Inline petrol filter blocked. Why / how?

[Nomad]

Hi, I have a ride on petrol mower that I put new fuel lines & fuel filter on 2 years ago.

Fuel wasn’t flowing well recently. When I opened the filter it’s clogged with a fine sediment.
Any idea what this is and how to stop it happening again?



The fuel tank is plastic & clean inside.
All I know is that the problem isn’t old fuel.
The carb leaks if left overnight so I fill the tank when I use it and drain it after - fresh fuel comes in a clean plastic petrol can.

It makes no sense to me

 

[bricol]

Dust through tank breather? Or your cheap Chinese filter not liking fuel with ethanol and falling apart?

 

[indykid]

Does the tank have a breather open to atmosphere? Dust ingress through that?

 

[Nomad]

Hi.
I'll look at the breather in the tank cap but suspect it's a pin-hole that's not where it can pull in a lot of dust (and any dust in the tank would settle at the bottom of the tank where I would see it?)

Ethanol - I don't know enough to guess but the filter was from the local motor factors 2 years ago so I'd expect it to be ok for modern petrol.

Thanks for the ideas, it's food for thought

 

[dobbslc]

I does look like the filter has dissolved more than dirt in it.

 

[indykid]

I does look like the filter has dissolved more than dirt in it.

When I first looked at the picture, I assumed the brown stuff was caught by the filter element, but opening the image and zooming in, I see it is the filter.

With the amount of dodgy knock off parts circulating in automotive spares the last few years, I'd just see how you get on with the new filter, the new one will probably be fine.

 

[ajlelectronics]

Many plastics are attacked by Ethanol. Use a glass filter perhaps?

 

[jsf55]

Filter the fuel before you added it too the tank, you might be surprised ?

 

[qwakers]

Many plastics are attacked by Ethanol. Use a glass filter perhaps?

Never do that. Massive fire risk.

 

[ajlelectronics]

Never do that. Massive fire risk.

It depends. I don't advocate them in an engine compartment, but in line they can be a bonus and are not as fragile as you might believe, in my testing. Maybe they are Pyrex type, I have no idea.

 

[indykid]

Simple. Change the filter more often. They are a service item, shirley ?

The maintenance schedule surely depends on fuel quality and flow volume. <2 years to that state on garden equipment is not an acceptable life (arguably even if it's used commercially)

 

[Barking Mat]

Simple. Change the filter more often. They are a service item, shirley ?

Don't call me Shirley !

 

[Robotstar5]

Never do that. Massive fire risk.

My tractor's had a glass filter bowl since 1950, it hasn't caught fire yet.

 

[Keithmac]

I repaired our Diesel heater at work, fuel tank was spotless.

We only use Diesel from the local fuel station and it recently started playing up again.

The amount if crap in the filter was unbelievable really, I was amazed how much sediment there was.

Clean Diesel fuel tank and Jerry can so it can only be from the pumps..

 

[qwakers]

My tractor's had a glass filter bowl since 1950, it hasn't caught fire yet.

sure, a solid mounted glass filter bowl attached the bottom of the fuel tank.... a 100 year proven concept.


or a glass tube with a filter in it hanging off the middle of a length of fuel hose subject to longitudinal stress, torque and vibration all at the same time, and that doesn't include heat stress if its near the exhaust or mechanical damage if it is too close to something hard and constantly knocks against it....


the chances of faliure are exactly the same, im sure.

 

[Robotstar5]

sure, a solid mounted glass filter bowl attached the bottom of the fuel tank.... a 100 year proven concept.


or a glass tube with a filter in it hanging off the middle of a length of fuel hose subject to longitudinal stress, torque and vibration all at the same time, and that doesn't include heat stress if its near the exhaust or mechanical damage if it is too close to something hard and constantly knocks against it....


the chances of faliure are exactly the same, im sure.

I didn't know about the glass tube type, I've only seen the tank mounted type and the inline type like I have on a couple of my stationary engines, I think they fitted them on early Landys as well.

 

[qwakers]

utter ****e. anyone fitting this to anything deserves the fuel leak onto the exhaust manifold that will probably result shortly.

 

[DAPPH]

Hi.
I'll look at the breather in the tank cap but suspect it's a pin-hole that's not where it can pull in a lot of dust (and any dust in the tank would settle at the bottom of the tank where I would see it?)

Ethanol - I don't know enough to guess but the filter was from the local motor factors 2 years ago so I'd expect it to be ok for modern petrol.

Thanks for the ideas, it's food for thought

Fine dust ., saw dust or grass dust ... in a dirty fuel can , filled with dirty fuel then the machine gets filled via a dirty dusty funnel . Had a lot of such clogged filters on all manner of small plant & garden machinery over the years . Recently the latest bio fuels with a 10 % ethanol content seem to cause the same problem . Hopefully my two house heating oil filters wont be affected ,

 

[DAPPH]

I didn't know about the glass tube type, I've only seen the tank mounted type and the inline type like I have on a couple of my stationary engines, I think they fitted them on early Landys as well.

View attachment 484736

All military Landrovers & diesel fork lifts etc etc. I worked on 1966 to 1980 and several other vehicles had glass bowl filters in the engine compartment , from series 1MK 1 Land Rover well in to series MK 3 crap . None ever caught fire as a result despite numerous Landy's & trucks getting trashed , Some trucks had them on the chassis close to the fuel tank that were easily sabotaged .

IIRC some were flange mounted filters rather than a simple inline free hanging units . You can clean a glass bowl filter miles away from base , you can't clean a paper filter one satisfactorily at all .

 

[jsf55]

This is a favourite with the hot rodders

Pardon our interruption...