How many of you guys are running a water separator?

[IDIBRONCO]

I believe it might stick up too high for a truck hood.

I don't know about that. I do know that they use special steel lines to go from the lift pump, to the filter, and then to the IP. What ever type of custom setup you come with would certainly be picture worthy.

 

[u2slow]

I try to put a primary water-separator on all my diesels (pre-pump, suction side). The one on the engine is often best repurposed as a secondary.

 

[Nero]

I second this. I have a big filter right after the tank selector valve, frame mounted with a WIX filter.

 

[hce]

Still running the stock firewall mounted water separator. If your careful they can be rebuilt.

 

[ROCK HARVEY]

I didn’t realize the 6.9s and the 7.3s take different fuel filters. I know you can buy the 7.3 filter housing for cheap on Amazon, so you could always delete the firewall-mounted water separator and run a 7.3 style filter that has a built-in water separator like the Wix 33617.

 

[Ruffnek7tree]

Since the factory fuel filter on my truck was gone when I got it, I put together my own system, I have 2 filter bases, the primary is a cat 2568753 and the secondary is a cat 1r-0750, the primary is a water separatior, works great, but even in my slip tanks, I don't think I've ever had much water in them besides when I forgot to put the cap back on and it rained lol

 

[Cubey]

Ford did things right with 6.9 vans. They put it under the driver seat (outside) with a little plastic hatch cover with a pull handle inside on the floor. You didn't even have to raise the hood to drain it.

 

[Jim993]

The water separator was bypassed on my truck when I bought it in late 1998. I removed it. 130,000 miles and 28 years ago. Never a water problem. I change fuel filters every 15,000 miles, never water in the bottom of the old one.

 

[divemaster5734]

I found a Racor 500 clone online for cheap, but it takes the Racor filters for easy replacement.
That said, I had to remove the jack and fab a mount because it has a plastic bowl, and I didn't want to chance a rock destroying it if mounted on the frame rail next to the Holly Red.
Haven't found any water in the fuel yet.

 

[Isaac Ristow]

Just to add to this neither of my bullnoses have a fws on my beater old plow truck I got a barrel of what was supposed to be clean diesel mixed with hydraulic fluid so I pumped it into my beater plow truck and I guess the whole bottom of the barrel was water so I kept pulling the filter off (6.9 filter) dumping it out and filling it with fuel till it would run on its own and I put it on high idle and let it run for almost 3 days straight till it ran out for science of course. I put fresh cherry fuel in and primed it up still runs good to this day so I'd presume not letting it sit with water in the fuel system it really won't hurt it. the crap I was dumping from the filter was like white milk too. So to some extent a 6.9 filter will hold some water if small amounts get in. No way I woulda attempted any of this if it had a quality fuel system like R&D on it. Food for thought these things are way way more forgiving than a CR engine fuel system

 

[kbenz]

I run one. Never have got any water out of it though

 

[u2slow]

Don't get too hung up on the water. 2 stages of filtration is better. It happens to remove water also, just in case.

 

[ludite]

Thought I should ought to summarize my interpretation of the consensus here, thanks for all the responses guys.

Basically the water separator is a good idea but not necessary, might save you one day if you get bad fuel and it's probably a reasonable thing to set up if you're going to install new injectors and injection pump.