Happy New Year to all. I started what I thought would be a simple procedure this morning. I just wanted to change the fuel filter in the truck I recently bought ('99 F250), but what I found is a little concerning. See the pic below.

The black stuff is crusted onto everything and does not brush off easily - needs to be scraped. So how concerned do I need to be? Is there an easy way to clean it. And, by the way, what is the copper wire attached to? I lifted it a little and saw that there's a rubber something underneath. (I'm new to diesels in case you can't tell) Thanks for any insight you can offer.

Ross

 

The copper wire is for the fuel heater.

 

That is pretty crusty looking.
What I would do is put a cap over the center post to keep any crud from entering the passage to the injectors.
Then get a can of carburator cleaner and start in on it.
Compressed air would be the best way to clean it all out after you have brushed the junk.
Also snip that broken wire off and discard it.
It will cause a short which will blow the fuse that powers the ECU = dead truck.

 

If you break the wire, you'll need to unplug the heater connection on the back of the fuel bowl. If you leave it plugged in with a broken wire, it will blow a fuse that also powers the PCM so the truck won't start. Good news is, unplug the connector & replace the fuse and drive like that. You don't really need the heater.

As for cleaning, you might try dumping a fuel additive in the bowl and just letting it sit there for a couple of hours. See if it helps break any of that stuff up. Be sure and drain everything back out of the bowl, and flush with diesel so that crud doesn't end up in your fuel system. If you decide to try anything stronger than a fuel additive, you might want to remove the drain valve so any chemicals don't ruin the o-rings there and develop a leak.

Of course, the easiest way to clean it would be just to remove the fuel bowl so it's easier to work on.

 

Wow that sucks. I would i agree would putting a cap over the center, also i would just remove the fuel heater for now, it doesnt look like its doing to good anyway, that way u can clean it out good. I would also would be worried about what your fuel tank looks like along with your whole fuel system, i would run alot of diesel kleen through your truck over the next fuel weeks, then change your filter after 1000 miles of use and see what you have.

 

If you take out the 2 torx screws on that plate and gently lift up you can unplug the wire going to it and pull the whole assembly out for cleaning. Then it is easier to cap or plug off the hole in the bottom without it getting in your way.

 

Yes that is what i did. Then i used a little bit of diesel fuel/wd40 and a brush to loosen up the crud. Then i made up a little tool for the shop vac. (electric tape and some 3/8 id hose) And sucked it out. Got her looking like new almost.

 

Thanks for all the advice. I removed the heater etc and cleaned it all out including the vacuum deal. There were a bunch of flakes of crud too big to drain so the vac took care of those. Feels good to have that cleaned out, but I'll have to keep an eye on it.

I'm wondering about the heater now. Does everyone just take it out? Is there any benefit to having it?

Ross

 

Apparently the person before you didn't know there was a fuel filter there or they just didn't care, thats a shame but glad you got to it when you did. That fuel heater element is there to heat the fuel in the bowl so it doesn't gel up in there from what i understand. If you live in a warm climate its not that big of a deal but seeing you are west of me, it wouldn't be a bad idea to replace it beings how cold it gets around here.

 

i unplugged mine about a month ago due to it shorting out, and blowing a fuse. i've had many days in the teen's and today with the wind chill its somewhere around 7 degrees and it started right up.
i had the block heater plugged in though.
and the "benefit" is suppose to keep the fuel from gelling.

 

you may have an algae problem in the tank, its not really the big of a deal but you should address it as it can cause engine problems. run the tank down as far as you dare, dump in a diesel algaecide and change out the fuel filter a couple of time. you can wash the old filter out and just keep switching them out.
if you burn alot of fuel you may not have this problem, but if the truck sat or sits for a long time, a month plus. then you should look at doing this.

ether way check the filter regularly at first to see if it is clogging up. if it stays good and clean then dont worry about it.
cheers

 

Wow!! That was NASTY!! I wonder what the rest of the fuel system looks like?? Might pull the tank and to the hutch/harpoon just to make sure it's all good. Then look for some BioDiesel to run through. I pulled my tank after the running a few tanks of Bio and it was squeaky clean!! Looked brand new in there.

Did you get a pic of the bowl after cleaning?