cat nicktane ff adapter questions

[lmholmes11]

I am thinking about buying the CAT nicktane fuel filter adapter for the OEM fuel filter housing. My concern is the fact that I will no longer have a fuel water separator. Does the OEM separator do anything anyways? I have never had my WIF light go off. I always try to keep the tank full in the winter and I always run FPPF every tank. What do y'all think?

[More Power]

I haven't had water in fuel, but I've talked to quite a few through the years who have. A fuel/water separator is there for a reason. GM and every other diesel vehicle manufacturer includes one because it "could" reduce warranty costs. With the cost-cutting always going on, they haven't eliminated it, which says to me that they consider it important.

The cabin air filter is one item that I appreciate very much, but it was eliminated from pickup truck production after just a couple of model years. I guess dirty-stinky air in the cabin wouldn't affect the warranty costs, yet the elimination of the cabin air filter would cut the cost of a new truck by a buck or two.

I'd keep the WIF system....;)

[lmholmes11]

Thanks for the reply. That is what I'm thinking also. I think instead of running a cat filter I will use the Donaldson filter with the cat adapter, that way I will still be able to have a clear "water" bowl

[Kennedy]

Separators don't work. When was the last time anybody found water in theirs.

The OEM filter has gotten much better over time. It is still inadequate by many standards, BUT replacing with a single filter of a lower claimed micron rating gains very little. Multi Pass is the name of the game. The OE filter is a dual layer so it filters the fuel twice per pass. The latest Delco filter has what appears to be 4 passes and I'd be surprised if it doesn't match or beat anything on the market. The issue is that when you tighten up you need to add area and you just can't get a big filter in the OE location.

[lmholmes11]

Thanks for the reply John. Im going to look into that AC Delco filter your talking about

[More Power]

Separators don't work. When was the last time anybody found water in theirs.

The OEM filter has gotten much better over time. It is still inadequate by many standards, BUT replacing with a single filter of a lower claimed micron rating gains very little. Multi Pass is the name of the game. The OE filter is a dual layer so it filters the fuel twice per pass. The latest Delco filter has what appears to be 4 passes and I'd be surprised if it doesn't match or beat anything on the market. The issue is that when you tighten up you need to add area and you just can't get a big filter in the OE location.

Beg to differ.... While I've never found any water in mine or seen a WIF light, I have spoken to others who have. In those cases, the WIF functioned as advertised, and it required a couple of filter purges to get it all out.

I agree on the OEM filter upgrades...

[Kennedy]

If someone pours a cup or more of water in the tank then maybe a separator will work, but a filter will tend to do the same thing. For the naturally occurring water in the fuel a separator is a waste of time or we should all see water except for guys like me who emulsify it.

[lmholmes11]

John, do you have the part number of that 4 layer fuel filter you talked about?

[Kennedy]

Just ask your dealer for the latest high dollar fuel filter. Or better yet, use a simple Baldwin and add a Mega filter as a secondary.

The new AC Delco units can be restrictive. Add to that IF these Cat filters were really twice as good as the OE filter as some claim, we'd see them loading up quickly.