So it's been raining pretty heavily around here the past week or so, and everytime the rain starts falling really hard, the "Water In Fuel" idiot light comes on and stays on usually till I've shut the truck off and started it a couple times. It's wierd...Is it something I should really worry about?
Uh, No. Thats why I posted the question. I have no idea how to "check for and drain any water", or any other kind of cummins/diesel specific maintenance or trouble shooting. Wanna enlighten me?
Wanna read your manual? Theres a valve on the fuel filter area, should have a small hose coming off of it. Open it till you see fuel coming out. You will probably get a bit of water at first. You should open it once a month or so. Also, don't fill up at gas stations, go to truck stops to get diesel. Gas stations don't sell much diesel thus it sits in the ground and absorbs water. My grandfather would have his water in fuel light come on about once every two months but after he switched to a big truck stop off the freeway he doesn't ever get it anymore. Still good to crack the valve every month or so just to check. Might want to change your fuel filter to while your there. You should also join TDR, it's the CTD owners best friend.
Don't have a manual. Truck is 10 years old...who knows what happened to the book. Simple as opening a valve? Thats cool....I was expecting to have to replace something. As far as where to get fuel, the nearest truck stop is prolly 60 miles away. I've been going to one of the two CFN places here. Thats as close to a truck stop as it gets in this town.
I'd highly suggest getting an owners manual or even better a service manual. Your going to need to change fuel filters soon and you will need to know how to prime the fuel system... There is alot more to maintaining these than a small block chevy.
I had the same thing happen going to Oregon once and it was raning big time and sure enough that stupid light came on and no there wasn't any water in the water seperator at all. I've herd it the condinsation in the air and also water entering the electrical connection in the weather-pack conector.
You say your truck is 10 years old so I guessing it's a 95? There is a drain on the bottom of the filter that pushes up into the filter. Push it up until fuel runs out then pull the drain down to firmly seat it. It has a return spring but sometimes they dont completely close.
Dave, do the 95's use the little priming bulb? Heard you have to pump that a few times possibly to get the stuff to flow...
It helps when changing the filter to completely fill the filter but not nessary to do when draining the water unless you have alot of water in there.
the 12v does have a hand pump but even when I change the fuel filter or open the system (or when my buddy ran it out of fuel when he borrowed it) just kick the key on but not enough to start it, wait then crank it usually fires right up.
I don't but seemed the lift pump kicked in when the the key was engaged then just cranked a few times and fired up.
You probably had enough fuel to get it running without cranking and cranking. Having the key on dosen't do anything to help priming the fuel system due to the fact the lift pump is only mechanical and requires the lobe on the cam to turn causing suction on the fuel system. I am thinking about installing a pusher pump for this reason. waytogo
thats what I thought but dunno, it seemed to help compared to when I changed the fuel filter but might have still had some prime
Often what happens when the truck gets wet and the water in fuel light comes on 94-96 CTD's is because somebody has installed a fuel filter that does not have or does not accomadate the water sensor. So, what happens is the plug for the sensor just dangles behind or near the filter and it's terminals get exposed to moisture which causes a short and triggers the light. I don't bother with the filters that have the sensor in the bottom of them either....I use a Fleetguard FS 1280 fuel filter on my 94 and drain it periodically - it has worked fine like that for years. I just pulled the bulb so I didn't have to look at the light when ever the plug got really wet. 94-98 12v's have a mechanical cam driven lift pump....unlike the 24v's, they won't prime themselves. As it has already been mentioned, there is a hand operated primer pump that lifts fuel to the filter. There is a bleeder screw on the out going banjo bolt on top of the filter head that must be cracked open. You just pump away until you see fuel come out the bleeder - then you are done. Filling up the filter as much as you can before it is installed will cut down greatly on how much you have to pump by hand!
