Trial run = trials and tribulations

[corelokt]

Tried to make it down the road today. Having fuel issues. Diesel leaking past the o ring seals on the racor spin on filter, fuel injection return line on the driver's front leaking, replaced, and then popping off.
I bypassed the racor filter and when I cut the line it had pressure and sprayed all over. I've had rust and algea and who knows what getting into the cheap clear fuel screen filter I have right before the final 2 micron filter. How it gets past the 10 micron filter is unknown. I figured the 2 micron was also plugged and so bypassed it. I drove home with just the cheap clear screen filter. It ran great.
I did treat the fuel with 2 stroke, diesel service and algeacide.
What a pia.

 

[NDT]

You will fight that until the cows come home, time to remove and flush the tank.

 

[corelokt]

The cat filter seized on the bases threads. Apparently it's all aluminum and it's a known issue.
Any idea on a base for the cat 0750 filter that is better?

 

[corelokt]

Re filter bases

Don't buy the solid aluminum ones unless your never going to run a filter with aluminum threads in it. I put a cat filter on one and it galled. A filter wrench won't turn it. I'm going to have to cut it off.

 

[corelokt]

Picking your brains, fuel issue

Driver's front fuel injection. return line popped off. Replaced. Did it again a couple times.
Both stanadyne racor filters underneath leaked around the gaskets.
The clear filter screen downstream from those shows algea, white stuff, black stuff.
2 micron filter after that I cut open, and was clean.
I have a pump at the tank pushing and a pump before the 2 micron filter pushing.
The line when cut after the first filters had a lot of pressure in it (spayed all over).
The pressure past the 2 micron filter was 5 psi on my electric gauge.
Truck ran like crap. Stalling, popping the return line, wouldn't idle.
I bypassed all the filters except the cheapo clear screen filter to get home.
The truck ran great.
I'd appreciate your thoughts on why.
It seems odd plugged filters would cause fuel return line issues. I'll double check the tank vents as well, but made sure they were clear when I installed them.
The passenger side tank was a gasser tank, but the sending unit had all the same connections and the issue was with both tanks.

 

[corelokt]

I've ordered new filters and bases to mount in the engine bay with manual pre and post pressure gauges. I'll have a 10 micron filter, then direct to a 2 micron. I'll still have a post tank fuel pump and a post filters fuel pump plumbed in.
My fuel tank selector valves are the type that automatically switch to primary tank if they lose power, so they can't block a return line. At worst one tank may be supplying fuel and the other tank be getting the return. That wasn't happening as far as I know.

 

[corelokt]

As of now I have a cheap Mr Gasket pump, a selector valve, up to a fuel screen, to another pump.
I'll be adding a 10 and 2 micron filter before the second pump. Ill be trying to put them in the engine bay to avoid laying under the truck in another parking lot.

 

[scottladdy]

For what it is worth, and as was stated before, you really should plan on dropping the tanks and flushing/clearing the fuel system all the way through from one end to the other. You cannot solve this by just swapping parts in between and hoping the issue will resolve.

You need to think of this as a biological infection, which in essence is what it is. Once the microbes are in the system you need to kill them off and fully eliminate the conditions for their growth. Also, since you have run both tanks with the infection now the microbes are in both tanks/sending units etc. Replacing filters will not eliminate the infection. Running the truck with less filtration/protection can lead to more expensive issues like an IP failure.

This is what I would do if it were my truck.

Once a year I put a dose of something like BioBor JF in my tanks, but they are starting out clean. It is maintenance.

You mentioned a tank selector which fails to primary. Would you be willing to share what manufacturer and part number? How is it wired etc? I did a quick search and did not find these specifics. This may also help diagnose some of your issues.

All the best!

 

[corelokt]

I don't have a part number. They are the older solenoid type with two in and one outlet. One wire connection. When they have power they switch to the secondary tank. I used two. One for feed, one for return. I'm starting to doubt a bad algea issue. The filter bowls were clean. It's just the clear filter with the screen that ever shows anything. When I cut open the final filter, 2 micron, it was clean also. I'll try one more 2 micron filter, maybe it's to fine for a low pressure pump system?

 

[corelokt]

The two napa / wix filter bases are in and a 10 micron with water drain and 2 micron cat filter installed. Pressure gauges plumbed before and after them, and an electric one for real time monitoring
Base number 24770
10 mic filter LFF8030
2 mic filter LFF3347
Catapiller number 0750 or 0749
Filter heads have 1/2 npt ports.
The solenoid tank selector valves are
Standard Motor Products FV1T Fuel Selector Valve.
They have 5/16 hose Barb's and are being replaced by the less robust motorized valve that fell apart inside in under a week of use on my truck.
When doing all this I found a twisted gasket on one of the racor filters, an installation mistake on my part, that was leaking. I also found a bad ground connection to the tank selector valves, and a blown fuse to the OEM fuel pump. That all explains a few things...
All the filters are up front where the passenger side battery was before I moved them. No more crawling under it in parking lots, getting diesel soaked, when I suspect a filter.
I'd really like to not have to be under the truck more often than in it. It's almost there.

 

[corelokt]

The Mr Gasket pumps are flow through. My tanks would have siphoned dry through one today when I unhooked the hose from it.
My fuel psi dropped one or two psi with just the old electric OEM pump up in the engine bay.
I am suspecting bad fuel as an issue with it now. One tank ran dry, the other tank won't start it. It ran crappy when running on that fuel when I tried switching tanks while driving.
I did order a Walbro pump.

 

[corelokt]

Put in the Walbro pump and dropped the driver's tank to clean the sock.
All fresh fuel and she runs! I didn't find any algea, just some rust and a stiff fuel sock. Blasted it out with brake cleaner. I pumped both tanks and then added the fresh stuff. I mixed in 5 gallons of the old fuel and it stayed good.
So I'm running the Walbro frp-5 pump, then a 10 and 2 micron filter. I do have a pre pump water bowl / fuel screen coming to put in front of the pump. I have it all mounted on the passenger side fender as it was crowded down on the frame and I did not want to move the selector valves and cut the hoses again.
So far pressure post filters is around 6 to 7 psi. If it drops to fast, I'll give up on the 2 micron filters when the 3 I have are gone.
Now I'm fixing oil leaks and hope it's gtg soon.