Am I supposed to be draining water from my fuel system apart from getting routine oil changes when the computer asks for a oil change?

 

If only they included some sort of a manual, on how often to check such things. Then you would be able to look in the Maintenance Schedule section, and see that under Check Every Month, it lists Fuel and Water Separator, Drain if needed.

Now, is that probably overkill? Yes. If you wait till the water separator is full, and the dash light comes on telling you to drain it, will you have issues with the warranty claim? Probably.

 

I changed the Fuel Filter on my Diesel and I did it like 3 times in 12 years... now granted I didn't drive it much, it had 100,000 when I sold it. I think I did the drain a few times when I thought it was running rough. I also ran BioFuel in the summer.
I would think that would be a good idea to do. Not sure if location where you live makes any difference

 

Yeah, it is in the manual.

The manual is confusing since it references "when the warning light comes on" to turn off the engine and drain the separator immediately. It makes this reference numerous times. But it also references draining the separator as part of monthly maintenance and at oil change time "when necessary", or, again, when you get the light.

So, the question then becomes; Other than the light, how would you know it was necessary? Is it necessary every month and at every oil change? It seems to indicate that, but, no. It is written "when necessary". So, as an absolute, that's not what it says. If they meant for you to drain it monthly and at every oil change, then it would just say without a qualifier to do it. Again, it doesn't. And then, if it wasn't necessary for it to be done monthly or at every oil change, then it wouldn't have been included. For sure, you would drain the module when the light came on. That would absolutely mean "necessary". But they don't leave you any clues otherwise.

I drained mine after two years. Didn't get a drop of water out of it. But I did get a bunch of jars of diesel to dispose of. I'm not doing anything with mine again unless I get a warning light.

 

drain monthly, more often if you suspect dirty fuel.

Change your filters at least every 15K, more often if you suspect garbage.

Just like extended oil changes, while they say it is good to run it an extended period does not always make it so.

 

I check my water separator every time I add a jug of DEF......about 2500 miles. I don’t empty the separator......I empty just enough to check for water. The excess fuel either goes towards helping light my campfires.

Be sure to follow instructions on how to prime the separator before attempting to start the engine.

 

In lieu of a dash light, a full drain isn't needed. The idea is that the water settles to the bottom of the separator, and only draining several ounces is needed. No need to have jars full from one check.

Most just pick a schedule, could be miles driven, gallons of fuel, with oil change, whatever, and just drain 8 or so ounces to inspect.

 

Now that you post this I don't even think I drained that much. The manual had it all in there how to do it and where it was. I remember it was easy

 

The OM says a half gallon. I drained about a quart since, yes, water is heavier than diesel and should be at the bottom of the trap. I then poured that into glass jars to let set overnight to see if any water separated out. Again, not a drop in sight.

 

Yes, it says a half gallon in reference to completely draining the water separator, not just for a simple check. Obviously if the warning light comes on you will be completely draining the water separator. A simple check (no warning light) only needs to be a few ounces, you chose to drain more than necessary.

 

RTM yourself. It doesn't offer the procedure of the "simple check" method. It reads one half gallon. Period. The manual makes no distinction between having the light come on and draining it to just checking to see what's in there. Yes, I agree with you that it isn't necessary to drain the half gallon if you're just doing the check. You do it just like any other fuel check. Just a couple ounces is all you need to make a determination. My first check, I followed the manual and thought this is absurd. You don't need to drain that much. And I never will.

 

Saw this on an old marine diesel engine up in Bayfield, Wisconsin last summer.

"Occasionally"

 

I drain for probably 20/30 seconds or until I determine no water.

 

Ive read the manual on many occasions, in this case Im not sure what you want me to read or what part you followed. Page numbers would be helpful. You are correct in that the manual does not give the procedure for a "simple check", I was not insinuating that it does. However, it also does not specifically say to drain the water separator simply as part of scheduled maintenance.
I can only go by the 2019 OM, as thats all I have. Page 352-354 is one location where instructions on how to drain the water trap can be found, and clearly states when it should be drained, "You should drain water from the
module assembly whenever the
warning light illuminates or a
message appears in the information
display advising you to drain the water
separator."
367 is another page where it outlines the drain procedure, clearly associated with replacing the fuel filter. Page 583, under Check Every Month it includes this wording, "Fuel and water separator. Drain if necessary or if indicated by the information display.". When I see that, I first think, how do I know if its necessary, that's where it would be nice if Ford would elaborate, but I don't get any indication from the OM that draining 1/2g is necessary just because.

Who knows what Ford means, it could just be a monthly visual check. I would be curious to hear what a Ford tech interprets the monthly check as being. To me, removing a few ounces of fuel from the water trap every so often is cheap, easy, and the results of doing so could tell me if it's "necessary" to drain.

 

Hi Scott - it's literally been ages since we've chatted!!! How've you been? I just turned 70 in April, I've had three back surgeries since we last talked and now have four Titanium Screws and two Titanium Rods in my back. I reluctantly, don't get to work on my truck any longer, so crawling underneath to check the water separator monthly would be a joke for me! I have my Dealer do my routine service, but monthly would be cost prohibitive for sure!!! I traded in the '08 6.4 Beast that you might remember for a '15 6.2l Gas F-350, then just traded that in last August for a 2019 F-450 and got back into a Diesel where I belong! Carrying a new 2019 Arctic Fox AF1140 Truck Camper so decided not to mess around with air bags and all that crap and just buy the right truck to begin with! Not sure what to do about the water separator though?




The "Old" Beast!