Water in Diesel

[66Stang]

So yes I am still lurking here, thinking a TDI may come my way in summer time...

But a quick question. Anyone ever bought Diesel and gotten water in the fuel? Do TDI VW's have a seperator of some sort?

Was out running bucket truck service calls in our Ford F600 Bucket truck new years eve...bought fuel and got water in the fuel from the pump.

How much bad diesel is out there?

Chris

 

[armyschus]

Chris,

I have been driving VW diesels since 1987 and diesel farms trucks a lot longer. I have never had a water problem with diesel fuel. You need to get your fuel from a high volume and good quality source.

Rich

 

[cp]

You will hear that bad diesel is everywhere, mostly from people who like to buy additives. I don't believe that.

What you want to avoid, if possible, is fueling while the delivery truck is dumping fuel. That stirs up the water that is at the bottom of the tank, *if* the level of fuel in the tank was very low when they started the fuel delivery.

All fuel storage tanks have water in them. It collects at the bottom of the tank because it's heavier and water and does not mix with the fuel. Good stations take measures to remove this water at regular intervals.

 

[mrGutWrench]

__. Since diesel is an oil (not a "spirit" like gasoline), water doesn't mix with it very well, but almost all diesel fuel will have a very fine mixture of some water molecules mixed in it. It just happens. Also, in most climates, you'll have a little bit of condensation in your car's fuel tank. But, yes, there is a separator/settlement area in the TDI's fuel filter for water.

__. Of course, if you get gallons of water mixed in with what you've pumped, you'll overwhelm *anything* on the car but very few people have had problems with water in fuel. As others have said, fuel that comes from a place that sells lots so that it's fresh will give you a big advantage of avoiding bad fuel from all reasons and especially water.

__. Different fuel additives (which seem to be necessary for the rotgut fuel that we have around here anyway) have chemicals to help with water. One type "emulsifies" the water molecules and keeps them from clumping up so that they are small enough to pass right through the injection process without causing any problems; other types of additives have chemicals that make the molecules stick together so that they settle quicker and more completely in a system with a separator. Both seem to work fine -- my choice is an emulsifier; I've never found water in the fuel in my cars (200K total) or MzLauraLee's (100K) when changine fuel filters, etc.

 

[Joe_Meehan]

In many years of owning diesel VW's I have only encountered one water in the fuel problem and that was from a Marathon station at the entrance to one of our national parks in the west US. I only made it to the camp grounds. I worked with it that evening, emptying the water from the fuel filter, that night and a few times over the next couple of tank fulls. That was about 25 years ago.

Your best bet it is only buy fuel from a station with a lot of diesel business so they will be selling fresh fuel.

BTW I had one really bad fill up of gasoline. I got about 8 gallons of water into my Sunbeam Imp about 30 years ago, when a Golf station had a leak in a vent.

It really is a non issue.

 

[AndyBees]

Chris, this is my celebration month with my 30 year love affair with VW diesels.

I've driven VW diesels over 1.5 million miles .......................NEVER had a water in fuel issue.

I have never turned the petcock valve on the bottom of the fuel filter to "drain the water" other than at fuel filter change time. I only done it then to see if there was water .............about 90% of the time, no water. The other 10% was less than a table spoon in volume..... filter done its job!

Diesel cars are all over Europe!

 

[Plus 3 Golfer]

I bought my first diesel in 1977, have owned five diesels, and have driven about 1M miles on mine. I also NEVER, EVER had a water issue. I too have not drained the fuel filters other than at change time (I think only 1 or 2 had a drain) and I don't recall any significant water but maybe a few drops occasionally (1/2 teaspoon if that).

 

[aja8888]

So yes I am still lurking here, thinking a TDI may come my way in summer time...

But a quick question. Anyone ever bought Diesel and gotten water in the fuel? Do TDI VW's have a seperator of some sort?

Was out running bucket truck service calls in our Ford F600 Bucket truck new years eve...bought fuel and got water in the fuel from the pump.

How much bad diesel is out there?

Chris

Not to be a stickler here, but this guy has been occasionally posting and starting threads for a year now and still asks a lot of open-ended questions. Apparently, he is not serious about getting a TDI or doing any research on his own.

 

[cp]

I have only owned a TDI for a year so can't speak about it. The drain is too inaccessible to be practical. I don't remember my old diesel Rabbit or the 300D having water drains.

But on bigger trucks, I have seen water. They had a fuel/water separator of the brand name 'Watlow', I believe. It was not uncommon to drain a pint or more out at the end of a day, and we drained them daily. But we were also burning 100 gallons a day, so that is a water/fuel ratio of about 1:800. Water is there; a good separator will get it out.

Also, 'freshness' has nothing to do with the amount of water in the fuel and may even be counterproductive from a water-in-fuel standpoint. A lot of water is introduced when the station is refueled. There are other reasons you might want 'fresh' fuel, but water content is not one of them. Diesel fuel is not hygroscopic, i.e., it doesn't draw water on it's own by sitting.

 

[66Stang]

Not to be a stickler here, but this guy has been occasionally posting and starting threads for a year now and still asks a lot of open-ended questions. Apparently, he is not serious about getting a TDI or doing any research on his own.

I am serious about getting a TDI, actually. Part of a local get together in Columbus...

Right now just trying to either pay cash or have a substantial downpaymnet. I just don't like carrying a lot of debt.

The other part of the problem is that even after reading a lot on the TDI forums, a whole lot of this still seems like Greek to me.

Chris

 

[66Stang]

...and that you to everyone else for the time you spent in reply!

Chris

 

[aja8888]

I am serious about getting a TDI, actually. Part of a local get together in Columbus...

Right now just trying to either pay cash or have a substantial downpaymnet. I just don't like carrying a lot of debt.

The other part of the problem is that even after reading a lot on the TDI forums, a whole lot of this still seems like Greek to me.


Chris

OK Chris, but hopefully, it will not be Greek to you once you get a TDI. More important than worrying about water in diesel fuel is making sure you find one that has been maintained well over its life. That is where I would focus my research if I were new at this (We all were once).

 

[RalphVa]

We drove 2 Mercedes diesels over the last 32 years and never ever had a water problem. Only fuel issues were on about the 3rd or 4th tank after switching to use of B5 (bio cleans crud out of the tank, and it goes to the filter; this is a frequent finding of those switching to any kind of bio) and air due to radial cracks in the ancient fuel lines once after changing out the fuel filter. The same type of rubberized fuel lines had to be replaced between the steel lines and the fuel tank as well; all developed radial cracks in the rubber (probably synthetic rubber).

As far as I know the newest TDIs do not have water drains. Someone mentioned that some of the older ones did.

I always carry a spare fuel filter in the trunk with the proper tools to change it out, and the article copied from the web (with pictures) that shows exactly how to do it. The new VWs require a torq (sp?) screwdriver head tool of the correct size.

 

[cp]

Torx is what they're called.

 

[scurvy]

I never found any water in any fuel filters... until I got a tank that was CHOCK FULL of water! I got an easy 3+ liters of water out of that tank. One fuel filter, 2 quarts of PS Grey, 2 replacement fuel temp sensors, several hours of work and a full tank of known good fuel later, the car is fine.

So yes, I have had water in diesel fuel. It is most certainly not a "non issue" and it behooves you to put in the absolute best fuel you can find.

 

[66Stang]

Thansk for the response, Scurvy!

Chris

 

[mlemorie]

Ive only gotten a little bit in my chevette, and that was when I was in ohio at a rinky dink fuel station. Other than that Ive been pretty clear.

 

[PeoplesCar]

I have never experienced with my diesel but I had it twice in gasoline many years ago. First time froze my carbuerator jets and had to have them replaced, tank drained etc. Shell paid for it. Happened again the same Winter from a different brand.

 

[orengutan]

so, I'm currently reading my way through the bosch injection pump documentation (it's actually really fascinating. I held my bladder for over an hour while reading it) and it mentioned that there's a water warning light of some sort for when your fuel filter is full of water and needs to be drained.

true/false?

 

[mrGutWrench]

so, I'm currently reading my way through the bosch injection pump documentation (it's actually really fascinating. I held my bladder for over an hour while reading it) and it mentioned that there's a water warning light of some sort for when your fuel filter is full of water and needs to be drained.

true/false?

__. Depends on the model of car. Mine ('03 Jetta Wagon, ALH engine, A4 body style) doesn't.

 

[cp]

My '06 doesn't have one.