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fuel water separator drain

Yahoo Message Number: 11192
Draining the fuel water separator sounds fairly straight forward though messy. Are there any gotchas to be aware of? How do folks dispose of the drained contents when on the road? Can it be taken to Checker Auto or the like?
Also, I would be interested in comparing notes with Inspire owners with coaches numbered close to mine. It was built between January and March of '04 and is one of the last with the Cummins 350.

Thanks for the help.

Tony Ferrara

'04 Inspire # 51172

Re: fuel water separator drain

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 11193
Just did mine for the first time in two years. The clear water resevoir was full in 4 weeks time so I guess I had a bad fuel load.
Loosened the big nut on the FL 1242 separator, drained the water into a pan, no fuel came with it. So it went to the sewer with some dawn soap for a companion. Am I describing your process?

Dean

95 Magna #5280

Re: fuel water separator drain

Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 11194
Tony:

The changing of filters isn't a difficult job. The problem comes with choosing a method; to refill manually or not to refill.
While at the CC pre-rally in Tucson this subject came up at the Cummins meeting. There are two schools of thought: One presented by the Cummins rep was to put the new filters on empty, thereby not contamination them. Allow the fuel pump to fill them. The Cummins rep called it the "lift pump" as opposed to the injector pump. This takes a good bit of cranking of the starter while turning the key off and on several times to activate the electric pump.
The other school of thought is to fill them with clean fuel with the risk of getting foreign particles in them in the process. The engine starts right up with no air in the lines or filters.
Over the six years I've had my Intrigue, I've changed my filters many times. Before I heard the rep present his idea, I had always filled them with fuel that I felt was very clean and have never had a problem in over 50k miles. I always get that warm fuzzy feeling when the engine starts right up without cranking on it for several attempts. The fear always occurred to me that I may get an air lock and have to manually prime the injector pump...yuck!
Choose which way you feel about it. If you ask three or four mechanics, you would get both suggestions, I believe.
I've worked around diesel engines a bit in my earlier life and I've always seen them filled, never installed empty, therefore, I used method two.
As to disposal, good luck! I've had the luxury of having an oil recovery tank at a shop nearby and they allowed me to dump it in with the used oil.

Larry
Intrigue
10762

Re: fuel water separator drain

Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 11196
Thanks for the reply. Dean. It sounds like the process I'm talking about, but I thought you needed to drain it until clear fuel drained out. Did yours stop draining on its own when the water was finished coming out? Tony

Re: fuel water separator drain

Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 11207
Tony,

My last routine service provider installed that model fuel/water separator.

I have never accumulated water before, but saw this filter fill with what I thought was water. The cold start of the engine was difficult. I looked up the fuel/water separator process (I know enough to be dangerous) in my Cummins book and read the same sequence you are refering to which said fuel would drain also.
On this filter, however, I just opened the bigger valve and the water streamed out into my oil pan. The @ two cups of water had a faint diesel smell, quit draining on its own, and the clear resevoir was empty.

So, maybe you will have the same situation. I will have to keep checking the filter for a repeat.

Dean

95 Magna 5280

Quote from: Tony Ferrara\[br\
]
> Thanks for the reply. Dean. It sounds like the process I'm talking
about, but I thought you needed to drain it until clear fuel drained out. Did yours stop draining on its own when the water was finished coming out?

Quote
Tony

Re: fuel water separator drain - refilling fuel filters

Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 11211
Hey Larry; There's a better way to re-fill fuel filters that does NOT require cranking...

Cummins recommends installing both filters dry because even the tiniest pieces of dust can destroy a fuel injector. These new injector systems operate under much higher pressures and with much finer injector holes. So making sure there is zero dust in the fuel is important. Thats why Cummins says to install them dry and them pump them full.

It is NOT necessary nor recommended to crank the engine to refill the fuel filter. To refill the fuel filters the correct way, just turn the key on to the first position. The fuel pump will run on for about 30 seconds. Listen carefully around the engine and you can hear it running! When it stops, shut the key off, and then turn it on again. The fuel pump will run for another 30 seconds. Do this about 10 times. The filters will fill with fuel without any cranking of the engine.

To be sure the filters are full and that excess fuel is being pumped back into the fuel tank, listen for bubbles at the fuel tank. As long as you hear bubbles, you're still pumping air out of the system. When the sound of the bubbles stops, you know you've got all the air out of the filters and your pumping fuel back into the tank.

The coach will then start as usual without any extra cranking.

Regards,

Bob Kumza

2003 Intrigue #11581

Quote from: Larry Hanson
> Tony:

The changing of filters isn't a difficult job. The problem comes
with choosing a method; to refill manually or not to refill.

Quote
>

While at the CC pre-rally in Tucson this subject came up at the
Cummins meeting. There are two schools of thought: One presented by the Cummins rep was to put the new filters on empty, thereby not contamination them. Allow the fuel pump to fill them. The Cummins rep called it the "lift pump" as opposed to the injector pump. This takes a good bit of cranking of the starter while turning the key off and on several times to activate the electric pump.

Quote
>

The other school of thought is to fill them with clean fuel with
the risk of getting foreign particles in them in the process. The engine starts right up with no air in the lines or filters.

Quote
>

Over the six years I've had my Intrigue, I've changed my filters
many times. Before I heard the rep present his idea, I had always filled them with fuel that I felt was very clean and have never had a problem in over 50k miles. I always get that warm fuzzy feeling when the engine starts right up without cranking on it for several attempts. The fear always occurred to me that I may get an air lock and have to manually prime the injector pump...yuck!

Quote
>

Choose which way you feel about it. If you ask three or four
mechanics, you would get both suggestions, I believe.

Quote
>

I've worked around diesel engines a bit in my earlier life and
I've always seen them filled, never installed empty, therefore, I used method two.

Quote
>

As to disposal, good luck! I've had the luxury of having an oil
recovery tank at a shop nearby and they allowed me to dump it in with the used oil.

Quote
Larry
Intrigue
10762