fuel filter change gone bad - suggestions?

[Gothmolly]

I don't remember the last time the filter was changed, so I changed it. Before I did it, I ran the car with some Diesel Purge through the pump for a few minutes. After nothing interesting happened (no smoke, weird knocking sounds didn't go away, etc), I shut the car off.

Wrestled with the fuel filter and its infernal double unreachable screw clamp thing, got it all back together. Poured some DP into the T fitting hole (seemed to take FOREVER for it to dribble down into the filter - hope that's correct), then plugged it all back in, fired it up, and the car died after about 7 or 8 seconds. Cranks, but no start.

Two questions - I can refill the filter to the top, will that help? assuming that pouring it into the T fitting hole is the right way, it would have taken easily 10 mins to pour half the DP can in.
2nd, suggestions on how to get the diesel stink off your hands?

 

[hskrdu]

The fuel filter might not have been full of fuel, interrupting the flow or putting some air in the hose, which will result in hard start / crank and not start. A new fuel filter with dry media will take a while to fill to the brim.

 

[P2B]

Two questions - I can refill the filter to the top, will that help? assuming that pouring it into the T fitting hole is the right way, it would have taken easily 10 mins to pour half the DP can in.

Now you need to prime the filter and the injection pump. Best way is using a primer bulb to pull fuel through the filter and push it into the pump. Next best is a vacuum pump on the return from the pump to suck fuel through filter and pump. The filter will fill faster using a funnel and hose on the inlet.

2nd, suggestions on how to get the diesel stink off your hands?

I find prevention (gloves) works best, but soap and warm water will eventually get the job done.

 

[Sting]

Interesting... I just changed mine 3 weeks ago. I always follow the same protocol. I prefill the filter with either HotShot or PowerService. Was it actually full when you put everything back together? Like the above said, if not totally full, you might have an air bubble. I pull the T and the lines, swap the filters and double check that the new filter is still full (like to the brim). Sometimes the little bit of jostling settles any remaining air out. Double check its full, then reconnect lines. I also try to turn the two lines upwards after removing to lessen fuel getting out/preventing air bubbles.

I do this EVERY time, and in nearly 200K km of servicing, have never had a start up issue.

Also, the screw clamp... just leave it loose enough that you can just slide the filter up and down, and at what I do is smear on some anti-seize on the area of the filter the band touches as an extra precaution. A slight bit messy, but I've found it keeps it easy to remove.

My go to hand clean up at home is the Blue Dawn and a Scrub Daddy.

 

[Gothmolly]

Interesting... I just changed mine 3 weeks ago. I always follow the same protocol. I prefill the filter with either HotShot or PowerService. Was it actually full when you put everything back together? Like the above said, if not totally full, you might have an air bubble. I pull the T and the lines, swap the filters and double check that the new filter is still full (like to the brim). Sometimes the little bit of jostling settles any remaining air out. Double check its full, then reconnect lines. I also try to turn the two lines upwards after removing to lessen fuel getting out/preventing air bubbles.

I do this EVERY time, and in nearly 200K km of servicing, have never had a start up issue.

Also, the screw clamp... just leave it loose enough that you can just slide the filter up and down, and at what I do is smear on some anti-seize on the area of the filter the band touches as an extra precaution. A slight bit messy, but I've found it keeps it easy to remove.

My go to hand clean up at home is the Blue Dawn and a Scrub Daddy.

Thanks for the tips - when you fill the new filter, you pour the stuff into the T-fitting hole? And just wait for it to slowly sort of sink into the filter?

 

[JDSwan87]

Thanks for the tips - when you fill the new filter, you pour the stuff into the T-fitting hole? And just wait for it to slowly sort of sink into the filter?

Yes. Then have someone crank while you crack injectors, I crack #3 first.

 

[Gothmolly]

Yes. Then have someone crank while you crack injectors, I crack #3 first.

ok thanks, it took so long I was afraid I was doing it wrong. Last time I changed it was like 10 years ago so my memory on what was "normal" was hazy.

 

[JDSwan87]

ok thanks, it took so long I was afraid I was doing it wrong. Last time I changed it was like 10 years ago so my memory on what was "normal" was hazy.

Yeah, sometimes it pops right off and doesn't miss a beat. Other times it plays shenanigans and it's a crank fest

 

[Sting]

Just from my perspective, I've never had to crack the injectors and crank anything in the past 4 years. Startup has always been smooth.

I use a small funnel to pour in the T-hole.

 

[Gothmolly]

Just from my perspective, I've never had to crack the injectors and crank anything in the past 4 years. Startup has always been smooth.

I use a small funnel to pour in the T-hole.

I'll try that, it just goes in SO slowly. 4 years? Damn, how often do you change the filter?

 

[Sting]

You're displacing air and you're soaking the medium. Doesn't take THAT long.

Back in Ontario I was doing it around every 40K ish... I was driving a lot then, first couple of years I had the car, I put 150K km on it The. last couple of years in Victoria, I'm only driving about a third of what I used to. I've been changing them yearly around this time of year. This past year was only 20K between changes, but I'm also taking the family on a road trip to New Mexico and Vegas, so I wanted the maintenance up to date. Just did timing belt after about 130K km in, oil change and air filter.

 

[Gothmolly]

You're displacing air and you're soaking the medium. Doesn't take THAT long.

Back in Ontario I was doing it around every 40K ish... I was driving a lot then, first couple of years I had the car, I put 150K km on it The. last couple of years in Victoria, I'm only driving about a third of what I used to. I've been changing them yearly around this time of year. This past year was only 20K between changes, but I'm also taking the family on a road trip to New Mexico and Vegas, so I wanted the maintenance up to date. Just did timing belt after about 130K km in, oil change and air filter.

I wonder if there's something up with this filter. I poured a little Diesel Purge in, like a spoonful, and it just sat there in the T-fitting hole, then very slowly drained away. I should probably change it more often, this has been at least 50-60k miles.

 

[ZippyNH]

Don't be afraid to put you battery on a charger....have seen some cars and trucks crank FOREVER if they lost their prime....it's one of the reasons why many people use diesel additional additive that has lots of lube like power service...the hope that the little bit of it splashing around keeps things lubed and prevents damage till the fuel is flowing right and it starts and runs.

 

[Gothmolly]

Thanks to all for the suggestions, car is running again. Cracked the #3 injector line, dribbled Diesel Purge into the filter, cranked the crap out of it and it started and ran.
I still think I'm filling the filter wrong, I had a funnel on it, and anything more than a teaspoonfull of DP would just sit there, and then maybe once every 5 seconds, a bubble would pop out and the level would go down a little.
I was worried I'd have to prime the pump somehow, but would have had no idea how to do that.

This will be the last filter, so thank goodness I never have to do this again!

 

[turbodieseldyke]

I still think I'm filling the filter wrong, I had a funnel on it, and anything more than a teaspoonfull of DP would just sit there, and then maybe once every 5 seconds, a bubble would pop out and the level would go down a little.

If the fuel hoses were all connected, there's nowhere for the displaced air to go.

 

[Genesis]

I have ALWAYS just replaced the filter, stuck my oil sucker on the return from the IP (plug the "T" hole where that line would go), pull a vacuum with the oil sucker and hit the key. When it starts to stumble (if you'll see fuel show up in the return, if not it will start stumbling and trying to run) STOP!

Hook it back up and she'll light right up.

If you let it actually start you'll be shocked at how fast your sucker fills up..... thus don't do that.

This avoids the risk (small, but not zero) of getting any amount of grit into the "clean" side after the filter, which is a very bad thing if it happens for obvious reasons.