Fuel filtration

[pollenface]

Hi all, I'm about to rebuild my injector pump for the 2nd time in 6 months (I'll make another thread for that) which has got me thinking that my fuel filtration is not up to spec. Admittedly, I have been using non-genuine "transgold" fuel filters as they are about $100 cheaper than the genuine ones. I'm also curious if there is a possibility for contamination from the return line (that sends warm fuel through the filter).

I have also been using Fuel Doctor for the last 20,000km or so to help with water/algae, not sure if it helps but I feel better when using it.

I'm considering installing either a 2 or 5 micron primary filter/seperator kit.

What are other people doing to filter their fuel, would 2 micron be too fine or clog too fast?

[Bidja]

Water is the killer for CRD (pump and injectors) due to the high operating pressures and also do not like flow restriction.
Fuel rail pressure >160MPa (23000-25000psi) @ full load and the water at these pressures will strip metal of components.

I run Water Watch _ separate/capture water and has built in alarm. Minimal flow restriction. Cost about $500 but good investment. In 220,000 kms changed my fuel filter 3 times (genuine) might do again and still run the original injectors (owned 08 GU CRD since new)

https://www.waterindiesel.com.au/howwaterwatchworks



I replaced my fuel pump 2019, bought new not refurbed.

[jff45]

I run a Fuel Manager 30 micron as pre-filter/water separator with audible alarm but I probably wouldn't run it without the Carter 4600 lift pump.

86996

[mudski]

The main fuel filter will be circa 5 micron, brand dependent. Some go down to as low as 2 or 3. So installing another filter the same as what you already have will be pointless as the filter that sees the fuel first will do all the work and the second filter will do nothing.
Ideally you would run a higher micron filter after the tank to catch the larger particles and then the secondary filter can catch the finer particles letting both filters do a job.

As for the fuel doctor. That stuff is excellent for water dispersion, however not necessarily needed on every fill but it certainly won’t hurt to use it as you never know what the next tank full from the servo may give.


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[pollenface]

The main fuel filter will be circa 5 micron, brand dependent. Some go down to as low as 2 or 3

Do you have any reference for the rating of the factory filter? I can't seem to find anything. Some say 30 micron, others say 50-60 micron. It seems to be a bit of an unknown.

[mudski]

Do you have any reference for the rating of the factory filter? I can't seem to find anything. Some say 30 micron, others say 50-60 micron. It seems to be a bit of an unknown.

There is no direct reference but you can simply go by an aftermarket website for their branded version. They have to make their filters to OEM spec so it will be pretty accurate. I've been if the filtration industry for a long time and done this a billion times over. Looks like yours is 7 micron, so would go a 30 or 15 micron before the original filter. If you want to go finer than 7 you can buy kits from Donaldson or pretty from you milk bar these days, and put it after the original filter.

Also the original filter is a water separator filter.

https://shop.donaldson.com/store/en-au/product/P506116/prod1060177#

[BrazilianY60]

Interesting to see that John have wrapped the TD42T plenum with those adhesive heat shield/mats.

[jff45]

Interesting to see that John have wrapped the TD42T plenum with those adhesive heat shield/mats.

It's because the manifold top is made from a 100 x 3mm tube and it amplified the clacking noise level so I wrapped it to make it a bit quieter. It's not intended to stop heat soak.
Coming from a TB45E, I initially hated the noise then I got used to it and now I love it..

[pollenface]

There is no direct reference but you can simply go by an aftermarket website for their branded version. They have to make their filters to OEM spec so it will be pretty accurate. I've been if the filtration industry for a long time and done this a billion times over. Looks like yours is 7 micron, so would go a 30 or 15 micron before the original filter.

Ah, roger!

I've just ordered the 30 micron fuel manager kit to use as a primary (and a set of injector pump seals), apparently the crd injector pump has a habit of leaking around the 200k mark so maybe it's just time for some love

[Cuppa]

I fitted a CAV type HDF296 pre-fuel filter on our 4.2 Patrol in 2016. These filter elements are cheap, but a bit messy to change. Their price allows me to carry half a dozen of them which is reassuring should we ever be unlucky enough to get a dose of bad fuel a long way from anywhere. (Fingers crossed that has never happened yet). The microns are less that the stock fuel filter, but do vary according to who makes the filter element. The good thing is that they are readily available in any agricultural store around the country. I used to change the stock fuel filter every 10,000kms, but now do so at every 30,000 & the HDF296 at 10,000km intervals. This is with outback & dusty driving conditions. The photo below shows both stock & HDF296 filters cut open after a particularly dusty trip of around 10,000kms. The stock filter would have let some of that crud through to the fuel pump if the CAV filter hadn't caught it first. Works fine with no additional lift pump

87007 87008

[mudski]

I fitted a CAV type HDF296 pre-fuel filter on our 4.2 Patrol in 2016. These filter elements are cheap, but a bit messy to change. Their price allows me to carry half a dozen of them which is reassuring should we ever be unlucky enough to get a dose of bad fuel a long way from anywhere. (Fingers crossed that has never happened yet). The microns are less that the stock fuel filter, but do vary according to who makes the filter element. The good thing is that they are readily available in any agricultural store around the country. I used to change the stock fuel filter every 10,000kms, but now do so at every 30,000 & the HDF296 at 10,000km intervals. This is with outback & dusty driving conditions. The photo below shows both stock & HDF296 filters cut open after a particularly dusty trip of around 10,000kms. The stock filter would have let some of that crud through to the fuel pump if the CAV filter hadn't caught it first. Works fine with no additional lift pump

87007 87008

The good old CAV. I just looked at my stock today for the Fleetguard branded variant we sell. We currently have 804 of them on our shelf which is 3 months stock for us.
We used to sell the complete assembly and of these all the time, maybe 2-3 a day. They are cheap at around $60. But we steer a lot away from these now, two reasons, they are messy to change and the glass bowl is a right pain. You bust this out in the middle of nowhere and your stuffed.
We made up a new kit which uses a spin on water separator filter which has a tap on the bottom. It’s a super common filter much like the 296, but it’s smaller, easier to change and no useless bowl.


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[Cuppa]

The good old CAV. I just looked at my stock today for the Fleetguard branded variant we sell. We currently have 804 of them on our shelf which is 3 months stock for us.
We used to sell the complete assembly and of these all the time, maybe 2-3 a day. They are cheap at around $60. But we steer a lot away from these now, two reasons, they are messy to change and the glass bowl is a right pain. You bust this out in the middle of nowhere and your stuffed.
We made up a new kit which uses a spin on water separator filter which has a tap on the bottom. It’s a super common filter much like the 296, but it’s smaller, easier to change and no useless bowl.




True, they are messy to change. The glass bowl is suprisngly tough though, I've dropped mine a couple of times. Also carried a spare around Oz which I'v never yet needed to use. They also come with metal bowls for those happy to just drain them once in a while rather than being able to look for water as the glass bowl allows. There are most certainly some more convenient spin on type pre-filters available, but most (all?) I've seen require specific filters which are not easily available in remote areas & which are expensive. I chose to use these after a friend with an OKA told me his story about getting a batch of bad fuel in a remote area, which clogged filters. He was only able to get to where he was going because he carried a good stock of these CAV type filters (because they were cheap enough to do so), changing the filter each time one clogged up.

I've often looked enviously at 'the 'neater' spin on arrangements & thought of them as I have cursed the messy changing routine of the CAV, but for remote availability & low cost I still consider them a far better option for folk who get well off the beaten track.

What spin on filter does your current kit use Mark?

[mudski]

What spin on filter does your current kit use Mark?

FS1251 in Fleetguard terms. Super common, particularly on Cummins engines, and these a heap of variant filters which can be also fitted up, if the FS1251 is hard to find.

https://www.fleetguard.com/s/productDetails?propertyVal=fs1251&propertyField=home&language=en_US