Fuel system for racing only. ???

DZL JIM · May 15, 2012

Regarding a dedicated drag racing 7.3 PSD. No street at all, just 1/4 mile at a time.
How important would a water seperator/pre-filter be when we're talking really only burning 5 gallons a day at the track?
Would just a basic pre-pump trash filter sort of thing be adequate?
I know if there's water in the fuel it won't matter how much you burn, it'll still be there regardless. I'm really hung up on "doing it right" and to me that means water seperator then pump then 2 micron filter, but I'd like some input on this. Is it really necessary with flowing so little fuel overall?

Thanks.

young7.3 · May 15, 2012

Whats the cost of putting a water seperator in?
25 for base
10 for filter
say 10 more for fitings
So 50 bucks more compared to what you're spending on the entire truck to race it????????

Derek@Vision Diesel · May 15, 2012

I would suggest doing a water/seperator.... unless you are worried about the extra restriction?

Seems as though its all too easy to get some condinsation in the fuel tank

Arisley · May 15, 2012

Especially when it is not full.

TARM · May 15, 2012

Its more important IMO. Race trucks sit far more than they are driven. Unless you will be fully draining the system between races. Either way its a very low cost deal considering the cost of a dedicated race truck and not to mention what the injectors cost that could be ruined from water.

DZL JIM · May 16, 2012

Well, it's not a matter of $$$ at all, there are other concerns.

Thanks for the input!

03_PSD · May 16, 2012

wtf...spam

neverkickn · May 16, 2012

If you just HAD to run a non filtered setup you could always install a aux tank in the bed and fill it with a setup that will filter and remove water. If you had a tank with a bowl/drain in the bottom then you could flush it pretty easy before a race day, and fill her up with clean fresh water free fuel.

If you are going through the trouble to do that you might as well remove the factory tank to shave some weight.

fbilly420 · May 16, 2012

With the price of injectors for a race application I would be running every filter necessary to keep the cleanest fuel possible. I really don't think you will get much restriction from a water separator anyway.

CSIPSD · May 16, 2012

I would be more apt to skip the final filter and just run a 10m filter/seperator.

TARM · May 16, 2012

DZL JIM said:
Well, it's not a matter of $$$ at all, there are other concerns.

Thanks for the input!

What? Weight? Max Full Flow Rate?

DZL JIM · May 17, 2012

CSIPSD said:
I would be more apt to skip the final filter and just run a 10m filter/seperator.

Really? Care to elaborate? I like opinions and options.

TARM said:
What? Weight? Max Full Flow Rate?

Um, no. Space actually. It's not in a truck, and I've said too much already.

Arisley · May 17, 2012

The reasoning behind skipping the final filter over skipping the water seperator. It is much easier to control the quality of fuel going in, you can even filter it on it's way in, than it is to stop condensation.

BTW, putting a 7.3 on a riding mower won't work.

imp:

Hotrodtractor · May 17, 2012

CSIPSD said:
I would be more apt to skip the final filter and just run a 10m filter/seperator.

I'm going to disagree with you on that. If you are running a 10 micron filter - congrats that is now the clearance between your plunger and your barrel (or what you are allowing it to wear to). 10 micron is HUGE - especially when you look at the actual specs on a 10 micron filter with its actual filtering capabilities and efficiencies. 2 micron - I will run nothing other than a 2 micron even in racing apps. I would run a finer filtration if I could find one with a high enough flow rate, high enough efficiency rating, and it was cost effective.

As the plunger and barrel clearances open up - it REALLY drops the efficiency of the injector off quickly.

CSIPSD · May 17, 2012

Hotrodtractor said:
I'm going to disagree with you on that. If you are running a 10 micron filter - congrats that is now the clearance between your plunger and your barrel (or what you are allowing it to wear to). 10 micron is HUGE - especially when you look at the actual specs on a 10 micron filter with its actual filtering capabilities and efficiencies. 2 micron - I will run nothing other than a 2 micron even in racing apps. I would run a finer filtration if I could find one with a high enough flow rate, high enough efficiency rating, and it was cost effective.

As the plunger and barrel clearances open up - it REALLY drops the efficiency of the injector off quickly.

The FACTORY filter is only a 12 micron...

A spin on 10 micron would be doing more then the factory one all together.

Hotrodtractor · May 17, 2012

CSIPSD said:
The FACTORY filter is only a 12 micron...

A spin on 10 micron would be doing more then the factory one all together.

I don't care what factory is - I know what I want my plunger to barrel clearances to be and 10 micron doesn't cut it. Hell 12 micron is 0.00047" - in terms of attempting to compress fuel to several thousand PSI - that's HUGE. Combine that with what the actual filtration and efficiency is and its even bigger. How much fuel do you think can slip through a clearance like that at say 12K psi? How much injection ratio efficiency do you think is lost with those kind of clearances? Do what you want - but clearances on a dedicated race truck are even more critical than on the street - IMO.

Arisley · May 17, 2012

OK, sold me. I retract my previous post.

Wes Lewis · May 17, 2012

IMO id say run better filter after the pump and use something like this when filling it up http://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/p/43/83/215/939/-/8235/Outerwears-Fuel-Funnel

Yeah some dirt would go through the pump, but on a drag only truck it wouldn't be that much

For the water, what about just Seafoam or something of the sort? I also liked the idea of filtering it before use.

Kinda seems like it comes down to how you feel about water going through the injectors

CSIPSD · May 17, 2012

Hotrodtractor said:
I don't care what factory is - I know what I want my plunger to barrel clearances to be and 10 micron doesn't cut it. Hell 12 micron is 0.00047" - in terms of attempting to compress fuel to several thousand PSI - that's HUGE. Combine that with what the actual filtration and efficiency is and its even bigger. How much fuel do you think can slip through a clearance like that at say 12K psi? How much injection ratio efficiency do you think is lost with those kind of clearances? Do what you want - but clearances on a dedicated race truck are even more critical than on the street - IMO.

I guess I dont see the issue... Factory trucks running 12 micron go 250-300k on average with a set of injectors.

A race only truck will see 30 passes a year at BEST with very clean, very high quality fuel...

10 micron will give you better then factory filtering, good flow rates in a short and easy to package unit. Just how many race trucks are there out there that make it more then 1-2 seasons before everything gets torn down to be changed, upgraded, thrown out or otherwise junked?

So 30 1/4 mile races is 7.5 miles a year... plus maybe a few test and tunes and a few drag races in the parking lot showing off. Truck might see 30 miles in a year...