Anybody else?? I don't want to be alone...

[steved]

As some of you may remember, I set up a auxilary fuel tank to act as a buffer for dirt and water, before it gets into the main tank...



Well, I decided today to clean the spilled diesel from my toolbox (mental note, make sure the fuel cap is ON the aux tank before driving... ) and decided to take a look inside the aux tank (it has a 4 inch or so opening)...



To my surprise, not only do I see blobs of water on the bottom but the entire bottom is metal flaked!!!! Looks like brass flecks...



Now, I know some of you might say the metal flake is from your pump or was already in the aux tank, but I completely swabbed the inside out and it was spotless before I started using it... and I don't pump into the tank, only from it. The only way it could have gotten in there is from the station's pumps!



Just wondering if anyone else ever noticed this?? I can't think this could be too good for a OE lift pump...



steved

 

[DValentine]

I assume your return line from the injector pump is running into your stock tank on the truck?

I dropped the tank out of my truck after 11 years and 150 K miles and didn't find anything suspect.

 

[steved]

I assume your return line from the injector pump is running into your stock tank on the truck?



I dropped the tank out of my truck after 11 years and 150 K miles and didn't find anything suspect.

Yeah, return line from the FASS and the CP3 are still to the main tank... I only add fuel to the aux tank, then pump/gravity it to the main through a homemade separator and small fleetguard filter.



I wish I could take a picture of it... looks like glitter on the bottom of the aux tank. And again, it was completely clean when I started. .



steved

 

[dpuckett]

It's not a galvanized tank is it? Something in diesel reacts with galvanized and has bad effects.



Daniel

 

[steved]

It's not a galvanized tank is it? Something in diesel reacts with galvanized and has bad effects.



Daniel

No, its plastic... the flecks look like like brass... and they look like the metal flake you would expect from a failing pump, if you know what I mean...



steved

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Steve, I had seen those same type brass looking flakes on the top of my Frantz fuel filter element every time I changed TP cartridges:



#ad




I had assumed they were wear particles from the motor bushings in my lift pump and pusher - didn't like it, but couldn't do anything about it...



SOOooo - last fall, my VP-44 started tossing 216's after installing Smarty software, and I swapped it out for an II rebuilt, and sent the OEM pump to have ONLY the failed parts replaced. Turned out that the failed pump was one of the infamous Bosch pumps with the brass advance cylinder liner - which is now revised to hardened steel. Bosch had a crap-load of those pumps fail prematurely, and THAT was where my brass was coming from on the top of my filter elements!



I hadn't given any thought to how many of those particles might still be residing inside my fuel tank until reading your post - and oh, I have just several days ago changed out my TP cartridge, and since the new VP-44, the brass seen is WAY less than before - only a few particles - and probably will continue to see a few each cartridge change until they are all eliminated from the fuel tank...



So YOUR question is, WHAT in your fuel system is wearing prematurely and shedding brass particles?



You'll find out - eventually - just like I did! :-laf

 

[steved]

So YOUR question is, WHAT in your fuel system is wearing prematurely and shedding brass particles?



You'll find out - eventually - just like I did! :-laf

There is no return to my AUXILARY tank (besides the vent)... where ever these particles are coming from, they are external from anything on the truck. Like a failing delivery pump at one of the stations I filled up at...



steved

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

There is no return to my AUXILARY tank (besides the vent)... where ever these particles are coming from, they are external from anything on the truck. Like a failing delivery pump at one of the stations I filled up at...



steved

AH - OK, I see... You have the same aux tank setup I do...

 

[JFlagg]

Do you fill up at the same station most of the time? Maybe it is in their tank? Though, the stations I use have a filter on ther side of the pump, I imagine not all pumps have that feature. If it IS coming from the station pumps, that wouldn't be anything you could do anything about, it might just make you change your filter more often. Probably just have to deal with it.

 

[steved]

I fill up at so many stations... it would be hard to trace. And just because there is a filter on the pump doesn't mean it does anything... I don't believe there's any law stating fuel must be filtered prior to us receiving it, but there should be...

Luckily, the way I have my setup done, I only fill the auxilary tank. That is pumped through a knock-out and a 10u filter, then into the tank. From there it has to go through a 1u FASS filter.

So I don't worry it actually causing any harm, but it was just surprising to see that much "free" metal in our fuel. Sort of a wakeup call...

steved