fuel filter faq

[Showgood1]

'Scuse my lazyness and ignorance on all reads on the filter strings. But just what is the consensus now? In a perfect world if someone would make a oem 2 micron filter would that not make things simpler than all the extra plumbing or is 2 still better than one? Seems like their would be more than enough demand to rate makeing one. Maybe someone with a little pull could suggest it to a reputable mfr.

[chuntag95]

Consensus :confused: What's that? The only consensus so far is that 2 are always better than one.

[NWDmax]

Its been proven to my satisfaction that one filter(IE:stock Racor) can not do a satisfactory job of removing all the 2 mic stuff and still perform 10 to 15k miles.
That little ole element would plug to quick to last very long if it was effective at that level of filtration.Open one up sometime and you will see for yourself.
A larger element is neccessary if finer filtration and longer service intervals are desired.
Depends on fuel quality of course but theres no way to tell at the pump what you are getting till its in the tank.
JMHO from a happy Mega filtered user. :D ;)

[ndamico]

chuntag95- i completely agree with you ;)

[SoCalDMAX]

I was informed by a sales rep (take that for what it's worth) that it is difficult for a single stage filter system to remove particles down to 2 microns. Due to the nature of how they work, only the bottom portion of the filter media which overcomes the surface tension of the fuel is wetted. As the media becomes dirty and clogged, the fuel rises higher and higher, wetting more of the media until it either gets changed, wets all the way to the top or clogs up.

Unless one has a method of monitoring filter restriction, it's probably nearly impossible to tell if one just got a bad load of fuel or if one's filter is still fairly clean. A dual stage system allows the coarser 1st stage media to trap the larger stuff that would clog the finer filter and allows the 2nd filter to deal only with smaller paticles and do a better job. Both filters would also last longer but there would be no cost savings due to the price of 2 filter cartridges. At least they were doing a more efficient job for the duration.

Obviously other mfrs have a different philosophy and approach, as evidenced by the huge filter cartridges that they use, giving a similar total surface area in one cartridge to the other mfrs surface area in 2 cartridges. there are at least a few mfrs who make huge 2 micron single stage filters.

So there you have it, a definitive "middle of the fence" position. ;)

Honestly, I think either will work, it might boil down to which approach makes more sense to you.

Regards, Steve

[ndamico]

Steve,

I agree with you. doing it is 99% of the benefit, no matter which way you go about it. when i researched the CAT filter's application, i found that at least in some instances (not sure about all) it IS used as a secondary filter.. in those scenarios the first filter (if you call it that) is a wire screen... it must be there to stop the rocks smile.gif