Sorry for disappearing in the middle of the conversation.

I decided that most likely my drain bolt was compromised one way or another so I decided o take my '04 F250 to the shop.

I took a couple of weeks to get an appointment (one Ford diesel specialist at this good-in--my-experience shop) but he had the draining done and the truck back to me (with a $30 invoice) in about 30 minutes.

Unfortunately, about 5 miles down the road the WIF light came on.

I figured that this meant's that having had the light on for a while I was in some sort of over flow situation and needed to drain the trap again. Having had him replace the stock screw with one of the knurled ones, I wasn't afraid to do that.

I had to open the upgraded plug with a pair of channel locks (maybe I'm just a weakling?) but it came out find and I drained to the last drop (1-2 cups fuel total) in a clean pan. Even after letting this drainage set overnight I see zero evidence of water in it.

This tickled me. I re-installed the plug and headed down the road.

In about 5 miles the light came back on.

At this point, without seeing evidence of water in the fuel, I'm not too interested in draining it again. (I did read somewhere that if you have additives in the diesel this will cause the WIF light to come on. Im using one of those adds that is supposed to stop fuel from jelling in cold temps. Could this really be the "problem" now?)

I'm thinking that maybe I should just start draining the HFCM with each oil change and ignore the light. Is this naive?

NEW QUESTION

Everyone says I should dispose of the drained fuel properly but I have no idea what that really means. I recycle my drained oil through a local auto shop. Is it kosher to pour diesel into that container ? If not, what should I be doing?

Thanks for everyone for what they've shared to this point! (THANKS!)

 

 

 

Saw no crud or algae in the drain pan when I drained. I realize what you say is probably true, of course.

Not clear on where to buy that hose removal kit. That was from Sears, wasn't it? Is there such a place as Sears currently?

Last link I clicked for that didn't go to a tool kit

Thanks for your ideas!

 

You won't see anything in the pan.......

The kind of crap that settles around the WIF sensor. And if you have a bad sensor, nothing works.

 

The light does go off, for about 5 miles, and then comes back on.

Would a fouled switch act like that?

Does it matter that this crap is in there? (I have to ask)

What do you think a shop charges (in time) to clean one of these?

THANKS!

 

The additive I have in my tank now is :

Power Service: Diesel Fuel Supplement +Cetane Boost

No way this makes WIF light come on?

-Allan

 

That stuff is safe and won't cause the light to go on.

Your going to need to remove the cover and clean it out. If you find it to be clean then you have a bad sensor
that needs to be replaced

The stuff I am talking about causes the water to mix with the fuel and get past the outer layer of the primary filter.
The tern for mixing two fluids tog et that normally don't mix is to emulsify. Having any water in the fuel in our engine
is very bad thing to do.The injector tip sits inside of the cylinder and get very hot. If you don't water on hot metal
you get a steam explosion. This can cause the tip of the injector to fracture and then drop into the cylinder.

Now as for used or contaminated diesel fuel you can dump it into your used oil. After all diesel is an oil and I asked
a recycler and they said that very same thing.

Also draining it each oil change is a good plan and that new style plug only needs to be finger tight not to the point
where you need a wrench to loosen the silly thing. The plug is sealed with an O-ring so it won't leak unless it's damaged.

If I were going to do this I would have a new gasket on hand and just put it in.

 

I talked to the tech who drained my water separator this morning.

He says that the bolt was free enough and the fuel came out hardy enough that he wouldn't worry about growth and sludge inside the unit.

He said that he has to assume that after 14 years on the road my WIF sensor is 'on the blink' and I should replace it. (In face, and I cannot believe this at all, he offered to replace it N/C!) He said that when he replaces them he sprays cleaner into the unit and lets it drain out. He advised strongly that i replace it since if I actually got water in my diesel it would take out injectors pretty directly.

He says he'd have to recommend the OEM sensor as he hasn't liked the quality of 3rd party untits

Extreme doesn't appear to carry the unit. Any advice on where to get on online ?

Thanks

PS Is this an RnR I should do myself?

 

I agree with the guy that did the work. Ask him how much to do it.
Also if you don't mind post the cost for the job.

Under the right conditions they can erode and likely that is what happened.
It that is not the case then there is a problem higher up in the wiring and
the computer that controls this system. BTW The right conditions electrical
parts that pass a current in a fluid that conductive. Diesel is conductive.
Ford dealer prices tend to be high at a walk-in parts counter. I could call Ed or Scott at >>> FICMRepair.com - FORD Powerstroke 6.0 FICM Repair, PHP Tuning and Truck Parts
They should be able to get it for a better price that the dealer. Also Ed started here and
is a sponsor of FTE. So help keep the lights on so to speak.

 

Thanks, Sean.

I'll check with Ed or Scott on the sensor. thanks for the tip.

The tech who drained my trap offered to replace the sensor for free. I'll probably take him up on that. I'm really shocked (and grateful!) that he offered to do it for free. I think he's offering to compensate for charging me $30 to drain the trap when it was clear I didn't actually have water in my diesel. Having been a commercial mechanic for years myself (decades ago, and on air cooleds) I do find it strange for a mechanic to be this concerned about the owner's side but, man, do I appreciate it it!

I will report all the way around

Meanwhile, my driver side towing mirror got bashed and I have to find a replacement for it as cheaply as possible. Really just need to replace the turn signal tense, but looks like whole mirror assemblies are as cheap

Thanks again

-Allan

 

You can find the LED lens assemblies on Ebay. I think
the factory Ford housing are a little thicker.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/For-Smoked-03-07-Superduty-00-05-Excurison-Smoked-Side-Mirror-LED-Running-Lights/172744230244?_trkparms=aid%3D444000%26algo%3DSOI.D EFAULT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D55165%26meid%3D384fa7ba2f3 14b38929a0b5055f70fc1%26pid%3D100752%26rk%3D4%26rk t%3D6%26mehot%3Dag%26sd%3D201934307357%26itm%3D172 744230244&_trksid=p2047675.c100752.m1982

Free shipping so they only cost US $36.88

 

UPDATE: I did check with Ed AND Scott @ FICMRepair.com Ed was extremely knowledgeable the first time I called. He spent at least 30 minutes on the phone with me explaining various reasons I may be having trouble with the sensor light. It was a wonderful experience to be able to talk first hand with someone who had so much knowledge about my truck and so much passion for making trucks run right. I ordered a replacement switch but there was some trouble with the shipper and the part took some time to get here. Not a terribly long time but long enough that by the time the new switch arrived, the switch in my truck actually started working.

Or do I mean, stopped working? By which I mean "stopped working when it was supposed to stop working (turned off its light) "?

What I'm saying is: the WIF light turned off one day after I started my truck and only comes on when I turn on the key to start my truck. Then it promptly goes off.

I'm accepting that as a switch that's working, so I haven't replaced it.

That was about 3 months ago.