Fuel Filter

[pug306driver]

                Whilst under the bonnet doing the clutch cable, and since its due ( only about 500 miles late ) i renewed the fuel filter.

I have silverline hex sockets 1/2 inch drive and used the 22mm one for removing the filter top, which is easy if once the fuel lines are off, simply pressing down well on the rachet centre and turning smoothly, it comes off a treat.

Last time some "glitter" was seen on the filter body floor, but not much this time, but, quite a bit of rust colour looking stuff was there !

The filter looks cleaner in the pic but was defo off white, a little blackish actually.

The filter chamber was sucked out and a small paint brush used to agitate the crap. The system was purged by turning on the ign and listening to the tank pump. The chamber was sucked again and re purged and sucked. One more last time purge and sucking to make sure all the crap was out of there. 

New filter with the wavvy washer and new seal ( lubed with some fuel ) and the top refitted.

Plug in the fuel liners and prime the system a few times and start the engine. 

All good.

I tend to use shell fuel but have since the last filter change used tesco, asda, morrisons and some fuel from down south east when there on holiday.

this rust must be in the tank but the filter has stopped it from getting into the high pressure pump, and the returned fuel to the tank is filtered.

I will a bit later in the year remove the tank this time and flush, as the tank holding bar needs a good paint.

[JTaylor2005]

When you say you were purging it, did you have no filter in when you did this? That sounds risky to me if so as turning the pump on with no filter in could force all those little bits down the pipes towards your high pressure pump and injectors :O

[Magenta Sunset]

I think he did it as like the pic, just dribbling the fuel into the filter housing.

---

Whilst under the bonnet doing the clutch cable, and since its due ( only about 500 miles late ) i renewed the fuel filter.

I have silverline hex sockets 1/2 inch drive and used the 22mm one for removing the filter top, which is easy if once the fuel lines are off, simply pressing down well on the rachet centre and turning smoothly, it comes off a treat.

Last time some "glitter" was seen on the filter body floor, but not much this time, but, quite a bit of rust colour looking stuff was there !

The filter looks cleaner in the pic but was defo off white, a little blackish actually.

The filter chamber was sucked out and a small paint brush used to agitate the crap. The system was purged by turning on the ign and listening to the tank pump. The chamber was sucked again and re purged and sucked. One more last time purge and sucking to make sure all the crap was out of there. 

New filter with the wavvy washer and new seal ( lubed with some fuel ) and the top refitted.

Plug in the fuel liners and prime the system a few times and start the engine. 

All good.

I tend to use shell fuel but have since the last filter change used tesco, asda, morrisons and some fuel from down south east when there on holiday.

this rust must be in the tank but the filter has stopped it from getting into the high pressure pump, and the returned fuel to the tank is filtered.

I will a bit later in the year remove the tank this time and flush, as the tank holding bar needs a good paint.

not sure where the rust is from, but the tank is plastic.

[pug306driver]

The feed pipe to the high pressure pump is in the filter top, the larger bore one on the right from memory, with the filter "leak off" being the smaller diameter one on the left, as viewed from the front of the car looking rearward. Fuel from the pump is the one down near the bottom on the right, the other two being to and from the fuel warmer in the/near the cooling system thermostat. Then the fuel is filtered with leak off back to the tank filtered also, but yes, point taken.

Since the "purged fuel" was gunna be sucked out I considered the purge to be ok to do, to make sure as best as possible under the time available that all/most of the crap sitting in the fuel lines from the tank ( cos thats where this stuff has come from ) was flushed thru and removed from the system.

Ideally its tank off and flush that, but its cold and cold and cold. A summer job that one but I will be removing the pump soon to check/clean the pump filter.......also the double relay connection block just in case thats where this slightly high pitched squeeek/hum noise is coming from. It seems related to the pump but is not coming from the pump, the one in the tank.

The squeeek happens when the ign is turned on, engine stationary, but goes when the pump in the tank shuts off, but does come back on when the engine is running, maybe its the diaphragm device just before the fuel filter??

Question is where the f did the rust come from, shell, or from some other fuel station??

Maybe a disposable  ( placed in a bag after fueling and binned else it stinks the car out, i hate the small of diesel which is odd as i have a diesel car lol !! ) filter "sock" can be fitted into the tank neck when filling and then removed ??

[Poodle]

The fuel returning to the tank is not filtered, it comes straight from the injectors/hp pump. My personal theory is that the swarf (it's not rust) is actually from fuel station pumps wearing. There is a popular theory that suggests it is from lift pumps wearing, but I have seen the same swarf in hundreds of vehicles, most of which don't have lift pumps. Whatever it is it's not an indication of any problem with your car and doesn't appear to cause any issues, so not worth worrying about.

[Magenta Sunset]

"Maybe a disposable ( placed in a bag after fueling and binned else it stinks the car out, i hate the small of diesel which is odd as i have a diesel car lol !! ) filter "sock" can be fitted into the tank neck when filling and then removed ?? "

could be tricky, given the flow rates of some filling pumps. and IIRC, when looking into 'other fuels', filtering to 5 microns was mentioned.

[Uberderv]

Or fill a 25L container with pump diesel and filter it before putting it in your tank. The standard filter is very fine, as said it's 5 Micron.

[Magenta Sunset]

Or fill a 25L container with pump diesel and filter it before putting it in your tank. The standard filter is very fine, as said it's 5 Micron.

sadly, pump fuels are given as 10L in a metal jerry can, or 2x 5L in plastic jerry cans. Some forecourts can get quite snippy if they see you using anything else.

[pug306driver]

If the crap is rust, them perhaps a magnet in a filter or fuel line or sediment trap may be the answer. The bosch fuel filter is 5 microns also??