How do I drain water out of filter?

oldnavy · **Posted:** Tue Mar 14, 2006 3:24 pm

LibertyCRD wrote:

Does anybody still have the link for the instructions on how to drain the filter? I searched and can't find it now. Somebody posted step by step directions from the shop manual on here once...

DRAINING WATER IN FUEL

(1) Disconnect the negative battery cable.
(2) Disconnect the water in fuel (WIF) wiring harness connector located under the fuel filter.
(3) Connect a drain hose to the WIF sensor.
(4) Place the other end of the drain hose in a approved and properly marked container.
(5) Open the bleed screw on top of the fuel filter housing.
(6) Loosen the WIF sensor on the bottom of the fuel filter to begin draining.
(7) Allow the filter to drain into the container until fuel is visible.
(8 ) Tighten the WIF sensor, remove the drain hose and clean any spillage.
(9) Tighten the bleeder screw on top of the fuel filter housing.

LibertyCRD · **Posted:** Tue Mar 14, 2006 5:45 pm

thanks.

oldnavy · **Posted:** Tue Mar 14, 2006 6:13 pm

Buy one of these at wal-Mart or auto parts store and have it plug into rear aux power outlet while you have battery disconnected and you won't have to reprogram radio, ESP and windows. Just make sure you have stereo and interior lights turned off on the stalk as the 9v battery will not last but a few minutes with any real draw such as inside lights. I paid about $2 for mine last summer after losing one I had had about 5 years and paid less then a dollar for at Wal-Mart.

LibertyCRD · **Posted:** Tue Mar 14, 2006 9:25 pm

That is a very neat item. It's almost like you read my mind. "I have to unhook the battery to drain the fuel filter?? Sigh..." :lol:

Well I got it drained (unplugging the sensor on the bottom of the filter was a pain) and I didn't see any water. All diesel fuel dripping out. 20,000 miles and no water. I guess that's a good thing.

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

retmil46 wrote:

Okay, maybe I am a little paranoid after getting 2 clogged filters inside of 7500 miles. :roll:

But last week I noticed that the beast seemed to be sluggish and tried to do a gentle version of the stutter step routine, and actually heard it skip a couple times :shock:

. I agitated and drained down the Permacool filter, got visible chunkies out of it. When I drove it into work, it was back to it's old self.

Interesting... I filled up last week with B20 from Rays Charlotte location and had the same stumbling - seemingly from the transmission. I added enough PS Grey to bring it up 6 Cetane points ( according to the instructions on the bottle) and what I thought was tranny shudder disapeared completely. Gone, none at all now for 5 days under any driving conditions. I also had a couple of cold morning stumbles on idle before adding the PS.

oldnavy · **Posted:** Wed Mar 15, 2006 10:19 pm

Ranger1 wrote:

retmil46 wrote:

Okay, maybe I am a little paranoid after getting 2 clogged filters inside of 7500 miles. :roll:

But last week I noticed that the beast seemed to be sluggish and tried to do a gentle version of the stutter step routine, and actually heard it skip a couple times :shock:

. I agitated and drained down the Permacool filter, got visible chunkies out of it. When I drove it into work, it was back to it's old self.

Interesting... I filled up last week with B20 from Rays Charlotte location and had the same stumbling - seemingly from the transmission. I added enough PS Grey to bring it up 6 Cetane points ( according to the instructions on the bottle) and what I thought was tranny shudder disapeared completely. Gone, none at all now for 5 days under any driving conditions. I also had a couple of cold morning stumbles on idle before adding the PS.

Man you guys really need to find another fuel source, I bet those stations are buying the cheapest 38 to 40 cetane fuel they can find. Then they hide the rough running by mixing the the stuff with biodiesel to quiten the rattle down, and when you add enough cetane boost to get it in the 45 to 48 cetane range all the poor shifting goes away because power range is .closer to factory spec's.

retmil46 · **Posted:** Thu Mar 16, 2006 2:34 am

oldnavy wrote:

Ranger1 wrote:

retmil46 wrote:

Okay, maybe I am a little paranoid after getting 2 clogged filters inside of 7500 miles. :roll:

But last week I noticed that the beast seemed to be sluggish and tried to do a gentle version of the stutter step routine, and actually heard it skip a couple times :shock:

. I agitated and drained down the Permacool filter, got visible chunkies out of it. When I drove it into work, it was back to it's old self.

Interesting... I filled up last week with B20 from Rays Charlotte location and had the same stumbling - seemingly from the transmission. I added enough PS Grey to bring it up 6 Cetane points ( according to the instructions on the bottle) and what I thought was tranny shudder disapeared completely. Gone, none at all now for 5 days under any driving conditions. I also had a couple of cold morning stumbles on idle before adding the PS.

Man you guys really need to find another fuel source, I bet those stations are buying the cheapest 38 to 40 cetane fuel they can find. Then they hide the rough running by mixing the the stuff with biodiesel to quiten the rattle down, and when you add enough cetane boost to get it in the 45 to 48 cetane range all the poor shifting goes away because power range is .closer to factory spec's.

Well, if you want B20 retail from the pump, in this area there ain't much other choice. Their one location in Statesville, Homer's Truck Stop, is the only place around I've seen with an above ground tank. Actually, what I've bought there has given me the best mileage of any of the local crud that passes for diesel, with or without PS.

In my case, I'm on the 2nd or 3rd tank of B20 since getting that last clogged filter from that POS Shell station. Probably flushing out the last of the crud from that mistake. After draining down the add-on filter and then refilling with B20 last week, mileage seemed to have picked up noticeably before I dropped it off at the dealer today.

But with my friggin luck, since they did the 18-018-05 TSB reflash, my mileage will drop like a rock, probably written to protect the EGR and screw the mileage.

My friend in Texas has 25K miles on his, has driven and used fuel from all over, and has tranny shudder so bad, in his words, it feels like it's going to shake the vehicle apart at times. I asked him if he had ever changed his fuel filter. Answer was no, even though it was due at 25K, felt it should be able to go 50 to 60K like the filter on his Cummins.

I reminded him that the Cummins had done that on local WYOMING fuel FROM THE SAME STATION, and that his CRD had went nearly 10K on the same fuel without any tranny shudder, that it wasn't until he moved to Texas, and started buying fuel from a larger variety of suppliers and stations, that he started getting tranny shudder. And it wasn't until I made the trip to Texas, and bought fuel from whatever station was available, that I started to get a hint of the same problem.

His shudder problem is so bad he's on the verge of wanting to trade it off. I told him that before he went that far, to get off his duff and try changing out the fuel filter. I pointed out that spending $35 for a new filter and potentially curing the problem sounded a lot better than eating $27K for trading off the vehicle. He didn't argue that point.

oldnavy · **Posted:** Thu Mar 16, 2006 8:37 am

I think we have hit upon what these CRD's are so sensitive to and causing other seemingly non-related problems, poor quality fuel. Our first tanks was the free tank the local dealer bought at near-by BP station, the CRD was really noisey on that stuff. After that it was always the same brand and eitther B2 or B10 49 cetane fuel except one tank bought when on short road trip after forgetting to fill before leaving. That tank the mpg's really dropped and it rattled like crazy even after adding PS to the tank.

I have a 700 mile trip to MI planned for MD weekend in May, and I plan on taking 20 gal of fuel with me on the hitch carrier. I also know where to buy good fuel there in MI and will top off at known good fuel source with B20 50+ cetane fuel for return trip to MO.

kjfishman · **Posted:** Thu Mar 16, 2006 11:57 am

buells1 wrote:

How do I drain water out of the fuel filter? Do I turn the 'thingy' on the bottom? Thanks for any help.

Somebody posted the procedure here, you might do a search. I had printed a copy and stuck it in my glove compartment. Basically you unplug th wires from the bottom of the filter, put a hose on the end and you can drain it into a container.

oldnavy · **Posted:** Thu Mar 16, 2006 12:24 pm

Be careful when trying to drain the filter, the valve is easy broken, I would remove it to drain because I have seen lots of these drains on VW's break. That said it is usually do to turning the valve the wrong direction.

wenied · **Joined:** Wed Dec 21, 2005 4:01 pm **Posts:** 107

The only fuel available in my area is 40 cetane D2. The conoco refinery only makes offroad diesel so all of it comes from the citgo refinery.

Both refineries are within 5 miles of my house. Because i have family working in these refineries, I know now that all of the diesel at the stations in this area, (conoco, citgo, exxon, chevron, shell, diamond shamrock, sams club,texaco, and bp), all of the diesel for these is 40 cetane from the citgo refinery.

I guess I dont' have much of a choice of fuel..lol

(and just for oldnavy, they're all underground tanks!)

How do I drain water out of filter?

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