Water in fuel

[Colonel102]

Tried a search and came up w/ nothing. The manual says to drain the water from the fuel at each fill up. This may be a dumb question, but when you do drain the water on the 3rd gen filter... how can you tell if water is coming out or if diesel is coming out?... . everything looks the same color inside the hose connected to the drain valve. Do you go by smell or what? Little help please.

Thanks

 

[DaveMorris]

I just flip mine open at every oil / filter change (every 5k) and let it go at that. . I don't like the idea of dumping fuel on the ground or on top of the front axle and I am not about to crawl under my truck at the pump with a little cup



No problems here, I bet you some have never even touched the lever, besides that if it was that improtant then they would have made it a little more accessible and not so poluting (dumping on the ground)...

 

[RLutkenhaus]

If you don't drain the water out of the fuel filter housing regularly, then the water will eventually corrode the aluminum and eat a hole through the filter housing. This results in fuel spewing all over the inside of the engine compartment and coating the whole underside and back of your truck. Don't ask me how I know this. New filter housing will cost around $400 or more. If you drain the fuel into a glass jar or even into a relatively clean empty oil jug, you can see the water separate out on the bottom. The diesel floats on top of the water. Kinda like how vegetable oil looks when it floats on top of water.



Robert

 

[InThinAir]

It really depends on where you buy your fuel. I have over 100k on my '01. I have emptied the housing 2 or 3 times. And I cleaned the sensor 1 time. It makes a huge mess!!! I just look in there if it looks like it has water I open the lever. Never seen much in there. But I would do it more often if the hose was longer and if I could get a larger bottle up in there to catch it.



---Doug

 

[jjdiesel]

I use an old garden hose... cut off a foot or so and slide it over the tube coming out of the canister and into a jar or some transparent container so that you can see if there is water in there. Easy to do, don't have to go crawling all over the floor.

 

[curatchko]

Well, I put 80k on my 99 CTD, and now have 30k on my 04. I have changed the filter once on my 04, and 3 times on my 99. NEVER has there been water in the filter, and I've never drained it on any kind of interval. Not saying others don't have different experiences, but there is no general mandate on this stuff across the board... . as per my own evidence.

 

[jjdiesel]

Doug's point is good, it all depends where you get your fuel. Go to a place that moves a lot of diesel fuel and you will probably never have a problem.

 

[Jengle]

I have changed my filter twice in 30k, and drain it at every oil change, but have yet to see water in it. I tank up where I see a lot of big rigs getting thier fuel. I use an empty water bottle to catch it, since it is clear, and I have left it sitting on the shelf with the top loose, so it would dry out before I used it.

 

[tschwab]

I drain it every other fill-up, just let enough drain out of the hose and turn the lever back. Have never had a problem.

 

[Big MAK]

If you use an additive and get good fuel (busy truck stops only) you almost never have to drain water. I've had four diesel trucks; lot's of miles; the only time I -ever- drain the fuel cannister is when I replace the filter. I use an additive regularly. Every fill in the winter; about half the time in warmer weather. I've only had 'water in fuel' indicator come on once; it was -20 outside. I think it was condensation in the filter (my '95).

 

[Colonel102]

Additive

Big MAK,

I noticed we're in the same neck of the woods. I'm going to fill up for the first time this weekend and was wondering where you go for diesel? I was thinking across the river for the cheaper fuel and to the I-80 truck stop. Movin' alot of diesel over there which could cut down on water in the fuel by what others have said here.

Also, I am wanting to put an additive in my '05 as well. I currently have about 750 miles on the rig and wonderin' if it is too early to put some injector cleaner/anti gell stuff in? Like you, I would like to run the stuff all winter and every other fill-up in the warm months.

What does everybody think?



Thanks

 

[R.M.THOMPSON]

A bicycle water bottle works good and is relatively tight for dumping out later,also,if you put in gauges a good place to put a drain valve and a tapped banjo bolt in on the bottom of the filter canister to allow draining down the bowl before a filter change. (floaters and backwash bug me to no end !)

 

[tschwab]

I think using a fuel additive with EVERY tank is good insurance. I use Stanadyne Performance Formula.



http://dieselpage.com/add1.htm

 

[Big MAK]

I usually fuel at Sapp Bros. I noticed they charge the same on each side of the river so they aren't competing with one another. Atleast that's how it was last time I took note of it. I don't think you have to wait to use a diesel fuel additive.