Planning The Fun
1 hour ago
Sunday, May 13, 2018
Filters, filters, filters
I was on a short overnight road trip downstate to take care of some business. I took the van so my lovely wife could have the car while I was gone. Also, I’m using up my stored veggie oil before getting rid of the veggie van.
The trip down was fine. It’s on the way up where the problems started. First it was the veggie side of the fuel situation. Normally, it’s the veggie filter that’s plugged. There were a lot of miles on it so I figured it was due. While it looked dirty, changing it didn’t solve the problem.
So I drive a few miles up the road and discover the same old problem. I turned off the highway once more to tinker with the veggie fuel. It took removing a few connections to find the problem. One of the lines had plugged up with gunk. After clearing that up the veggie ran fine.
However, my problems were not over for the day. Not too many miles later, the van lost power and could barely crawl up the hills. Turns out the diesel fuel filter had to be changed too. It probably should have been changed as a matter of course. In our travels it’s almost inevitable that we’d pick up a bad load of diesel. It was just bad luck that both fuel systems gave me problems on the same day.
Fortunately, I had a spare filter and the tools needed to replace it. Unfortunately, the filter is located deep in the engine. A lot of parts have to be removed to get to it and it’s a tight area to work in. Jut to make things interesting, the engine was good and hot. I was too impatient to wait for it to cool down so it was tough on my hands.
The first time I changed that diesel filter it took me half a day. Since then I figured out a system, and I keep all the tools handy to do the job. Of course, I always carry a replacement filter. The job took about 45 minutes, which wasn’t bad. One thing I haven’t figured out is how to change a filter without getting dirty up to my elbows and messing up a shirt. Oh well, that’s what soap is for.
The new diesel filter did the job and I made it home. Sure felt good to be back.
-Sixbears
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When it rains, it pours, I always heard.
ReplyDeleteI made it home, so it's all minor stuff. It is a good feeling being able to fix things and move on.
DeleteAt least you know what to do. Most people today wouldn't.
ReplyDeleteMost people would not add weird things like a separate veggie fuel system to their vehicle in the first place. Nor would they drive around in a converted ambulance. I do have fun though.
DeleteMaybe you could enhance your veggie oil filtering process to finer microfiber mesh filters? It's got to suck having an onion ring stuck in your 7.3's fuel line. Lol.
ReplyDeleteIt was in the short section of line before the 5 micron filter. It narrows at a fitting and sometimes gunk builds up there.
DeleteKeep a can of Goop hand cleaner in your tool box as well as paper towel roll. Goop cleans grease and grime right off your hands without the need for soap and water and leaves them smelling like oranges.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thetoolworkshop.com/critzasind14ozhandcleaner12.aspx
Good advice. I should definitely do that. Goop is good stuff. My dad used to have a can of it around all the time, but I kinda forgot about it.
DeleteIt really is handy stuff, It will even work to remove grease stains from your clothing. Saved many a shirt I thought ruined. The smell reminds me of an orange creamsicle.
DeleteIt goes on the shopping list, as my shirt looks pretty nasty.
Delete