This is a sad story about my 81 year old father in law and his 2016 F350 super duty truck. While driving cross country last week his truck with 26000 miles on it broke down outside of Lusk Wyoming. There is no Ford service in Lusk so he had it towed to Casper. The tech in Casper diagnosed rust in fuel system causing catastrophic engine failure. Of course Ford can't control water in fuel so warranty was denied. The repair bill is estimated at 15000.00 dollars. So here's the question. What can we as deisle owners do to anticipate this issue. My father in law says the wif light wasn't on however since he's owned it the light has been on twice and the water was purged per owner's manual. All scheduled maintenance has been done on time. I'm really paranoid about my truck now and am seriously considering dumping the deisle. I appreciate your thoughts.

 

OK.WIF light has been on twice according to your post, correct?
Father in law is 81 years old. Is it *possible* that he may have added DEF to the fuel tank? Just a thought.

Also to answer your other question about what we can do to minimize the chance of these things happening. Back in the 1950’s, stamped right on the fuel cap of John Deere diesels it was stated “Buy clean fuel-keep it clean”. That is all I know to do.
on a monthly basis, I take a glass jar and drain about a cup of fuel from the primary filter and see what is there. So far I have not had any contaminants in my fuel.......ever. I also drive the big rigs for a couple million miles and never got a tank of bad fuel.

 

Thanks 99150, The DEF in the fuel tank was the first thing I thought but I watched him top of the DEF tank before he left so at least this time he hit the right hole. He made it from my house in Wisconsin to Rapid City about 600 miles. His tank should of been almost empty. He said he filled up at a very busy gas station and then drove 100 miles to Lusk where it broke down. Here is where it gits odd. The tech in Casper said that there was a lot of water in the tank like 1/3. If thats true it would mean that the station he filled up at has a major issue. I'm in the process of trying to verify this and will post when I get the story.

 

ford will not warranty water in fuel because that is not a truck defect, it is a driver or fuel station defect.
that is why insurance companies cover the fuel system replacement.

 

If he had THAT much water in the tank he should not have been able to drive 100 miles. There have been posts about guys putting the wrong fuel into the diesel tank and not making it more than a few blocks before the engine died.

 

The tech in Casper diagnosed rust in fuel system causing catastrophic engine failure. <<<=== I would have wondered how that much rust got in the tank of a 2016 fuel tank and how it got thru the filter to cause Catastrophic Engine Failure. didn't the 2016 use plastic tank ?

I'm just curious, I think a Lawyer should be involved

Edit: especially with a repair bill of 15000.00 bux

 

the rust is from when the fuel pump disintegrates. the filter is before the pump, so if you drive with the water in fuel light on all you are doing is pumping water past the filter into the pump. then it rusts and dies sending rust particles into the injectors and other fuel parts ruining them.
like i said before, water in fuel is not a warranty problem, it is a driver or fuel station error.

also, $15,000 for a fuel system is highway robbery.
you can replace the complete engine for under 10 grand.

 

Ahhh ok I get that, and yes for sure that is HiWay Rubbery

 

one of the kids at work just had all three filters, both fuel pumps, the high pressure pump, all 8 injectors WIF sensor, and the WIF light replaced last month for $4000 after his let loose at 152,000 miles because the station filled his tank with 5 gallons of water and 26 gallons of diesel.
his WIF light was out, so he never knew he had an issue until the truck would not start.

 

OUCH.... at least the price is more reasonable. I guess they call em idiot lights for a reason, I'm not real familiar with the newer electrical systems but I would think the WIF lamp would do a Bulb test when the Ign Switch is turned on or at least when in the Strat position , but I can see how one could easily ignore the failed bulb as "hey the bulb just don't work" expensive lesson to learn

 

Wow! Definitely a bummer.

 

The definition of "comprehensive" insurance coverage is standard across the industry. Wear and tear, negligence, and poor maintenance are not covered. That generally applies to a warranty on anything you own.