Fuel water separator draining
 

I am new to diesels as far as ownership. How often should I be draining my water separator. I have no indicator lights. Saw ricks trouble with possible warranty denial due to water in fuel so wanted to check and see. Only have 1100 miles and 3 fillups.

It's recommended that you drain the fuel/water separator once a month to remove contaminants. See page 67 of your diesel supplement! :-X22

It is always a good practice to get into a preventive maintenance routine with these trucks. I go back to my old Army days where there was a specific routine for each piece of equipment before it was operated. I do the same with this truck and my farm equipment. Everyone is different and has their own way of doing things. At minimum, I recommend you follow the manual for the different maintenance tasks.

I drain mine monthly.
The low cost of lost diesel is much cheaper than a new fuel system.

Doesn't the computer let you know when it needs drained?

There is a sensor, but you're still supposed to drain it monthly. If there is water sitting in the DFCM there is a higher likelihood that too much water will make it past the filter and into the high pressure fuel system. This can cause rust, pump failure, injector failure, and other very expensive problems. The 6.7L engine with it's Bosch system seems to be more resilient, but I wouldn't want to find out the hard way!

Glad I ran across this thread. Had the truck for 7 months and have never drained it didn't know it needed to be done so often and still wouldn't if I hadn't read this. Hopefully no damage has been done. Is it easy to do?

You should be fine. I drain mine monthly and have yet to see any water in it. I think it all depends on your fuel sources. The step-by-step instructions are in your manual, that is the best place to look before you do it the first time. Very simple to do.

This is good info, guess I need to drain mine. I assume that using a fuel additive like the motorcraft brand will help reduce the water.

I was convinced early on to consider the WIF light to indicate an issue.
Ie; stop now and figure out why if it does turn on.
I've never had any water in my fuel but I wouldn't know that if I didn't drain it.

Anyone know if draining water from the fuel separator is standard practice for a dealer while performing an oil change/service.

I drained my separator for the first time. I drained it for about 25 seconds as recommendeds by the supplement. I really did not see any water (I don't think). The fluid must have been diesel fuel. How do you tell the difference between water and diesel fuel??? If I continued to drain the separator, will the fluid finally stop, or will it continue to drain diesel?

The diesel fuel is very pungent. Before my wife let me into the 5th wheel I had to change my closes and wash up.

ken

It was not a standard practice at the dealer that I use...but it is now...the last 3 oil changes since I had the injector failure all received a water separator drain.

My truck gets drained every other tankful.

Regards

You will see water bubbles at the bottom of the container once you leave it settle for about 5 minutes. It's very easy to see water in fuel since it is heavier than the fuel and sits on the bottom. If you have a lot of it, you will see a clear cut line between the fuel and water. Hope this helps.

Just drained mine about an hour ago...no water that I can see. Kinda makes one nervous though if we get bad fuel from a filling station.