Clump of snow fell in my fuel tank!

[Hay Dude]

I like the fuel filters on my 8.3L Cummins. Its typical like a spin-on type filter, but has a water separator drain on bottom. Upstream from that filter (closer to tank) is a smaller in line fuel filter. Both are easily accessible.

 

[MossyDell]

My MF tractors had multiple fuel filters and glass sediment bowl. Bottom had thumb screw for easy draining of water. MFs were not all made that way. Maybe since they were sold for high humid areas they came with upgraded fuel filtering option? The Kubota fuel filters, while adequate, are much smaller and not easy to drain. The owners manual allows you check and clean the the filter element when removing and dumping the bowl for water.
Do get a little water in the sediment bowls over winter probably from condensation. I would not use any fuel additives that claim to disperse water. Alcohols can carry water thru your filter. Filter media is treated hydrophobicly to repel water so it can collect in the sediment bowl. Use Stanadyne performance additive that helps coalesce water to be removed by sediment bowl and filter. Service the filters in the spring and good to go for a year. Always good to check the sediment bowl periodically.

Smokey, I use Hot Shot's Secret Diesel Winter Anti-Gel. It does not say on the bottle it disperses moisture, but some of the promo material on Amazon says it does. So I don't know.

The reason I use Hot Shot's is because of its rankings in the Project Farm tests on Youtube:

Project Farm Diesel Fuel Additive Test Rankings

Lubricity

• Hot Shot
• Standyne
• Power Service Diesel Supplement

Corrosion Protection

• Amsoil

• Hot Shot

Anti-Gelling

• Hot Shot
• Stanadyne
• Howe’s Lubricator
• Power Service Diesel Supplement

​

 

[Smokeydog]

Smokey, I use Hot Shot's Secret Diesel Winter Anti-Gel. It does not say on the bottle it disperses moisture, but some of the promo material on Amazon says it does. So I don't know.

The reason I use Hot Shot's is because of its rankings in the Project Farm tests on Youtube:

Project Farm Diesel Fuel Additive Test Rankings

Lubricity

• Hot Shot
• Standyne
• Power Service Diesel Supplement

Corrosion Protection

• Amsoil

• Hot Shot

Anti-Gelling

• Hot Shot
• Stanadyne
• Howe’s Lubricator
• Power Service Diesel Supplement

​

Good information. There are many good diesel fuel additive products. City Diesel, injection repair service, gave our local Turbo Diesel Register Club a shop tour. Two lasting big impressions, near surgical cleanness of the shop especially the injection repair benches and the importance of adding some type of lubrication with low sulfur fuel. They sold several brands and tried not to push a particular brand. Pretty tuff and knowledgeable crowd pushed what’s the best? Some of their biggest fleet customers use Stanadyne and don’t have injection problems.

Any water in fuel that makes to the injection system turns to steam and blows away fuel/lube at a microscopic level on high pressure moving parts. This can cause micro welding, material loss and roughness that leads to eventual component failure.

Using some additive and regularly servicing the fuel filters are the best preventive maintenance practices the OP can do.

 

[MossyDell]

I would not use any fuel additives that claim to disperse water. Alcohols can carry water thru your filter. Filter media is treated hydrophobicly to repel water so it can collect in the sediment bowl. Use Stanadyne performance additive that helps coalesce water to be removed by sediment bowl and filter. Service the filters in the spring and good to go for a year. Always good to check the sediment bowl periodically.

Smokey and others, I wanted to circle back to this issue of water dispersers vs treatments that coalesce water. I cannot find a definitive answer, only conflicting opinions.

My theory is that both work—if the fuel filter material does exclude water, it should work with dispersed OR coalesced. UNLESS "dispersed" means rendered smaller than the water that filters are designed to exclude. Which seems to me doubtful, but this whole issue is above my pay grade.

I based using Hot Shot's Winter Anti Gel treatment on the Project Farm tests, link below, in which Hot Shot's tested first overall. He also tested Stanadyne, which did well in corrosion protection, lubricity (behind Hot Shot's and Amsoil), and anti-gelling (second behind Hot Shot's).

Based on the tests, Project Farm recommends Hot Shot's and Stanadyne.

Does anyone have more input on the narrow issue of water dispersion vs. water coalescing?

 

[MossyDell]

Also: JD has a red ring in the bottom of its fuel bowl in the 1025R that floats when there's water. Has anyone tried using one in a Kubota?

 

[Smokeydog]

Smokey and others, I wanted to circle back to this issue of water dispersers vs treatments that coalesce water. I cannot find a definitive answer, only conflicting opinions.

My theory is that both work—if the fuel filter material does exclude water, it should work with dispersed OR coalesced. UNLESS "dispersed" means rendered smaller than the water that filters are designed to exclude. Which seems to me doubtful, but this whole issue is above my pay grade.

I based using Hot Shot's Winter Anti Gel treatment on the Project Farm tests, link below, in which Hot Shot's tested first overall. He also tested Stanadyne, which did well in corrosion protection, lubricity (behind Hot Shot's and Amsoil), and anti-gelling (second behind Hot Shot's).

Based on the tests, Project Farm recommends Hot Shot's and Stanadyne.

Does anyone have more input on the narrow issue of water dispersion vs. water coalescing?

I’m no expert. Think you can have experts speak either way. Sad that money has more influence than science sometimes.

The filter separates two ways. 1) By settling. Large droplets. 2) Hydrophobic treated filter media. Repels polar molecules like water.

The filter media allows non-polar long chain diesel molecules (Hugh compared to water molecules.) to pass thru.

Organic solvents, hydrocarbons like fuel, vary how miscible they are with water. Fancy word comparing how well they mix.

Gasoline and water do not mix well, least soluble. Easy to separate.

Diesel is slightly a little more soluble with water. Takes more effort and time to separate. That’s one reason why diesel filtering is more extensive than gasoline.

Alcohol is very soluble in water. Some of you may be enjoying this ability with your favorite libation. Problem is trying to separate by filtration. Alcohol has a polar end that likes water’s polar end so to the filter media it looks like long chain hydrocarbon so it can pass thru. What you don’t want with diesel. Gasoline engines are more tolerant to dispersants.

All fuels are distributed thru the same pipelines. Different fuels are separated using pigs and slugs of water. Tank farms are skilled at separating fuels, water and making truck deliveries.

Simplistic explanation why diesel fuel filtration and additive choice is complex. What’s the best? I don’t know. Regular filter service and name brand additive works for me. Tractors seem to start easier and run quieter. Truck too and gets about an extra mile per gallon pays for additive plus all the other benefits.

Different subject. Prefer coalescing filters over media filters for water separating for plasma cutting. High humidity climate.

 

[Jstpssng]

Also: JD has a red ring in the bottom of its fuel bowl in the 1025R that floats when there's water. Has anyone tried using one in a Kubota?

Kubotas come with those, also.

 

[MossyDell]

Not mine!

 

[dirttoys]

I like the fuel filters on my 8.3L Cummins. Its typical like a spin-on type filter, but has a water separator drain on bottom. Upstream from that filter (closer to tank) is a smaller in line fuel filter. Both are easily accessible.

Same on my bobcat, I like it as well.

I wish the worst thing I ever had in a fuel tank was a 50 cent piece size chunk of snow

The OP should be fine.

Best,

ed

 

[MossyDell]

The OP should be fine.

Yes. But the question has moved on: water dispersion vs. water coalescing additives? Apparently most consider it a moot point. Which is my theory: coalescing the water or dispersing it both work as long as the tractor's filter/filtration and bowl function as designed.