water in fuel light

cheysays7.3! · Apr 4, 2013

Just move it. I have a flatbed and the cap and hose goes directly to the side of the bed (where the cut out is on your bed). Your fuel will still run down, but be careful. In Oregon we can't pump our fuel, so I always have to warn the gas attendants to fuel mine slowly.

96OBS · Apr 4, 2013

I'll go look. But I'll have to find a new cap because it has the small kind where you line up the tabs. Somehow I'll have to extend the inner fuel tube where bit will come up to it. The bed came off a 70s ford.

96OBS · Apr 10, 2013

Okay so I've drove it almost 200 miles on fresh diesel and it still is on. It hasn't been around any water. I still haven't got the neck fixed but it hasn't been in any water. Do these sensors ever go bad or am I still getting water?

Bugman · Apr 10, 2013

The first thing that you need to do is to drain the filter housing into a clear bottle where you can tell if there is any water in it or not. Water is heaver than diesel fuel and will settle to the bottom of the bottle. To do this all you need to do is place a piece of 3/8" hose over the drain tube on the passenger front of the engine and drain the fuel into the bottle. Then if you do not see any water in the bottom of the bottle then change out the sensor on the filter housing. If there is water then you still have a problem.

96OBS · Apr 10, 2013

Okay I was just reading to drain the bowl, when I done the fuel filter the drain seemed a little clogged so I'm gonna check it again, if I get it cleaned out and it comes back on should I just change the sensor?

Bugman · Apr 10, 2013

If nothing comes out when you open the drain try it with the engine running and then shut the engine off or else it will be a steady stream. You can also try with the lid cracked open but if the drain line is clogged you will need some pressure to clear it.

After you have determined that there is no water in the fuel by draining it into a container and checking it and the light still comes on then it is time to change out the sensor.

96OBS · Apr 11, 2013

Okay I took the filter out and drained the bow, closed the drain and poured a little gumout in it then opened it but it wouldn't drain. So does there have to be a certain level in the bowl for it to drain. The light is off for now. I'm fixing my filler neck vent tube. But do the fuel filer cap leak? I have mine sitting on my flatbed.

Bugman · Apr 11, 2013

I wouldn't put anything in the bowl except for diesel and maybe some new ATF. I believe that gumout is designed for a gas engine and not a diesel.

The drain may be clogged where you will need some pressure to get it to flow. It should completely drain the housing when the drain is open since the water will sit on the bottom of the housing. Did it drain when there was just diesel in it or did you have to swab it out?

96OBS · Apr 12, 2013

It was gum out for diesels. Yes it did drain out when it was completely full of diesel. How do I put pressure on it? I was thinking about pulling the whole bowl out but I don't know how hard it is. All the videos I find are for later model 7.3s.

Bugman · Apr 12, 2013

If you drained the filter housing by opening the drain and caught all the fuel in a container to see if there was water in it that was as far as you needed to go. There is no need to pull the filter and put anything into the housing. All you did there is cause you to have to purchase a new filter and O ring since the O rings very seldom reaseal onece they have been used.

If you found water in the fuel then you may want to drop your tanks and drain them to get the water out of them. If you didn't find any water then perhaps it is time to replace the sensor. All of this can be done with the filter housing on the truck.

96OBS · Apr 15, 2013

Okay so i drains the bowl and the light went off. I put some diesel in it and drove it for about 75 miles, then I was getting off an exit at an interstate which was a sharp turn it flashed on and off, then when I got on a straight it would go off. I went around another turn and it came on and flashed then went off, then I got on a straight and it would come on and off. It stayed on for a while and I would hit a bump it would go off then on. Idk what it is...

Bugman · Apr 15, 2013

Did you ever determine if you had any water in the fuel by draining and checking it?

96OBS · Apr 16, 2013

I honestly forgot to catch it this time, but last time I drained it yes there was water in it. I just don't understand why it only done it when I went around a sharp turn. But now its always on again. I guess I can drain it again and just not take out the filter.

Bugman · Apr 16, 2013

As you use the fuel from your tanks you will eliminate water. When you go around a turn you are sloshing the water from one side of the filter housing to the other and contacting the WIF sensor and activating it, then when you straighten out the water leaves the sensor area and the light will go off. This will happen until there is enough water in the housing to trip the sensor full time.

You may need to drop your tanks and drain them and let them dry to completely eliminate the water unless you just want to drain it every time that the light comes on. Over time all the water will come out of the tank as long as more water hasn't gotten into the tanks.

You don't need to pull the filter to drain the housing.

96OBS · Apr 16, 2013

Okay man thanks. I'll try to run it as low as I can on diesel and see if I can just run all the water out. If not I will go from there on draining tanks. I only use the front tank. The back tank has a hole in it and the filler hose was in the way of the flatbed so I just cut the filler hose off and don't use that tank.

Bugman · Apr 16, 2013

If you don't mind draining the fuel every time that the light comes on then do it that way as long as you have the problem solved on where the water is entering the tank.

I once got a bad tank of fuel and it took a couple of months before I got all the water out of it by just draining the housing when ever the WIF light came on.