Water in tank/fuel filter of Kioti CK35.

[oneillmj]

I think I have water in the line which has caused my Kioti CK35 to stall out and not restart. How do I go about draining the tank of diesel, and draining out the fuel filter? I didn't see a drain plug on the tank on first inspection and the fuel lines appear to be coming out near the side and top of the tank from what I could see. Thanks for any help. The fuel filter is the kind with a brass looking top with an "on-off-air" lever on it. I didn't see a way to reprime that fuel filter if need be either. Thank you for any assistance.

Mike

 

[dfkrug]

You are right there is no drain plug. The only way you are going to get the water and sludge fully out it to remove the tank.

As for the filter, do not reuse it. They are cheap and they are a common size.

When you are ready to get the air out of the fuel bowl, the 'air' setting will help to remove most of the trapped air, but often not all of the air. The system is supposed to self-bleed, but sometimes you have got to help it by cracking open each injector nut and cranking till you see fuel.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

If you have no provision for draining the bottom of the tank, then you do it like we separate water out of boat fuel tanks: Pump all the fuel and water out into something you can remove the water from.

My most lent out tool is a homemade, cheap Mitsubishi 12v fuel pump that goes to a household wall switch with two 12v battery leads mounted on a block of wood and has 10' of hose on either end for fishing into tanks and dumping into other tanks.


After that, remove the fuel filter and either toss it and replace it or dump it and let it drain out. If you have the space, install an inline water/fuel separator before the fuel filter or replace the existing fuel filter with a water/fuel filter housing—which is pretty cheap considering you don't need one that has a heating element in it as well.

You can get away with a small water/fuel separator on your sized tractor if you see a spot to install one. Typical:

Parker Racor SNAPP One-Piece Snap-In Fuel Filter Water Separator Assembly w/ Bracket & Drain

Since 1975, JME has been a trusted distributor of petroleum equipment, loading systems, sanitary supplies, fire safety products, and industrial parts. Shop now to see why 1000s of customers have chosen us as their preferred provider.

www.jmesales.com

 

[5030]

The Chinese fuel polishing filter (amazon) is about 15 bucks less and is a carbon copy of the Racor and all the threads and dimensions 100% match the Racor filters. What I run, the Chinese filter housing and a genuine Racor water bloc element. The Chinese clear bowl also threads right on as well. Heave 3 of them, 2 on the tractors and one on the diesel farm truck.

If you go the Amazon route, disregard the negative comments. I guess people who buy from there cannot read. Plainly states for diesel only but all the whiners leaving reviews had them filtering gasoline. That don't work. Not compatible at all.

 

[oneillmj]

Thanks dfkrug, Minnesota Eric, and Epic Contributor for your advice above. I guess I'll have to try and suction the tank dry, and then remove it to get any remaining water out. The fuel filter looks like the bottom half should unscrew somehow so it innards can come out to be replaced if possible. It seemed to be on more than hand tight so I'll have to crank on it somehow.

If anyone else has done this on a CK35 or similar please chime in. I'm all ears. I'd call the local dealer but he went out of business a few years back. Thanks again.

Mike

 

[Robin Veerman]

What makes you think there’s water in the fuel? Have you ever changed the fuel filter? Just reading what you’ve said it seems that you’ve never done so. It’s very very common that changing the fuel filter is the first thing to do when a diesel doesn’t run right. However, It’s best to change the filter during routine maintenance to prevent fuel starvation at the most inconvenient time due to a plugged filter. Unless I’m missing something, just change the filter and see if the issue clears up. Read the manual on the steps to do it. Easy peasy…

 

[dfkrug]

The fuel filter looks like the bottom half should unscrew somehow so it innards can come out to be replaced if possible. It seemed to be on more than hand tight so I'll have to crank on it somehow.

Your filter bowl is clear so that you can see if there is any water in there. Practically speaking, it is hard to see inside there, especially if you use red diesel.

You have to turn the collar on the top part of the bowl to remove it. It may be tight due to the time it has likely been on there. A large channel-lock pliers is the go-to tool here. The filter is a paper cylinder inside the bowl. Your auto parts store may have them, so save it for comparison. Several of my JDs used the same filter.

The service manual has a very limited procedure on getting air out of the system when you put it back together. I like to fill the tank all the way and turn the petcock to air until I see no air in the bowl, or fuel comes out the bleeder hole. Then go to ON or OPEN position.

 

[oneillmj]

Thank you very much again dfkrug. I'll do as you say. Appreciate the advice on clearing the air out of the lines. I do use red diesel so it may be a bit hard to see through as you say. Thank you too Robin. I'll get the filter changed out first after siphoning out the fuel tank today and putting in some fresh diesel. Hopefully I wont have to remove the fuel tank to clean it out.

Mike

 

[5030]

Kubota uses the same ring on top of the tractor mounted bowl filter and what I do prior to loosening it (with Channellocks) is I apply a bit of PBlaster and let it sit a few and it unscrews easily.

 

[oneillmj]

The ring did come off the bowl filter readily using the large Channelock pliers dfkrug suggested. PBlaster is a good suggestion and would have been the next step if that hadn't worked. I was able to get most of the fuel tank empty by siphoning it. The rest was drained by disconnecting the fuel line from what appeared to be the fuel pump located below and behind the fuel filter. I likely could have drained the entire tank utilizing that line. All other fuel lines were disconnected and drained of any remaining fouled fuel. The tank was refilled with fresh diesel, and the engine started nicely after cranking it three times with the fuel filter first adjusted to the "Air" setting to purge any air. Problem solved. Thanks for all your help.