Running without a fuel filter

[avatar382]

My truck lost power and conked out as I was going down the highway... after getting towed to a nearby shop, the problem was narrowed down to a leak or crack letting air somewhere in the fuel filter housing.

Since I was stranded and couldn't wait 3 days for a new housing to come into the shop, the dudes at the shop jury rigged fuel lines to bypass the filter entirely, which got me home -- a distance of about 300 miles.

The truck doesn't seem any different running without the fuel filter, but I'm a bit worried. Have any of you done something like this before?

I'm trying to figure out whether it's ok to run engine short term without a fuel filter, or if I should minimize driving as much as possible until it's fixed right. I wonder how clean/water-free pump diesel is...

 

[franklin2]

You have to do what you have to do, but if you can avoid driving it I would. You don't want a lot of junk getting into the injection pump.

If they rigged it to bypass it, why not just put one of those universal fuel filters for carb on it if you have to drive it. There must be a line or hose somewhere in their rig you could cut. The stock fuel pump only runs about 5 psi or so. One of those little filters should last you a couple of weeks till the new stuff comes in.

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[C_Luft]

Umm that's not a good idea at all, considering you could cause damage to not only to your injection pump but also your injectors, and those arnt cheap. A rebuilt injection pump is around 500 and that's if your core is good, and Injectors could be around 300-400. I wouldn't even start the truck, let alone take it to the store for groceries.

 

[avatar382]

Thanks guys. Any ideas where to find a filter housing assembly, and what they usually go for? I found a couple on eBay, priced around $450 bucks

 

[avatar382]

I'm considering getting this inline filter (http://www.amazon.com/Moeller-Universal-Inline-Glass-Filter/dp/B000MT94OM/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top) since it looks like i'll be able to connect it to the fittings that go into the stock housing.

The one thing I'm wondering is what's the best way to get the truck going again once I've plumbed this filter inline? I can't see how I won't have a air gap in there, since it's mounted horizontally.

 

[ToughOldFord]

Thanks guys. Any ideas where to find a filter housing assembly, and what they usually go for? I found a couple on eBay, priced around $450 bucks

What? That's nuts. Got a pick n pull or similar nearby, you could grab one there for under $50.

 

[BDCarrillo]

What part of the filter housing is leaking? All of the fittings/sensors/heater plug can be replaced or plugged... otherwise it's a chunk of metal...

 

[franklin2]

I'm considering getting this inline filter (http://www.amazon.com/Moeller-Universal-Inline-Glass-Filter/dp/B000MT94OM/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top) since it looks like i'll be able to connect it to the fittings that go into the stock housing.

The one thing I'm wondering is what's the best way to get the truck going again once I've plumbed this filter inline? I can't see how I won't have a air gap in there, since it's mounted horizontally.

I just mentioned that little filter just for temporary use. It's not nearly big enough for continuous use and probably does not have a filter that is fine enough. I certainly would not order it from Amazon as a permanent solution. They sell filters like these at the parts stores, and I thought if you really needed the truck, you could run down and quickly cobble it in place.

They make official fuel filters that you can mount in other places, I have seen threads on here where some guys have used them. They take a big screw on filter like you had stock. Maybe someone knows were to get something like that if you can't round up one of the original setups.

 

[franklin2]

Without doing any research at all, I found this one on ebay. I don't know if it's any good or not but the price seems good. You would have to find a spot to mount it.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DIESEL-FUEL-FILTER-ASSEMBLY-/161465645191

 

[sassyrel]

the stock fuel filter,,goes to 5 microns.... in talking to my pump man some time back, he said the fuel injector pump will stand 5 microns, the injectors 10 microns, before damage. and any gas filter of any type,,wont cut it....you are risking damage untold. one human hair,,is approx 60 microns, so just how small is 5??????? your truck...

 

[lotzagoodstuff]

In addition to the standard "this is acceptable media size", there's also the fact that you are running without any safety net with regards to what I like to refer to as "really big ****". Say for instance that your shower heads deteriorated, because at this point in your trucks life they have. In a perfect world, you dropped the tanks and cleaned every last chunk of rubber or plastic out of them when you replaced your fuel pickup tubes. If you didn't get every last morsel, it's no big deal, because your filter will catch it......

I've done some crazy stuff to get "out of the woods and back to the shop", and I'm no saint as I ran my old truck without a cooling fan for three summers before I put an efan in it, but I would scour the bone yards, or post a separate friendly "I need to buy a used part/help a brother out" post and see if you can't get somebody to help you out with a cheap spare they have laying around.

Good luck in your quest for the fuel filtration answers.

 

[icanfixall]

What year truck do you have. I see nothing posted so I can't suggest any replacement filter heads. As for air leaks. We know many places where this happens around the filter head. They are VERY SIMPLE repairs too.

 

[avatar382]

Thanks for all the input, guys.

I really hope I haven’t done any permanent damage on the ride home… my IP and injectors are pretty much new, replaced less than 6000 miles ago. I don’t want to blow those up again!

I hope that by keeping the tank level high during my drive home, I avoided pulling in the really bad gunk from the bottom of the tank. I get the feeling that running the truck as it is now is running in super accelerated wear mode… where each mile driven unfiltered is like hundreds of “normal” miles.

Here’s hoping that the pump diesel I’ve gotten was reasonably clean.

Is it worth thinking about putting in some fuel additive to clean out anything I might have put in the injectors/pump? Or, will any particles already introduced be run through?

I don’t need to run the truck. It’s my only vehicle but I ride my bicycle to work, and I can get by without the truck to run errands and such. So, it will sit until it’s fixed.

Is air leaks introduced at the filter assembly common on these engines? I mean looking at the housing, it is, as BDCarrillo said, a thick hunk of metal. I can’t see any cracks in it by looking down from on top. Is the metal prone to cracking and letting air in, or are issues like these more typically a worn fitting? There was a slight fuel leak from the housing area before, so that’s a big clue… if fuel’s getting out, then air’s coming in right?

 

[avatar382]

What year truck do you have. I see nothing posted so I can't suggest any replacement filter heads. As for air leaks. We know many places where this happens around the filter head. They are VERY SIMPLE repairs too.

It's a '92, with the stock 7.3 NA. 2WD, Auto transmission.

 

[sjwelds]

Edit: sorry typed too fast !!