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Fuel filter warning light

BlueRock

New Member
Joined
Jun 26, 2011
Messages
4
My fuel filter warning light came on recently, on a few occasions. This was after driving through very heavy rain for something like 5 hours straight. It happened on two separate days.

I followed the instructions in the owner’s manual and drained some of the Diesel, and that seemed to solve the problem each time.

But, is this normal? Should I expect this kind of problem in heavy rain? Do I need to replace the filter? How is the water getting in? I have the D-4D engine.

Cheers,
BlueRock
 
Water should not be getting in the system at all. If you have not replaced the fuel filter in a while then you should. Do you have any loss of power when you put your foot down, if so could be the filter in the tank.
 
When you drained the filter - was there water in there as well as diesel ??

There is a float in the filter assembly that will float on water, but not on diesel. As water builds up in the filter the float rises, triggering the warning light.

If there was no water in the filter, I guess the heavy rain was getting into the wiring. Check the connector that lies on the inner wing and give it a spray with contact cleaner, WD40 or similar.

If you did get water on both occasions, check the rubber filler neck hose in case spray from the rear wheel is getting into the tank (it will lie at the bottom and be picked up by the suction tube).

Also check the inspection panel on the top of the tank in case the gasket is letting water in.

Do you smell diesel when the car is parked ?? that might indicate a bad seal somewhere.

Bob.
 
I didn't notice any loss of power. And, I never smelled any diesel. So far, the problem has not repeated itself (in normal UK rain). That's why I suspected it might have been related to the long duration in the heavy rain on my European trip.

When draining the diesel, I couldn't really tell if there was water. It seemed slightly cloudy, but then I don't know what 'normal' diesel is supposed to look like. There was a clear relationship between draining it, and the light going out. The filler cap seems to make a tight seal. I'll check the other hose when I have a chance.
 
Run down your tank to almost empty then Change your filter is the first thing you should do. You may have put in poor quality diesel somewhere along your travels, Iv seen where service stations storage tanks have taken in water during heavy rain or flooding.
 
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