Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) Fuel filters "short life"

[Crash&Burn]

Anyone else having problems with their fuel filters... I'm only getting 4 to 5000 miles... .....

When my fuel pressure (while cruising) gets down to 12psi, I pull the filter and it's really plugged... you can't blow thru it.

I cut it apart but there's nothing visible in the pleats.

I had the tank down recently, it was really clean and the float was fine.

It's like the filter media is getting some sort of glaze on it.

I get my fuel only at big truck stops.....

 

[JLandry]

I've had this happen in the past on occasion, but not lately.



You're doing the right things... watching your fuel pressure and changing your filter often! I'm amazed at how many owners don't.



Have a great day,



John L.

 

[E7mack96]

last summer, I got ahold of a bad batch and the filters were plugging in less than 100 miles. I went thru 9 of em just getting from Ohio to Florida. There was a clear algae like substance on them. I ran them to the point of the truck not maintaining 55 on flat ground and that only got me 90-100 miles each.

 

[AH64ID]

Anyone else having problems with their fuel filters... I'm only getting 4 to 5000 miles... .....

When my fuel pressure (while cruising) gets down to 12psi, I pull the filter and it's really plugged... you can't blow thru it.

I cut it apart but there's nothing visible in the pleats.

I had the tank down recently, it was really clean and the float was fine.

It's like the filter media is getting some sort of glaze on it.

I get my fuel only at big truck stops.....

What pressure do you see when new?



I have 23K miles on my filters without a psi drop.

 

[Crash&Burn]

What pressure do you see when new?



I have 23K miles on my filters without a psi drop.

16 idle... .

15 cruise (60 to 70 mph)

14 WOT

 

[Pavemen]

16 idle... .

15 cruise (60 to 70 mph)

14 WOT

That is what my 99's pressure are as well and I dont have any issues

 

[HBarlow]

I'd reconsider where you are buying fuel. I've never had a filter become dirty in over 600k miles of driving a Dodge Cummins truck. I change fuel filters regularly at 15k mile intervals and have never seen one dirty when I removed it.

 

[ThrottleJockey]

I'd reconsider where you are buying fuel. I've never had a filter become dirty in over 600k miles of driving a Dodge Cummins truck. I change fuel filters regularly at 15k mile intervals and have never seen one dirty when I removed it.

I'm with HBarlow. Where is this truck stop so the rest of us can avoid this same sort of trouble.

 

[Crash&Burn]

last summer, I got ahold of a bad batch and the filters were plugging in less than 100 miles. I went thru 9 of em just getting from Ohio to Florida. There was a clear algae like substance on them. I ran them to the point of the truck not maintaining 55 on flat ground and that only got me 90-100 miles each.

I could have that CLEAR ALGAE problem... . what kills algae in diesel fuel?

There are 3 large truck stops at the Oak Grove exit (28) on I-70 in Missouri, I buy from all 3...

 

[BDaugherty]

Once you have algae growing in your fuel tank, it doesn't matter where you buy fuel. It's still in your tank and will not leave until you kill it. You can buy fuel treatment at a CAT dealer or NAPA that will kill the algae. One other thing to look at is water. Most quality fuel filters for our trucks will block water, however water will stop them up FAST.

 

[Chief USA]

My wife's truck is stock so I run the Baldwin PF7977 in the stock filter canister. These filters are 5 micron. I have noticed that they last about half way between oil changes and have to be changed out due to becoming flow restricted.



I installed the Airtex pump and relocated it on the frame so it puts out about 19 psi static and will pull down to about 15 psi on a hard 5th gear pull to about 2500 rpm. I think the fuel quality in AmeriKa overall is just not what it used to be. Better that the filter catches the crud than the alternative.



I buy my filters from BF express by the case of 12 so they cost about $10 each. Changing the filter is pretty easy and cheap insurance.



Now that I have been using the Baldwind filters for awhile, I think they are as good or better in some cases than the Fleetguard filters and WAY cheaper. The baldwin oil filters (BT7349) costs me $4. 64 if you buy them buy the case. With a 2001. 5 and a 2002 cummins to maintain, their filters just make good sense.

 

[AH64ID]

My wife's truck is stock so I run the Baldwin PF7977 in the stock filter canister. These filters are 5 micron. I have noticed that they last about half way between oil changes and have to be changed out due to becoming flow restricted.



I installed the Airtex pump and relocated it on the frame so it puts out about 19 psi static and will pull down to about 15 psi on a hard 5th gear pull to about 2500 rpm. I think the fuel quality in AmeriKa overall is just not what it used to be. Better that the filter catches the crud than the alternative.



I buy my filters from BF express by the case of 12 so they cost about $10 each. Changing the filter is pretty easy and cheap insurance.



Now that I have been using the Baldwind filters for awhile, I think they are as good or better in some cases than the Fleetguard filters and WAY cheaper. The baldwin oil filters (BT7349) costs me $4. 64 if you buy them buy the case. With a 2001. 5 and a 2002 cummins to maintain, their filters just make good sense.

What kind of pressure drops are you seeing? Granted my PF7977 is 2nd in line but I have over 22K on it and barely, . 5psi, any idication that I'm starting to plug.



I also have 2 f/w seps and NEVER see more than a drop of water, if that, at my 5K mile check intervals. . I would say that todays fuel is MUCH cleaner than it used to be.

 

[Chief USA]

I changed a few day ago after a test run on my way to Walmart. The static pressure was 19 psi. When I starte the engine the pressure dropped down to 17 psi. When I got on the road normal driving, the pressure pretty well hovered around 15 psi with the exception of dropping to 13 psi under normal accelleration.



On the test pull I started pulling 5th gear at about 1500 rpm and by the time I got to 2500 rpm, the fuel pressure dropped to 8 psi at which point I aborted the test run.



Once I replace the filter with an new PF7977, the fuel pressure would not drop below about 14 psi on the 5th gear test pull on up to about 2700 rpm. Mind you this is the ONLY filter on the wife's truck. Aside from the half inch fuel lines from the Airtex pump mounted on the frame up to the fuel cannister and IP, her truck is stock.



The weird thing about was that the restricted filter did not look the least bit dirty. I think it is very small particulate matter in the fuel. It could be the fuel tank has a lot of crud in it that this filter is gradually catching.



On my truck (the 2002 in my sig) I have an Airdog 150 with the 2 micron filter and the water separating fuel filter and I have half in fuel lines including the draw straw all the way up to the fuel cannister with a BF7977 in it and half in fuel hose to the IP. The fuel pressure is rock solid at 18 psi and barely budges pulling max boost upto 3000 rpm.

 

[AH64ID]

I changed a few day ago after a test run on my way to Walmart. The static pressure was 19 psi. When I starte the engine the pressure dropped down to 17 psi. When I got on the road normal driving, the pressure pretty well hovered around 15 psi with the exception of dropping to 13 psi under normal accelleration.



On the test pull I started pulling 5th gear at about 1500 rpm and by the time I got to 2500 rpm, the fuel pressure dropped to 8 psi at which point I aborted the test run.



Once I replace the filter with an new PF7977, the fuel pressure would not drop below about 14 psi on the 5th gear test pull on up to about 2700 rpm. Mind you this is the ONLY filter on the wife's truck. Aside from the half inch fuel lines from the Airtex pump mounted on the frame up to the fuel cannister and IP, her truck is stock.



The weird thing about was that the restricted filter did not look the least bit dirty. I think it is very small particulate matter in the fuel. It could be the fuel tank has a lot of crud in it that this filter is gradually catching.



On my truck (the 2002 in my sig) I have an Airdog 150 with the 2 micron filter and the water separating fuel filter and I have half in fuel lines including the draw straw all the way up to the fuel cannister with a BF7977 in it and half in fuel hose to the IP. The fuel pressure is rock solid at 18 psi and barely budges pulling max boost upto 3000 rpm.

Interesting. . 1/2" fuel lines are CRAZY huge for a stock truck. 3/8" is enough fuel for 450hp or more.



On you're AD it doesn't have 2um filtration, and the f/w sep is a joke. The "2um" filter is actually 5um asbolute and the f/w sep is 140um and only filters 50% of the free water and 0% of the emulsified water, compared to stock which filters 95% free and emulsified water... So even thou you have a fancy setup in your truck, you're wife's single PF7977 is doing a better job of cleaning the fuel.

 

[Chief USA]

Interesting. . 1/2" fuel lines are CRAZY huge for a stock truck. 3/8" is enough fuel for 450hp or more.



On you're AD it doesn't have 2um filtration, and the f/w sep is a joke. The "2um" filter is actually 5um asbolute and the f/w sep is 140um and only filters 50% of the free water and 0% of the emulsified water, compared to stock which filters 95% free and emulsified water... So even thou you have a fancy setup in your truck, you're wife's single PF7977 is doing a better job of cleaning the fuel.

We had the Vulcan BIG Line Pump Relocation kit left over from when we installed the AirDog on my truck so we put it on her truck. No sense in wasting the kit. It works great for a stock truck and the Airtex pump.



I can only go by what AirDog states on the filters. I have a guy who sell fleetguard filters real cheap on my tractor website TractorForum.com. (sorry for the shameless plug guys :-laf ) I ordered a case of the Fleetgard FF 5613's and a half case of FS 19768's from him for when I need to replace the AirDog filters. When I talked to the guys at Pureflow Technologies, they told me Fleetguard made their filters for them and said they were the same filtes I orders above.



Both trucks are using the stock fuel filter cannister and the BF 7977 so I figure I am covered good enough.

 

[AH64ID]

We had the Vulcan BIG Line Pump Relocation kit left over from when we installed the AirDog on my truck so we put it on her truck. No sense in wasting the kit. It works great for a stock truck and the Airtex pump.

I can only go by what AirDog states on the filters. I have a guy who sell fleetguard filters real cheap on my tractor website TractorForum.com. (sorry for the shameless plug guys :-laf ) I ordered a case of the Fleetgard FF 5613's and a half case of FS 19768's from him for when I need to replace the AirDog filters. When I talked to the guys at Pureflow Technologies, they told me Fleetguard made their filters for them and said they were the same filtes I orders above.

Both trucks are using the stock fuel filter cannister and the BF 7977 so I figure I am covered good enough.

Gotcha. .

If you look here I have put together a bunch of specs for filters used, mainly 3rd gen. AD claims they weren't aware they were misadvertisig their filters

How does the PF7977 fit in the 02? Is the exact same as stock?

 

[Chief USA]

Gotcha. .



If you look here I have put together a bunch of specs for filters used, mainly 3rd gen. AD claims they weren't aware they were misadvertisig their filters



How does the PF7977 fit in the 02? Is the exact same as stock?

I compared them to the stock Fleetguard filter and they looked to be the same size and dimensions. They fit just like the stock filters. They clog up pretty fast so they must fit real good.

 

[Crash&Burn]

Chief... thanks for the info. The Baldwin fuel filter I would need is almost the same price as the Fleetgard.

You are dead on as far as the restricted filter looking like new, I cut them apart and can't find a speck in them. Also, in the 10 years I've had this truck I've NEVER seen a drop of water in the fuel. I drain the fuel filter cannister often into a clear container and let it sit overnite. NEVER any H2O!

 

[Chief USA]

Personally speaking, I think the Baldwin fuel filter is a better filter than Fleetguard's.



Maybe you are getting a better deal on your fuel filters. I thought $10. 16 each for the PF7977 Baldwin fuel fitlers was a pretty good deal.

 

[Crash&Burn]

Personally speaking, I think the Baldwin fuel filter is a better filter than Fleetguard's.



Maybe you are getting a better deal on your fuel filters. I thought $10. 16 each for the PF7977 Baldwin fuel fitlers was a pretty good deal.

According to the BF express website, the filter I need for a 99 is PF7751 @ $15. 72... ... ... ..... Geno's fleetguard FS19598 is $ 15. 95

I really wish I could get 10 dollar filters as fast I'm going thru them:-laf