Diesel fuel filters

DIESEL FUEL FILTERS

General Information

The main objective of a diesel fuel filter is to protect the injection pump by eliminating irregular particles in the diesel through fine filtration processes.

What Does it Do?

The diesel fuel filter is an integral part of modern day engine systems. It forms an active barrier to large and fine particles, reducing the abrasiveness of the diesel on the engine components. Without the filtration benefits which it supplies abrasive particles and water would be able to impede on the efficiency of the engine resulting in;

• Higher fuel consumption
• Irregular burning of the fuel
• Reduced engine power
• Difficulty in starting the vehicle

In addition to this, diesel fuel filters can also carry out numerous other functions, including pressure regulation and water level detection.

What Does it Work?

The diesel fuel is aspirated by the fuel pump and pumped to the high pressure injection pump via a fine filter. The cylinders of the injection system are manufactured to a high precision with tolerances of up to 2 microns.

The filter element is mounted in a housing that also serves as a water separator. As the density of water is greater than that of diesel, the filtered water gathers at the bottom of the housing and should be drained according to the manufacturing guidelines. The finer filtration takes place in a duplex filter where 2 filter elements, one for large particles and one for particles down to 2 microns, are placed.

The filters for diesel fuel are usually located at the highest point of the installation which can result in the formation of small air bubbles that prevent the effective pumping of the diesel through the system. To remedy this, a small bolt is fixed at the top of the filter which can be unscrewed to allow the air bubbles to escape.