Washable Filters?

[Barrman]

One of the perks of getting the correct M35 fuel filters compared to the WIX 3511 and 3512 filters is that supposedly the military ones are cleanable.

I am using a M35 secondary fuel filter set to filter my WMO. I have a little bit of water in one of the drums. I of course didn't know it was there until flow stopped through the filters. Both are now chocolate milk clogged. I was pumping with the first filters drain cracked and when water came out, I opened it up all the way, thinking that would keep the water off the filter. It didn't.

The filter housing had two of the open filter elements that I believe is the NOS military type. Compared to the steel mesh encased 86512 filters I picked up this morning at Carquest.

So, which one is "correct" and how do you clean them? I will clean the cans with Varsol or the modern day equivalent. What do I use on the filters?

I figure this will be good to know for the proverbial cold rainy night far from home when the filters on the truck clog up and I can't go more than 3 mph. Besides saving money on filters for my refueling operation at home.

Thanks.

 

[wvhillbilly]

try this

There are 2 products I would suggest. CRC products #5089 Brakleen, or
Berkbile's #B101 Gum Cutter Carb. Cleaner. Brakleen evaporates quick, but
Gum Cutter is stronger...pick your poison. J. Hill, Fisher Auto Parts store manager.

 

[cranetruck]

Go to the old site and do a search in the PS magazine section...for example:
Steel Soldiers :: Military Vehicles Supersite

Soap and water is best, I believe...

 

[jasonjc]

The military used alot of filter some are claenable most are not. The cleanable ones are like string or some I think are like hard pores chreamic or some thing (I could be way off on that thought) Most are just a pletaed paper type some have a metal outer case some don't it depens on the brand. Remember the military buys from the LOWEST bidder right or wrong.

 

[dabtl]

I think it better to wait around for jatonka to get his secondary spin on filters out for sale to eliminate dirty fuel going into the engine.

I know cleaning seems like a good idea, but the cost of spin on filters is so low that having new rust free filters far exceeds anything a cleaned filter in a rusty can will provide.

You might try powder coating the inside of the filter cans to eliminate rust, however. Just seems like a lot of trouble to me.

 

[BKubu]

I have only had one cleanable filter in all the trucks I've had...at least I don't think the majority were cleanable. The one filter that was reusable was a ceramic type just as described above by JASONJC. It was the first time I had seen one so I pulled it and replaced it with a stock mil-spec filter. I did keep the filter just in case and only found out later it was reusable.