Fuel polishing in NAC

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Fuel polishing in NAC

April 24, 2019, 04:51:43 pm

I have been having issues with my fuel system making me concerned about my CAPS pump again. Missing, black smoke, check engine lights, not fun. I have changed filters which helps some for a little while, then again it happens. I added a kill dose of Biobor to my fuel and drove 300 miles, changed filters, still low power, missing etc. Since we are in Nacogdoches, I contacted Keith Risch at Motorhomes of Texas to schedule a fuel polishing/ tank cleaning. He has a very professional set up with a 5 micron filter which my 100 gallons of fuel clogged up. After the cleaning, my coach ran great- even accelerating on the hills of the loop instead of sputtering and losing speed and power. I am very happy with the results and highly recomend that if you are having fuel issues with your coach, have your fuel polished and tank cleaned by Keith. I say this because I tried changing my own filters but my primary is 30 micron and secondary is 2 micron- gets clogged up pretty fast.

Cya down the road..............

Re: Fuel polishing in NAC

Reply #1 – April 24, 2019, 06:19:27 pm

The easiest filter to change out should be the 2 micron.

Re: Fuel polishing in NAC

Reply #2 – April 24, 2019, 06:22:03 pm

The secondary filter on my engine is 1/2 way back on the engine up high on passenger side. I have changed it before- definitely not as easy as my primary filter which is just above my start batteries and easy to reach. My engine is Cummins ISC350.

Re: Fuel polishing in NAC

Reply #3 – April 24, 2019, 06:39:40 pm

Put a pressure gauge on the discharge of your secondary fuel filter. Nice to have it read on the instrument panel. Clogged filter will show up right away.

Pierce

Re: Fuel polishing in NAC

Reply #4 – April 24, 2019, 07:24:28 pm

Have you considered adding a fuel additive on a regular basis?? You now have a clean tank, good if you can keep it that way. (especially if you are in a hot and humid area) Have a great day ---- Fritz

Re: Fuel polishing in NAC

Reply #5 – April 24, 2019, 07:34:22 pm

Fritz- I do use Amsoil Diesel Fuel Injector cleaner on a regular basis but I have not used a biocide for over a year. Traveling full time we get fuel in many different places and I have found that fuel with biodiesel blends are becoming more common. Biodiesel can attract water which can lead to microbial contamination-cant say exactly what happened. I will use a maintenance dose of biocide also. Thanks.............................................

Re: Fuel polishing in NAC

Reply #6 – April 24, 2019, 08:04:56 pm

I use Diesel Kleen.

Re: Fuel polishing in NAC

Reply #7 – April 24, 2019, 11:34:24 pm

You can polish forever but you will still be at the mercy of the next fill up. That's the way the tank gets contaminated. It's not if but when.

Pierce

Re: Fuel polishing in NAC

Reply #8 – April 25, 2019, 09:02:59 am

I try to only buy fuel from high volume fuel stops. I also add a biocide with every tank. Fingers crossed no issues yet.

Re: Fuel polishing in NAC

Reply #9 – April 25, 2019, 09:05:32 am

I said and did same thing Bruce does. And them Bam! Fuel Issues.

We were like Ted and nearly filled one of Keith's filters when we had our fuel polished. Part of the process is cleaning the fuel in the tank and getting rid of active algae and water but the last part is when most of the fuel is removed and then the coach is tipped to the passengers side and the remaining fuel is used to scrub the bottom of the tank. All that is agitated (gunk) and the remaining fuel is sucked out. That is where there nasty stuff is. It looks like black wet bits of leaves.

Algae can get into your tank at any time. It thrives when there is water floating on the fuel in that layer between fuel and water. Algae dies and it creates waste material. That sinks to the bottom of the tank and makes gunk.

So fuel polishing is cleaning your fuel, getting rid of any water and active algae and cleaning the tank. All of which will make you happy. You can get some water or algae at any fuel stop. Use a biocide to help reduce its impact. We managed to get 18 years before we started getting the gunk in the filters and felt the effect. Some have had the fuel polished and found little or nothing. Sooner or later this will likely be a problem for you. Make sure you have spare fuel filters and know how to change them. Do it in a safe easy place first rather than learning how on the side of the road.

Re: Fuel polishing in NAC

Reply #10 – April 25, 2019, 10:30:15 am

You can visually check the bottom of the primary filter (if it has the clear plastic bottom) with the engine running right after fueling. For fuel tanks with easy access, you can lean the coach and then, using a small mirror and LED flashlight, check the bottom of the tank for algae. It's pretty easy to drop a suction hose into the bottom and suck the algae out but you will need a tank with the filler where you can get mirror/flashlight access.

The tax on fuel does not cover frequent station tank inspections here.

Pierce

Re: Fuel polishing in NAC

Reply #11 – April 25, 2019, 10:51:57 am

Our ISM11 has a pre-filter screen, a clear plastic cylinder with a stainless steel screen that traps most of this gunk before it gets to the other two filters. Easy to see what is getting sucked up there. It is cleanable and reusable.

Re: Fuel polishing in NAC

Reply #12 – April 25, 2019, 11:45:14 am

Quote from: Roger & Susan in Home2 – April 25, 2019, 10:51:57 am

Our ISM11 has a pre-filter screen, a clear plastic cylinder with a stainless steel screen that traps most of this gunk before it gets to the other two filters. Easy to see what is getting sucked up there. It is cleanable and reusable.

I expect some members will not be up to speed on your setup. Nice! The reason for those wondering about having the engine running or run and turn off, is without it running for a bit, the fresh fuel with possible contamination will not circulate and won't be seen the the pre-filter screen. Pain in the neck each time but if you stop after driving a few miles, the debris will have had a chance to collect in the pre-filter. Guess I repeated my self but...

Pierce

Re: Fuel polishing in NAC

Reply #13 – April 25, 2019, 12:41:02 pm

We just bought a 1992 Foretravel, and I have been reading a lot of posts on this forum to help me familiarize myself with some of the possible problems I could run into.

My question is, will the normal diesel repair shop know the procedure for fuel polishing?

Thanks, Rick

Re: Fuel polishing in NAC

Reply #14 – April 25, 2019, 01:03:48 pm

Rick,

In a word, NO, very few places do fuel polishing, though very common in marine areas (diesel boats have some of the same issues). And, unless you have an indication of a problem it is likely not needed.

What coach do you have and where are you located?

Re: Fuel polishing in NAC

Reply #15 – April 25, 2019, 01:43:06 pm

Quote from: RevRick – April 25, 2019, 12:41:02 pm

We just bought a 1992 Foretravel, and I have been reading a lot of posts on this forum to help me familiarize myself with some of the possible problems I could run into. My question is, will the normal diesel repair shop know the procedure for fuel polishing?

Rick, so members may post on any questions you may have, please fill in the year, model, engine, etc of your recent purchase. Welcome on-board.

As Brett says, the marine environment has high humidity. Many of the fuel supply tanks are above ground and are much more susceptible to daily temperature changes which may allow moisture into those tanks. Plus the same conditions apply to the vessel fuel tanks. Filters may take care of it but there are still a certain percentage that will get water in the fuel tank, a perfect setting for algae to grow.

Lots of arguments for and against high volume/low volume fuel stations. Also for stations with above ground fuel tanks. Many can still be found in the U.S.

Pierce

Re: Fuel polishing in NAC

Reply #16 – April 25, 2019, 10:29:05 pm

Photo credit to Barry Beam's Site.
Racor RK12963 Retrofit Kit

Cleans with soap and water, rinse with alcohol. Reinstall.

Re: Fuel polishing in NAC

Reply #17 – April 26, 2019, 08:53:24 am

Keith did my tank last night. No water or algae and just a bit of crud on the bottom of the tank. I stick to high volume truck stops for fuel, always store it full and it's parked indoors in a temperature controlled environment.

Keith is awesome.

Re: Fuel polishing in NAC

Reply #18 – April 26, 2019, 09:06:37 am

I know we all use the term busy or hi volume truck stops but have you ever seen a low volume one,think it woul'nt be open very long.

Re: Fuel polishing in NAC

Reply #19 – April 26, 2019, 10:13:20 am

I think low volume is most associated with gas stations that have a diesel pump. I've always used them in our diesel cars and will squeeze the U300 into most stations if they have good prices on gas buddy. Costco is another place we fill the U300.

Pierce

Re: Fuel polishing in NAC

Reply #20 – April 26, 2019, 12:21:35 pm

I like truck stops with big nozzles and dual fuel fill set up's.... When the prices aren't $.25 a gallon or more higher than the competition that doesn't cater to over the road trucker's. I've had two bad experiences getting fuel for the coach. One was at a truck stop with a lot of trucks lined up just north of Paso Robles, and one was a Sam's Club in Utah. So now, we shop price and access... We are willing to pay a bit more for getting in and out easily without unhooking the toad, but often fill up before hooking up or after unhooking the car. Last fill up was at a Walmart... But that was just before getting the fuel polished by Keith in NAC, so I wasn't too worried about a bad load of fuel. Of course that says nothing about the Cetane number, so to be safe I add a bit of treatment to it.
Don

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