Fuel Filter - bad fuel

[RandyinTN]

I'm not sure what happened to my fuel. Tractor is a NX4510, always stored under a carport. But the diesel fuel cans were not. For awhile the "water in fuel" light would come on every 1.5 hour of operation. I would drain the fuel filter and all would be well until another 1.5 hour went by.
Next I started to use a fuel filter when adding diesel to the tractor. Am guessing this helped because now the light doesn't come back on for 3 hours.
Plenty of sediment in the bad part of the fuel after I drain the filter (drain it into a clear plastic jar).
Tractor now has 66.8 hours on it.
Keep on doing what I'm doing and change filter at 100 hours?
Or change filter now?

 

[Gee Ray]

Change the filter. You may need two or three. Also add some fuel dryer to your tractor tank.

 

[dodge man]

You need to figure out where the bad fuel is coming from. Is your fuel tank on the tractor rusty or is water getting in somehow?

 

[RandyinTN]

You need to figure out where the bad fuel is coming from. Is your fuel tank on the tractor rusty or is water getting in somehow?

No rust, tank is plastic. As I mentioned before tractor is stored underneath the carport 100% of the time.
My best guess is water seeped in the fuel jugs when they were stored behind the workshop exposed to the elements. This is why I began to filter the fuel going to the tank.

If I pre fill the filter before screwing it in place will the system need to be bleed?

 

[RjCorazza]

With large amounts of sediment in the water separator / filter there is more than just a water in the fuel problem. Either your cans were contaminated in use, or the source fuel is contaminated. The water could be from the source, or while stored outside.
I recommend Mr Funnel filters for dealing with contaminated fuel. Is the filter you're using a water blocking type?

Consider draining the tank and running it back in with the water blocking Funnel filter, change and/or clean filters and separator. I personally do not pre fill fuel filters, so the system needs to be bled. I suspect even with pre filling the fuel system would require bleeding, but every tractor is different. It's no big deal to bleed modern tractors.

 

[5030]

Sounds to me like you need a Racor fuel polishing filter between the fuel tank and your primary filter. Since I installed them on my Kubota's, I've not changed a primary filter or had anything in the sediment bowl and with a Racor (or a clone), the lower bowl is clear and drainable, so you see what you have immediately.

 

[RandyinTN]

The fuel filter I am using now when adding diesel to the tank is a Mr Funnel AF8CB, which also filters water.
I been keeping track of the hour meter in between notices to drain the water and the frequency has slowly been increasing since starting to pre filter the fuel going into the tank. So at least I am headed in the right direction.
I'll order a new filter and change it out and go from there.
Will change it out every 25 hours until the issue is resolved.

 

[dodge man]

A lot of modern tractors are self bleeding. I mine it bleeds its self by just turning the tractor on and off a couple times without starting it.