diesel fuel contamination in common-rail system

so wouldnt you think its time filter makers made a filter able to keep the fuel system clean.
and did toyota explain why there filters didnt stop the rubish getting in.
not a good thing mate
cheers

No, they did'nt, thanks for that. they also didn't explain why there is a light, that is supposed to come on if there is something wrong with the fuel system, didn't come on. We will address those issues when we go back next week. thanks mate, cheers

That would be my first point to bring up with Toyota.
If THEIR injectors and fuel sytem is so sensitive to fuel contamination why doesn't THEIR fuel filtration as designed and fitted by THEM not filter to the required specifications that THEIR fuel system requires.
You would probably find too that if you fitted additional filtration that either the engine wouldn't run due to excessive restriction and/or Toyota would cite that as a reason to refuse any warranty claims.
Another reason I will be keeping my old tech vehicle that I can fix.

Hi Peter, thanks, according to Toyota its only Australian Diesel that is causing these problems. Apparently European and American Diesel is much cleaner than ours and it is the fault of the Oz government and they need to clean up the fuel. But I will certainly raise the question of filters with Toyota when I see them next week. thanks again mate for your input. cheers.

I would be taking it up with the fuel supplier.

Where did the fuel come from? Just so that I don't get fuel from there.

Regards

Jutho,

As you have pointed out it is a Government (federal) problem. The cars that are imported to Aus all comply with Euro 4 (I think) emissions and fuel specs. The problem is that the Fed Government has allowed the fuel companies to cry poor and claim that they can not possibly fund the changes required to comply with the Euro specs. The fuel companies have had something like 5 years notice to comply and have done nothing to change their ways. They make millions and millions of dollars profit year in, year out and still cry to the weak fed government about how they will lose profit if they are made to comply with the new fuel specs.

I'm sorry this does not help you out in the least Jutho with your problem, BUT you are right, something needs to be done. I wish you best of luck with your investigation and any legal stance you take.

Yet another reason why my vote wont be for the present fed government.

Everyone in this post is saying that it is the fault of the filter, the fuel filter on Hilux common rail filters down to 2 microns.

These filters are great at doing what they are ment to do, filter particals.

There are other contminants in fuel that does more damage like

Solvents

Water

Non soluable wax

All of the above three items will do big damage, this is why you should not run late model diesels on biodiesel.

This is a repost of what I said on another post..........................

The reason Toyota does not reconmend biodiesel is the damage it can cause to injection systems.

We are Denso service dealers and at a recent conferance we discused biodiesel.

Denso have done tests on injectors and found after 1000k with a 2-5% mix there was signs of injector damage.

This is highlited even more in common rail systems were tolarances are even greater.

They showed us photos under a microscope and the spray patterns to back up the claim.

The injectors in the D4d engine has a piston to bore clearance of 2 microns.

It seems it is traced to the solvents and other chemicals used in biodiesel.

NOW BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HERE AND SAYS THAT I AM TALKING SH** consider Denso is not affiliated with or has to be with any oil companys and they are the number one maker of diesel fuel injection systems and components.

If someone is going to knock me down on this, show the proof technicaly I will agree with you.

Denso stated to us it is in there best interests to suport renewable fuel source and that they were following the hydrocarbon to liquid outcome with interest.

And to jdpatrol biodiesel is still greenhouse warming, the main claim to fame is it is renewable energy and there is a strong belief that biodiesel may be worse for the enviroment with a higher GWP the standard diesel.

It has been said that to make biodiesel economical it has to be under 80 cents a Lt.

I would be asking the biodiesel sellers if the will warrant the product that it will not cause any damage in the short or long term to your engine/injection system........... they all say it is safe so get them to put it into writing.

So at the end of the day if something in your injection system goes haywire and its under warranty with Toyota and biodiesel has been used..... even a tank full and the part has to go back to Denso for evaluation (they take the quality issues very very very seriously) the chances of your claim getting accepted is zero!

I am not for or against biodiesel, but when the facts get stacked up it make you wonder....save 20c per lt. now may cost you big later.

Perhaps I should say use it and here is my business card, if you have any problems I would love to make some money from you.

regards Richard

So how many are giong to say I am WRONG!

Regards Richard

I always buy my diesel from shell(account) and have never had a prob in about the 5 years I have been doing so. Hope it stays that way.........

Hi Jutho, Just out of interest, what did the vehilcle do? stop, run, rough, how long did you run it with the contaminated fuel? , Have friends who had the same prob, but they drove for 50ks, with it running on about 2 cyls!!!. Talk about money to get it fixed!!. If the filter clogged up and the motor stopped , then i would say the filter did its job, and the rest of the system may well be ok, Its hard to find a honest stealer.

Hope all goes ok

Axle.

With common rail there are very few repairers who can do the work, have the training and the test equipment to do the work.

Injectors for the Toyota D4D series of engines are either new or Denso change over units from Japan.

There are no repairers with a clean room to meet the standards as yet.

Injector pumps are new only at this stage and if rebuilt ones are avaliable it will be from Denso through there service dealer network.

Common rail systems are still quite new and there has not been a need to offer rebuilt pumps or injectors.

At the present time there are no diesel specialists who can rebuild then, Denso are in the process of training at the moment.....8 times to Melbourne this year.

The bore clearance in the injector is 0.002 mm or 2 micron and the pressure at the nozzle generated is the same as 16 adult elephants standing on a credit card.

Welcome to the age of the unknown.

Regards Richard

Damn

Now I've got another bloody thing to worry about. If is not this, its that....

I wil now try and use the same pumps the truckies fill up from (not use the diesel pumps alongside the petrol pumps). The higher turnover of Diesel in these tanks MAY decrease my risk.

MAY also have to consider changing fuel filters @ 5,000km not the 10,000km, however I feel once the contaminated fuel is in the tank then it too late?

The percentage of having a problem will hopefully be reduced by a combo of the above together with a BIT of luck....... I hope.

PeteS

After reading about Diesel problems (and having my NP DiD off the road for 3 weeks to have the Injector Pump replaced under warranty) I've decided to do this.

Get 3 clear jars with labels taped on top.

At the servo I put the first fuel into the jar and check that it is clear and contaminant-free.

I write the date and the servo and pump number on the label.

When it is time to refuel I empty the oldest jar into the tank to be ready for the next sample.

I always use the same servo, so there is no doubt who to blame if I have a fuel problem - although you can't do this when travelling.

Mike

the fuel light on the dash only comes on when water collects in the filter/water trap reaches a height for the float to contact a switch inside. pays to drain regularly and check.

Jutho,
Unfortunately this appears to be happening a lot now as a lot of people are confident that if they get their truck serviced, that everything is fine and dandy, regardless of what they are pumping into the tank. Sometimes we are lucky enough to get the tell tale signs of fuel contamination before the damage is done and sometimes we are not. e.g. :

Site Link

Yet we still blame the maker of the vehicle, especially if it's a nissan.