very easy for someone at the service shop to slip something in your tank.

 

The fuel was never tested other than looking at it through a clear glass jar. They claim the debris was microscopic thats why there wasn't any in the fuel filter. I no longer have the fuel filter, my lawyer has it. I live close to San Antonio Texas were a little lab called SouthWest Research is located. Of interest In Oklahoma the tech told me prior to opening the hood on my truck the fuel was probably contaminated. I just looked at him and asked if he possessed some kind of esp or exray vision. He said no, thats what the star center is going to say. You know it's been over a month later and that guy was pretty smart.

 

Ok,let me get this straight. They claim its fuel contamination and charge you with a $12k bill on a brand new truck based on visualy looking at fuel in a clear jar with pictures sent over the internet and say it has microscopic contamination that cant be seen with the naked eye? Personaly I wouldent even need a lawyer for this one. I would trip them up with there own stupidity and get a whole new truck out of that deal. I also would be steaming hot at this point. WOW this just conferms my balife that STARs only perpose is to make sure I NEVER own anouther DC product again. If anyone from DC is reading this YOUR LOSSING COUSTOMERS BECAUSE OF YOUR OWN STUPIDITY!!!!! This has made even me mad as sin because it brings back so many bad memories of my own bad runins with STAR.


OK im done now.

 

I live in CT, if this was happening here(with our lemon laws) I would think the dealer was up to something. Here in CT, if your vehicle goes to the dealer 3 times for the same problem, you go to the state for arbitration, and a panel of 5 settles it. I got a brand new VW Passat that way, and the dealer was pulling all kinds of stuff out of his hat, but the panel listened and then ruled agianst them!!

 

fuel analysis by emailed picture? we never learned how to do that in chemistry class

 

Come on Rooster ,did you read my post about the fuel tank.???? Check it out , If you got a tank that has the open fitting, then thats DC fault. I even think there was a SB on it.

 

Rooster, Click on SEARCH at top of this page, Type in ( OPEN FUEL TANK FITTING )

 

I hope we are not getting bamboozled on this thread.

 

Given your scenario: Initial problem mis-diagnosed by first dealer apparently leading to ongoing engine damage, Oklahoma dealer tech hinting before he even opens hood that STAR is going to claim fuel contamination, Hutchinson dealer saying they took pictures of alleged "microscopic contamination" and emailed pic's to STAR and then voided your warranty...Something is very rotten in Denmark, or else you are leaving out some subtle but important details!

In the event that these contamination claims were to be found to be without merit, IMO they would seem to be perpetutating INSURANCE FRAUD by merely suggesting you need to make a claim with your insurnace company for vandalism! I think your insurance company might be very interested in pursuing this depending on what your attorney finds. If there are no facts (lab reports) to support fuel contamination then your insurance company could be an 800 lb gorilla sitting on your side.

You never made any mention of WIF indicator coming on or any dealer tech suggesting that you had water in fuel - correct? No water in the fuel in the samples collected in service tech's jars - right? Still, this alleged mysterious microscopic contamination has not been given a name, right? I mean just what the heck is this contamination that caused $11K+ in damages? Obviously, something caused your engine to fail but the question is exactly what? I'm just wondering if there could have been a faulty injector that was there from day one or some kind of manufacturing contaminate that found its way into the fuel system wreaking havoc with an injector(s) early on. Of course, it is possible to have gotten bad fuel somewhere or actually have been vandalized but the way this is unraveling seems mighty suspicious.

By the way, how did you or your attorney, get your hands on the fuel filter already if your truck is still dead in Minnesota? Just curious.

I once lived in San Antonio and knew some engineers that worked at SWRI and it is very well respected! Hope they they can help solve the mystery.

 

Update????

 

Rooster, if you didn't know by now DC is screwing you. First of all raise some H3LL with DC, start calling up the chain daily until you get somewhere. Get the truck back and take it to a dealership you trust.
Its been over a month so the best course of action at this point may be to turn it over to the insurance with all the minute details of what happened to get you to this point. Throw the FRAUD word around while talking to them.

Hope it works out with you coming out on top.

 

If it still kinda runs.....fire her up and take out a Viper sitting on the show room and tell them it must have been some kinda fuel contamination problem!

 

Maybe you and your lawyer could look for TSB's, here is a link
http://www.dodgeram.info/tsb/index.html. maybe there is something there.

 

Bluepp posted about the open nipples on the top of the fuel tanks.
EVERYONE should be checking this! [Cheap, easy fix!]

On the TDR it was originally posted (at least in "recent" history),
by "Fireman" on 3-9-05. He had been having problems with "crud"
in his tank - and ended up dropping the tank to flush it.

On doing this he discovered the two open nipples on the top of the
tank. As I recall, he had a long bed - and the 2 nipples each sat in a
recession on the tank - one front, one rear - which allowed water to
puddle there - and most certainly be "inhaled" by the tank.

This post [titled: "Check your fuel tank today" ]
went to 9 pages and 127 (at last count) replies!
Well worth visiting.

All but a couple discovered that the nipples were open.
A couple(?) of posters said on their trucks the nipples had short
sections of hose already attached (pigtails).

Of course I went out and checked my late production '05 SB, sure
enough - there and OPEN! I'm in CA - passed this info to a friend in
OR. He has a very cooperative dealer there (mods OK) - but on this
simple fix, they told him to pound sand. Of course he did it himself.
[Maybe the dealer meant pound FOR sand in the tank!]

This has to be a contributing item causing lift pump and other failures.
[See the comments "Superduty" received from guys with
"crud", junk, etc. - replying to his info on the CP3 on these forums]

Apparently there have been previous threads on this same item -
dating back several years - and picked up on all the various CTD forums.

Obviously, if you live in an area of the country with lots of water (snow)
on the roads, and/or off-road (mud, puddles, streams), the chance of
injesting junk via these nipples has to be increased.
This may have been the situation for "Rooster" - in MN.
JC