Failures JH Diesel and 4x4 Sees Every Week
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Car
Chevrolet Duramax
The Chevrolet Duramax is a powerful diesel engine used in trucks, especially known for its strength and reliability. The LLY is a specific version of this engine made in 2005.
Part
Banks Six Gun
The Banks Six Gun is a device that helps make diesel engines more powerful by changing how they work. It can help the truck go faster and use fuel better.
Term
Cummins
Cummins makes powerful diesel engines that are often used in trucks. They are known for being strong and long-lasting.
Term
horsepower
Horsepower tells you how powerful an engine is. The higher the horsepower, the faster and stronger the car can be.
Term
Duramax
Duramax engines are powerful diesel engines made by General Motors, mainly found in their larger trucks. They're known for being strong and good for heavy towing.
Term
lift kit
A lift kit is a set of parts that you can add to a vehicle to make it taller. This helps the vehicle go off-road better and allows for bigger tires.
Term
leveling kit
A leveling kit is a modification that raises the front of a truck so that it is level with the back. This helps improve the look and allows for bigger tires.
Term
six liters
Six liters is a nickname for a diesel engine used in Ford trucks. It has some known issues but is still favored for its power and performance.
Term
five nine common rail
The five nine common rail is a diesel engine used in some trucks. It's known for being strong and efficient, making it a favorite among truck enthusiasts.
Term
LB7
LB7 is a type of diesel engine used in some trucks. It's known for being powerful and efficient, especially in heavy-duty vehicles.
Term
seven threes
Seven threes is a nickname for a specific diesel engine used in Ford trucks. It's known for being very reliable and powerful, especially for heavy work.
Term
LOI
LOI is an engine code for a specific diesel engine found in some trucks. It's popular among truck owners for its durability and power.
Term
CP4 pump
A CP4 pump is a part of the fuel system in some diesel engines that helps deliver fuel to the engine. If it fails, it can cause serious problems with how the engine runs.
Term
LML
LML is a type of diesel engine used in some Chevy and GMC trucks. It's designed to be powerful and efficient, making it good for heavy work.
Term
lift pump
A lift pump is a device that helps move fuel from the gas tank to the engine. It's important for making sure the engine gets enough fuel to work properly.
Term
CP3
A CP3 is a fuel pump that helps send fuel to a diesel engine. It's important because it makes sure the engine gets the right amount of fuel to run well.
Term
head gaskets
Head gaskets are parts in an engine that keep oil and coolant from mixing. If they break, it can cause big problems for the engine.
Car
Chevy Square Body
The 'Square Body' is a type of Chevrolet truck made between 1973 and 1987. They are known for their square, boxy design and are often customized by car enthusiasts.
Term
L5P
The L5P is a powerful diesel engine used in some Chevrolet and GMC trucks. It's known for being strong and good for towing heavy loads.
Concept
PRI
PRI is a big trade show where people in the racing world come together to see new products and technologies. It's a place for networking and learning about what's new in racing.
Term
square bodies
Square bodies are a type of Chevy and GMC truck made between 1973 and 1987. They are known for their boxy shape and are loved by many people for their classic look.
Term
reliability
Reliability means how well a car works without having problems. A reliable car doesn't break down often and doesn't need a lot of repairs.
Term
diesel
Diesel is a type of fuel used in some cars and trucks. Diesel engines are usually more fuel-efficient and provide more power compared to regular gasoline engines.
Term
tuning
Tuning is when you change settings in a car's computer to make it run better or faster. It's like adjusting the recipe to make a dish taste just right.
Part
turbo
A turbo is a part that helps the engine get more air, which makes it more powerful. It's like giving the engine a boost to make it run faster.
Term
intercooler piping
Intercooler piping is the tubing that carries cool air from the intercooler to the engine. It helps the engine run better by cooling the air that goes into it.
Car
1978 Chevrolet C/K
The 1978 Chevrolet C/K is a type of pickup truck that is known for being tough and reliable. Many people like to modify or restore these trucks.
Car
2001 Ram
The 2001 Dodge Ram is a big pickup truck that is known for being powerful and good for towing things. It's part of a series of trucks that have a tough look and many useful features.
Part
P pump 24 valve
A P pump is a special part that helps deliver fuel to a diesel engine. It's important for making sure the engine runs well and efficiently.
Company
Classic Instruments
Classic Instruments makes special gauges that help show important information about how a car is running, like speed and engine RPM. They're often used in classic cars to keep them looking and working like new.
Part
transmission cross member
The transmission cross member is a part that holds the car's transmission in place. If you're changing or swapping the transmission, you might need to make or adjust this part to fit properly.
Part
engine mounts
Engine mounts are parts that hold the engine in place in your car. They help keep the engine steady and reduce vibrations while the car is running.
Term
Powerstroke
Powerstroke engines are strong diesel engines made by Ford for their larger trucks. They're built to handle heavy towing and tough jobs.
LIVE
Welcome to the diesel podcast presented by DFC diesel.
Justin, welcome back to the podcast.
Looking forward to chatting with you today.
We talked years ago on the podcast about J H diesel and things you were up to.
I thought it'd be great to reconnect with you.
I saw, I think you were a PRI last week and I saw some pictures of some things
you were doing.
So welcome back to the podcast.
Yeah, man.
Thank you for having me back.
It's been a couple of years, but we've been looking forward to this.
So this is awesome.
I know that you have a huge following on YouTube and social media and a
lot of our listeners are going to be familiar with you.
But just to kind of start, tell me a bit about yourself, your company,
where you're located, what your focus is in automotive.
Yeah.
So we are, my company's J H diesel and four by four.
I started it back in 2010.
Doing it out of my mom's little shed next to the house and upped it from there.
We're in Bradenton, Florida now.
So we moved it about 30 minutes west, but we've been here for now going on
15 years in this location.
We're finally doing our final expansion on the shop.
We had a lot of county issues.
We had to fight and got that all squared away.
So we're doing our final expansion and yeah, things are rocking and rolling
pretty good and then we do the YouTube thing, social media.
So everything's really, really coming together.
Just anything diesel for us is where we're at.
So that's our main focus.
I follow you on on YouTube and there's so many really cool videos,
cool builds that that you do.
And like, where did, where did your passion for automotive start?
Where did it, was it always diesel?
Did it kind of morph into it?
Where did it begin?
Um, for, you know, growing up, living out in the country, we always had,
you know, four wheelers, dirt bikes, anything with an engine.
So really when we're having to rebuild our own engines or rear ends
or front ends on our four wheelers, when we were 13, 14 years old, and then
it just progressed, you know, first truck I had was a gas truck.
And then I bought a project diesel truck that had actually caught on fire.
And that's really what basically turned me into diesel.
And I always liked them.
Um, I'll never forget my brother had a brand new 05 Duramax, LLY.
We slapped a bank six gun on it.
And just from the day we did that, being able to just go out there and
rip a burnout black smoke coming out, not the black smoke is good anymore.
But back then it was, it was awesome.
And I was like, all right, this is awesome.
This is what I want to do.
So that was kind of my kickoff of, you know, getting into the
diesels and that's really what I've stayed focused on as the diesels.
One of the things I remember to grab my attention way back then is like,
I started in gas too and trucks was the performance that you could get
out of them, which is something like, like you mentioned the bank six
gun or edge or at that time, like smarty on the Cummins and different things
like that.
You could just get so much power and torque out of them.
It was just like, I need to get in on this.
Like I need to get one.
I need to start having some fun.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It was like plugging a banks and you're like 150 horsepower and it's like,
that's unheard of, you know?
And so obviously learning later on down the road of EFI live and adding
lift pumps and there's so much stuff that we missed, but it was working
great at the time, so it was awesome.
One of the things I love to do when I have a shop owner on is to talk
with them about the evolution of what people are asking for, what the
trends are, what you're seeing at the shop.
How has it evolved from when you started it until 2025 with either upgrades
people are looking for, maybe things that used to be popular that aren't
what are the like the trends that you're seeing with customers are in
the shop?
So I have seen a downfall in the performance on in our shop.
So our last time we were on the podcast, we spoke because I had gotten
hit by DPA for deletes and things like that.
We don't do that anymore.
So we called Turkey quit whenever we got hit, we're like, all right,
we're done.
We're not doing it anymore.
So when it started, it was more or less focused on performance, four-wheel
drive, the fun stuff, but we're still constantly fixing the common
six-liter issues, you know, back then seven threes, six O's and six
sevens really were so new.
We hadn't gotten into those much and I was a Duramax guy.
So Duramax issues.
We are fixing issues from the start over the years, especially not
being able to do as much performance stuff.
We've leaned more into the lift kit wheel and tire market and then
everybody with a big truck seems like they want a leveling kit lift kit
wheels, tires, they want to customize it however they seem fit for them.
So that's a big transfer.
And then mainly going from the performance to fleet or repair is
taken over most of my shop now because anytime somebody calls are like,
Hey, can you do a delete?
We can't do it, but we can do some good emissions on tuning.
They're like, Nope, Nope, I want to delete it.
And then they don't, you know, so we don't get that performance side
as much anymore.
We're more fleet maintenance and heavy jobs like head gaskets, engines,
just constant stuff like that.
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That's a really interesting part of the diesel industry to me because
it's focused on the business aspect and maintenance and repair,
which it kind of, it kind of circles back to the enthusiast side as well
with the cost of new vehicles.
And I think the emissions question really kind of hits truck owners
hard and they've looked towards older vehicles.
Maybe not as a primary, but they're getting something.
They're going back to the LOI, the LB seven, the five nine common rail,
even seven threes and six liters.
What's on the fleet side are the biggest questions or concerns
that you hear from people maintenance?
The biggest, well, I guess that's not really concerns from people,
but it's issues that we see is maintenance is huge on the newer diesels.
Like if you're lacking maintenance, you're not hearing oil changes
in your fuel filters.
You are just hurting the life of that thing every step of the way.
So failure wise, that's what we see the most issues with that stuff.
As you would know, the CP four pumps and the six sevens or the Duramax,
you know, and we're doing, you know, DCRs all the time on these trucks,
getting them going.
So that's, you know, that's mainly what we see.
So that's, that's from my perspective of it.
No, it's going to vary a bit whether it's a Ford or GM or Ram,
but what are some reliability upgrades that you like?
Like, I guess we could focus in on the Duramax side for a second.
Like, so let's say it's an LML, L5P.
What, what would you suggest for kind of like an ultimate
reliability package on one of those trucks?
Man, LMLs, you know, L5Ps, there's just not really much bad to say about an L5P.
I think they got those things pretty straight, straightened out.
You've got minor stuff.
The LMLs, the CP fours, obviously CP three conversions huge.
I highly recommend that throw a fuel system of your choice on there,
like a lift pump system with a CP three.
And, you know, I got guys that go for 500.
I have a truck right now.
We've done services on it since day one and he's always brought it to us.
He's just under 500,000 miles on LML and we did head yaskets on it.
There was nothing wrong with the heads, had them resurface, put them back on.
We did that about 400 and I said, Hey man, he was still running the CP four.
And I said, what do you want to do?
He goes, just put another brand new CP four on it.
I said, okay.
And we had installed a fast pump on it at 100,000 miles.
So it had a lift pump, but that was just kind of show like the LMLs, like CP
three conversions huge.
Most of the trucks now, unless you're adding power, you know, they're pretty dang
reliable from what we're seeing.
We obviously have our common emissions issues, but for the most part, you know,
you're not seeing huge issues like used to back in the day from people
plugging in programmers and cranking them up.
What do you think's been the key for that truck to keep a CP four on it that
long?
I don't know because I really don't.
He gets all of his fuel from like he has a job.
He works at like a construction site.
So they get their fuel from the same tanks.
He's just, he is good on maintenance though.
Brings it to us every 5000 for the oil change every 10,000 or changing
out the fuel filters.
So what he's done, I don't know.
And like I said, for an LML, that's a very good mileage for an LML.
So 500,000 for any truck is really good.
So that's a common question we get from people who don't have a diesel yet,
but they're interested in it and they start to look at older versus newer.
And I think, I think maintenance is probably the key part of it.
Just how crucial it is, especially on newer trucks with the injection pumps,
the injectors, the emission systems, everything surrounding a newer truck.
It's just, it's, it's crucial on old ones as well.
But like even more so on a new truck.
I agree.
Like the newer trucks, they're just a little more finicky where if it's not
reading, you know, a knock sensor properly or an O2 sensor because, you know,
the fuel was bad or you had a plug filter or something.
And things can really go haywire on those trucks and cause some really weird issues.
As like with the shop itself and I think like the content that you make,
it's so engaging, it's so awesome.
As I mentioned, I subscribe to you and watch your videos.
What, like as we head into 2026 and wrap up this year, are there,
what are some things you're really excited for, for next year?
Or like whether it's builds or partnerships or, you know, you mentioned
the shop and expanding it and growing it.
What are some things you're excited for heading into next year?
Next year, you know, the shop is kind of a somewhat self-sufficient now.
Like we've, we've had enough time into it where it's kind of a well-oiled
machine where I've got a great service rider.
I've got great techs.
So everybody stays busy.
Everybody's consistent.
I'm bouncing back and forth from the shop to the YouTube side.
So, and I have a full-time guy on the YouTube side, Justin.
Also his name is Justin and he stays very busy with the YouTube side.
He can do fab work, mechanic work.
So next year, I want to focus more on the YouTube.
I want to push that channel as much as we can.
We got some really exciting projects coming up.
One of them is a square body Chevy.
We're putting L five P and once the shop additions done, we'll be able
to have the room to do that.
We are doing a fully built motor into another square body.
That's that we're doing.
And then we just kind of worked out some deals at PRI for the 72 fast class.
So we're going to be entering that and we got to think it's fairly good
surprise we're going to do for that.
So, but I'll throw some people off, but it'll be really cool.
I love square bodies.
Like I've always, I don't know what about them.
I've always, I've always loved those trucks or something like classic
nostalgic about them.
What, what made you choose an L five P to put into it?
Um, you know, I was actually kind of looking around and I ended up
talking to Dustin over at Worley.
I was talking to him one day and he's like, man, we've been doing
the L five P swaps and he kind of put into perspective.
He's like, man, these trucks are getting, you know, 600 horsepower
with basic tuning mods and just basic bolt ons.
And it's like, man, to get that out of like an L, L, Y, L, B, Z,
you're like borderline.
Like you might be cracking a piston.
You might be blowing a head gasket, whatever.
And so to be able to really put something in that doesn't take
much so it stays reliable.
Um, we've already got like an insanely powered diesel square
body that's almost undrivable on the street sometime.
So having one that's going to be really fun to, to drive around
and we're planning to take it off road and do things with it.
And, uh, that'll be really fun to do with that.
So that's, that's why I went the L five P.
I feel like reliability and driving building with the, like
the upgrades in like the power level, what, what kind of choices
did you make for up in the power a little bit, whether it's with
hard parts tuning, just getting it into that truck and getting
the power level where you want.
Um, mainly tuning, uh, I have talked to a couple of companies we
work with.
I don't want to mention because I'm not sure which route we're
going to go, but they're all developing turbos for the L five
P.
So it's probably more or less going to be the tuning side and
then the, um, L five P upgraded turbo.
And we're really probably going to stop it there minus basic mods
as far as intercooler piping, which is all going to be custom
and, you know, intake system, all that good stuff.
So how involved is a swap into an older truck like that with
an L five P, the transmission setup, getting it all to work.
I don't know.
I don't know yet.
Uh, we're working on it.
So we did, we have a 78 square body that we ended up putting
the six seven Cummins in and we, we actually took the body and
put it on an 01 Ram frame.
Uh, originally it had a P pump 24 valve in it, pulled that, put
a free dimension six seven in it and the truck is super fun.
And we actually have, uh, I'm trying to remember the name of
the classic instruments gauges in it.
And in the classic instruments, we've got it working with the
alternator, the RPM gauge, the speedo, everything works like factory.
So it's really nice.
You get in and the truck looks like a factory really clean truck
inside and the outside's a little tarnished, rusty, this and that,
but, and then it's got the Cummins.
So as far as swapping, it goes, you'll have to build your
own transmission cross member.
You'll probably have to adjust or build your own engine mounts.
Um, and then obviously intercooler radiator.
We're going to try to fit that stack up front guys are doing it.
We just have to figure out how we're going to do it.
So I get a lot of questions from listeners about doing a swap and I've
never done one.
I have some very basic knowledge of it, but how involved is it and
what tips would you give somebody?
I guess it would depend on the engine and the truck that they're
doing, but some, some kind of general tips in tackling a project like that.
Like what, what, what have you seen there in the shop?
What would you suggest people either look out for or do?
So I want to clarify, we don't do this for the shop.
So like my shop is in and out work.
Um, we kind of quit doing swaps and things like that.
The reason for that is, and this is gets into your question time.
Like swaps are very time consuming and you want to do it right.
You don't want to cut a corner or you want to half-ass it and then a
lot of people are going to be looking at this build because it's unique.
So one of the biggest things I can say is do it right.
Don't try to cut a corner.
You know, and time is going to take you, it's, it's time.
You know, some guys probably got a nailed down or they can knock
them out in a week or two.
Me, I don't do them all the time.
So, you know, time is key on those projects.
Yeah.
I think that's, it's one of the, the themes that I hear a lot is just the
time involved making it work.
It's not as simple as, as we'd like to think that it is.
Um, you know, even just with fitting it in there, getting things to work.
Some of the basic parts of it, it just seems like a very.
You take, you know, a gas engine now and the diesels typically are wider there
or you do an inline six.
So it's longer.
So there's all these issues you fight.
I mean, you're putting something in there that didn't belong.
Um, so, and then that's another problem too.
A lot of people start it, realize how big of a job it is and they'll either
give up, sell the project, or they'll give up on it and it sits there and rots
away.
I mean, I've seen it happen every which way.
So you'd mentioned YouTube and I think I want to spend a little bit of time
talking about that because I think for shop owners or for the people in the
industry that are listening that have a business, they think or, or they know
like, Hey, I should jump on YouTube.
I should start making content, but I don't know if they know how involved
it is, like what a project it is to be a content creator.
And I think you have a very unique experience and some advice that you
could provide to our listeners.
When you're running a shop, you have the business aspect to it.
You have management of employees, the expansion, ordering parts, getting
all that, and then it's, Hey, I'm going to go create a video.
How do you balance all of that to be able to do both exceptionally?
Well, I think that's the main challenge that a business owner is going to face.
It's definitely tough.
I mean, I'm not going to say I'm perfect to either one.
We try, but we are, you know, we're making it all work.
So balancing it out is huge, especially being a shop owner.
It's very tough.
If you're like still kind of up and coming and building up your shop.
It's probably not a good idea to try to start a YouTube channel.
I'm fortunate enough, like I said, where my shop to a point runs itself
just about and, and that part of that is my crew.
I couldn't do what I do without the crew.
So that is huge on that aspect of it.
Cause, you know, it does take time.
I mean, I edit all of my own videos.
So I have my mechanic that works for the YouTube side.
He will also film and just huge shout out to him because me and him
have done so much together.
We've been friends for years and if it wasn't for him, we wouldn't be
where we're at, but he's, he films.
I'll basically take all the footage and I go back and I edit it and
then obviously, you know, proof it, get it up on YouTube, create thumbnails
and titles and that's one of the biggest things.
One of my YouTuber buddies was like, Hey man, titles and thumbnails are key.
You got to have a good title.
You got to have a good thumbnail because if they don't want to click
on your video because it looks boring, you're probably going to miss a
lot of views.
So that's like a really key thing that I could give for advice is titles
and thumbnails.
I probably spend sometimes I'll spend three or four hours on the
thumbnail for a video and it took me 30 minutes to edit the video.
A lot of times it takes longer, but most of the time it's, you know,
at minimum probably an hour to three, four hours on thumbnails and I
might do two or three and weigh them out and go, man, this one looks
good.
This one looks good.
And then your titles really coming up with a creative attention
grabbing title is huge.
Where did the ideas come from like for the videos?
It's something like you're already working on it.
Think, Hey, this would be really cool to show people or do you plan it
out and say, um, it's part of my like rotation, what I want to show my
subs, like I'm going to film this particular thing.
How does, how do the ideas come about for the videos?
A lot of our events kind of come naturally because we were already
going to events, you know, a lot of the guys were already racing and
going to, you know, mudding events and drag racing and all that stuff.
So that's a big portion of it is the events.
The other stuff for ideas as far as projects go.
I had some projects like my square body that we did build.
That was something I had sitting there waiting for years and it was
originally going to get a Duramax ended up getting a Cummins.
Just how it worked out.
We made it all work.
Um, projects, you're always trying to come up with something like you
have to try to be as creative as possible.
I bounce ideas off my wife.
I bounce ideas off Justin.
I'll bounce ideas off my buddies.
What do you guys think about this?
Is this sound entertaining?
What could you do?
And, uh, that's really where it comes, you know, that's, that's really
where you have to go with it is just trying to be as creative as possible
and trying to keep it consistent.
You know, if you post a video once a month, you're probably not going to
grow, but as far as a YouTuber or a content creator, you have to
be consistently getting your stuff out there so people can see it.
With like the, the frequency of it and like the length of it.
Is that something that factors into it strategically?
Like, I'm going to do a 30 minute video.
I'm going to do it shorter.
Maybe there's shorts.
Like, I think that's a question that, um, that a lot of people would have.
It doesn't even have to be a shop owner.
It could just be an enthusiast.
It's like, Hey, I want to share something.
Should I film for five or 10 minutes?
Should I do an hour?
Like what, what has your experience been with the length of the content?
How in depth you go with it?
So I, at one time I was under the impression and, you know, me and
a couple other YouTubers were trying it every like two days.
You'd film on, you'd post a video on Monday.
You need to post again on Wednesday, then again on Friday, then on Sunday,
then, you know, so forth.
Um, and those videos would be about 15 to 20 minutes, 25 minutes
at the most as everything's evolved and people are evolving with YouTube
and stuff.
Now we're finding the longer form content less times a week.
We're getting more average viewers.
So like rather than posting, you know, five 15 minute videos or
four 15 minute videos and posting three, two or three 35, 40 minute
videos, our views are, are, um, everything is staying the same.
So it's better to do that now that we found out every two to three days post
a video and it's helped out with algorithms.
I think YouTube works a lot off the algorithm.
So if that's popular now, that's what they're going to push and you
have to watch for that.
What's YouTube pushing right now?
Because they kind of push different things at different times.
So it's really interesting.
I tend to gravitate more towards longer videos.
I always have because I want the details or I feel like I'm going to have
I'm going to learn more through something, something, you know, longer
and like when it comes to diesel trucks and like events you mentioned,
racing, all those, all those different aspects to it.
It's like, I want to immerse myself in it.
So if I see a video and it's like 40 minutes long or an hour long, I'm like,
Oh, I'm, I'm going to sit down.
I'm going to watch this versus if it's like five minutes or 10, I'm like,
Oh, it's, it's not going to have the depth that I want.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And that's what we're finding.
That's what we've kind of branched our content to is doing longer videos,
more informative videos where we would skip over stuff before and be like,
nobody really wants to see that, but you never know.
Because just cause we've done it and we've got experience in it.
The guy that's never done it, you might have half your followings never
seen anything like that and they want to check it out and then it brings
a new following also.
So we've definitely branched out and started making a longer form for that
reason.
Common question we get from you guys a lot is, Hey, I need a diesel engine.
I either, you know, I can't wait this long to get one or normal place.
I get stuff from it.
It just takes too long or I don't, they don't have the parts in it that I
need.
Maybe my truck's not stock or I tow heavy with it.
I don't want to go back with just a stock engine.
DFC diesel is a sponsor of the podcast.
We worked with them, you know, hand in hand on doing episodes, answering
technical questions.
They have a complete lineup of Cummins, Duramax and Powerstroke,
remanufactured engines that are set to a standard of ISO 9001 2015 standards,
which is a huge deal in the aftermarket and there's certain levels of quality
testing validation that are required for that.
So, you know, when you get one of those engines, the type of quality that's
built behind it with an industry leading warranty that's really comprehensive.
And, you know, the other thing with that is, you know, sometimes the options
that are out there, it's just, it's a basic OEM engine.
You want a little bit more.
You don't want to have the same failure again.
So there's a bunch of different series of engines that they have from core
street tow haul and also the speed of air series, which we've covered on the
podcast before.
There's a lot of really cool benefits to it.
And if you have questions about that, reach out to them.
If you don't know the type of engine that you're looking for, if you
go to DFC diesel.com, there's a ton of info there.
You can send an email or you can reach out to them.
Also, they're working with speed of air pistons, which it's the only
piston that pays for itself.
And there's a lot of really cool technology behind it.
So you can add that into your build and be able to get better fuel economy,
you know, increased power, increased torque and better engine life out of it.
You know, some of the most common engine applications or series of engines
that they have with that lead time, a lot of them are in stock or they have
really short lead times.
So you can check your favorite retailer or go to DFC diesel.com.
Check them out to see what's in stock, see what you can get.
If you have questions, maybe you want to do, you know, something
that's outside of the normal series of engines, they have tons of choices
for rods, cranks, pistons, valve train upgrades, tons of different things.
So if you're in the market, definitely make sure and hit on over and check them
out.
Something else I'm really curious about, it kind of ties in a little bit
with YouTube, but I think more so with your business and the brands that
you work with.
I think that's a really key part of, of what an enthusiast or somebody
that's going to do a project or wants to maintain their truck.
They, they wonder like, why does, why does this particular shop favor
this brand of engine or, or lift pump system or injectors?
Can you talk a bit about your experience and the relationships that
you've built over the years with brands and how they've not just supported
your business, but then also made trucks run better or projects go smoother?
Um, we've been dealing, it's mainly experience.
It's like we've tried just about every name in the industry.
I'm not going to say we haven't.
I mean, we, we want to know what the best thing out there is every shop
that, every truck that leaves our shop comes with that minimum a one year
warranty.
So I'm putting parts on your truck.
I want to make sure that they're going to be stood behind and I'll be honest.
It's, it's one of those things that I've seen a big downfall in the past
couple of years from manufacturers and stuff.
They don't want to back their product and they make it very difficult
where if their product fails, like, you know, well, Hey, your injection
pump failed.
Okay.
You have to pull it off.
You have to send it to us.
We're going to tell you if it's bad, if we think it's bad or say it's bad,
then we're going to refund you your money or give you another pump.
So I'm going to explain to my customer that dropped whatever, how many
thousands of dollars into their vehicle and say, Hey, you know, like this,
we have to pull it back off.
It's that's one thing we try to avoid because I stand behind it.
My labor is covered.
I got to pay my guys and is what it is.
And so that's huge on dealing with different companies.
And we've had trial and errors in the past where, you know, we had a
company where we're getting engines from and we bought like 50 to 70.
I think it was close to 70 engines in a couple of years.
And they just, we had like a couple of failures, totally not our fault.
And they just didn't want to cover it.
And I'm like, you know what, let's go, you know, we have to try somebody
else because you just cost me that much.
So that's really key is finding somebody that wants to, you know,
stand behind their product.
And so that's, you know, and I'm happy with pretty much everybody I
work with now, they stand behind their product.
Like it's not a problem.
Hey, we got this issue.
We did our tests on it.
Here you go.
And they come back with a good feedback on it.
So I think that's really, really key because, you know, as a truck owner,
you're just dealing with your own truck, one vehicle, you're seeing
dozens, hundreds per month, you know, however many that are coming
through the shop.
So you get experience with every brand, every process, pre-sale, post-sale,
warranty, technical information.
And I think that's where the experience that you have is so incredibly crucial
because you don't get that from a website or an ad that you see or maybe even
calling a company and asking them questions.
Yeah.
You know, you see it all the way around.
Yeah.
We see about, we do about 12 to 1500 trucks a year.
We're minimum about 100 trucks a month and it's consistently rolling.
You know, like you've always got, we've always got 40, 50, 60 working
orders going on at one time.
So a lot of these jobs now are big jobs.
So we're seeing a truck that's calls for a 36 hours of labor rate.
That's one tech down for like four days, you know, and then that truck is here
for four days for the job plus a day for Diag or whatever.
So we're seeing, you know, we do see it on a regular basis with as many trucks
as we do.
I saw that, I think it was on Instagram, you were at PRI and that's an event
I've always wanted to go to.
I've always wanted to check it out because to me it's like every name in diesel.
And I know there's a lot of gas and other parts of motorsports that are there.
Yeah.
What was it like being there and seeing companies maybe connecting with friends
or new brands?
Like what's that experience like?
It's definitely something that you need to do, whether you're a shop owner,
an influencer, creator, and you're in the automotive industry.
I prefer PRI.
I've been to SEMA, PRI.
SEMA is more flashy, more show off-y where PRI really gets in the nitty-gritty
of engines and machines as far as machines for your shop, things like that.
They've got a massive machine area where they've got hot tanks and welders
and torches, anything you could imagine is in there.
I really think it's a great place to make connections as that's why we go.
And we make connections and get to talk to the people in person that we talk
to you on the phone all the time.
So you get to put a face with a name and then they see who you are and you
get to learn a lot.
It's a good networking.
PRI is definitely huge for networking.
I got to do a couple episodes with companies in their booth at PRI.
And it was so cool.
I had Fleece Performance on and Amsoil at the same time and they were
talking about this branded oil that the Freedom Racing engines and Fleece
Performance have specified.
And those partnerships just get me so excited because they're two huge brands.
I'm really familiar with them and they're working together.
It's so cool to see stuff like that.
It is and it's awesome for us because we already work with Fleece.
We already work with Amsoil.
So we didn't find out till like a week or two before what was going on just
because you know they didn't want to release it that early and everything
and they let us all know and making sure we're going to be a PRI for it.
And it's really cool because both of them want to push the industry.
Both of them want to progress.
They want their companies to progress.
They want everybody else to progress.
And the more they need their name out there, they're going to try everything
they can.
So it's really good to be working with companies that want to push you want
to push the brand and push your brand.
They're great companies just examples right there.
So it's awesome to see it.
You had mentioned like how many trucks they come through the shop, which
it's an incredible number.
And we talked about like your experience with brands and one of one of
the categories that we get a lot of questions about is like with oil and
fluids, whether it's transmission, coolant, things like that.
And from my discussions with Amsoil, I know they're extremely dedicated
to the diesel market.
They put a lot of time and effort into engineering products to meet the demands
of diesel trucks.
Like what do you see on your side as a shop owner, whether it's with oil,
transmission fluid, coolant, gear oil, like things like that for like what
Amsoil does for the marketplace?
As far as I'm going to try to answer the best I can.
It is a good thing since we've had Amsoil in our shop now, which we've
always used Amsoil.
So like any high-performance thing that we had or we have a bill LS on our
airboat, we've got our diesel drag truck, our big mud truck.
It's got a higher horsepower motor.
We run Amsoil and all that stuff, always have.
And then so doing the partnership with them, it made my shop now where instead
of going with like this bulk generic oil, which was good oil, we had no issues
with it, we transferred everything over to Amsoil.
And I've gotten great feedback from customers.
The oil just, I mean, I put it in one of my trucks not saying that the oil in
there wasn't abused or beat on, but we gained a few pounds of pressure on the
oil side.
So that right there is just going to show you, Hey, man, in my competition
engine, I gained five pounds of oil pressure just by swapping over to Amsoil
2050.
So as far as for the shop side of it, it is good, especially to have that
brand.
Everybody knows Amsoil, but the hardest part is where can you get Amsoil?
So having Amsoil available and out there, people knowing they really
like that name and it's a comfort thing because you know you're getting a
quality oil.
You know the Amsoil is top of the line and you're going to put a quality
oil in your 50 to $100,000 diesel truck that you just bought.
When I first heard about those years ago, but it was on the competition
side and it was somebody who raced and I was talking with them like about
their build, what they wanted to do, kind of the maintenance with it.
And the one thing that stood out from that conversation was he had talked
about Amsoil and how he runs it, the teardowns on his engines.
He would do after the season like less wear than he was seeing before.
And I remember that jumped out to me.
Not that I was going to have a race truck, but I thought if it's good enough
for what this person is putting this engine in this truck through, it's
going to be good enough for my daily driver.
Absolutely.
We had a lot of talks with them because when we told them kind of what
we were running for, like our factory stuff, not our competition stuff.
And, you know, they said, we send us the oil.
Let's do a breakdown chart on it.
Let's see how that oil is in 5,000 miles and then run our oil for 5,000
miles and let's test it out and see what we got because they're like,
we can almost guarantee that you're going to see better results with the Amsoil
for lubrication, for longevity, and then even the breakdown from heat.
They're going to see less of that.
So that was really cool where they're like, hey, we will prove to you our
stuff is better.
Like we got nothing to hide.
So that was really good.
Do oil analysis factor heavy into like the decisions or the decision that
you made like to run with that, run a particular oil and be able to kind of
quantify the difference.
Like you mentioned the oil pressure changing, but like what about after
5,000 or 10,000 miles or even longer being able to see what that oil
analysis is talking about?
For sure.
I mean, that's the thing.
Like we don't do oil.
We don't do all analysis.
I'm not going to lie to you guys say we do.
If I have a customer that wants one, we'll get it done, but it's not like
a regular practice.
So but knowing that after that 5,000, 10,000 miles, your oil is performing
better.
I mean, that's just, you know, that truly like just basically sells itself right
there.
So we don't really do a lot of oil analysis, but you know, we've been offered
them and especially by Amsoil before we even with them.
So it makes me feel good that, Hey, they want to even just offer it is great
to know that they're that confident in it.
I love talking about the maintenance side because I like to be able like on
a podcast or a conversation is being able to relate like the content to
the person that's that's listening to it.
And ultimately what like why I love these conversations is being able to
help and save people money or help them achieve their goal, whether it's
racing or introducing them to parts or a build strategy.
And I think one of the common, maybe it's the most common question I get is
like, what mistakes should I avoid?
What, what shouldn't I do?
So if we, if we frame it around maintenance and the amount of trucks
that you see, are there some common issues that people like they don't do
or they don't follow that leads to expensive repairs?
And I'm sure I can vary a little bit based on like brand and your range,
but what are some common things that you wish everybody knew about their diesel
truck to potentially avoid major issues or avoid expensive repairs that you
know, they could do like right away, whether it's changing their oil on time
or servicing their transmission or maybe paying attention more to that noise
the turbo's making or, you know, kind of something like that.
Yeah, I mean, that's a big part of it is, is listening.
If there's something that sounds funny on your truck, whether it's a leak
in intercooler pipe or, you know, you can hear a whistle or an exhaust leak.
Though these newer trucks are so finicky with that stuff that if you do
have an exhaust leak and you're not addressing it, it's going to start
plugging your DPF up.
It's going to throw a check engine light.
And that's another thing is check engine lights.
A lot of people don't realize this, but your truck has a check engine
light on and it's for like an emissions based code.
Your truck's not going to regen.
So it's going to literally take that DPF filter or DPF up and you're just
going to basically multiply your issues because it's not going to regen.
It's not going to work properly.
Same.
You have any emissions code.
So I try to stress that enough.
If you have a check engine light come on on a newer one, get it somewhere,
scan it, see what it is and try to get it fixed as soon as possible.
I mean, that's a big thing.
And then obviously maintenance, you know, fuel filters and oil changes.
I see a lot of people, when's the last time you do your fuel filter?
40,000 miles ago.
And it's, that's just like to me, I'm like, Oh my God, like this thing's
like the fact that there's truck is still running is insane.
But people have good luck.
They have better luck than me, I guess sometimes.
So, so that's like a big thing is fuel filters get overlooked a lot and people
are typically, we see good people, good with oil changes, but I also got people
that run their trucks every day and they're like, yeah, we just did an oil
change and we look back and we're like, yeah, we did one 8,000 miles ago.
It's, it's time for a new one and it's time for a, for an oil change.
And they're like, holy crap, I had no idea.
So we see that quite a bit.
Is like changing the air filter or if they have like a aftermarket air filter,
like servicing it and cleaning it, is that, is that a big, a big one as well?
It is on some of them.
You know, if you have an air filter that's getting plugged up, I think it
was the LMLs.
It's one of the, it's either LML or the early L5Ps.
They'll suck the air filter in and if the air filter fails, it'll suck the air
filter in, throw codes, truck will run like, have no power.
Pretty sure as LMLs that were doing it, it was actually breaking the cage
inside the air intake box and stuff.
It was pretty crazy.
So you, you have to keep up on that stuff also.
Air filters get, they get overlooked quite a bit to just not thinking about it
because a lot of trucks that we do work on, they do have, we have a lot
of stock ones, but then we do have a lot of aftermarket ones.
So if we're doing a major job on your truck, typically my tech pulls air filter
off, if it's cleanable, cleans the air filter for you.
And that way when you get your truck back, you don't have to touch it
till the next old change.
And that's what we try to strive and do.
Is something like fuel additives, is that something that's, that's like in your
area, I know it doesn't get really cold and freeze or really cold at all.
So it's like this timing year, like one of the big ones for like half the
country is like fuel gelling.
But I found that fuel quality is a, is a big one, especially when we're
talking about CP4s and all that kind of stuff.
Is that part of the maintenance package as well that people should be
attention to?
Yeah, we offer the AMSOIL, I think it's the four and one fuel additive.
I can't remember the name of it, but I think it's four and one.
We offer that to all of our customers because what we have a problem
is in the South, all of our ground, you dig three feet into the ground
and you're in water.
So a lot of these tanks, you know, there's a lot of moisture in our dirt,
our air, salty water, air, all that stuff.
So, so there is, we have a problem down here with water in the fuel.
You know, it's not super common.
Well, it is, but it's, it's also people don't realize their tanks are
condensating and stuff like that and they're getting water in there.
So like a lot of people that have their own tanks at their shop or their
house or their, their place of work, whatever, they'll see issues where we
get rust and that kind of stuff in it.
So it's really key to keep up on that, put additive in there, keep the
injectors clean, keep them flowing because it's, it's, it's one of those
things that it's not going to hurt you.
It's only going to benefit you.
That's the way I look at it.
And when you're spending as much as you are on these trucks and then repairs
are, you know, our repairs are way more expensive now than they were 10
years ago.
It's definitely worth it to me to throw 10, 15, $20 bottle additive in
there and then save your injectors.
Yeah, it's been, it's been really cool as well to see the aftermarket embrace
and offer products that are engineered really well, manufactured really
well for so many different components on these trucks.
Like whether it's fuel additives, whether it's fuel filtration, the quality
of injectors, injection pumps, it's been really cool to kind of watch
from the outside looking in and see how the aftermarket has addressed a
lot of the issues that truck owners have for reliability.
It's not just the performance side, the crazy power numbers that, you know,
like we're seeing at UCC and on dinos and stuff like that, but for the
everyday truck, you know, the diesel truck owner, ways they can keep
that truck running as long as possible as maintenance free as possible.
Or I should say not maintenance free, but with repairs as low as possible.
Absolutely.
I think it's, you know, that's, that's pretty much everybody's goal now.
Keep it running as long as you can.
So it's, it's huge for that.
It was really cool to catch up with you, Justin.
Like I said, I love your content.
Watch all of your videos for people who are catching this podcast.
Like where can they, where can they find you on social media?
How can they find your YouTube channel?
The YouTube is JHD so in four by four, very simple, simple to remember our
Instagram is JHD so four by four.
Facebook is JHD so four by four.
So we keep it all pretty much.
Um, easy to find.
So we're on there.
We're trying to post as much as we can and put out the best content we can.
Well, it was really cool to catch up with you.
I, uh, I appreciate your time.
Like answering my questions that like I kind of keep like a running
list in my head of things people ask me.
So when I get like a shop owner professional on, I love to be able to
ask those, but it's great to chat with you today.
I appreciate your time.
I know you're, you're a busy guy.
I look forward to seeing what you got in store for 2026 and some
of those really cool videos that you do.
Yes, sir.
Thanks for having me on Patrick.
I really appreciate it.
Don't forget, easel fans, make sure and head on over to kershaw.kaiusa.com.
Use code 20 TDP 2026 to get 20% off your cart.
It's a great way to save some money, get some cool gear if you're
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They've got you covered with a bunch of different choices for blade steel,
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their whole lineups designed to meet any budget that you might have.
So again, if you're in the market, head on over to kershaw.kaiusa.com and
use code 20 TDP 2026 for 20% off your shopping cart.
Also want to give a shout out to some of our Patreon supporters.
Robert, TSW, diesel, Brian, John, all of our other Patreon supporters.
All of you who subscribe on YouTube and podcast apps, follow us on social
media.
We appreciate all your support here in year nine of the DS podcast and
look forward to bringing you more of the content that you want to hear in 2025.
Till next time, keep the shiny side up.
About this episode
Justin from JH Diesel and 4x4 shares insights into the diesel industry, discussing the evolution of customer demands and trends in performance upgrades. He reflects on his journey from gas to diesel, the challenges of maintaining emissions compliance, and the shift towards fleet maintenance. The conversation also covers the importance of regular maintenance, the impact of quality fluids, and the exciting projects planned for 2026, including a square body Chevy build. Justin emphasizes the significance of reliable partnerships with brands and the value of engaging content creation on platforms like YouTube.
Original notes
Justin from JH Diesel and 4x4 chats with us today about the most common thing breaking diesel trucks, expansion of his shop, products he likes for his personal trucks, and more! We also talk about his YouTube channel and what’s helped it grow.
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