Is this 'diesel bug'? blocked diesel filter .....
Discussion
At the start of this year I had a mechanical breakdown where my diesel engined tip-run banger died at a junction - fuel starvation... investigation showed the lift pump had died in the fuel tank.
Replacing the lift pump revealed black goop in the swirl pot / pick up and the screen filter on the fuel pump clogged to the point of pretty much zero flow. Everything was cleaned, a new pump fitted and functionality restored.
Fast forward to last week and the banger died again - fuel starvation again.
Investigation again revealed no lift pump pressure, so the assumption was the replacement pump had died. On stripping it down, it was revealed that the lift pump was still working, but again the screen filter was clogged. It's clogged with fine black particulate, very much like a sort of rubbery deposit and we'd initially wondered if the internals of the fuel pipes were deteriorating.... but there's far too much of it.
Looking in the tank reveals the surfaces covered in a black deposit that can be wiped off and has the same consistency as the stuff that was blocking the screen filter. But what the hell is it? I'm aware of 'diesel bug' but don't know what it really looks like.... is this it? There's something in my fuel tank that's blocking the fuel pick up filter and turning the diesel dark - could it be 'diesel bug'? If not, what else could it be?
Replacing the lift pump revealed black goop in the swirl pot / pick up and the screen filter on the fuel pump clogged to the point of pretty much zero flow. Everything was cleaned, a new pump fitted and functionality restored.
Fast forward to last week and the banger died again - fuel starvation again.
Investigation again revealed no lift pump pressure, so the assumption was the replacement pump had died. On stripping it down, it was revealed that the lift pump was still working, but again the screen filter was clogged. It's clogged with fine black particulate, very much like a sort of rubbery deposit and we'd initially wondered if the internals of the fuel pipes were deteriorating.... but there's far too much of it.
Looking in the tank reveals the surfaces covered in a black deposit that can be wiped off and has the same consistency as the stuff that was blocking the screen filter. But what the hell is it? I'm aware of 'diesel bug' but don't know what it really looks like.... is this it? There's something in my fuel tank that's blocking the fuel pick up filter and turning the diesel dark - could it be 'diesel bug'? If not, what else could it be?
Diesel bug is a catchall name for mould\fungus growing in the tank, usually from there being excess water.
It certainly looks like it could be mould. Best bet is to drain and remove the tank, wash it out thoroughly and dry. You can get chemical treatments, but if it's bad enough to be blocking pickups and filters now, I'd bite the bullet and take it apart.
Example of one chemical treatment, https://www.force4.co.uk/item/Marine-16/Diesel-Bug... there are load of others, the boating world is full of those.
One way to prevent it on little-used vehicles is to keep the tank topped up, so condensation doesn't form.
It certainly looks like it could be mould. Best bet is to drain and remove the tank, wash it out thoroughly and dry. You can get chemical treatments, but if it's bad enough to be blocking pickups and filters now, I'd bite the bullet and take it apart.
Example of one chemical treatment, https://www.force4.co.uk/item/Marine-16/Diesel-Bug... there are load of others, the boating world is full of those.
One way to prevent it on little-used vehicles is to keep the tank topped up, so condensation doesn't form.
It's a saddle tank, so taking it out is going to be a PITA ..... looks like it's done about 1600 miles between the pump being replaced and the foot filter becoming completely blocked again, so I'd say that's probably pretty heavily contaminated.
Is this likely to have been imported in contaminated fuel? or occurred spontaneously?
What's the best way of preventing recurrence?
Is this likely to have been imported in contaminated fuel? or occurred spontaneously?
What's the best way of preventing recurrence?
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