FLU419 SEE HMMH HME Owners group

[Migginsbros]

Is your fuel tank from sheet metal or from aluminium.

Before last Saturday we think it was build from aluminium but it is not.
After we have a rust looking tan medium in our filtercap we found some rust on the seems and
it´s magnetic.
Are they two models on the SEE ?

 

[Migginsbros]

Now we start to drain the tank. Seems that the mistake was that we had a only 1/3 filled tank for about 4 month this summer.
There is no water in the fuel but the inner tankwalls are rusty. Probably by condensate.
This was the reason that we clogged one lane off the 2 lane highway A111 this saturday for about 3 minutes
to shut off the fuelvalve, take off the filter bowl, go to the other side to blow out with the bottomvalve of the airtank, install the bowl, open the valve, start and escape.

 

[Migginsbros]

On the ground of the tank we found this filter.
Filter was not connected to the fuel (feed) line.

 

[The FLU farm]

Is your fuel tank from sheet metal or from aluminium.Are they two models on the SEE ?

Checked this morning, and I have three of each. At first I thought that maybe the HMMHs came with aluminum and the SEEs with steel tanks, but my "Summer SEE" has an aluminum tank.

Either way, that's also the one which (still) requires a cleansing of the strainer every now and then, but I just use a paper towel to wipe out what's in the bowl, and scrape whatever is stuck to the filter off with the same paper towel.
Of course, your rust particles are probably finer than my "bacteria poop", so blowing the filter out may be necessary in your case.

 

[Migginsbros]

Some pics from in the tank But can´t figure out how the previously found strainer should be installed. No rubber hose found. Strainer available by MB for about 5 bucks.

 

[peakbagger]

I think it just slips up over the pickup tube an is held by friction. I pulled my sending unit out of the tank when I was chasing vacuum leaks plus the fuel sending unit wasn't working. I had bought a new strainer but mine was clean so I didn't replace it. I let things dry out and then resoldered the wire on the fuel sending unit so it started working. There are no tank baffles so the fuel can really slosh around give the float a work out.

I will have to go confirm that my tank is aluminum.

 

[Migginsbros]

Whitch one is the pick up tube on yours. The longer or the shorter. How you attach the strainer without restricting the fuel sending unit.

 

[peakbagger]

View attachment TM 5-2420-224-24P-1 PartNumbers and diagrams Vol 1.pdfIts been awhile, I think the longer one was the fuel pickup and the strainer just slid onto to the tube. It would make sense that the fuel pickup would be longer with the fuel return shorter.

 

[Migginsbros]

On top of our tank the lines are routed that the longer is the pick up but there is no place for the strainer?

 

[Migginsbros]

Thank you, peakbagger for this pic. Think if the long tube goes into the baffle of the strainer it´s only possible to install the strainer with the sending unit out of the tank.
In this particular case seems like somebody took out the sending unit never mind the strainer, put it back and don´t care about it.
Looks like we have to take out the unit and attache the strainer.

 

[The FLU farm]

I can't recall seeing a strainer in the tank on mine. But it might well have been blown off the pickup tube when I fought the fuel issues and used compressed air on the tank's outlet.
On the other hand, I'm glad there isn't one - it's so much easier to clean out the strainer by the valve.

 

[Migginsbros]

Now we have cleaned our tank as much as possible.

You can´t blow away the in tank strainer if he is installed at the tubes.
But this means, you can´t install the strainer without pulling the tube/sending unit up to 3 inch.
So you have to get the tank out.

In that case we decide to life without the tank strainer, (like the last years)

 

[Migginsbros]

Mission completed, we observe the filter near the valve. Minor pollution.
It´s a pitty that daylight is rare in fall.
Checked all funktions, happy again.

 

[Another Ahab]

Liking the ground level pics.

 

[The FLU farm]

You can´t blow away the in tank strainer if he is installed at the tubes.
But this means, you can´t install the strainer without pulling the tube/sending unit up to 3 inch.
So you have to get the tank out.
In that case we decide to life without the tank strainer, (like the last years)

Yesterday, yet another grave digging session with the Summer SEE. On the way there the strainer had to be cleaned out. On the way back, in almost exactly the same place, one more cleaning.
I suspect that the second one (pictured) was largely due to me stirring the crap in the tank up by putting compressed air into the vent tube (faster than undoing the connection by the valve, but not as efficient).




This, of course, is the SEE that the tank can't easily be removed on. It's mounted way too high for that. Oh well.

 

[tennmogger]

That black crap looks like asphaltene to me. I had that problem. The cause is that on an engine which recirculates hot Diesel back into the tank causes this black beady stuff to come out of suspension, like re-refining somewhat. Two solutions that I know of: add a large-area filter as the first filter, like a Raycor. I used a 30 micron filter canister. That takes out the majority of stuff then you have your prmary and secondary to finish cleaning up the fuel.

You can also find a product by Fleetguard/Cummins called Asphaltine Conditioner, product number CC2597. This stuff dissolves the asphaltine in the tank. I have been running this for a couple of years now and had no further 'first filter' plugging.

Bob

 

[tennmogger]

That black crap looks like asphaltine to me. I had that problem. On an engine which recirculates hot Diesel back into the tank, that heat causes this black beady stuff to come out of suspension, like re-refining the fuel in the tank. Two solutions that I know of: add a large-area filter as the first filter, like a Raycor. I used a 30 micron filter canister. That takes out the majority of stuff then you have your primary and secondary filters to finish cleaning up the fuel. BTW, the primary and secondary filters should be progressively tighter filtration, that is, they are not the same filters.

You can also find a product by Fleetguard/Cummins called Asphaltine Conditioner, product number CC2597. This stuff dissolves the asphaltine in the tank. I have been running this for a couple of years now and had no further 'first filter' plugging.

Bob

 

[The FLU farm]

That black crap looks like asphaltene to me.

It's like black sand in this case. Whether it's asphaltene or bacteria I don't know, but I've cleaned it out best I could - without removing the tank - and BioBor seems to have helped. Or so I thought. This was the first hiccup in quite a while.

This is the tank in which the lower 25% looked like it had undercoating applied to it. And there was a LOT of that black, sandy stuff in it. It's also the one that had something other than diesel in it. JP8 seems to be the popular opinion on what it was.
My thinking is that it can't be asphaltene only, because then the military would've been cleaning the strainer at least as often as I've had to.

 

[Migginsbros]

Today the ordered parts arrived. The new strainer has the same no. on the part like the old one but the pore diameter
on the new one is much smaller.
In a new or new linered tank we would use this fine strainer but we think its not recommended
in used soiled one.(much to fine).

 

[Foxyjosh]

Have you tried blasting the old screen with walnut shells? Also, insert a piece of tube inside the screen to keep it from collapsing and making the mesh too big.