Replace sediment bowl with inline filter

[angelugs]

I'm tired of screwing around emptying the sediment bowl on my 2005 Jinma 284 after trying to clean the inside of the fuel tank. Still getting rust and paint granuals showing up in the bottom of the bowl and probably will for sometime since the fuel tank is IMPOSSIBLE to remove without "digging a deeper hole" than I want to dig. I want to get rid of the sediment bowl and go to an inline filter set up. Does anyone know what the thread size is where the sediment bowl assembly attaches to the fuel tank? Also, if anyone has done this mod in the past I'd appreciate knowing what inline filter they used. I'd like to install something with a clear housing so I could see when the filter needs changing and if I could find a set up that uses a "reusable" filter that would be great.

 

[Bob Rooks]

I'm surprised you didn't vacuum out the tank when you had the chance. It isn't necessary to clean the bowl every time it collects some debris, that's what it's supposed to do. Let it get at least a quarter full before you clean it. Another thing the sediment bowl will do that a paper inline filter won't do is decant the fuel. Any water or moisture will collect in the bottom of the bowl. Also make sure that 100 mesh screen in the top of the glass bowl is in good condition. 1/4" NPT.

 

[5030]

Get yourself a Racor style fuel polishing filter and put it between the fuel tank and the sediment bowl.

 

[piper184]

The OEM fuel bowl on my 2006 284 had a plastic bowl that quickly clouded and was difficult to monitor the contents. I bought one with a glass bowl from Ranch Hand Supply. Still crystal clear all these years later.

I did discover that the OEM fuel line with the banjo fittings is close enough to 1/4" ID that you can use 1/4" hose barbs. You can carefully slice through the ferrell at the factory crimp and pull the old fitting out and replace with any S.A.E. size and style you need.

I've probably had the glass bowl off twice in the 10+ years since the upgrade. Always comes off easy and re-seals with no fuss. I mostly use it to monitor for water and have never found any. The canister spin-on filter will pick up any debris should it get through. The spin-on is between the lift pump and the injection pump.

 

[5030]

A Racor style polishing unit (I use a Conus base with a Genuine Racor spin on Water Bloc filter) will remove 99% of any entrained water and filter the incoming fuel from the tank down to 30 microns. Your primary OEM filter only filters to 80 microns and the sediment bowl won't even do that. The Racor water bloc filter has a screw in clear base with a drain in the bottom so you can dump the contents (water and debris) easily plus you can readily see what is collected in the bottom. Since I installed the Racor style base and genuine Racor filter, I've collected nothing in my sediment bowl because it don't get that far.

The Conus bases are under 30 bucks on Amazon. I consider them a very worthwhile investment. The genuine Racor spin on filters are about 30 bucks each at the Racor store.

 

[angelugs]

I'm surprised you didn't vacuum out the tank when you had the chance. It isn't necessary to clean the bowl every time it collects some debris, that's what it's supposed to do. Let it get at least a quarter full before you clean it. Another thing the sediment bowl will do that a paper inline filter won't do is decant the fuel. Any water or moisture will collect in the bottom of the bowl. Also make sure that 100 mesh screen in the top of the glass bowl is in good condition. 1/4" NPT.

Well unfortunately I'm still fighting the "bio bug" so I figured I'd clean the inside of the tank as best I could. As you well know, vacuuming the tank doesn't do SQUAT to kill the "bug". The engineering on the fuel tank serves its purpose BUT it is NOT user friendly if you need to remove it. After draining the fuel, rinsing with water, filling with distilled white vinegar and allowing to soak for 72 hours, and rinsing again with water I'm still getting granules of what looks to be rust and paint. I was just wanting to alleviate the task of cleaning out the sediment bowl everytime I saw particles in it. Guess I was hoping for no more particles, at least after cleaning the tank. As for decanting the fuel, I thought about that after posting my request. If nothing else I may look for a sediment bowl with a drain on the bottom. Thanks for your reply. I figured I'd hear from you.

 

[Bob Rooks]

Well unfortunately I'm still fighting the "bio bug" so I figured I'd clean the inside of the tank as best I could. As you well know, vacuuming the tank doesn't do SQUAT to kill the "bug". The engineering on the fuel tank serves its purpose BUT it is NOT user friendly if you need to remove it. After draining the fuel, rinsing with water, filling with distilled white vinegar and allowing to soak for 72 hours, and rinsing again with water I'm still getting granules of what looks to be rust and paint. I was just wanting to alleviate the task of cleaning out the sediment bowl everytime I saw particles in it. Guess I was hoping for no more particles, at least after cleaning the tank. As for decanting the fuel, I thought about that after posting my request. If nothing else I may look for a sediment bowl with a drain on the bottom. Thanks for your reply. I figured I'd hear from you.

Ok, then I assume you're treating the fuel with a biocide. Hindsight being 20/20, after you flushed and washed your tank I think you left a lot of moisture behind, enough to create another interface where the process started all over again. So let me offer this advice with sequence for next time -
1) Drain all fuel from the tank, check screens in the banjo fittings, remove and clean all fuel lines (except hard lines) replace secondary fuel filter.
2) Pressure wash all insides and bottom of the tank, allow to drain.
3) Vacuum as much debris as possible from the tank.
4) Dry the tank thoroughly using a heat gun or hair dryer aimed into the filler neck. Do not use anything with a flame (compressed air has moisture in it).
5) Reconnect all fuel lines.
6) Add an appropriate amount of biocide to the tank according to tank size/instructions.
7) Top up tank with fresh fuel.
8) Continue with recommended dosing for at least three tankfuls. Follow up checking for "bugs".

Good luck!

 

[5030]

One thing to keep in mind and that is, if you add a certified biocide like Powerservice Bio-Kleen and kill the algae, you still have to deal with the dead carcasses no matter what. The dead bodies will clog filters and cause fuel injection issues no matter what. One thing about a fuel polishing filter is, it will totally remove those dead bodies before they reach the engine and the Racor filter has a huge capacity for collection. As the filter collects the 'bodies' they will drop into the bottom bowl and you can open the drain and 'flush' them out before they can clog your primary filter or your sediment bowl strainer.

Hopefully you are using a real biocide and not some elixir that claims it kills microbial algae. The real thing will always have an MSDS label attached to the bottle.

 

[5030]

My issue with sediment bowls is their limited capacity. With my tractors, because they are bigger, I have a lot of fuel flow when they are working and the fuel polishing unit captures everything. I have not changed a primary filter or the sediment bowl since I installed them. Put one on my diesel pickup truck as well, not that I drive it a lot with fuel at 6 bucks a gallon. I do have Power Kleen in the fuel tank on it as well. Some years back I had an algae issue with it and it cost me over a grand in replacement parts.

 

[angelugs]

The OEM fuel bowl on my 2006 284 had a plastic bowl that quickly clouded and was difficult to monitor the contents. I bought one with a glass bowl from Ranch Hand Supply. Still crystal clear all these years later.

I did discover that the OEM fuel line with the banjo fittings is close enough to 1/4" ID that you can use 1/4" hose barbs. You can carefully slice through the ferrell at the factory crimp and pull the old fitting out and replace with any S.A.E. size and style you need.

I've probably had the glass bowl off twice in the 10+ years since the upgrade. Always comes off easy and re-seals with no fuss. I mostly use it to monitor for water and have never found any. The canister spin-on filter will pick up any debris should it get through. The spin-on is between the lift pump and the injection pump.

Thanks for your reply. Wonder if the set up is the same on the 2006 model as the 2005 model? I broke the bowl on mine and couldn't find anything with the right thread to fit the tank so had to purchase a complete unit from a Jinma supplier. Do you remember the part number for the Ranch Hand Supply unit? I did some checking around and found the thread specs on the OEM bowl assembly is 16mm x 1.50 fine. Did your replacement unit thread directly into the tank or did you have to change something?