I can see filling fuel filters. But some are saying to fill oil filters??? I thought the oil had already passed all the important stuff and all that was left was to go back to the pan and it went to the filter just before that. I guess I'm off on that. But if that is the case what does filling a filter do for anything? LB
I've never filled oil filters, not sure if the benefits outweigh the risks. Oil is picked up from the pan by the oil pump, from there it goes through the filter and then on to all the point where it lubricates stuff. The relief valve is between the oil pump and the filter typically.
In a word - don't. Any filter, fuel or oil, it makes no difference. I'd take a machete and cut the hands off any mechanic I caught filling filters just so he'd never do it again .......
LOL, would that be the British version of "You really shouldn't do that?"
This is funny to me, I have done both, filled and not filled (glad I'm nowhere near Nige). After being on here though and reading stuff mechanics and Nige in particular have said I have not done it, but, I have a Volvo 10 wheeler, it has a primary and secondary fuel filter, I changed them recently and did not fill them, tried to prime them with the pump, they wouldn't prime, lost fuel from the primer to the tank, put air pressure to the tank, pumped primer, got fuel to the primer pump, then to the filters, and it took FOREVER to get the air out...shortly after this I had it at the dealer for an engine sensor replacement, I mentioned how hard it was to prime and their solution to me was "you NEED fill the filters first, that's what we do...." :beatsme
I agree. There are some engines that you will loose half a day if you do not prefill. If it has an electric pump that I know to be good then I may not prefill such as small Isuzu engines. But something with a Stanadyne pump or a Detroit diesel with those gear pumps I don't know how to get around it. Old Cummins ISC had an electric priming pump you could run for 30 seconds or longer by bumping the starter or something. Tried putting one of those on dry and wished I hadn't. Put it on full and it is a 10 minute job. Or what to do to a Cat 3116 without the hand pump? I understand the principle but the practice is another thing.
Yes in a perfect world all fuel systems would have an electric or adequate manual priming pump if the fuel tank is below the filters. And all engines would be equipped with a prelub system to let you be sure that you had a set minimum amount of oil pressure getting to the bearings before the starter cranked the engine over. We had a Sterling truck with a Mercedes/Detroit engine in it. No priming pump for the fuel and it was always a challenge to get it restarted after a filter change. Trying to remember what was the least troublesome method. I tried changing the primary filter then starting for a couple minutes then shutting back down and change the secondary filter and then starting. Or the other way around, anyhow neither was 100% effective and it was always a guessing game if the batteries or starter would give out first. It always did finally start but always hated thinking about the strain on the systems. Actually the worst one to start after a fuel filter change I ever had was a 988H Cat with an electric fuel pump. That should have been a no brainer, fuel priming pump built right in the primary filter head and with a full tank of fuel more or less gravity flow to the priming pump. The first service on loader when new and I could not get it to prime. I could go into great details on what I did but in the end the problem was a mistake in the wiring in the pump itself, it was running backwards! I literally had to disassemble the pump to get to the motor and unsolder the leads and reconnect them so it ran in the right direction! After that it was one of those that you had to change filters in the right order but if done right would fire up almost every time without fail.
My BIL has a gallon can he puts fuel in and pours it thru a inline filter and 1/4" hose when he pre-fills fuel filters. Thoughts?
I think Nige is talking about engine oil, transmission and hydraulic filters. Today's common rail fuel systems might present some problems for someone pre-filing fuel filters.
I maintain an Atlas Copco 2500 vibratory compactor, has a new tier 4 Cummins engine in it, the model escapes me for the moment. The filters for this unit aren't even available aftermarket just yet, too new. The Fleetguard fuel filter is a funky plastic filter unit that has a red plastic cap over the port the leads to the inner center of the filter. When you read the instructions that come with the filter it states to leave the plastic cap in place while you prefill the filter, the cap prevents the prefill fuel entering the center of the filter and instead makes the fuel go into the ports for the outer side of the filter media. Once filled, remove the cap and install the filter. I keep a clean 1 gal fuel can on my truck and fill the can with a tank at the shop that has a filter on the dispensing line, that way I know I'm only pouring clean fuel into a filter.
I never fill oil filters, no reason to. Anyone who has rolled in a set of bearings understands how much oil is left in the crank rifles. On the other hand I always fill the fuel filters. On a DD15 you have to change the oil and filter first then start engine to build oil psi. Then change fuel filters or it will or can throw a code of no oil pressure while priming the system. All the filters on the late DD's are cartridge, so you have pump them up anyway. Truck Shop
I have always prefilled filters on 7.3l trucks because the turbo is after the iol filter in the oil flow. They take quite a while to build oil pressure with a primed system, let alone filling a damn near a gallon in the filter. All the while the turbo is spinning with no oil feed. I prime most fuel filters where applicable with nice clean fresh fuel just to make air purging easier. To me it's just like pre filling the hpo cavity on a 6.0 or vt365. It saves the starter from having to crank it so long.
I think every system should have a way to bleed fueI system of air straght from the tank.a lot of machines dont have away to bleed.I service a few 988bs I've put both filters and in a hurry skipped bleeding fired it up. She chugged a lil but never died. Then there's some no matter what they are a pain. Jd450lc can be such a pos. Deere tech told us plug and cap return start let idle for 30 secs reconnect and she's good if not it always ended with nose candy as KS calls it.
Most of the older Cats were not too bad. Just wish they still sold the larger stroke hand priming pumps. If they still have them I was not able to find the part number. Last time I tried to get one to use on a 769C or D i ended up with the short version, about 3 inch long compared to the older ones that were around six inches long. One thing that got me is the old "original" 769 haul trucks, no letter after the number so guess they were "A"s, those came with electric priming pumps but the "C"s and "D"s had the manual pumps!
Haha I love when someone has a good design and go away from it. Yeah cat is " usally " decent with service. The only long primers I know how to get # part for are 973 The use the long primer to suck off bottom of fuel take. Because its a choir to drain the bottom of tank it is remotely mounted. I like newer doers tanks mounted high and most or all have electric fuel primer. I look at that as professional set up but what do I know.
I have a British Leyland tractor with a 3 cylinder Perkins in it, and I live in fear of it ever getting air in the system. It is the worst to prime that I've ever been around. I fill the filter, top the tank up and hand pump it with the filter loose till it's running out then tighten the filter and pump again till the return line is running back to the tank. I've been around diesel equipment all my life and have ran most of them out of fuel at one time or another, no problem top them up hand pump them for a while, crack the bleed screw and away they go most of the time, but nothing strikes fear into me like that Perkins, I don't think I've ever had to bleed it that I didn't have to crack every line and pump fuel through each one. The worst was one time I was moving snow on a -30* C day and the fuel jelled. We had to tow it to a heated shop and spend half a day messing with it. I'm a top carpenter and a good operator, but I'm no mechanic, I take my hat off to you guys I'd be in jail if I had to do it every day ( somebody would have to die )
Yeah Tradesman , we have several farm tractors that use the "Lucas CAV " style fuel filters . https://s14-eu5.ixquick.com/cgi-bin...hSAAJBNLQ&sp=f37d4b4054d6384eb6e3378c6f097e59 https://s14-eu5.ixquick.com/cgi-bin...7vaAVMzDQ&sp=16193f7fc33c9dd5396cec1b70a38f88 I generally will fit the bottom bowl to the new filter can and pre fill them before installing . If the engine has the hand primer pump then crack the bleeders until see clear fuel . Just seems to make life a little easier . Wondered if your Leyland used the same filters ? My Cummins powered trucks use a " spin on " fuel filter . Fuel cap on the tank is big enough where I hold the filter with my index finger in the threaded hole & just dip it in the tank to " Pre fill " . Some of my Detroit's have " spin on " fuel filters and the rest have cartridge & steel can style . They all get pre filled when changing . If you don't pre fill a diesel fuel filter it can sure make for a longer day .
This is a classic example of "by the book, listen to mother" and actual real world situations. I fill all my filters, except the excavator (it's too simple to not use the electric primer). I always have, my dad always did, and grandpa too. It's just too much of a PITA to not fill fuel filters on most equipment, and a quart (maybe?) of unfiltered NEW oil every couple hundred hours is not going to kill an engine. JMO, feel free to tell me I'm full of ****.
X2..... I kinda hate to admit this but I have even dumped the fuel out of the old filter into the new one. It was a cold night in the middle of South Dakota with a pot load of cattle on and dumping the old filter into the new filter and topping it off with what little Howes I had with me was the only solution I could come up with. Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do to get by.
Been there, done that. Definitely not advisable, but either you get the fire lit, or prepare for a cold-@ss night. I did try and pour the fuel into the outside of the new filter, and use the Howes to fill the center.
I don't pre-fill any lube or hydraulic filters. I do pre-fill spin-on fuel filters. It's the path of least resistance......quick & easy, and most of the time the engine will run again with no bleeding required. On engines like the old Detroit's, you have to pre-fill the fuel filters or risk losing prime on the gear pump. Then it's at least an hour of messing around to get it back.
I was taught, go straight to 1500 RPM or more and hold it there until you are sure the air is through the injection system and everything is running fine. Easy for me because I work on generators which run at 1800 RPM
I must have been lucky. I have never had a problem with the smaller 3 and 4 cylinder Detroits with priming ever. They were run out of fuel to many times to count. Filled both filters and hit the start button. Cranked a few rounds and went every time. Once when the fuel pump was changed also. I never had to prime a bigger engine so that may certainly be a different animal.
One of the worst Detroits I have ever had to prime was the 12V71 in the rear of a Wabco 333FT or 353 FT, the tank was several feet below the engine and if it was run dry... Oh boy. I built a 5 gallon primer tank with a tire valve to pressurize it and a shutoff valve on the hose, attach hose to the secondary filter, open the valve and start the engine. when it's running smooth, shut it off and disconnect the hose. Most machines I worked on got a valve on the filter housing so you didn't have to stop the engine to disconnect. And always change filters on a warm engine.
Sounds like the ISB 6.7. I have seen fleetguard putting a plug on several different fuel filters. Its an excellent idea to fill the fuel filters and not risk dirty fuel getting into the system. Suprised not all fuel filters come with this.