Fuel Filter - what I found

[mikexgough]

I decided to Change my Fuel filter today and still have the Oil to do at the weekend so all is well before we get into the winter period.
I duly followed the fact sheet apart from I didn't make a mess or lose a drop of diesel....
I had to use a chain wrench as the filter was very tight and as many of you know it is in a confined space. I even had to remove the 2 nuts to allow me to move the filter assembly so I could get at the filter better. I did this as it appeared that the filter had not been changed since Bongo landed in the UK. Now Bongo has a new filter and "o" ring all is well in the world, however in the attached picture (not a very good one due to the sunny conditions today and reflections) you will see the crud that was in the diesel which I emptied out of the filter into one of those takeaway trays......



So whats in yours........?

[Pablobongo]

are you sure you didn't leave some rice in that take away box?

[stevedon]

it looks like diesel bug which grows in the tank when water is present (from condensation) .this generaly occurs in the warmer months.

[mikexgough]

Just for the record.....the Bongo is/was running well with no problems to suggest a fuel filter change could/was needed, I just changed the fuel filter as it was an "unknown" quantity to me and the Oil filter/Oil Change i mentioned is a "due" Service change

[daveblueozzie]

It looks like the filter was doing exactly what it was meant to do , er ,filter

[mikeonb4c]

It looks like the filter was doing exactly what it was meant to do , er ,filter

There's always ONE isn't there eh? And it had to be DBO

[David Edwards]

When I did my research seven years ago into using cooking oil, I was surprised to learn that diesel was referred to as a very dirty fuel, hence the black smoke I suppose seen streaming from older diesels so I aint surprised by the crud. Funny thing is mind, when I had mine changed a couple of months ago, which I am ashamed to say was the first time it had been changed and only then because I had bought a new one in the kit, it was still perfectly clean..must be the good old cooking oil doing what it was alledged to do..clean everything,lol.

[bigdaddycain]

http://www.nolab.no/index1.php?valg=3&id=4

[ScubaBongo]

that's nasty!!

[bill whyte]

As explained above, this is a microbiological problem. Microorganisms need water to grow and will not grow in pure diesel. If the diesel gets contaminated with water then microorganisms can grow, as they have water and can get their nutrition from the hydrocarbons in the fuel. These microorganisms grow at the interface of the fuel and water. The first photograph from ‘scuba bongo’ shows this rather well.
This problem is relative common in boats if the diesel tank is not kept full when the boat is laid up during the winter, as water condensation then occurs in the tank. Engine failure approaching rocks is not a good idea in a boat. To prevent this it is best to keep the fuel tank full, especially when laid up during the winter, fit a water separator, and add a biocide (available from chandlers) to the diesel to stop the growth. It is an uncommon problem in cars and vans. I would guess that the two problems discussed above were due to water being in the diesel dispensed from the pump in the petrol station, or the Bongos fuel tank being left empty for unusually long periods of time.

[mikexgough]

It is an uncommon problem in cars and vans. I would guess that the two problems discussed above were due to water being in the diesel dispensed from the pump in the petrol station, or the Bongos fuel tank being left empty for unusually long periods of time.

Since I have owned my Bongo the fuel tank has always been full on a weekly basis so has never been empty in my ownership, I posted the results of the contents of my fuel filter so that others can see what could be inside theirs.

Looking at the filter which came off of mine, although it was doing it's job well it looked like it had not been changed since it was in Japan.... it was very dirty and was sealed on quite tight which suggested that it had not been changed for a while.......

On the plus side, I never had any issues with the running of the engine at all but I feel better now I have changed the filter for peace of mind.....