Cleaning fuel filter housing??

[Cattletrkr]

You should always clean the housing. When you lift the filter, debris will move from the dirty side to the clean side and then can be moved through the fuel system after the new filter is installed.

Agreed. However that canister is not designed to be cleaned. Period. It just simply isn't. I don't believe for one second that the engineer who designed it had cleaning in mind.

I've tried to use a paper towel (blue) to soak up as much crap as I can, but there is always some crap left behind.

DC or cummins or whoever gets an "F" for that design.

stepping off

 

[RMalone]

I agree Cattletrkr, it wasn't designed with cleaning in mind. In fact I don't know how you guys are even seeing the bottom of that sucker. I have the engine mounted apps so that cable and some of the injector harness run right over the top of the housing. Just changing the filter is harder than it should be , never mind getting the housing spotless. All in all I am glad I have filtration downstream of the stock housing.

 

[nickleinonen]

i just flush the filter housing out by draining it. . if there is no big chunks down inside i don't touch it. toss a new filter in with a little bit of vaseline on the lip of the filter where it seals on the stand pipe so it wipes the crud off of it on the way down. .

 

[JWash1]

Clean it up

At the first fuel filter change I looked down into the canister and saw what looked like sawdust. seemed to be almost a 1/4 inch deep. I started off pinching it out a little at a time between the two fingers I could fit in there. This was going to take an awful long time, and still would not get it all. :{ Then it hit me, USE THE SHOP VAC. The smallest attachment was too big, and I did not want to damage the water in fuel sensor with the hard plastic, so I Duct taped a section of heater hose to the attachment and, Viola, it worked perfectly. Just pay attention to what you are doing so no damage occurs. In my opinion the the less crud floating around in the canister, the better.

 

[MickeyMiller]

I changed my OEM fuel filter this morning. After this thread I took extra pains to really inspect the inside of the filter housing. After draining the filter and removing the cover and old filter, I found the inside of the housing (including the filter stand pipe) to be spotless! There was no residue or particles left in the housing... . feeling better now!

 

[DJW]

JWash1, re. filter cleaning, excellent idea vacuum, I have never found any dirt or crud at bottom of fuel filter, makes one wonder were some fill up.

 

[24V-DSL]

Coming up to my 18th fuel filter change. I shine a flashlite to look for any crud, and there has never been any. I read about cleaning the housing 7 yrs. ago on the TDR, and now run out and buy a lottery ticket every time I change.....

 

[rbattelle]

I would do that but I like my 100K warranty.

I thought like this for 40k miles. Then I finally realized that by constraining myself to the 100k mile warranty, I might be reducing the life of my engine to, say, just beyond 100k miles.



Unable to reconcile this, I abandoned the engine warranty and modified it to run a supplemental filter.



Will it help? I have no idea. But it helps me sleep.



Ryan

 

[JHardwick]

I just changed mine again today. It occured to me, that there are times when I'll not close the drain cock and "prime" the system. In other words, I'll open the cock to drain it, change the filter, and then prime the fuel system before closing the cock to start it.



My canister is spotless with 380,000 miles.



For all you tree huggers, I have a gravel driveway, and this quart or 2 of diesel is good weed control!

 

[abdiver]

You should always clean the housing. When you lift the filter, debris will move from the dirty side to the clean side and then can be moved through the fuel system after the new filter is installed.

sag2, How would you suggest we clean the housing ?



Thanks, Bill

 

[sag2]

The shop vac works the best at home. You can get 99% of the liquid out with a shop towel, and the vacuum will take the debris out. Most all dealers and independent shops have the free standing Vacuum tools that they use to drain any fluid from an assembly. Most dealers suck the fluid out of differentials, and never pull a cover unless they find metal or hear noise.

Here is a link to the Snap-On tool and another generic one, but I'm sure there are many more out there. Maybe Harbor Freight sells one that would be inexpensive enough for the homeowner.

VAC201, Evacuator/Dispensor, Fluid, Manual, 2. 3 gallon (8. 8 liter) capacity



Mityvac Fluid Evacuation System Manually Operated

 

[sag2]

Thats why I installed a 2 micron filter after the stock housing. I figured if something gets through the Baldwin 5 micron filter inside the OEM filter housing the 2 micron would catch it. I just change filer and no cleaning... maybe I should start next filter change.

Actually by running the 5 micron ahead of the 2 micron you are hurting more than helping. The reason Mopar only goes to 7 micron is because anything smaller limits the water stripping ability of the filter. Your 2 micron is great, but you should really be running a 10-20 micron ahead of it for the water stripping, and then let the 2 micron catch the 2-20 micron debris. The 7 micron is the best of both worlds for a single filter, but a properly set up dual filter is better. From a cost benefit standpoint, the single filter is the best setup as long as they are serviced properly. There are hundreds of thousands of single filter trucks out there that never have had a problem as long as they are maintained properly, and they don't get loaded with bad fuel.

And any dealer that says a dual filter automatically voids the warranty is wrong. As long as the filters can flow the minimum requirement of fuel, there is nothing wrong with a proper dual filter set up.

 

[MickeyMiller]

sag2,

Thank you! I have the 2mu filter after the stock filter. I also have a case of the stock 10mu filter elements. I feel better now knowing that continuing to uswe the 10mu in conjunction with the 2mu is the way to go!

 

[Buffalo]

It sure is nice to have guys like Sag2, Bob4X4, etc. that have actual dealership/shop experience working on these trucks. I've found their help, suggestions & experience to be invaluable on numerous occasions.



Lots of really sharp people on this site!!!



Thanks for all your help.



Joe F. (Buffalo)

 

[abdiver]

Yes, They are much appreciated