slimin the fuel filter

dasboot · Jan 7, 2012

WTF is this. I kinda know. Recently changed out fuel filters and my water in fule light kept coming on. I drained fuel from the plug in to a mason jar. I didn't any water but seen some dirt and of course the plug fell into the jar. Pulling the plug out the threaded end looke corroaded. I looked in the plug hole and see something. got something to scrape it all out. Looked like a slim slug. Anyways I see a total break down and cleaning of the fuel housing coming up.

dasboot · Jan 7, 2012

why does everything f up when you are in a hurry and a 2 year old is tugging on your leg.
anyways the slug slim monster

fordboy11 · Jan 7, 2012

Dam that was in your fuel filter housing unit? LOL I wonder how it got in there? How often do you change your filters?

dasboot · Jan 7, 2012

sitting in the bottom of the housing where the drain plug is.

TyCorr · Jan 7, 2012

Is that algae?

I tried clicking on the pics but got an error message....

dasboot · Jan 7, 2012

I'm sure it is algae, It looked more like a slug / snail. I thought I was going to have to pour salt on it.

mortal798 · Jan 7, 2012

That is called HUM: Hydrocarbon Utilizing Micro-organisms, or algae for short. Every few tanks of fuel should get an algaecide treatment to prevent it. Once you have it, you need to clean the housing, change the filter, and run algaecide every tank for a couple of weeks to make sure you kill it in the tank. After that, use it every three or four tanks and you shouldn't have a problem.

Also, think about where you fill up. I try to fill up at stations right off of the freeway because they will usually go through fuel more quickly than an out of the way station. Less chance for condensation in their tanks.

dasboot · Jan 8, 2012

@mortal798
yeah that looks like what I'm going to have to do. I don't understand how I got it though. Not like my truck sits around. I drive it everyday and fill up. Maybe from the Murphy fuel staation at wally world. I don't have tomany choices for diesel onmy normal routes. Most of the stations run by the non pork eaters are higher $ priced. Loks like I have some killing and cleaning to do.

TyCorr · Jan 8, 2012

That stuff is a bitsh! My dads got that shti and they had to take his fuel tank off and steam clean it. That sucks man.

Get some Power Services bio-diesel treatment. That **** kills algae.

What are you going to do? I mean, how are you going to attack this?

nitrogen here 2 · Jan 14, 2012

from what i read years ago, the algae need the right environment to thrive. the right environment is a hydrocarbon to munch on, some moisture and warm temps. soooo San Diego pretty warm and humid? right? diesel can pick up humidity from the air like brake fluid does. I used to see at the truckstops a product that you hung in the tank on a string. it was supposed to absorb moisture(same idea as those little packs that come with all the electronic stuff) you replaced it every couple months. could be if you don't regularly have moisture issues yourself, that you fueled up somewhere where they gave you a huge slug of gunk and your filters stopped it.what I am saying is that while you definitely have it, it may not actually be truly thriving in your tank, which would make it easier to kill off.

TyCorr · Jan 14, 2012

nitrogen here 2 said:
from what i read years ago, the algae need the right environment to thrive. the right environment is a hydrocarbon to munch on, some moisture and warm temps. soooo San Diego pretty warm and humid? right? diesel can pick up humidity from the air like brake fluid does. I used to see at the truckstops a product that you hung in the tank on a string. it was supposed to absorb moisture(same idea as those little packs that come with all the electronic stuff) you replaced it every couple months. could be if you don't regularly have moisture issues yourself, that you fueled up somewhere where they gave you a huge slug of gunk and your filters stopped it.what I am saying is that while you definitely have it, it may not actually be truly thriving in your tank, which would make it easier to kill off.

That could be! He may have just got it in his fuel. But wouldnt the screen in the nozzle catch a large clot like that?

I wouldn think after the truck runs a while the recirculation of the fuel through a hot cylinder head would dry it out some.

nitrogen here 2 · Jan 15, 2012

our 6.0 don't return fuel to the tank, just to the HFCM, well i guess depending on the fuel temp the hfcm dumps it to the tank. it might dry it some but not all the way. considering the size of the clot though, he may want to drop the tank and see how much more is floating around in there. fresh fuel and some algicide and he should be gtg.

dasboot · Jan 15, 2012

I'm not sure if I have any in my tank or not. I dug that glob out from the frame mounted fuel filter drain plug hole. I'm not sure the route of fuel circulation in the filter. I have added biokleen to the tank and will do it another fill or so and then everyone in awhile.

nitrogen here 2 · Jan 15, 2012

The frame mounted filter is the first one the fuel goes through, so it catches Tue big stuff. Do you have any way of monitoring fuel pressure. With the biokleen killing it the filter may plug fairly quickly

TyCorr · Jan 15, 2012

nitrogen here 2 said:
The frame mounted filter is the first one the fuel goes through, so it catches Tue big stuff. Do you have any way of monitoring fuel pressure. With the biokleen killing it the filter may plug fairly quickly

Oh, hell yes it will. Id keep an eye on it. Is it possible to check that filter or is it once open, time to change it?

I havent changed the one in the dinosaur for a while, then again, I havent put but 5k miles on it this past year.

nitrogen here 2 · Jan 15, 2012

Yeah if its not discolored or plugged with gunk you can probably put it back in. Thing is you need a minimum of 40-45 psi fuel pressure and that is hard to judge by visual inspection. With large amounts of contaminants the level of restriction could change quickly.

dasboot · Jan 15, 2012

Thanks guys, It sucks because I just changed the filter a week before the discovery of the algae. I guess I pull it and check. I wounder if my scangauge II reads fuel pressure. I will have to see.