My boss has had the machine into his repair shop twice now while both he and I continue to deal with it. Boss finally had enough, fuel pressure was dropping slowly all last week before it went to the shop, boost was still up where the shop mechanic stated "don't trust those old gauges, see it all the time, just the gauge going bad. He had replaced a few more fuel lines, all the shut off valves at tanks, LOTS of new parts and lots of parts(distribution block) been off by fastener appearance. Oil supplier to owner was at yard while we looked things over, took a fuel sample, all clear, pulled sample from bottom of tank with no water and no solids with a long thimble device on a chain. ONLY item the shop did NOT change, Fuel Filter, just at 4000 miles on it. I had a load of beans to go 90 miles to Cahokia then fertilizer from N STL Lange Stegmann to Rolla MO. Load to CG&B was a tad heavy at 82480 scale weight but did just fine 65+/- fuel pressure 28+/- boost indicated, picked up total scale of 79640 at Lange and headed W. I started getting angrier as the miles tallied up, each hill pressure was down another increment then boost began seriously falling away with it, at St. James was down to 40psi max fuel under pull and less than 22 psi boost pressure at 1750rpm. Was getting madder as went on. Fertilizer off headed to Home, on a few short hills on MO 19 fuel pressure would drop to 20-25 with engine surge, kept having to back out to keep that under management and with NO LOAD. Back at yard change the fuel filter, drain the old one, NO trash, no discolored fuel, and NO water. Started engine, 74psi fuel rail at hi idle, all was back to normal. Took filter home, hacked into the casing, black snot on the media, frickin Algae. Clear fuel, can see the bottom of the damn tank with a light at 2/3 full and still no floaters. Is all the fuel out there this crappy that algae can settle out and NOT see it in the tanks? Owner is religious on using a fuel additive from his oil supplier, can this cause the settle out?
BTW, this time the engine started and ran NO issues as opposed to the debacle I had last time!!
What's he use for fuel additive?
Snot or black "powder"? Snot looks exactly like it sounds. Aspaltenes, on the other hand, tend to look more like sand, and easily dissolve when rubbed between the fingers. Everybody makes an algae dissolver. Only asphaltene dissolver that worked effectively for me was from Fleetguard (Cummins). Asphaltenes would plug the water separator on my ISX motors at low miles. Algae tends to be more of an issue on my seasonal equipment.
I've fought both. It seems like it can be a problem that comes and goes. I had it bad about 4-5 years ago. So bad that I was carrying a fuel filter in the cranes with me, and a gallon jug with some fuel in it. I'd get plugged up, pull over, drop the fuel filter and pop a new one on, and then down the road again. Seems like (knock on wood), I have had a pretty good stretch again without fighting it. Of course, now that I've said something, next week I'll have two rigs clog up.
I have been told that the black soot stuff is from biofuel that has been blended in diesel. I had similar problems with a JD engine and was told to use a fuel system cleaner which is different to the Alge cleaner.
When cut the canister the pleats on the paper were slick and snotty, have seen algae before and this IS algae appearing, could be bio as does pretty much the same when set to a truck that has not used it, absolutely cleans ALL residue off inside the tanks. This turns the paper a greyish black and snotty slick. Is using Shaeffer's fuel treatment, 8oz/100 every other fill. I suggested we try another station for awhile as well back the hell off the treatment. Seems like was bad this fall but worsened over the last few months as to trucks/tractors all sort machines eating fuel filters.
In anything that’s big power and works hard, I change the filters once a week. Sometimes don’t even get a week, (about 2000 to 2500 miles) start losing fuel pressure. Been this way for about the last fifteen years. Doesn’t matter where we fuel or the time of year.
Seriously? I have a large fleet, and they get 400hr fuel filter services (and oil). They'll go between 600 & 1000 hrs, if left unchanged, before pressure drops. Hell, my ISX600 Tier IV will easily go 25k mles before pressure drops. My PX-7 will go a 1000hrs easy. Talk about tossing money away.
Trucks history has managed 10-12k before a filter came even close, this one made it almost 4k the one prior maybe 5k, both died off rather abruptly and two different fuel stops.