Inline fuel filter - anything special?

[Crispin]

So I should stop using red diesel?

 

[Andrew Prince]

Approaching this issue from another direction - how difficult is it to drop the fuel tank on a 120 and give it a good clean-out? Solve the problem at source (are you certain what the cause of the problem is? )

If your fuel filter is blinding with gunge from the diesel bug, then adding more filters just means more places to get blocked. And each filter you add increases the pressure drop in the fuel line, so the fuel pump is working that little bit harder. It might be easier and better for your truck in the long run simply to change OEM filters more regularly.

Are you sure that the cheapo filters you're inserting into the fuel line are "fit for purpose"? I.e. are they designed to filter for the particles you're trying to screen out? Are they designed to filter diesel (which is quite a bit more viscous than petrol, so using a petrol filter for diesel means much higher pressure drop, which could give fuel starvation symptoms under load). In cold weather, if your fuel waxes a bit these filters might blind as well - they might be the coldest point in the fuel system if they're metal and exposed to the elements.

Racor make quality filters for these sorts of applications but will cost more than the Toy OEM one, so not going to save you money on filter costs. But they might do the job properly

 

[Paul]

Red diesel! Ah, the plot thickens

You've been filtering it through Fuller Earth again havent you

 

[Crispin]

Andrew – I feel like I have just been told off by a father…

As for the filters, I am guessing they’re ok for diesel because the ebay description says so. Not overly scientific as I could put up some kitchen towel as a diesel filter.

I’ll pull the pickup out this weekend and see what it looks like. Hopefully I can get to it from inside. If it is dire then I’ll take the tank off and clean it out.

Any tips on cleaning a tank out? Take it down, pour out any muck rinse with petrol or clean diesel, repeat as necessary?

 

[Andrew Prince]

Andrew – I feel like I have just been told off by a father…

Sorry I can see this developing into a problem-solving exercise where each of the fixes needs to be fixed if not done properly or not the right fix. Just trying to help!

Any tips on cleaning a tank out? Take it down, pour out any muck rinse with petrol or clean diesel, repeat as necessary?

[strike:25enywzb]Use petrol and stick a blow-torch in to evaporate off the fumes. Close your eyes if there's a flash...[/strike:25enywzb] Just be bloody careful! Petrol will work as a solvent. Alternatively spray inside with a pressure washer and then flush with diesel to get most of the water out - let it stand to drain as much water as possible. Flushing with clean diesel is probably your best bet to avoid water contamination and the ignition risk of petrol....

 

[Crispin]

No offence, my aim was to catch the rubbish but that solves nothing... Your idea is best.

I'll have a poke around this weekend and see what I can do.