Does anybody know anything about the Racor PF BF811 filter? I think it just screws onto the factory housing but it is a water separator too? Has anybody actually used this? Is it a good buy?

 

Have you heard of google? Here's the second link.

Parker - PF BF811

That should answer your first 2 questions. I'm sure someone has used it, where you buy it from will determine if its a good buy.

 

Ok, the first one is obviously a commercial site (see the link at the bottom) so I'm going to discount most of it as mumbo jumbo to sell their crap. But it was interesting about how stuff can build up over time. And I've never heard of asphaltenes before.

The second is also commercially biased, but does mention how the condensation is supposed to form. I kinda understand there argument, but still don't believe it.

I was good at science, and have an engineering degree I don't use. I almost want to sit down and do some calculations to see how much water should be magically condensing in my fuel tanks, but I don't really buy it. Looking at the tanks in our trucks, from empty its like 19 gallons right? So after driving for however long, the fuel is replaced by 19 gallons of air which contains some amount of water vapor. Some of that vapor might condense on the sides/top/bottom of the tank if it falls below the dew point. Then it might roll down the tank and settle at the bottom of the fuel.

I don't believe the heating and cooling of the fuel will have any effect on the condensation. Heat vaporizes water, so if anything, will drive the water out of the fuel. The heat will slightly expand the fuel, slightly pressurizing the tank, but as the engine runs, it also sucks down the fuel level, so its a moot point in my opinion.

In any event, if water is supposed to be collecting in mass amounts in my fuel tank, which will then be caught by the filter, who the hell is stealing it from my truck????
FORDF250HDXLT, when you drain the filter, how much water do you get out? Can you catch the fuel/water mixture in a jar and post the picture? I'm not saying you, or anyone else is lying about water in the fuel. I just don't believe that condensation will cause it. Do people in dry climates like deserts have issues with water in their fuel?

 

i have no idea how much water comes out.as you know,you turn the valve on the bottom to let it drain.it will keep draining until you close it.it all looked the same to me when first started until i close it.its hooked to that metal drain pipe that runs down on the front engine cross member there.id have to look to see if a small container would fit under there.are you saying you have never seen your WIF ever come on before? yet you know if you pour water in the bowl it triggers your light? or how do you know your not getting water? i guess i have as many questions as you by never seeing water in your fuel,as you do for me,by seeing it lmao.
i haven't "seen" it ever.just my light on my dash tells me so.i drain the thing (takes all of 10 seconds) and the light goes out.
as for where its coming from,be it condensation or from that green handle at the pump,im not all that concerned really,just as long as im able to drain it when it happens lol.no engineering degree here,im just a simple man. no story telling from me.i haven't got any contraptions to try and sell ya.my WIF light comes on from time to time,i drain it,the light goes out.if you know your water separator functions correctly and don't see the light come on (the water just connects the wire to ground and triggers the light.its very basic) then i don't think you've got any worries.your doing good.

 

I haven't tested the sensor, but I did look at it when I changed the filter this fall. Actually removed it from the stock bowl and put it in the one piece filter I used, Wix 33617.
The water in fuel light flashes briefly every time I start the truck, like its supposed to, so the bulb works.

Last winter there was one week that was particularly cold for this area, don't remember exact, but colder than the truck or I like. On some of those mornings, the water in fuel light would come on when I was on the highway and the pedal was down. If I let up on the pedal, the light would dim, or go out all together. It never came on later in the day when it was warmer.
I drained a few ounces out into a tin can that I got to fit under the drain, absolutely no water. I spit in it, and the spit sank right to the bottom like water would and stayed there looking like a bubble.

At that point, I remember hearing something about maybe the water in fuel light coming on if the filter was clogged. So I was thinking maybe the fuel is gelling a little with the cold, plus the filters old, maybe I should change it... So I ordered two of the filters and they can in a few days later. At that point, it had warmed up some and the light stopped coming on. Since it seemed like a fluke, I never bothered swapping the filter and did it when I had a chance in the fall (I think it was the fall?). There was some crud in the filter bowl, but again, no water.

I hope you're not just draining the fuel onto the ground!

 

A couple of months ago I called a Parker Racor tech at their tollfree number. The PF811 is still on the catalog, but no longer stocked. He said he would check to see if it was available anywhere & would get back to me -- HE NEVER DID.
At one time Parker sold a special replacement head for the 6.9 L engine to replace the fuel water separator, combining it with a standard fuel filter, & allow a PF829B filter element (usually used on 1990 7.3L engines & their like). It was about $250 in 2002, where I bought it. The aftermarket head can easily be mistaken for a Ford OEM head if you don't know the differences.
Full installation instructions on this product can be found here: https://skydrive.live.com/embed?cid=...AiJQ6aOZCAuUVc
If I had to do it over again, I would buy a discrete fuel water separator & head & install it between the tank fuel line manifold and the the lift pump and install a regular diesel fuel filter between the lift pump and the injection pump. It would have been cheaper, but I was in a hurry to get my truck back on the road.
People who have written that they have never had water in their fuel remind me of pack-a-day smokers who insist smoking hasn't killed or hurt them - yet. Stay lucky, is all I can say.

 

nah,just the water of course.

 

All it takes is once ... Water through fuel injectors ruins them!

Water under those pressures erodes the nozzles.

-Enjoy
fh : )_~