Several years back, when my Komatsu dozer started having crud in the fuel tank issues someone on this forum mentioned checking the stainer in the lower banjo fitting of the lift / primer pump. I did and it was jam packed with rust, dirt and various crud. It occurred to me to look on the parts diagram for the machine to see if Komatsu had a fuel strainer as an inline item. Sure enough they show one as an add on at 80 bucks and that made me think there's got to be a simple cheap fuel strainer at the auto parts store. After various blind canyons, I found an all plastic strainer for an old Mercedes Benz diesel auto for $2.98. I bought 2. Just last week I was pushing muck out of a nearly dried up stock tank near Waco Texas, and I noticed the engine hesitating at full throttle. I checked that little strainer and it was full of what looked like coffee grounds. It did its job. Swapped in another cheap Mercedes strainer, checked the banjo strainer(a little shred of rubber in there from my fuel line but otherwise clean) and changed out the main screw on canister filter up on the engine and we're back in business. $2.98 beats 80 bucks in my book any day. I cut the fuel line close to the tank and stuck the strainer on there with enough extra hose under the battery box so its easy to see and swap out when it has done its job. I've left that shield off under the battery box so I can easily adjust my brakes if they need it. By the way the Fram website has some great cross references for where used and such. If you search Oreilly look for a fuel strainer for an older Mercedes diesel that's how I found this one. Note this is not a "filter" it is a true strainer. Only gets the big trash. The paper inline filters they sell get wet and collapse and trash your lift pump etc. The screw on canister filter does the heavy lifting getting the fine particulates out of the fuel stream before it gets to the injector pump. John
I don't know why those inline filters aren't standard on everything. If a machine doesn't have one around here it gets one. I get them at a local Ag dealership. With bio diesel and older tanks, its not uncommon to have filter issues, and quite often, I have found that the inline filter gets plugged with crap first and a quick swap out and away you go.
FYI They make a diesel only inline filter, a normal gasoline filter will come apart inside if used in a diesel fuel system. The local NAPA parts store had no idea that they were not interchangeable. I've changed them out before and the filter paper is just a blob in the bottom usually blocking off the flow.
A chemical applicator strainer with the wire mesh sleeve in them works well with the right fittings and can catch a lot of crap and be cleaned. My D6C has a bunch of stuff in the tank and to save a $20 fuel filter, I fitted a Goldenrod storage tank filter inline. It has a lot of catch and the filters are $6 each.