2.8L CRD Fuel Filter Pics

irunmiles · **Posted:** Tue Oct 10, 2006 8:58 pm

I posted the wrong page in the note above. Here's the fuel filter pics:

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2477806/2

Ranger1 · **Joined:** Mon Oct 17, 2005 7:40 pm **Posts:** 1137

Nice pics... I would add one comment on filling the new filter. I would add the diesel/PS to the new filter in the same way it would come in from the fuel tank - via the outer smalll holes in the top of the fuel filter instead of the center hole. This keeps any particles that may be present in the diesel/PS from bypassing the filter and going straight into the CP3 pump and into the injectors. The middle of the filter is where the filtered diesel exits the filter and enters the pump.

KJbob · **Posted:** Thu Oct 19, 2006 10:58 am

I'm trying to do my fuel filter change and it seems like the factory put the fuel filter on with an impact wrench! It won't move, but it's hard to get a decent grip because of space limitations. I'll have to try again this weekend. :roll:

This thing is a PITA. My Jetta TDI was much easier.

Bonehead · **Posted:** Fri Oct 20, 2006 8:06 am

KJbob wrote:

I'm trying to do my fuel filter change and it seems like the factory put the fuel filter on with an impact wrench! It won't move, but it's hard to get a decent grip because of space limitations. I'll have to try again this weekend. :roll:

This thing is a PITA. My Jetta TDI was much easier.

I pulled the whole filter mount and filter off the firewall and had a friend hold the mount while I broke the filter loose with a filter wrench.

GregScuba · **Posted:** Mon Nov 13, 2006 7:27 pm

Sweet, thanks for the links and tips.

v8dak · **Joined:** Wed Jan 10, 2007 2:03 pm **Posts:** 9

This is a quote from POST 1, which btw is excellent info for me, A NEWBIE!

"If you look in the previous picture, you'll see a white "dummy" plastic plug that threads into the bottom of the fuel filter.....this is where the water is regularly drained from the fuel filter and where the WIF (Water In Fuel) sensor is located. "

My Question: Does the water drain automatically? OR do you undo the wiring on the WIF sensor and unscrew the sensor to bleed water? Sorry if this seems dumb. If this is a manual procedure, can someone explain it?
Thank You in advance,
Bill

gsbrockman · **Posted:** Sun Jan 28, 2007 1:58 pm

Bill :

I suspect that the "white dummy plug" is one that is utilized on some export Jeep Liberty CRD's that may not utilize the water in fuel sensor. I simply removed mine from the new filter and transferred the WIF sensor off the old filter onto the new filter. After you purchase a new filter, you can easily see how the drain aspect of it works.

The water does not drain automatically. Disconnect the WIF sensor connector, turn the sensor counterclockwise, and the draining process begins. After draining some, turn the WIF sensor clockwise to tighten (don't over-tighten---just snug) then re-connect the WIF sensor connector, then go up to the filter head and open the bleeder screw 3--5 turns or so, place a shop rag near the bleeder, and start pumping the primer button. After you see a steady stream of diesel present, re-tighten the bleeder screw. Start up and check for leaks. Piece of cake !

Greg

RFCRD · **Posted:** Sun Jan 28, 2007 2:05 pm

v8dak wrote:

My Question: Does the water drain automatically? OR do you undo the wiring on the WIF sensor and unscrew the sensor to bleed water? Sorry if this seems dumb. If this is a manual procedure, can someone explain it?
Thank You in advance,
Bill

There are no dumb questions, just dumb owners that botch jobs because they did ask dumb questions on forums like this.

You have to manually drain the filter by unplugging the wire harness from the sensor, then unscrew the sensor to drain any water from the bottom.

A simple word of diesel advice; Don't mess with this unless you know you have a water in fuel problem. If you do get bad fuel or have a WIF light, chances are draining may help get you going for the moment but you need to replace the filter asap to keep this trouble free. This is a very fine (3 micron) filter and will likely be prone to cold weather constrictions. If you live in a cold climate, it would be best to change this filter on a annual basis before the weather freezes along with common sense precautions like using additives and simply keeping your fuel tank full to minimize condensation.

gsbrockman · **Posted:** Sun Jan 28, 2007 2:29 pm

RFCRD wrote:

A simple word of diesel advice; Don't mess with this unless you know you have a water in fuel problem. If you do get bad fuel or have a WIF light, chances are draining may help get you going for the moment but you need to replace the filter asap to keep this trouble free.

I'll respectfully disagree with you, RFCRD.

Periodic draining of the fuel filter will release any accumulated water in the filter. If you wait until the WIF Light comes on, I'd imagine it's a little too late to do any critical corrective action.......short of just being informed of the fact that you now have water in fuel........kinda like buying full coverage insurance on Monday for the vehicle you just wrapped around a tree the previous Saturday.

I own a 2003 Dodge RAM 2500 HPCR CTD (have owned Dodge / Cummins trucks since 1997), and I drain my fuel filter each and every fill-up (Casper marks his territory, so to speak). In the 47.8k miles I've owned the 2003 Dodge, I've never had the WIF light come on......nor has it been on in any of the two previous CTD's I've owned. Same for the CRD with 26k miles on it......and generally the CRD marks its territory about every 2nd fill-up or so.

Had the CRD fuel filter not been designed with periodic draining of the fuel filter in mind, I'm sure VM Motori and DC could have saved a few pennies on the fuel filter and not incorporated the drain feature.

Draining the fuel filter is considered periodic maintenance.....just like oil changes, air filter replacement, tire rotations, differential servicing, etc. etc. etc.

Greg

oldnavy · **Posted:** Sun Jan 28, 2007 4:31 pm

gsbrockman wrote:

RFCRD wrote:

A simple word of diesel advice; Don't mess with this unless you know you have a water in fuel problem. If you do get bad fuel or have a WIF light, chances are draining may help get you going for the moment but you need to replace the filter asap to keep this trouble free.

I'll respectfully disagree with you, RFCRD.

Periodic draining of the fuel filter will release any accumulated water in the filter. If you wait until the WIF Light comes on, I'd imagine it's a little too late to do any critical corrective action.......short of just being informed of the fact that you now have water in fuel........kinda like buying full coverage insurance on Monday for the vehicle you just wrapped around a tree the previous Saturday.

I own a 2003 Dodge RAM 2500 HPCR CTD (have owned Dodge / Cummins trucks since 1997), and I drain my fuel filter each and every fill-up (Casper marks his territory, so to speak). In the 47.8k miles I've owned the 2003 Dodge, I've never had the WIF light come on......nor has it been on in any of the two previous CTD's I've owned. Same for the CRD with 26k miles on it......and generally the CRD marks its territory about every 2nd fill-up or so.

Had the CRD fuel filter not been designed with periodic draining of the fuel filter in mind, I'm sure VM Motori and DC could have saved a few pennies on the fuel filter and not incorporated the drain feature.

Draining the fuel filter is considered periodic maintenance.....just like oil changes, air filter replacement, tire rotations, differential servicing, etc. etc. etc.

Greg

I have never drained for water but once, and over those many thousands up on thousands of miles in MB's and VW's never had more the couple of small BB's of water any time I ever checked for water after I removed the filter. I have seen many new to diesel car people break the drains when doing the checks on the VW's as those were very fragile. If you were to post a survey on the TDI forum about draining the water you will find that the fast majority will say not to bother as it is a rare problem unless using Bio fuel. Bigest problem with US diesel is cross contamination of fuels and just plain old dirt/metal and used engine oil that is often disposed of in the diesel tanks in years past.

RFCRD · **Posted:** Sun Jan 28, 2007 8:34 pm

gsbrockman wrote:

RFCRD wrote:

A simple word of diesel advice; Don't mess with this unless you know you have a water in fuel problem. If you do get bad fuel or have a WIF light, chances are draining may help get you going for the moment but you need to replace the filter asap to keep this trouble free.

I'll respectfully disagree with you, RFCRD.

Periodic draining of the fuel filter will release any accumulated water in the filter. If you wait until the WIF Light comes on, I'd imagine it's a little too late to do any critical corrective action.......short of just being informed of the fact that you now have water in fuel........kinda like buying full coverage insurance on Monday for the vehicle you just wrapped around a tree the previous Saturday.

I own a 2003 Dodge RAM 2500 HPCR CTD (have owned Dodge / Cummins trucks since 1997), and I drain my fuel filter each and every fill-up (Casper marks his territory, so to speak). In the 47.8k miles I've owned the 2003 Dodge, I've never had the WIF light come on......nor has it been on in any of the two previous CTD's I've owned. Same for the CRD with 26k miles on it......and generally the CRD marks its territory about every 2nd fill-up or so.

Had the CRD fuel filter not been designed with periodic draining of the fuel filter in mind, I'm sure VM Motori and DC could have saved a few pennies on the fuel filter and not incorporated the drain feature.

Draining the fuel filter is considered periodic maintenance.....just like oil changes, air filter replacement, tire rotations, differential servicing, etc. etc. etc.

Greg

And I certainly understand what you are saying. My experience in over 20 yrs of fleet maintenance is that finding enough water in a fuel filter between changes to cause a problem is rare (I can count them on one hand for 20 yrs). Many commercial diesel filters have now eliminated the drains completely. When a fuel quality event happens, one can usually tell just as quick as the WIF light will tell you and is far more serious than draining the filter. Personally view the WIF light as the warning for the diesel novice and the recording sensor for the tech with the OBD reader.

Two things I know from experience working with suction style fuel systems: 1). If the system is tight, leave it alone unless you like chasing suction leaks. 2). Any water found in your fuel or filters, change them or you will have problems.

I can understand if you feel more confident about your CRD & CTD maintenance because you drain the filter. Definately wouldn't discourage you, just view it as a waste of time. View it as more effective for weed control in your driveway than helping your vehicle.

gsbrockman · **Posted:** Sun Jan 28, 2007 9:36 pm

RFCRD wrote:

I can understand if you feel more confident about your CRD & CTD maintenance because you drain the filter. Definately wouldn't discourage you, just view it as a waste of time. View it as more effective for weed control in your driveway than helping your vehicle.

I typically waste more time topping off the tank for more accurate mileage calculations than I do in draining the fuel filter on either vehicle. The CTD can mark it's territory in the lane at the truck stop I fuel up at in less than 45 seconds, including opening the hood. The CRD takes a little longer.....then it's with a section of rubber hose inserted into a soda bottle so as to not rot away my blacktop driveway.

Greg

TDI4BY · **Joined:** Sun Apr 02, 2006 11:56 pm **Posts:** 644

draining the water is a waste of time and fuel, BTW I used a huge pair of channel locks to get mine off. It was very tight......I hit the primer button a bunch of times and just started it....no bleeder for me,just let it run rough for a second and you are off......

onthehunt · **Posted:** Mon Jan 29, 2007 8:51 pm

I agree wirh RFCRD- big waste of time and you will do more damage messing with it. Semi's don't have wif sensors and they go through 10x the fuel in the same mileage. I often wonder why they even put the stupid sensor in there. If you change your filter on a regular basis you won't have problems. You could get a bad load of fuel but draining your filter isn't going to fix anything.

Ripster · **Posted:** Mon Jan 29, 2007 10:33 pm

I would just add I put 250,000 on VW TDI and never even checked for water, used good fuel, plus additives,
and changed the fuel filter every 20,000 and never an issue. Still running today. I won't be checking mine
ever unless the light comes on.

chrispitude · **Posted:** Sun Dec 02, 2007 7:04 pm

I changed our CRD's fuel filter today. I had bought a clever filter wrench that I was hoping would work:

KD Tools Square Drive Oil Filter Wrench

but it proved to be just a hair too small. The wrench above was rated up to 3 1/16", but the narrow end of the filter (by the WIF) is just ever so slightly larger. What a bummer, as this tool would have made it a piece of cake to remove the filter from the bottom!

Fortunately I had a traditional rubber strap wrench. It was a bit of a challenge, given the limited room and how tight the factory had installed the filter. I was able to loosen it a bit at a time until it was hand-loose. I then used the trick of pulling a plastic baggie over the filter and unscrewing the filter while inside the bag. It caught all the fuel and there was no mess at all.

What size filter strap wrenches are folks using for these things? Also, do the fluted wrenches actually work, what with the WIF sensor sticking out and the wiring trunks in the way?

- Chris

duelly · **Posted:** Mon Dec 03, 2007 8:40 pm

i changed my filter at 67000km no problems running wise and filter still loked as good as new one i only use sunoco gold diesel in my jeep since new

tulsa · **Posted:** Tue Dec 04, 2007 8:25 am

I followed advice from an old thread and unbolted the filter head assy from the firewall. When replacing the fuel filter I lubed the rubber seal and tightened the filter about 1/4 turn after contact, same as an oil filter. I wonder if air leaks not caused by the fuel heater/plug are caused by over tightening?

Lewis

onthehunt · **Posted:** Tue Dec 04, 2007 8:20 pm

Quote:

Can I ask a silly question, but, has anyone actually ever had water or even traces of water in they're fuel filters ? I would be keen to know ?

Yes. Not a huge amount though. People here have bought contaminated fuel also.

Threeweight · **Joined:** Mon May 14, 2007 5:57 pm **Posts:** 679

Changed my filter today. No major hassles with the swap, used a strap wrench to loosen the old one, did it from the top. Crawled underneath to disconnect the plug for the WIF sensor. Took filter off by hand. Was planning on using the diesel in the old filter to prime the new one, until I poured it into my funnel/tube set up and saw what was in it. Icky, lots of little black particles.

New filter went on easily, no major issues.

Issue that arose was with bleeding the system... after a few minutes of back and forth between bleed and pressurize, I figured I was done. Jeep started, but cranked a second or two longer than usual. Uh oh, sounds like air in the fuel. Went back and bled some more, with the valve a little less open... got a little more air out of the system, plunger felt very firm. Jeep started up instantly, just like before. Great! Put away the tools, put the engine cover back on, call it a day.

Went out to drive the Jeep a little while ago and figured I'd crack the hood and take a look at my handy work. Uh oh. Very slight moist line where the puck connects to the fuel head. Over pressurized the fuel system?

Drove great, no issues. Hoping this will not evolve into a larger problem. We'll see. If it does, I'll be going the Racor route.

2.8L CRD Fuel Filter Pics

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