jello in fuel filter?(help!)

[rod77zilla]

( this post will probably get moved be cause it is not technically a cummins in a dodge) hopefully not because i will probably get mo better responses posting it here... . anyway, here's the situation: I work as a transmission mechanic and my Snap-on tool man drives a 30' tool truck with the same 24 valve cummins engine that my 2000 dodge ram has (except computer modifications for higher output)... so we naturally get to talking cummins every so often. well today he had a stumper for me and I wanted to be able to answer his question and turn him on to TDR in the process. He said his cummins kept stumbling, so he checked his fuel filter and it was full of what he described as "jello". It is August in Georgia and temperatures range from 75 at night to 100 during the day. I asked him was he sure it wasn't some kind of algae? he said he didn't know all he knew was that it was the consistency of jello. He repaced the filter and he said it still ran bad periodically. he didn't want to have to replace injector pump or injectors without being able to diagnose where exactly the problem was. my first thought was to take a fuel pressure gauge (conveniently off the tool truck) and hook it up after the lift pump to rule it out as a problem... but I kept my mouth shut and told him I would call him with an answer after I looked into it... So the questions I have are:

1. what causes diesel to gel in summertime

2. how to go about diagnosing and "unclogging" the problem

3 any other possible problems to look for

any help here would be greatly appreciated and may help convert someone to TDR and will definitely help me if the same thing happens to me one day... thanks!

 

[Mopar-muscle]

it's alive !!!!!!!!!

he needs to put a biocide in his fuel tank , i think he has a fungus in his fuel ??? can get the stuff at a marine supply center ?

 

[Joe G.]

He needs some diesel biocide to kill the stuff. It looks like snot and when you kill what you have is a tank with dead snot it in. So you need a supply of filters or remove the tank and clean it. It may take a while with filters, but removing the tank ain't easy either. I had that problem with a fish boat one year. Started the season with 1000 gallons of fuel contaminated with algae. Used filters by the case until it was clean. If there are any filter screens in the lift pump that will need to be cleaned too.

 

[EMDDIESEL]

Yep, fuel snot, sounds like a serious case too. I agree, tell him to buy alot of filters and fungicide, and the best thing to do is remove and flush out the tank, or else it will take a while for it to clear out.

 

[rod77zilla]

thanks guys! i had 3 responses before i got a chance to logoff! I have read about algae in the fuel, but I don't recall it being described as jello, so I wasn't sure what was going on. Athens is kinda landlocked, so any ideas about where to get biocide besides marine supply store?

 

[Joe G.]

Try a big rig shop. The Peterbilt shop here carries it, but Eureka is a sea port with a lot of fish boats with Cummins in them so naturally they would carry it. It they don't have it they should know who does.

 

[rod77zilla]

one more thing: there was a thread a while back where somone documented all their expenses of repairing a similar problem and was trying to get the store to pay for it- anyone know where this thread is? I may print it out and take it to him, because I 'm sure he has several hundred gallons of diesel waste in his near future

 

[David Oxland]

If you plan to treat with a biocide it's probably a good idea to have a supply of fuel filters on hand. When the remaining bugs do die, there may be a big flood swept to the filter.



As far as diagnosing is concerned, one thing that I have noticed is that that this jello may smell quite bad and after you treat it it will smell worse: like a dead organism.



Things that favour bacterial growth are, water and fuel interface

and warmth.

Products of bacteria; bodies or gel and corrosive acid. The acid can be very unfriendly to the fuel system components.

 

[EMDDIESEL]

That was Steve St. Laurents disaster i think, ask him, he will know how to find the post

 

[JEMOORE]

This would certianly be hard on the infamous lift-pump. IMHO

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

Yep, that was me. Here's the post in question - https://www.turbodieselregister.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12655 . I feel sorry for your friend - it's a MAJOR PIA to get rid of. It sounds like his case is worse than mine too. I detail how to fix it in that thread. I've been using the bad diesel to start fires - works great - 32 gallons of it left still. You can get the biocide at any tractor or farm supply place.

 

[Doc Tinker]

Steve, you bringing the waste fuel to Terre Haute so we can make a MANs fire?



Doc

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

Yep - how much do you think I should bring? Think 10 gallons would be enough?

 

[Doc Tinker]

That should do it. You'll have it to use incase you run out of fuel on the way down LOL



Maybe one of the Ford owners will need some extra fuel, just before the pull



Doc