Fuel Manager

G`day Kev,

You might as well fit one of these while your at it.

Heaps of adds on the tv down here lately `bout a gadget called a "cyclone" or something.

It must be good coz they say it saves heaps of fuel, and the adds are impressive also. LOL


Scrubby.

G'day Kev,

I fitted a 30 micron Fuel Manager to my 78/79 series dual cab not long after getting it nearly two years ago.

I change the pre filter every 2nd service & the main fuel filter every service & so far there has been only a very slight mist of silt in the bowl of the main filter & no evidence of water at all.

Compared to the fuel filter on the Mt Dare 79 series ute, which always had a layer of grit & silt in it when changing the fuel filter (no pre filter at the time) it also showed evidence of having water in it (corrosion in the bowl).

I'd say that it is doing it's job, I fitted the pre filter next to the ABS unit, just had to relocate a couple of electrical fittings, plenty of room & easy to change the filter as I fitted my 2nd battery in the tool box in the tray.

Kev, I fitted one of these to my 200 Series:

Pre-filter kit

I fitted it as a pre-filter. That way the OEM filter is still the last one before the engine and Toyota can't whinge about it.

It's 30 micron.

This one removes 99.9% of any water with having to wire in alarm lights etc.

It was an easy job.

Kev,
I would and have fitted the pre filter 30 micron kit. My belief in doing that you achieve a couple of things.
The first one is it allows you to change the filter and drop any water before the ome filter. If contamination occurs while you are servicing this filter the manufacturers filter will catch it.

The 30 micron filter also doesn't interrupt or reduce the fuel flow through the system.

Getting bad fuel from remote servos is not quite right, you can get it from any servo anywhere in Aussie. Condensation is one of the main enemies after the fuel returning to the tank is hot and the night air is cold and humid.

The stanadyne fuel manager is a good product and surprisingly it is fitted to many new vehicles around the world as standard.

I do many K's ( well not so many know) and have never had a problem in any of the vehicles I drive, but there is always the first time and ouch that would hurt.

I installed a 30 micron as a pre filter on my Iveco Daily 4x4, and put some fuel in the second tank to test it. There must have been condensation in the tank as it had been sitting empty for a while, because on switching to that tank the alarm sounded straight away. I drained the trap of a mixture of diesel and some water like stuff and the alarm turned off immediately. So very happy with my Fuel Manager and alarm!

Hi Kev, I run the same setup as Gone Bush in a 100series. I see it as insurance if you get bad fuel and/or water you have twice the trapping capacity. What other have said I agree with. You can get bad fuel anywhere, when travelling I make an effort to fillup at truckstops when ever I can, high turnover. Avoid filling if a tanker is filling the servo's tanks as it could be stirring up the crap on the bottom. Fit the water alarm if you like, I have not as I figure the main filter will tell me if there is water. If I was handy at doing it I would fit the alarm. It is a pre-filter catching the larger stuff without restricting the diesel flow enought to cause a problem. The Toyota filter is the best you can get IMHO and I would not have anything after it. In my case I made a bracket to utilise existing holes in the manifold so that I did not have to cut the fuel line from the tank, just took it of the OEM filter and onto the Fuel master. A short fuel line from the Fuelmaster to the OEM filter and the job is done. This means that should you get bad fuel you can easily bypass the Fuelmaster if required by simply taking the fuel line from the tank and puttting back onto the OEM filter. With the Fuelmaster the fuel lines in and out can be on either side, they do not have to be the same which makes for easy fitting. Here are some pics I just took I hope you can understand them. The big hoses are the fuel lines the smaller hoses are air hoses. If you want better pic's just let me know.

Most people I know who get a Mr Funnel usually end up leaving it at home they are a pain to use. Must be upright and the smaller ones would take 45 minutes to fill my tanks. The bigger one is quicker but a pain to store. Bad fuel can happen anywhere so if you get one you should plan on using EVERY time you fill. Its all to hard for most. Having said that you could get a glass jar, say about a litre, and take samples as you fill. This way if you get bad fuel you know about it before it does damage and while you are still at the servo. If you do this and some big burly truckie wants to punch your lights out for taking so long, just tell him you are testing the diesel because you have heard that there might be bad fuel and you are testing it for him.LOL

Hi Sir Kev,
There's a lot more to clean fuel than filtration. I've changed my own filters on diesels for the past 20 years and have only ever once found a drop of water. My suggestions:
- Only buy from recently built servos or very high turnover (truck stops) - water and algae is less likely
- Buy brand name diesel - BP is my choice wherever possible.
- Keep tanks full to reduce condensation
- Use an algaecide (I use Chemtech) every tank. It also deals with emulsified water.
- Store extra fuel in jerry cans and pour from the top into a gauzed filter. Water and rubbish sits at the bottom. Never use a pump from a drum as it pulls the fuel from the bottom of the tank. If you needed to use a pump, decant into jerry cans and let it settle over a day or two.
- Don't fit long range tanks (you already have 130L on the dual cab), as you have a greater chance of fuel stagnating and collecting condensation and algae. Also factory tanks are more reliable out bush.

When it comes to filters, the genuine factory filter should be the last one before the pump. Never interrupt the hose between the filter and pump - too much chance you'll introduce unfiltered dirt. I agree with Toyota that these filters should be rarely changed - because each new filter has a chance of introducing foreign material (might even just be fluff).

I also have a Stanadyne 30u prefilter as the first line - to catch initial water or algae - change this one as often as you like, but leave the factory one alone. I'd usually change before major trips or at the start of my touring season.

Just what I do...

Pre filter setups is the best way to go as others have said.

Get the seperate warning light system so it remains independent of the OME filter.
Also buy the primer top for the unit, makes life much easier :)
The Dieselcare stainless mount that fit on the drivers side, bolts under the power steering reservoir is what I have and the system works perfectly.

A pre filter of 30 micron is OK for a conventional diesel pre or main filter But is not very effective as a pre for a CRD engine of any make.

A 30 micron will ease the contaminant load on the OE filter but still allow danger size particles through to the main.
A 10 or even 5 micron of suitable area/flow size is far better and it will allow normal flow and also save the OE filter from a load of crap, be it particulates or algae.

Dewatering feature is essential in any filter. If it doesn't dewater then it isn't going to do much at all. 30 will allow water in suspension, ie homogenized water in the fuel to simply pass to the OE main filter.
All a matter of degree of protection.
Nothing is perfect, but no way is a 30 micron going on any of my CRD vehicles for any reason. I want at least some protection.
My transfer pump from aux tank to main tank has an 11 micron dewater filter with bowl.

OK,

I have been into Diesel Care, Dalby and spoken with the branch manager about the system.

Diesel care push to have the Fuel Manager as the secondary filter with a 5 micron filter as well as water trap alarm.

I discussed at length my intended use and wanting to have the Fuel Manager as a pre filter. He agreed to my logic (that is if the alarm goes off when I am remote I do not want to be compromising the fuel system by changing the filter in dirty conditions if it is the last line of defense).

So after all that I am going to get them to install the Fuel Manager with Water alarm as a pre filter initially with a 30 micron filter element and possibly change that to a 5 micron element. Their kit for the 79 Series Daul cab is to install it on the drivers side with 12mm deliver hose.

For those who are interested in $$

The Filter kit is $310
The water Alarm System is $230
Fitting for them in Dalby - $120

Replacement filter elements are approx. $40 each


Cheers Kev