Water/Fuel separators

standyne fuel manager,
water watch. australian made.

good idea to check your insurance cover, and ask are you covered for dirty fuel?
better to pay a 600 excess, than find out your not covered.
you do need to make sure the filter doesn't restrict fuel flow.

the landcruiser pumps have a very high fuel flow for pump cooling.
excess fuel is returned to tank.
being a hilux yourself i dont know.

insurance companies do cover bad fuel, you need to ask which one does..

good idea to ask owners here

hilux site

489
In the past week and a half there has been two separate lengthy discussions on this topic and many varied views too.
Briefly
1. If your pre filter is 30 it isn't small enough to save OE filter around 10 is better.
2. A sensibly sized pre filter will not restrict flow because it is pumped into the filter.
3. If it blocks the restriction sensor in the OE filter should work as normal and tell you.
4. Make sure what you get is also a dewatering filter or you are really wasting your time and money.
Make sure the flow rate of the pre filter is more than double the normal system flow. Yours will be around 30-40 litres/hour.
Donaldson P902976 low flow filter kits are 114LPH 11micron and dewater to a fair degree. No "water present" warning you check it yourself others sound alarms.
UsesP550588 filters.Mine is on a Dmax. Similar system.
However, there is lots more to understanding about the requirements. Read previous posts.

Ross M

I have a 2012 Prado diesel. I am in the process of getting a Racor 230R fuel/water seperator with a 10 micron scew on filter from a recognised distributor in Chicago. The distributor contacted Racor, who stated that the 230R was more than adequate, but thought the larger 245R10 would be better. It would appear that getting the filters for the larger model would be hard in Australia in the future, so I opted for the 230R.

I am fortunate enough to have organised the filter body and enough screw on filters to last the time that I own the Prado, and will pick it up when I travel there in May. Cost is $106 USD plus tax and screw on filters $23 USD. I see the same items on eBay by an Australian distributor for $333 and $77 respectively. On the other hand you can pick up the same setup from an American eBay seller for a bit under one hundred dollars including tax, with a shipping fee of around $35USD.

Wotacroc

It is pretty sad that in Australia owners of CRD cars have to resort to buying extra filters for their cars just because the fuel supply is of such poor quality.

Either the fuel should have a standards ruling with a real backup compensation system or the cars should be made more robust - either with extra filters or the system should be tough enough for Australian conditions.

For the OP yes I have a 'Water Watch' system, made in Australia. I also carry a 'Mr Funnel' from BCF to filter suspect fuel before it gets into the tank.

I fitted my water watch under the car close to the fuel tank. Still easily accessible but there is 2m of fuel line before it reaches the OEM filter and then the engine. So if there is a bucketful of water I can get ample warning.

Are you sure there is a fuel pump in the tank. I have a landcruiser and fuel is drawn via the fuel pump on the engine. That is why when I change a filter I have to prime the filter. Not sure how it works on a hilux.

Cheers

Serendipity

hi 489
if you go to thread 100622 there was a lengthy discussion al about pre fual filters and dewatering and which is the better ones
cheers

I’ve have been researching this also and as far as I can see there is no problem with restriction of fuel flow that many talk about. The Racor 455 has a flow rate of 170 litres an hour and the Stanadyne fm100 filter is 300 litres an hour.
A local business here installs Racor 2 micro pre-filters in fleet vehicles (must have done 100’s) and doesn’t have a problem. Of course being so fine they will need regular changing compared to the stock filters.
I preferred the Racor filter as they seem more available and more sizes (in microns) available. I also like the idea that they can be bought with a vacuum gauge that indicates that they need replacing. I can see this as being an asset as depending on fuel quality, you change the filter only as required.
The downside of the Racor is the dimensions and where to put it. If you don’t have ABS or dual batteries it will fit in the engine bay. If you do it’s a pain.
The advantage of the Stanadyne fm100 filter is the higher flow rate and you can buy it with a mounting bracket and kit for your vehicle. It is a tight fit but it is made to fit in with dual battery set up. (30, 5, 2 microns available)
If putting one in I would be also including the water sensor alarm that comes with both units.
I hope this is of some help.
Tony.