Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) Metallic Sediment in Fuel Filter Canister ????

[Challenger-II]

My lift pump pressures on my '99 were reading 11psi @ idle, 9 @ cruise and 7 @ WOT (no mods)... ... . figured it was time to change filter. I found a brownish sediment that looked like dirt at the bottom of the filter canister. After further examination with a bright light, it appears to be metallic??? Is this from my lift pump?? :{ If so, how much time does it have left?



I don't believe it is normal since I have never seen it before during filter changes. 87,000 miles on the pump too.

 

[Alan Reagan]

I know that several members have reported shavings in the filter cannister in the past on the first filter change. I tend to believe the shavings are picked up as debris out of the tank. The way the lift pump is put together, I wouldn't think you would see the "wear" metal from the pump itself. It is a vane pump and the cylinder and vanes ride on a flat steel plate. They wear, of course but I doubt you would see the metal particles they would be so small. Probably the only time you would see metal of any size from the pump is if it had sand or something hung in there that was grinding the plate or vanes away. If that's the case, the pressure would be gone fast.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Most likely to be from dirty fuel - rust from a contaminated station tank - the fuel tanks in our trucks are a form of plastic, lines are stainless and rubber, internals of the pumps where wear occurs is also stainless - no source of rust anywhere there!

 

[Ncostello]

One look at the mesh in the tank pickup screen would make it hard to believe particles large enough to see could pass through. That stuff is ultra fine. But the particles might go between the mesh housing frame and the module body. My screen had debris on the outside for sure.



If the diesel goes through the lift pump motor during pressure bypass, I might suspect its particle wear from the brushes in the motor. Just a guess as I haven't fully taken the motor apart. I would agree that the sliding vanes are very hard and tend to polish themselves more then wear and flake off.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

About the only "wear particles" coming from the LP are extremely small carbon particles as the brushes wear - I'm pretty sure that is what causes the dark coating we see on the fuel filters surface when we change them...

 

[Ncostello]

We'll see the same black on the filters on the 94 at work. Stanadyne engineering said that was microscopic asphaltines building up on the filter over time. . which is normal for diesel fuel. Sometimes they group up and make some larger black particles. But the carbon from the brushes would surely add to that. Does the carbon particles look metallic in any way.



Could always take a magnet and see if they pick out.

 

[Challenger-II]

The brownish sediment in my fuel canister wasn't like flakes of metal but more of a fine metallic nature. Just like the metallic you would see swirling around in paint. Oo.