Today I made a 400 mile trip up to Lima, Ohio. I got water in fuel message 4 times. It says in manual to open the yellow lever and let drain for 30 seconds. Are you supposed to let it drain until it stops or only 30 seconds. I shut the drain off because it seemed that is was dropping all diesel fuel and no water?? need help and input here please. thx
Did you wash the truck in a cars wash or drive in rain? If so I bet your new tank is not water tight. I would take the truck back to the dealer and have them drain the tank. The water in the fuel could cost thousand to repair if it damages the high pressure system.
Agreed.
There has been much discussion about water damaging the High Pressure Fuel Pump and if it is determined that you had water in the fuel, it is likely that it may not be covered under warranty.
When draining the water, is it normal for flow to continue until you shut off the yellow screw? On my 97 Powerstroke, I'd slide the lever 90 degrees and the water would fall out but that is it?
Mine dumps almost 2 quarts of diesel and then the flow stops, then I close the valve. I then pour almost all of it back into the tank (assuming it's clean and has no water etc). The couple times I've seen water it was one or two drops smaller than a BB each and remained on the bottom of the large pyrex glass measuring cup that I use for this dedicated purpose. Checking the fuel separator was what helped me find all the crap left in my new Titan Tank install (by the Idaho Falls folks).
It's easy to do when you've got one of those low-clearance orange plastic creepers from Harbor Freight Tools.
I will tell everyone who will listen... if you get a water in fuel warning light, pull over to the side of the road and call ford to tow it in. I have been fighting with Ford for a couple weeks now, and was told this week by a Ford diesel engineer, that the DFCM is for removing condensation in the fuel, not water. And I should have pulled over and called for a tow right away. And trust me, I am learning an $11,000 lesson, the new 6.7 can NOT tolerate ANY water at all, it's ENTIRE fuel system rusts and then turns to a giant paper weight.
That advice is at odds with the PSD Owner's Guide Supplement for our diesels, which contains no such advice about "calling for a tow right away".
What it says is, "water should be drained from the module assembly whenever the warning light comes on and the message center directs you to drain the water separator. This will occur when approximately 0.32 pints of water accumulates in the module. If water level is allowed to exceed this level, the water may be passed through to the engine and may cause fuel injection equipment damage."
So, when you get the message, STOP and drain the water. Failure to do so is at your own peril. But the "condensation in the fuel, not water" part is bogus. Condensation in this context IS water, and the DFCM is there to trap it. You will minimize condensation by keeping fuel tanks filled with fuel.
BnBhoto - If you have full coverage insurance it might just cover it. It isn't normal for water to get into the tank. I remember the 1990's series Nissan 300ZX's had a problem of getting water in through the air intake and blowing the motor. Only happened if you drove through standing water, it was an insurance claim for the owner.
Insurance companies were not very happy about it, but they ended paying nonetheless. Might be something to look at - be prepared for the denial at first though.
Sounds like you are seeing the same problem Rickatic had. I'd be interested in more details about your truck. mileage, what part of the country, what type of fuel you bought ( name brand vs discount fuel stops. High volume truck stops vs smaller off the beaten path gas stations). Just where did you get the water in your fuel.
I've never seen the Water in Fuel message in any of my trucks over the past 12 years. I've drained my filters occassionally, but mostly just when I change the filter and never seen any water in my fuel. I wonder if this problem is more prevelant in humid areas than it is here in the high desert of the west. I also wonder if its a condensation problem or poor tank management problem.
I've always tried to buy fuel from high volume stations where the fuel turns quickly. But with more of these HPFP failures, I may focus a little more on High Volume and Name brand stations and avoid any of the discount gyspy stations where I have no idea of where the fuel comes from.
I have a really hard time with this fuel business. There is NO WAY that any contamination (water or other stuff) has ANYTHING to do with a brand of fuel. If there is such a problem it can only be related to a particular fueling station. Consequently, no matter what any of us are doing - we have absolutely NO control over quality or ability to determine quality before putting it into the tank. Once it is in the tank we can only hope that Ford's fuel conditioning system works as advertised. Of course, if the "water-in-fuel" idiot light comes on - immediate action is necessary. However, I agree, the only reasonable action that should be necessary at that point in time is "drain it"!
I have never had a drop of water in any of mine.And i ck mine monthly. now i do use busy fuel truck stops. im in the south, hot and humid. and i always try to keep it full of fuel if i know its gonna sit awhile without driving.I do find it kinda odd on never a drop of water.
Same here - hot/humid climate, and until recently, owned a Cummins-powered diesel motorhome for 17 years. First several years, I checked the water separator religiously and often. I NEVER found a drop of water in there. In later years I just gave up checking it. My conclusion is that water in diesel fuel is a quite exceptional occurrence, and the 1/3 pint capacity of the water trap in our trucks should be more than adequate to prevent disasters, barring something extremely unusual.
Topping the tanks to avoid moisture problems is an old tried and true aviation trick, and the stakes are higher there - an engine-out emergency above the clouds can ruin your day. But it's a good habit to follow in any application where moisture accumulation will present problems. And, as an aside, I never found any water in any of the four fuel tanks in my gas-powered aircraft over many years of ownership. Maintenance and common sense play a big role - keep all gaskets, seals, and whatever in good working order, and most times, things will be OK.
its funny, i have 3 diesel stations in my town and I have used diesel since 1997 in all my trucks and never one issue. I bought a 2009 Dodge Cummins and NEVER ever had one water in fuel issue ever. When I bought truck, the stock tank never gave me any warning light with WIF, since switching to the Titan tank, the dealer having dropped the tank a 2nd time to retighten down everything and make sure everything is good, I still get the message. I think I'm taking out the Titan tank very soon and selling it.
When I bought truck, the stock tank never gave me any warning light with WIF, since switching to the Titan tank, the dealer having dropped the tank a 2nd time to retighten down everything and make sure everything is good, I still get the message. I think I'm taking out the Titan tank very soon and selling it.
Cory have you read any of the threads were a few people have supposedly gotten bad fuel and there HPFP grenaded and caused $11-18,000 in damage on a new truck that is not covered by warranty. It seems if you get a WIF light and drain it then if your HPFP goes in the future you are screwed.
Cory have you read any of the threads were a few people have supposedly gotten bad fuel and there HPFP grenaded and caused $11-18,000 in damage on a new truck that is not covered by warranty...
It should be pretty obvious by now that the water separator is a useless appendage that is doing nothing to actually remove water from the fuel. Instead of designing a new part that actually works (which would cost money), Ford has decided to blame the operator and deny the warranty. On our av-gas pump at the ranch, we have whats called a "lock-off" filter. Once it gets a certain amount of water in it, a valve closes and the fuel flow stops with NO water passing through it. Why cant Ford put something like this on the truck? The damn things already cost 60K, whats a few hundred more? I have a feeling that finances aren't too good at FOMOCO the way they're handling things lately. I have leather seats falling apart in my wife's 2010 Expedition that they wont cover. Ford is claiming that I must have used some type of improper cleaning solution on the seats, which is causing the leather to disintegrate. Not exactly my first car with leather. Anyway, you guys who are having to pay for HPFP's , or worse-engines, due to water are absolutely getting screwed. Ford needs to get thier engineering thumbs out of their butts and fix this thing or you'll be seeing a lot more Chevys and Dodges on the road in the future. Okay, rant over!
Edit: Thanks for your feedback on this issue. We continuously monitor customer feedback and I have forwarded your comments to our engineering team. The best action that can be taken to avoid concerns with the fuel system is to ensure vehicles are only fueled from sources with known quality diesel fuels verified to be free from water and other contaminants. I suggest referring to your Owner Guide and Diesel Supplement and contact your local Ford dealership for answers to any questions your might have as they arise. Thanks.
Edit: Thanks for your feedback on this issue. We continuously monitor customer feedback and I have forwarded your comments to our engineering team. The best action that can be taken to avoid concerns with the fuel system is to ensure vehicles are only fueled from sources with known quality diesel fuels verified to be free from water and other contaminants. I suggest referring to your Owner Guide and Diesel Supplement and contact your local Ford dealership for answers to any questions your might have as they arise. Thanks.
Fuel in light has came on twice and I've drained the fuel 4 times and no water. The ford dealer even changed the fuel filters again 1 month after they had just changed them free of charge and still no water and light still on. The ford dealer said the bring it back in a through the week and they would have their diesel tech look at it. They said the truck was fine and it was probably a bad sensor
"The best action that can be taken to avoid concerns with the fuel system is to ensure vehicles are only fueled from sources with known quality diesel fuels verified to be free from water and other contaminants."
I wish that was possible. With 1,000s of fuel retailers (just here in Houston), theres no way to "verify" if they have done any maintenance on their tanks (preventive or otherwise) before you fill up.
Around here, diesel is all over, and I only buy from a specific brand (I use a fleet/fuel card to track all my purchases and mileage). I do crazy maintenance and CYA on this truck just in case anyway, and if I ever have one of these issues, I have ammo ready.
I do agree that Ford cannot control how/where people get their fuel. I totally get that, and do not suggest Ford cover equipment that has been damaged by water (intentional or accidental) But....has Ford done all they can to help their diesel customers fight off these water issues? Does the current separator/filter do the job?
With the issues I've heard on here, I'm not sure 5+oz of fluid wouldn't be enough to cause rust on components in a 26/36 gallon system. Rust would mean plenty of water. components sitting in water.
I haven't heard where all these water issue guys are getting their fuel either. Are they predominately in the far North/colder climate areas? I'm South, humidity is 80-110% almost year round, and temps from 30-110. I don't hear of a lot of Southern people having these troubles.
This problem happened to me on October 10, 2015. I was towing my 5th wheel which weighs close to 10 tons. I was traveling at 60 MPH. No power to the steering or brakes.
Here is the National Highway & Traffic Safety Administration report number: ODI-10784996.
I did not get any warning light at all concerning water. That's number one. Water separator obviously didn't do it's job and lastly, the fuel filter.
Will keep you posted. My repair was quoted at approximately $8,000. Insurance is taking care of it. I did give the insurance company the address of the gas station where I filled up and the information concerning the failure of the water warning light and the other two items mentioned above.
Insurance company has sent a specialist to the repair dealership to oversee what happened.
Wow, this is popping up again and is no surprise. There are tons of trucks out there with defective collection systems.
Regarding rust found on fuel components, Water that is emulsified in diesel will cause rust.
Need a real collection system and a demulsifier additive to pull the moisture out of the fuel. Without these, failure and warranty denial is inevitable.
I was under the truck Monday changing the Dieselsite fuel filters and noticed the water in fuel sensor plug was NOT connected to the sensor. Only Ford dealers have serviced the truck since day one. Talking about having jaws torqued, they were. I am sure they would have blamed me or tried to blame me for it not being connected if there had been a water in fuel issue.
I have been seeing some alarmingly horrifying work coming out of some of the local dealers around here as of late.
One of the beltway area dealers had a superstar go out on his own, fortunately he is out of my area. Things like that can get work done by someone in his place that is no Bueno. There are many factors in bad work that pops up.
I'm of the opinion overall the dealer is still a better place than say a gas shop.
I am of the opinion that you have a statistical better chance of getting a good diagnosis, warranty handling and overall better experience if under warranty, by getting it to a diesel truck dealership that sells no cars but does sell new Ford trucks. That is with no disrespect to the dealer techs here. If you can get it to one of them, that's maybe the ticket.
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