Water seperator
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Look right next to that huge muffler. It's in front of the rear passenger wheel.
Kind of a pain for a location to access. I guess you just loosen the screw to drain but have to remove the whole cap to change the fuel filter.
Plan on doing it at home and don't get water in there when you are in the water, mud etc. Crawling under to service would not be pleasant.
Kind of a pain for a location to access. I guess you just loosen the screw to drain but have to remove the whole cap to change the fuel filter.
Plan on doing it at home and don't get water in there when you are in the water, mud etc. Crawling under to service would not be pleasant.
Top of the picture is the drive shaft. Bottom shows the rear of the muffler. Obviously you can see the separator above and between. Phillips head screw drains the water. Screw off the whole thing to change the filter.
I had an '04 Cummins for 241K. Know all about the water/fuel filter. They even had a valve you could just turn to drain the water or fuel, with a hose dropping it out so you could collect it.
Said it before ..."This is NOT a Cummins". There's pro and con to everything.
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Quick question here too. When you take that yellow plug out do you get some water then the fluid stops, or do you get water, and then fuel and you have to watch for clean fuel then put the plug back in?
On my past and present Cummins I have drained the bowl into a clear glass jar, I have never seen water in fuel, so now I dont bother with it as much.
As much as I can, I go to the same places for fuel except when on trips where I get fuel right off the highway and where I see other trucks/truckers.
Do not get fuel after heavy rains, water goes to the bottom of the tank. Diesel has a specific gravity of 0.85 being it weighs about 85% of water.
Find a place where the diesel is used and not sitting in an underground tank for long periods of time.
As much as I can, I go to the same places for fuel except when on trips where I get fuel right off the highway and where I see other trucks/truckers.
Do not get fuel after heavy rains, water goes to the bottom of the tank. Diesel has a specific gravity of 0.85 being it weighs about 85% of water.
Find a place where the diesel is used and not sitting in an underground tank for long periods of time.
Answers
How often do you drain it?
Never. Unless there's water in it. Change recommended interval is 30,000 miles.
What happens if you loosen the plug?
Water has more specific gravity (density) than diesel fuel. That means water sinks (drowning water???) in diesel. Good thing because when you crack the screw it's water first that comes out from the bottom.
You see fuel - STOP draining. Screw the screw (???) back in. Job done.
How often do you drain it?
Never. Unless there's water in it. Change recommended interval is 30,000 miles.
What happens if you loosen the plug?
Water has more specific gravity (density) than diesel fuel. That means water sinks (drowning water???) in diesel. Good thing because when you crack the screw it's water first that comes out from the bottom.
You see fuel - STOP draining. Screw the screw (???) back in. Job done.
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Eh yea, nice, better use one of those right angle screwdrivers or you are going to make a mess all over your hands. I suppose it will run all over the axle too?! At least it is yellow like the lever on the Cummins for draining the water separator!
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Tim, I don't get the 'heavy rains' part. I've never owned a diesel so this is all new to me. But should it not matter if it rains or not because the diesel is stored in a underground cell, so how could the water get into it? Or is there something else that I'm not aware of? Please explain. Thanks!
Well, I live in South Florida and we have high humidity and lots of rainfall. So, first don't assume that the tank is a closed system. As you pump fuel out something must come in otherwise you create a vacuum within the storage tank. The replacement air comes from outside, in my case can be very hot humid air. The warmer humid air goes in to a slightly cooler tank where the water condenses on the surfaces and goes to the bottom of the tank (where the fuel pump pickup is located).
A second way water can get in, is from the the fill cap at the fuel station. These caps are typically under a metal lids in a concrete apron that is sloped to contain a spill. If the cap is not secure, or the gasket removed/deteriorated during a heavy rain event, the apron area floods and water finds it's way into the tank.
A third way is from ground water intrusion on older rusted tanks, many of these have already been replaced due to environmental laws.
Please note that all the above is very rare in occurrence, but I don't want to be part of that statistic!
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