heat sensor for fuel/water separator??

[wookienelson]

first off im new to diesel engines...i just recently bought an 86 gmc suburban 6.2 diesel...the fuel/water separator has been progessively leaking worse from the housing and i just bought a valmar fuel/water separator without the 3 connections that came w/ the original one...and also i no long have a heat sensor on it...i am heading northbound and wondering if it will be ok through winter without it. and if not, what can i do to make sure it will be?

[NH2112]

first off im new to diesel engines...i just recently bought an 86 gmc suburban 6.2 diesel...the fuel/water separator has been progessively leaking worse from the housing and i just bought a valmar fuel/water separator without the 3 connections that came w/ the original one...and also i no long have a heat sensor on it...i am heading northbound and wondering if it will be ok through winter without it. and if not, what can i do to make sure it will be?

I drove my GMC without a fuel heater for 3 NH winters and never had a problem with gelling. In all likelihood the winter blend they'll sell wherever you're going will have a pour point lower than the expected low temp. What type of filter is a Valmar? If it uses a plastic bowl, a lot of times you can get fuel heater or water detector kits for them. There are also inline fuel heaters you simply install in the fuel line, too.

[wookienelson]

awesome...thank you very much...the valmar fuel/water separator is just one of the cylinder lookin filters you screw on...i believe they use them in boats quite a bit too...but once again...thank you for the feedback

[Burbinator]

Had a similar problem with my Suburban ('87 4x4, 6.2) when I first got it. The previous owner had yanked the factory fuel filter off completely and just wire tied the plugs for the heater, WIF, and restriction sensors up and taped them to the wiring harness on the firewall. :eek: Then, after placing a large spin-on fuel filter assy on the firewall, he put a little in-line micro fuel pump between the filter and injection pump and attached it to the transmission dipstick tube--with more wire ties. :eek::eek:

Needless to say, that didn't last too long with me. :D I went to Stanadyne and grabbed some parts and went to work rebuilding the system.

If you want, motor by The Diesel Store (http://www.thedieselstore.com/template/partdisplay.php?PartCat=Stanadyne%20fuel%20manager ) and look at their FM100 section. For reference, here's a very basic working diagram I put together when I decided to do a rebuild on the fuel filtration system. It has part numbers and approximate prices as well, and it'll give you a solid idea of what I did.

http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/xx342/Burbinator/FuelSystemFabSchematic.png

Note that you don't have to do it the way I did it, and you don't have to use Stanadyne parts or put an electric fuel pump on your rig like I did. That's personal preference and aid for what I need to do with my Suburban, and I'm okay with having to use only Stanadyne replacement filters. Baldwin, NAPA, WIX, etc. filters can't be used on the Stanadyne filter heads, but the module options outweigh the trouble of that. But you do need to make sure you use the correct SAE 30R9 rubber hose for any work you may do on the fuel lines that allow for rubber fuel hose. SAE 30R9 hose is fuel injection line that is rated for diesel fuel; transmission hose or regular fuel hose isn't an option for use unless its a temporary emergency because it will weaken, bulge, and blow out when exposed to diesel fuel.

Granted, I put a pre-filter AND a final filter assembly into the mix, but that was personal preference and to ensure both injection pump and injector longevity. You can get by with just one filter with no problem. As a note, the early GM diesels actually did have the same kind of setup, with a pre-filter on the firewall and final filter on the back of the intake manifold. This was an area where GM took a brilliant idea and stepped backwards as far as I'm concerned--if it ain't broke, don't fix it. But they fixed it, and broke it by removing the dual filter system and going to the box filter you now have problems with. The fuel filter assembly you have is known for leaks, which I found out through several people here at TDP, including the moderators (thanks all!).

The way I put it together, final filter assembly is actually attached to the back of the intake manifold from a bracket I fabricated. And, I'm splicing in the wiring harness to the relevant modules so that everything works the way it should; WIF is on the final, restriction and heater is on the pre-filter, and the pre-filter also has a see-thru bowel as well to remove all guesswork.

As for your specific question, you shouldn't have a problem with driving through the winter as long as you use a good blended fuel like NH2112 said, and PM your vehicle regularly. It'll also help if you put a good fuel additive into your fuel tank as well, which will help with waxing (diesel gets 'thick' when it gets too cold, to the point that it won't flow--additive helps with this). And remember to keep water out of your fuel--that's death to your pump and injectors, and it can cause other damage, too.

Hope this helps!

[NH2112]

I used a similar setup to Burbinator's on my 6.2l-powered trucks. The stock Stanadyne Model 80 filter was removed from the firewall and installed on the radiator core support underneath the snorkel, and a Racor 445R with R45S 2-micron element was installed on the firewall. I didn't extend the wires for any of the Model 80's electricals, and never installed a heater in the Racor. Several years in NH without any gelled fuel issues told me the heater wasn't necessary, and frequent draining of the filters kept water & contaminants out of the system.

Eventually I'm going to replace the single factory filter on my F350 with dual R445s, a 30 micron primary and 2 micron secondary.