Hi Guy's

Have just changed my fuel filter on my 57 VRS TDI with 54,800 miles on it,and was shocked to discover the diesel was black inside the filter housing also the filter was a nice shade of black too,is this normal?,also when I removed the filter hosing from the car to clean it out I noticed some black particles in the bottom,almost like fleks of paint,will filter them out and take pics later.

I dont use supermarket fuel,never have in this one always use shell normal or Vpower.

Never had anything like this with my SEAT Leon TDI,that was clean as a whistle the diesel that came out of that filter.

So if anyone can point me in the right direction,help would be great.

Cheers,

Trevor

bacteria ?

Yes, and yeasts & moulds. Have a look here: http://www.diesel-fuels.com/

A certain amount of blackening of the fuel filter is apparently normal on PD engines, the black pieces at the bottom of the filter sound more worrying however.

Ah ok,cheers for that,just looked at the link and thats what my filter looked like!!!.

Is there an addative to kill this fungus etc?

As said earlier will filter out the "bits" and see what they are.

Cheers for answers,

Trev

There are many diesel additives to stop/kill bugs available through Boating/Yatching channels - http://www.fuel-guard.co.uk/additives/diesel-bug-killer.html - or google Diesel Bug killer.

Have been developed and in use for many years.

Oil??

Oil??

I was about to suggest that... Just had my tandem pump replaced because of oil in the fuel.. Don't want the injectors to get blocked....

sent from my phone....

Is the filter easy to change, where is it located.

Anyone kind enough to point it out in a picture?

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Ignore the red arrow, its the orange arrow...

Easy to change but can be a little messy with some diesel leaking out of the hoses. There is also a rubber seal that you need to take note of where it is located when you remove the lid in case it drops out as it doesn't sit in the groove you'd expect it to...

Perfect thank you for the pic

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No need to take off or disturb the pipes,there just room to take off just the top and waggle the filter from the top,the messy bit is not letting the fuel drain back into the housing,have plenty of rag around area and you will be ok,the top can be a bit stubbern to get back on,but a bit of diesel to lube the "o" ring sorts this out.

Trev

Ok sounds pretty straight forward, now to do some mpg average tests for a before and after comparison.

Thanks guys

This is the black bits left in the bottom of the jar I put the fuel in,as you can see there is quite a bit.

Trev

This is the black bits left in the bottom of the jar I put the fuel in,as you can see there is quite a bit.

Trev

Is it oil??

sent from my phone....

*UPDATE*

Looks like it IS the tandem pump,bit the bullet and got a new one,cost £213,fitted it in 10 mins,now got better fuel consumption,better pickup,so must have been on the way out,however on stripping old unit (just to see how it works),there's an oilseal in the middle of the pump between the diesel part and the vacuum part now I think this is the weak link,also did notice wear on the rotor of the diesel pump,and the vacuum part was covered in engine oil,I know it lubed by the engine,but it is just the seal or the vacuum pump?,just waiting now to get rid of the black fuel in the tank before I change the filter (to dear to waste),will update when I change the filter.

Trev

Sounds Like Diesel Bug !

“They exist in the water molecules that are suspended in the air” Diesel tanks provide something of a gourmet environment for microbes because, water is heavier than diesel and sinks to the bottom of a tank and settles on the bottom. It is from the water that these organisms extract enough oxygen to thrive. And because fuel tanks must be vented this creates a pathway for air and microbes to flow in and out of a diesel tank. when fuel in a diesel tank is warmed due to engine return flow, microbe growth can be extremely rapid. “What typically occurs now is this: as water in the fuel is gradually burnt off it leaves behind a build-up of slimy, black sludge on the tank floor which, mixes with the diesel.”