Ranger 2.5TD - Fuel Filter Condensate Drain

[Steel-Wheels]

Hi guys,

I was wondering how many frequently you have to drain the fuel filter sediment trap on a 2.5TD?

I've been driving 'Moose' for 5 months now and have never seen the sedimenter warning light after start up and the engine hasn't missed a beat. To reduce moisture in the diesel fuel, I never run the fuel tank below half to reduce the volume of moisture laden air being breathed into the tank. I've also adopted a practice of never filling up as a petrol station after 9pm - because the tankers tend to stir up the settled water in the storage tanks when they pump in fresh fuel. Likewise, I don't top up if it rained over the previous two days. (That over-rides my half-tank rule. )

Is it my procedures or have I just been lucky not to have had feul problems?

I'm going to have a go at bleeding the filter anyway. The way I understand it, one undoes the plug at the bottom and let the sediments trickle out - and help it along the way with the primer button. Then you close the drain and crank the motor. How much air gets into the system when one does this and how long does it take to get air ingested at the fuel filter through the pump and out through the injectors?

I'm heavily involved in steam train preservation and was recently a crew member on a long distance trip, The train's diesel powered generator set picked up water in the feul tank, and the water was stirred up by the motion of the train and boy-o-boy, did we have fun trying to get that generator to keep running! That's what made me think about the Ranger filter. (We eventually had to ditch the contaminated fuel, drain all the filters, flush the tank and prime the entire system by hand - not fun on a big Dorman Long motor.)

[Christo Davids]

I replace the fuel filter every 10 000km and never drained the water trap - never had any problems...

[DavidW]

Same here.

[DouglasN]

I'm with Christo & David.

[Steel-Wheels]

Sounds like good insurance. But what is a totally empty feul filter like to prime? What can I expect? How long does one take at the primer pump before giving the starter motor a 'whirl.'

[les1968]

nothing to prime, press the button? dont know what to call it, a few times until it feels hard and thats it, I replace my filter every 20000, it still looks fine at 20000km, no dirty diesel comes out

[Hagu13]

Ford manual gives the correct priming procedure after a filter change. It's very high tech so please forgive me if it's hard to follow: Crank the engine till it starts, then run it. Seriaaas.

Ford used to change mine every 10 000km when I used them. They last touched it at 100 000km, and I kept the same filter on until 128 000km a few weeks ago when I changed it myself.

I only use "dirty" 500ppm diesel as my bakkie prefers it, and this 28 000km also included an 8000km round trip to Angola which included about 3500km inside Angola on Angolan fuel. Don't know the quality, but every diesel on the road smokes there, no matter how new.

My fuel filter was clean and water-free.

[Christo Davids]

I have helped a lady who ran out of diesel with the 2.5 ranger - put 10L diesel in and started, no priming required

[Steel-Wheels]

Very high tech, huh? OK guys, I get the point. It seems like the priming pump is more to get the water out the filter than to pressurize the system. I probably seemed a bit pathetic asking the question but the behavior of the generator with water contaminated fuel mentioned in my original post really put the wind up me!

Thanks for the replies - although I'm quite comfortable with working on Petrol engines, I've never owned and run a diesel before, much less a turbo model.

[les1968]

Nothing to it, its really an easy engine to service, even the cambelt is a pleasure, now try a VW jetta4's cambelt that is a pain

[Steel-Wheels]

Well now, I changed the fuel filter over the holidays, amongst other things and the priming part of the job was quite easy in spite of my trepidations. The project didn't go too smoothly as the filter bowl and the float switch housing had been tightened by an 8ft gorilla and I had a serious hassle getting it all apart without breaking anything - and resisted the temptation to grab onto those oh-so-convenient fuel pipes for leverage. A broken fuel line with no brazing equipment available could really ruin a good holiday afternoon....

I had to use water pump pliers on the brittle looking float switch cover. It's an octagonal nut too.

Priming was a piece of cake. I propped the filter up into the vertical position next to one of the spot lights and the radiator grill, and topped it off with clean diesel. Once it was reassembled, about a dozen pumps on the primer button and the button goes distinctly harder once the air has been eliminated.

'Moose' started and ran first time with no fuel supply issues.

My filter drain plug has a tee-bore and does not need to be completely removed to drain the sediment trap.

Incidentally, I found no trace of water or dirty fuel in the sediments chamber. There were no slimes or moulds in the sediment trap.

Next project - adjusting the free play in the steering box.....gonna have to grind down the flanges on the sump guard so I can get it off past the bull bars mounting brackets for future projects.

[DVR]

Your ford/mazda is self priming !! but it depends how empty the diesel pump was when you want to start again, so when you change diesel filter ,the engin will start first shot, because your pump was not empty, but no harm can be done just to prime it by hand a few times if it ran out completely. The water drain question !! good diesel no drain, the diesel I put in at a pump the other day, I had to drain it about 5 times in 100km , but rest asure your warning light will come on telling you there is water in the filter. The next thing about changing the filter, it looks clean but the micro holes inside clogs up partly and that causes your bakkie to go into a semi fuel starvation, making it heavy on fuel and pulls like a Toyota. So by the R50 you trying to save on the filter you use R300 over 500km more on fuel , so with our diesel here in SA change it every 500km it is cheaper. Ask the guys how heavy on fuel ,and it pulls if that little sieve on the pump is blocked.

[Christo Davids]

As DVR said, I change my diesel filter with every oil change...

[Frank the Tank]

Whats the procedure to clean the sieve on the fuel pump?

I don't want to let them Toyota's past me on the road this festive season!