So my custom diesel filter is a 10 micron and in less than 3 months it's filled up with this slimy white crud that I now have come to believe is something actually in #2 diesel (possibly a cleaning additive like in gasoline?). This after hearing from a AAA driver that he's seen it in non-convert fuel filters. So I'm now persuaded that it's not some veg byproduct as I'd previously thought, there's just way too much and my oil is nowhere near that fatty as it's high Q. But the filter is clogged enough to starve the engine for fuel now. So I happen to have a 30 micron filter and I'll go with that one. My question is what would the standard be for a 4cyl 2.3 L?

And of course the $60,000 question is what is that crud (Chevron with techron for diesel)?

The 'slimy white crud' melts at what temperature?
Does it burn?
Does your fuel stay clear when it's chilled in the fridge?
What were the hot pan moisture test results on the VO?

It doesn't melt period so it seems, I've heated it fairly high temp with a fuel heater, and it doesn't seem to burn either, it has the consistency of chalk powder and when the peacock is opened it just lets the diesel cut right through it without exiting a bit. But now it's solid in the bowl for an inch from the bottom! It clearly must be about 20-10 microns which makes this filter catch it.

Haven't tried the fridge but hot pan tests are generally good out of the source barrel.

Is the crud water soluble?

I would say most likely it's not water soluble but I'll know for certain when I pull out the filter, that may have to wait awhile though, my plans for the day have to be adjusted so tomorrow is the soonest I can do it, that sucks because I'm really dying to get a sample of this stuff. I wonder if cleaner is mandated in diesel like it is in gas, I would think so (the informative Chevron ads indicate the latter).

Also worth noting that the AAA run was for my 3 gallons of diesel which had just about run out, so the bottom of the tank probably got heady in the filter unbeknownst to the dead diesel gauge.

30 microns is too high, most vehicles like your 83 use a 10 micron.

Even high quality VO can have some small amounts of white crud, so I would suspect that before blaming the D2. If D2 had crud like that we would be hearing lots of clogging reports nationwide, since many vehicles made since ~2000 use a 2 micron filter, and all the other 10m ones would be clogging too.

OK thanks for that. I found out that the problem is completely unrelated to the fuel system; here's where it gets worse. But first let me say that the sediment really seemed to be more just that, sediment and not the kind that accumulated previously (before an engine rebuild). Although there was some real white crud it didn't seems to be much harmful and the filter wasn't really even clogged so that's the good news.

Now the real blues: my oil pump is probably shot. The problem surfaced about 2 weeks ago although in hindsight it may have been responsible for destroying my previous block (professional shop rebuild did not replace oil pump). I was driving home after about 70 miles on veg and got a sudden burst of knocking from the front of the engine so I switched over to diesel and it ran fine home. Ultimately I changed out the veggie filter and then it ran again on veg no problem. I've logged over 2k on veggie so far after the first 1500 on diesel so one thing that's contributed is added stress on the engine granted. I also don't keep as much diesel in the tank as I should and recently I was down to where I had about enough to get started and switch over. On the way to get more which is about a 20 mile trip the pump likely went out because she started knocking like she's ready to throw a rod at me. Haven't driven it since, got it towed home and today bled the fuel system to check for possible air but no dice. Oil was just changed and checked and is at normal. +1/2 quart added today when I noticed the valves were dry after starting which alleviated the knocking only slightly but clearly something's not flowing right because it starts right up and runs, only with higher rpms' comes the knocking.

In order to elicit concurring or dissenting opinions to the above diagnosis let me say I've admired very much the CF use and since I too have a 1/3hp 1725 old Westinghouse motor around I've decided to put it to use with one caveat: solar power. I refuse to be chained to the grid and since mounting a solar panel in the truck would give me bonus more freedom to collect juice and fuel that's what I shall do. My motor is 6.4 amps at 115V which will deplete my deep cycle on an isolator just a bit too quickly with a 750W inverter so I'll add a 200 W panel the panel and another battery or 2 then I'll be good (I'm wondering how many amps other motors of that class draw).

Bottom line to my ramblings above really just thinking out loud about what I'll do before my truck gets towed into the shop. Hopefully only to having the timing chain reset...


After starting up and running without problem: The main symptom is dry valves and serious rod throwing loud knocking with rpm increase, there's very little else, not a head gasket and the actual oil level isn't decreasing rapidly enough to have blown a main seal, no oil on the ground, the only thing I know of that can do that is a faulty oil pump. I want to get in and pull everything out to replace the oil pump myself but my tools are limited to the average driveway shop. It'd be a major shame to do this if something simpler were wrong though. So in truth there are good diesel mechanics here, better than me; just looking for an opinion. Thanks in advance (it'll take my shop probably the better part of the week to get back to me).

Whats your oil pressure? I don't think it's as bad as your making it out to be. I would have a talk with the guys that rebuilt the engine. Stop revving it until you know whats wrong.

Fuel filters should be at least 10mic. I run 2mic, many run 10mic. Not many people are running 30mic fuel filters. Then theres the question of how well it was cleaned before it went into the tank. It sounds like there's too much fat in your fuel, or your filter isn't hot enough to pass it. Whichever way you choose to look at it.

Sometime ago, I read an article where Caterpillar switched from using 8 micron secondary (final) filters to 2 micron filters to extend injection system life. The smaller the filter the better is is for the injection system components and probable everything. It will cost more (more frequent changes) and you may need a stronger pricier pump . A 2 stage filtration system will probably be less costly in the long run .

My initial Racor diesel filter, not veggie, was a 10 micron and the only thing that made me think different was the potential clog, but now I've ruled that out, the filter wasn't even clogged.

Believe me I'm not revving it now
But what else can cause that serious knocking? Oil pressure has gone up but not significantly yet. I've got reason to suspect this pump, for one thing it may have been going out for awhile now and just hanging on by the thread of diesel running, but veggie puts a bit more stress on it and it makes sense that switching over to veg after a startup on that little diesel could have increased the pressure enough to shoot it out. The only other thing I can figure is something keeping the oil from flowing.

It's much less likely a rod or valve out of adjustment because as I said it did this 2 weeks ago on veg but switching to diesel solved the problem.

Still thinking out loud here: it's not impossible that it could be a valve out of adjustment it would just be rather bizarre that it almost went out driving on veg but switching to diesel righted it? That would be beyond my knowledge of valve behavior but it does sound like the rod, I'll have to check the valve flow more thoroughly.

Good advice on the micron ratings above. I was wondering if you are sharing a filter with WVO and diesel (Which might be a problem for various reasons) and if you have a fuel pressure / vacuum gauge on your system?

No none of the above my engine is only a 2.3L; but thanks for digging this out. I was going to let it die because the problem is actually due to condensed water from letting the diesel tank get down too far, and the nasty smoke hazed moist foggy air we've been saturated with in CA (the color of the sky literally made the newly changed oil disappear looking under the cap). It seems that water is backing up on the flush from condensation, perhaps when the engine is off the condensation is squeezed in between the fuel inline, which then returns when I switch to veg. But for all you skeptics I ran another pan test which came out completely clean.

The problem seemed almost surely to be a blocked fuel system but having bled it and put on a new 10 micron filter that's not it. I will detail the problem after I realign the valves tomorrow, I'm hoping that's all it is, and not a bent rod. Doesn't figure to be because as I mentioned this happened twice, the first time switching to diesel saved it (the valve adjustment theoretically). Second time there probably wasn't enough diesel left and it seems to have knocked the 3 and 4 piston valves out of alignment. I wanted to have a solution to post but for now everyone can learn from my mistake of letting the diesel tank get down too low, it's been said but for me I'm learning the hard way to keep the tank up.

Fate is a mother...of all evil. I knew the problem was in the crankcase and now it's most likely a rod bearing knocking. Almost no oil pressure still but the engine ran, compression lost on the #1 piston stroke. Drained the oil and no metal so likely the rod just warped from water damage.

But what a biatch, like I said my water free oil, for the skeptics, is not as responsible as an almost empty diesel tank in weather that literally stuck moisture particles embedded in smoke to your skin. I just know that moist fog infiltrated in between the fuels and sent a protected drop of water straight into the cylinder bore. I've never been so physically impacted from the sickness of constant smoke in the air. I just should have known better than to drive it that empty on diesel but hindsight is 20/20. The one mystery is how it could almost happen once, start knocking on veg and then stop on diesel, but I guess the bearing got some play, and then settled back until later. Both occurrences notably happened when the fuels were mixed, coming off a flush from the very end of the diesel tank, which is why I arrived at that cause.

So back to the shop it goes, hopefully they can get at it from underneath on a lift.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: muzak,

quote:

Originally posted by muzak:
Second time there probably wasn't enough diesel left and it seems to have knocked the 3 and 4 piston valves out of alignment.

There is no such thing as "alignment" of valves. Valves don't get knocked out of alignment, or out of adjustment if thats what you mean.