GM Duramax Diesel Start Up Procedure.

It is very important to pre-oil a new engine before starting. Remember, all of the oil galleries, oil filter and oil cooler are void of oil. They are all completely dry. Starting an engine dry could result in the engine bearings being without oil for minutes. Catastrophic engine failure could result. We sell and recommend Cen-Pec-O engine oils. Give us a call for a recommendation for oil for your specific application.

We find this procedure to work pretty well.

• Connect a mechanical oil pressure gauge to the engine. Since you won't be starting the engine at this time, a turbocharger oil supply line is a good place to temporarily connect a mechanical gauge.
• Remove all 8 glow plugs
• Disable the fuel injectors by unplugging the two large electrical connectors, top drivers side of the engine.
• Crank the engine for 10-15 seconds at a time with 20-30 seconds for the starter to rest between each interval. 
• Continue sequence above until oil pressure is observed on a mechanical oil pressure gauge.