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While cleaning up an 86 F250 with a 6.9 I noticed that someone had by passed the water separator. I have no idea why but they did. Is there anything to break inside the separator or can I just go ahead and reconnect the lines. The truck seems to run fine the way it is.
Bill
The factory water seperater on my 86 F350 is also gone and in its place someone installed a spin on filter. I have no idea why either but it seems to work. I am finding alot of things that the previous owner did to mine that make no sense.
The original water separator on 83 thru 87 have problems with air leaks, and this is why they are bypassed. You need to add an aftermarket water separator, as water in the fuel will cause injector pump to fail.
Amsoil just came out with a Diesel water separator for add-on purposes. It's kinda pricey, but I don't know what other options there are. Can you buy a factory one and replace it? I wouldn't run a diesel without one.
Bob
I had a diesel vehicle that was fitted with a Racor filter/separator. It's a centrigugal type water separator with a cartridge filter inside. I have also seen these on larger commercial vehicles. I even saw Racor in a local auto parts store. A good source for separators also would be a heavey equipment dealer. I do not know how Racor compares pricewise with Amsoil, but it would be worth checking into. I would think that any filter with a water separator would be much better than a filter alone.
Here's a link to Racor, though it doesn't give much info...
On my 1987 F-250 6.9, I can confirm that at least some of them have problems with air getting into the fuel lines. I have to make sure I park on level ground or with the front of the truck headed down grade when parking on a hill. If I park headed up a hill, every time I have to bleed the line, it is an aggervation when I forget how to park. My local NAPA wanted to know the original brand seperator before he ordered one for my truck, I don't know why. He said Ford used several different brands during those years. I am going to replace mine as soon as I have time to deal with it.