How Dirty is the Diesel Fuel I buy from Filling Stations

[Audiowriter]

On my Cummins 6.7 I change my oil every 12,000 miles. I pull a 28 foot gooseneck trailer and get 10 Miles Per Gallon.

With 12,000 miles @ 10 MPG that is 1200 GALLONS.

I cut my frame mounted spin on filter open to see how dirty it (and the front / motor - filter) were after 1200 Gallons.

Here is what I found -

 

[gsbrockman]

https://www.turbodieselregister.com...a-mopar-fuel-separator-p-n-68197867aa.247585/

 

[Jim W]

Is this your first diesel vehicle?

The reason I ask is I have been around diesel vehicles since the late 60'S, heavy equipment. And the diesel fuel of today is a lot cleaner than the diesel fuel of the late 60's and 70's. I would be more concern about water in the diesel fuel than a dirty fuel filter!

Your dirty fuel filter is normal for a diesel vehicle and this is why you should change the filter as required by the manufacture's time frame. Every 15,000 miles is adequate fuel filter life per FAC for our trucks.

My Wife's VW "TDI" is required by the manufacture to change the fuel filter every 2 years or 24,000 miles which ever comes first.

Just my opinion after forty years of design heavy equipment.

 

[TFucili]

In many cases, what many perceive as a dirty filter are asphaltenes that are a normally occurring part of the fuel. When I changed my filters at 15K, they could have easily gone much longer.

 

[Audiowriter]

I agree with you Jim W.
I have operated diesels for 20 years and I know the fuel is cleaner now than ever before. However, with the oil / diesel production facilities filtering - plus the filters at the pump - I propose that the "gunk" is from accumulation in the underground tanks at the local stations. I don't know how often they change the filters in their pumps - (if they actually even employ them...) but that's my 2 cents on why the diesel contains the somewhat small amount of "gunk". One plugged injector can destroy a diesel at high RPM's.

TFucili -
I did not know that. I just wanted to see how much "gunk" the frame filter caught (where ever it comes from...) before the fuel reached the motor filter.

 

[AKDoug]

On my 2019 my rear filter at 12K miles ,and about the same fuel burn average as you, my rear filter was nowhere near as dirty as yours (plus the bottom of the filter housing had zero gunk in it) and my front filter was nearly spotless. The 2019's employ a replaceable cartridge front and rear. I know my local filling station filters to 10 micron and uses waterblock filters as well. They change them when flow is reduced.. basically when we complain the pump is pumping slow.

 

[JR]

I know my local filling station filters to 10 micron and uses waterblock filters as well.

Do they use Zinga filters? That would be impressive if a fuel station actually used them on their pumps.

 

[lpennock]

Have you check the rubber in the system (hoses, couplers, etc)? That extra stuff in the bottom looks allot like rubber that is coming apart.

 

[SnoKing]

Let's see! OP believes in fuel filters, but not CV filters! I wonder how he is on oil and air filtration?

 

[Minnow101]

Let's see! OP believes in fuel filters, but not CV filters! I wonder how he is on oil and air filtration?

View attachment 122863

I was thinking he could alleviate that fuel filter concern by employing his crankcase filter “pry, gut and replace” methodology.

 

[Ozymandias]

?

 

[BigPapa]

?

https://www.turbodieselregister.com/threads/6-7-crank-case-filter-delete.269613/


.

 

[cerberusiam]

Let's see! OP believes in fuel filters, but not CV filters! I wonder how he is on oil and air filtration?

Likely he does more than just open the hood and check fluids.

The black on the filters are asphaltenes being cooked out of the ULSD, typical for a CR fuel system as it recircs 75% or so of the fuel being supplied to the fuel system.

The fuel is definitely cleaner thna 30 years ago, has to be for the HPCR systems but it still is not that great. While th erefineris had to upgrade and change their systems to produce cleaner ULSD, the distribution system ha snot done the same. A large part of the fuel is delivered via pipeline terminals that supply a variety of fuels. The sperator for fuel types is water, image what the start and end of fuel runs are like with water being exposed to the fuel.

 

[Newsa]

On my 2019 my rear filter at 12K miles ,and about the same fuel burn average as you, my rear filter was nowhere near as dirty as yours (plus the bottom of the filter housing had zero gunk in it) and my front filter was nearly spotless. The 2019's employ a replaceable cartridge front and rear. I know my local filling station filters to 10 micron and uses waterblock filters as well. They change them when flow is reduced.. basically when we complain the pump is pumping slow.

Not a real fan of the cartridge-element type filter.

I leave the housing drain open as I pull out the cartridge on the front filter, and (as I pull out the cartridge) I hear fuel still swishing (more like a sucking sound) around in there and it is a discomforting idea that possibly dirty fuel is mixing with clean fuel and could possibly take put something in the fuel system upon restart. Or maybe as I hear the sucking sound, dirt particles could be getting sucked off the dirty side of the filter and down into the bottom on the clean side. Leaving the housing drain open as I pull out the element is just hoping that all the fuel (clean and dirty) will evacuate. But I doubt it all goes out. Doesn't seem to.

Is this design of having 2 cartridge filters combined with a CP4 somewhat riskier because not only do you have a fuel pump more susceptible to dirt, you also have (nearly) double the chance to get small particles past the 2 filters?

Maybe I make it more of an issue than it is, but I am nervous about it every time I prime and restart after a fuel filter change because of that front filter cartrudge that might get some dirt sucked off of it.

Second question: anyone ever run the fuel filters 15-18 months because you didn't drive many miles? With the covid lock downs, I figure some of us might be extending our filter use? Does fuel sitting and n not moving through the filters weaken the filtering material? Or weaken its ability to remove water?

 

[TimothyLong]

Not a real fan of the cartridge-element type filter.

I leave the housing drain open as I pull out the cartridge on the front filter, and (as I pull out the cartridge) I hear fuel still swishing (more like a sucking sound) around in there and it is a discomforting idea that possibly dirty fuel is mixing with clean fuel and could possibly take put something in the fuel system upon restart. Or maybe as I hear the sucking sound, dirt particles could be getting sucked off the dirty side of the filter and down into the bottom on the clean side. Leaving the housing drain open as I pull out the element is just hoping that all the fuel (clean and dirty) will evacuate. But I doubt it all goes out. Doesn't seem to.

Is this design of having 2 cartridge filters combined with a CP4 somewhat riskier because not only do you have a fuel pump more susceptible to dirt, you also have (nearly) double the chance to get small particles past the 2 filters?

Maybe I make it more of an issue than it is, but I am nervous about it every time I prime and restart after a fuel filter change because of that front filter cartrudge that might get some dirt sucked off of it.

Second question: anyone ever run the fuel filters 15-18 months because you didn't drive many miles? With the covid lock downs, I figure some of us might be extending our filter use? Does fuel sitting and n not moving through the filters weaken the filtering material? Or weaken its ability to remove water?

I don't have an answer for your first question, but I can speak to your second question. My wife and I both have 2013 2500's. My typical oil/filter change interval is about every 9 or 10 months (based on mileage). My wife doesn't put the same mileage on her truck as I do mine, so hers gets changed about every 15 or 16 months. To date, I've never noticed any problems with the fuel filters on her truck when I change them out and she's never said anything about getting WIF warnings. Between the COVID and being out for 3 weeks earlier this year for shoulder surgery, the next oil/filter change on my truck will probably be extended by a few months. Based on the experience with my wife's truck, it wouldn't bother me a whole lot if it went 13 or more months until my next oil change.

2013 Ram 2500 Laramie QC LB 4x4, Thuren Fabrication adjustable track bar, sway bar kit, and 2" leveling kit, Bilstein 5100 shocks, Goodyear Wrangler Trailrunner AT's LT285/70R17, Westin Chrome Ultimate Bull Bar, Weatherguard Saddle Box, Line-X Bed Liner

 

[lpennock]

While I wouldn't recommend doing this, I did accidentally go 2 years on a 5.9L and almost 3 years on my jeep as they weren't getting much driving. Had an oil analysis done on both. After 2 years the diesel oil tested fine. After the 3 years the Gas oil was showing some thickening but was still ok. The oil itself is ok for a few years; however, if you are getting fuel dilution do to lots of cold starts and less than full warm ups is wouldn't be a good thing to go that long. If you are like me were the truck sits for a few weeks and then gets worked under a good load (14K GVW for a 1-200 miles one way) I wouldn't worry about going a year between oil changes.

On the 5.9 I would go 3 years on the fuel filters and they were showing no signs of problems. In AZ I don't have the condensation issues other places have though.

 

[jacknife]

The key to buying diesel fuel is to buy it from a facility that does high volume . I