Contaminated Diesel

[MARK A]

Originally Posted by Phil P

Hi

Bad99ram hasn’t given enough information for any of us to try to help.

I am in the process of cleaning out 2 diesel fuel system at this time both the result of water contamination that wasn’t properly addressed at the time.

The only time I have heard of the $6 to 10,000 figures was when DEF was introduced to the diesel tank.

This twice on the Ford pickups if taken to a Ford dealer their training is to replace all fuel system components in the DEF event but not for water.

Last but not least if you get the water indication on your instrument panel DONOT continue to operate the truck pull off the road and shut it down and don’t start it again until you have drained your water separator.

Phil

Phil,
With the Ford 6.7 from 2011 to present, if water or gasoline or DEF or ? is introduced to the fuel pump, the pump usually eats itself and contaminates everything from the pump to the filters and housings, injectors fuel lines both feed and return AND the tank. If they find filings in the filters it all goes and it's been awhile but around 2012 it was 12k to fix. Parts and labor. I miss the days of the old Detroit Diesels, they would drink almost anything you could carry to the fuel tank, and most of them had an automatic oil change/undercarriage rust prevention system LOL.

Mark

[Phil P]

Mark A

Like I said in my post elsewhere in this thread I have cleaned the fuel system of one of the Bosh high pressure system now about 3 months ago and did not change any of the high pressure parts. This was a case of the driver getting the water light and continuing to operate until the truck wouldn’t start at the last stop. There was water in the return lines and the only pump on the Duramax is the injection pump.

This was on a 2005 Duramax 4X4 and they are prone to pump failure at about 180 to 200,000 miles. This one has 125,000 miles on it and it is still running.

This truck is in a very sever type of use but not often on paved roads. It is used daily so this is all an experiment to see just how long before we start having problems with the injection system.

Now for the dealer they can’t take a chance on not changing everything regardless of how the parts check out because they are stuck with warranty on their repairs. Ford requires their dealers to change everything including the fuel tank and all fuel lines.

You will find mostly in the rural parts of the country the independent shops don’t change a lot of the parts the OEM dealer would and they keep going.

It’s my opinion that running one out of fuel is worse than water contamination. I have a 2009 Duramax with 203,000 miles and never let the fuel level get below ¼ tank.

The 2009 Duramax has a different Bosh pump than the 2005 and I will see how long before I have injection system problems with this 2009.

Phil P

[2007dura]

The 2005 and 2009 Duramax fuel pumps are different than the pump Ford and GM started using in 2011. Both went to the Bosch CP4.2 from using the CP3 they previously used. These pumps were highly succeptable to water as the fuel is used for lubrication of the pump. As the pumps lost this required lubrication they would destruct unlike the CP3's and would send metal throughout the system causing the whole system to be replaced. The pump has changed some from its release in 2011. Ford still uses the CP4, Ram the CP3 and GM started using a Denso pump in 2018.

[Phil P]

Hi

I agree with a lot of what you have here but the change made some time between the 2005 Duramax and 2009 corrected a problem that caused pump failure without and contamination. The latter one I hear goes to around 400,000 miles without problems.

Also both Bosh and GM will tell you it makes a big difference how the truck is operated. We have a fellow here that hauled cattle interstate and put 600,000 miles on his Duramax 3500 without any major problems. Then got unhappy with the dealer because they wouldn’t take the truck in trade. LOL

GM also advises not to let your diesel truck idle for long periods of time.

You are very correct about the fuel lubricating the pump that’s why I say running one out of fuel is as hard on them as water contamination. At the same time water does have some lubricating qualities. I am not saying it is the same but surly not as lacking in lubricating qualities as air.

As for washing the system out after a pump failure there are outfits hear that change the pump and wash the system without removing the injectors. Then run the truck and replace only the injector that fail. They say they don’t change many sometimes none of them.

These are fleet owners of fleets that do their own repairs. The trucks are used to move well drilling equipment to and from the job ETC.

I was surprised the 2005 ever ran at all after the water event but when I tried to start it started hitting on one cylinder and the rest gradually came on line and was running smooth after about a 15 min run.

Now we are using it and waiting to see what happens.

I don’t get into anything newer than my 2009 Duramax and so far it is doing well.

Phil P