BX Fuel filters, water absorbing?

[oldnslo]

Can any tell me if the BX fuel filters are also water absorbing? Reason I am asking is mine plugged again. Temperature was upper 20's and when I removed the inlet hose the fuel ran out like a garden hose. Fuel in filter was also fluid and it poured out but i could not blow through it either. i caught some of the fuel in a mason jar last night and let sit 24 hrs. There was no evidence of water in the bottom of the jar at that time.
Installed a new filter and back in operation.

I cut the plugged filter apart. Inside it looks almost like cloth filter media that was turning mushy, gooey with a metal screen over it. I am going to take this to work tomorrow and look at it under a microscope. Will try and post pictures if I find anything.



Roy

 

[leonz]

The fuel filters will absorb water and plug.
I believe they are made if felt like the
Duetz 10 micron drop in fuel filters.

 

[moship]

oldnslo,

Keep in mind diesel fluid is hydroscopic meaning it absorbs water, so you will not see the water in the fuel as easy as can be done with gas. Generally the diesel fuel filter pores are small enough not to let the larger water molecule through and will concentrate in this area.

 

[dodge man]

I've had the fuel filter plug up on my BX twice. I cut it apart also, it didn't really look like anything was wrong, but like you, I blew threw it and it was partly plugged.

 

[jlsmith]

There is a fuel treatment out there that might help you. Its called fuel power, its made by FPPF. It comes in a 8oz bottel that treats 240 gallons. It disperses the water in your tank completly and improves the life of the filter. Ive tried it and can say it works.It also cleans the injectors and helps improve mileage.

 

[Jay4200]

Can any tell me if the BX fuel filters are also water absorbing? Reason I am asking is mine plugged again.

Do you use a fuel additive, like Power Service? I only ask because I changed my fuel filter before this winter for the first time. The PO put 300 hours on my tractor and did no maintenance, then I put about 500 hours on it up until now. I am fairly **** about oil and air filter maintenance, but never felt a need to swap out the fuel filter. I am using my tractor this winter for snow removal, so I finally changed out the filter to help avoid any dirt-related gelling (had a spare the whole time) - the filter I changed out had at least 800 hours and 7 years of operation on it (although no winter use, other than what the PO did). There was some debris hanging out in the bowl under the filter when I changed it - I never had any kind of clogging issues with it in all that time.

I was a little surprised at the gallon or so of pressurized fuel that came shooting out when I pulled the filter even though the fuel shutoff was closed - nobody warned me about that...

JayC

 

[jlsmith]

the filter I changed out had at least 800 hours and 7 years of operation on it (although no winter use, other than what the PO did). JayC

:shocked: WOW I change mine every 100 hrs..rather spend that $7 on a filter verses letting something happen to the injector pump. Filter to cheap not to change it but hey thats just me and then again ill put that many hrs on it in a few weeks.

 

[Jerry/MT]

Can any tell me if the BX fuel filters are also water absorbing? Reason I am asking is mine plugged again. Temperature was upper 20's and when I removed the inlet hose the fuel ran out like a garden hose. Fuel in filter was also fluid and it poured out but i could not blow through it either. i caught some of the fuel in a mason jar last night and let sit 24 hrs. There was no evidence of water in the bottom of the jar at that time.
Installed a new filter and back in operation.

I cut the plugged filter apart. Inside it looks almost like cloth filter media that was turning mushy, gooey with a metal screen over it. I am going to take this to work tomorrow and look at it under a microscope. Will try and post pictures if I find anything.



Roy

I can't speak to the specifics of the Kubota filters but diesel fuel filters will filter out the water and then it will freeze if the ambient temperatures are below 32F causing the filter to clog. I think you can almost make a general statement on water always accumulating in fuel tanks, gas or diesel via condensation. You can minimize it by keeping the tank full but you can't eliminate it. You can use dispersants that keep the water imulsified thereby preventing freezing of water in the tank bottom and fuel screen/outlet tap, which can put you in a real fix. If the water freezes on the filter you can replace the filter. Not so if it freezes on the tank bottom. Most diesel fuel systems have drains on the bottom of the filters or water separators or both. They should be drained regularly to remove water that collects there. if your fuel came out ofthe filter, it probably was water free. Take the fuel out of the bottom filter drain and let that stand and see what you get. i did that on one of my tractors after a cold weather event and there was about 3 ounces of water in about a 6 ounce sample.

Here's what I do to minimize water contaminated fuel problems. I have a flter on my fuel tank with a water drain to keep the fuel I put in the tractors free of water. I try to keep the tractor's tank full to minimize condensation. I change my fuel filters before winter and add PS White to the fuel to disperse any collected water. I keep spare filters on hand in case I get one frozen. To preclude fuel gelling (a less common problem here becuse we generally don't get temperatures low enough to cause that), I mix my winter fuel with 1 part 31 diesel to 2 parts #2 diesel.

I bought a used 2007 NH TD95D with 93 hrs on it a few months ago that I brought up from a warmer climate. The fuel was contaminated and I had some problems with that in below zero temperatures here in Montana. I had to heat the water separator and the filter with a heat gun to be able to run the tractor and then I changed them out. I added PS White to the tank to disperse the water and I drain the water seprator and the fuel filter before and after each use and I've not had any more problems though the fuel is still contaminated with water. Cold weather operation of diesel engines( starting them up and keeping them running) are a weak point of the diesel. Using starting aids, keeping the electrical system up to snuff, and by paying attention to the fuel quality, we can minimize disruptions during winter operations.

 

[dodge man]

BX's have very small, automotive style fuel filters, no bowl or anything.

 

[Jay4200]

:shocked: WOW I change mine every 100 hrs..rather spend that $7 on a filter verses letting something happen to the injector pump. Filter to cheap not to change it but hey thats just me and then again ill put that many hrs on it in a few weeks.

Yea, I usually take care of that sort of stuff often myself - I just never did it. I did pick up a spare filter this weekend, so I can start running a tighter schedule.

OTOH, it IS a filter, so if it clogs up, the tractor would stop - I don't believe that anything could ever happen to an injector pump due to a filter, unless the filter broke open and let stuff through. I can see the filter through the bowl, and it never looked anything but clear. That being said, it DID run 7 years and 800 or so hours without issue - hard to argue with that . I am pretty careful about keeping my fuel clean when it goes in, and visually inspect the tank periodically for signs of dirt or rust.

JayC

 

[leonz]

About the fuel issues;

I have a link for you here if you would like to examine it.


maesco.com - Mid-Atlantic Engine Supply Corp.


They are a Racor fuel filter distributor and there is a wealth
of informationat their homepage.


The Racor units spin the water and heavier debris out of the
fuel and have a final filter that can either be 2 or 10 micron.

:thumbsup:

 

[oldnslo]

Yes, I am using a fuel anti-gel product. Never have in the past when running diesels in central MN but that was 25 years ago and the fuel quality has not improved in that time....

I looked at the filter media under a 200X microscope and could not see any particulate that would suggest dirty fuel. NOTE: I kept the filter outside all night and brought it in the shop to look at it so there may have been time for any ice to melt.

What I did notice was that the paper media appeared to be a much darker color on the inlet side Vs the outlet side. This could indicate dirt but again i could not see any evidence of that.

Carefully blew air through the media onto a white towel and examined this under the microscope. There was traces of discoloration but again could not see any particulate of any size.

Conclusion: New filter works and I don't have a clue what caused the old filter to plug. I have now changed this filter 3 times in less than 150 hours of run time. First time was maintenance when I purchased the tractor. second time was do to engine missing in the summer. 3rd time noted above. This is from two different barrels of fuel so I can't find a common link and two totally different temperatures.

Fuel is supposed to be straight #2 with no bio. In Illinois this is getting darn hard to find.

Roy

 

[Jerry/MT]

Yes, I am using a fuel anti-gel product. Never have in the past when running diesels in central MN but that was 25 years ago and the fuel quality has not improved in that time....

I looked at the filter media under a 200X microscope and could not see any particulate that would suggest dirty fuel. NOTE: I kept the filter outside all night and brought it in the shop to look at it so there may have been time for any ice to melt.

What I did notice was that the paper media appeared to be a much darker color on the inlet side Vs the outlet side. This could indicate dirt but again i could not see any evidence of that.

Carefully blew air through the media onto a white towel and examined this under the microscope. There was traces of discoloration but again could not see any particulate of any size.

Conclusion: New filter works and I don't have a clue what caused the old filter to plug. I have now changed this filter 3 times in less than 150 hours of run time. First time was maintenance when I purchased the tractor. second time was do to engine missing in the summer. 3rd time noted above. This is from two different barrels of fuel so I can't find a common link and two totally different temperatures.

Fuel is supposed to be straight #2 with no bio. In Illinois this is getting darn hard to find.

Roy

The smaller particulate is trapped in the filter media and hence the discoloration. I believe the water droplets are relatively large and adhere to the outside and freeze to block the filter.

Everybody seems to think that gelling is thier problem when their diesel won't run but but I'd wager more often them not its water contaminated fuel freezing the filters. Freezing happens at relatively higher temperatures, which are more common.
If you lived in Central MN an didn't have a gelling problem occasionally it's probably because you were using winter blend fuel that was relatively a high percentage of #1 diesel. I would think that Central MN had some long stretches of -20 to -30F temps occasionally.

 

[like2wheel]

OTOH, it IS a filter, so if it clogs up, the tractor would stop - I don't believe that anything could ever happen to an injector pump due to a filter, unless the filter broke open and let stuff through.

JayC

Very true, this is often misunderstood about filters: they become more efficient at filtering as they accumulate more dirt.

Problems usually come from the restriction of flow as they become too efficient, not from passage of dirt. Barring any rupture or catastrophic failure...

 

[oldnslo]

The smaller particulate is trapped in the filter media and hence the discoloration. I believe the water droplets are relatively large and adhere to the outside and freeze to block the filter.

Everybody seems to think that gelling is thier problem when their diesel won't run but but I'd wager more often them not its water contaminated fuel freezing the filters. Freezing happens at relatively higher temperatures, which are more common.
If you lived in Central MN an didn't have a gelling problem occasionally it's probably because you were using winter blend fuel that was relatively a high percentage of #1 diesel. I would think that Central MN had some long stretches of -20 to -30F temps occasionally.

Yes, that was one of the better things was that it stayed below freezing Vs the temperature roller coaster we get here. Last year I farmed in MN the warm day for 2 weeks was -22 degrees.

We rarely ran a blend. had a 1000 gallon #2 & 250 gallon #1 tanks for diesel. Would usually fill around 50/50 mix and if knew it was going to get cold for a stretch would fill with #1 only. Slight power loss beat shoveling.

Roy

 

[danfromsyr]

well it seems I have the annual frozen (plugged) fuel filter on my bx2350
it's always the 1st really cold snap of the year and it's not gelled as I usually dump 2~3 gals of Kero in it in the late fall.

the dealer replacement filter is a regular looking paper cone filter w/o the felt media layer in it.. but then it won't contain the water and that would do damage to my injectors or pump?

I've added a dryign fuel additive but that doesn't seem to help..
I'll try to get it into the garage tonight to unhook the filters drain out any residual water and get this back up & running.

Dan in Syracuse.

The fuel filters will absorb water and plug.
I believe they are made if felt like the
Duetz 10 micron drop in fuel filters.