Scribd
Upload
53 views2 pages

Suction / Vacuum Side Diesel Fuel Filters: Technical Service Bulletin 94-6

Suction-side diesel fuel filters are located before the fuel pump. Problems with these filters are difficult to detect and can cause issues like reduced engine power. These filters may appear only partially full when removed due to air and vapor pockets forming inside as the filter media becomes saturated with fuel. The surface tension of the fuel prevents air from passing through the saturated pores. Dissolved air in the fuel is also a source of the air and vapor present in these filters.

Uploaded by

Prabu Ar
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
53 views2 pages

Suction / Vacuum Side Diesel Fuel Filters: Technical Service Bulletin 94-6

Suction-side diesel fuel filters are located before the fuel pump. Problems with these filters are difficult to detect and can cause issues like reduced engine power. These filters may appear only partially full when removed due to air and vapor pockets forming inside as the filter media becomes saturated with fuel. The surface tension of the fuel prevents air from passing through the saturated pores. Dissolved air in the fuel is also a source of the air and vapor present in these filters.

Uploaded by

Prabu Ar
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

Technical Service Bulletin 94-6

Suction / Vacuum Side Diesel Fuel Filters


Suction-side diesel fuel filters are located upstream from the pump. The fuel
flows by vacuum through the filter as opposed to those located downstream from
the pump where the fuel is forced, under pressure, through the filter.

Problems associated with suction/vacuum side fuel filters are usually not
obvious. The most serious problem to consider is loss of vacuum. Vacuum loss
caused by air leaks will result in loss of engine performance.

Air introduced into the fuel system could result in lower fuel delivery, possibly
affecting power and performance. Locating the air leaks in the fuel system is
normally very difficult and the common assumption is a suction leak around the
fuel filter.

A frequent observation made in the field is the fact that during servicing of a
suction-side diesel fuel filter it is only partially full when removed, resulting in the
perception that full utilization of the media is not being obtained.

The air-vapor cavity or air entrapment is caused by the surface tension of the
fuel. It can also be referred to as the passage resistance of wetted filter media to
allow air or vapor to pass through. The magnitude of this resistance to vapor
passage is related to paper pore size and fuel surface tension. By decreasing the
pore size, one will increase resistance to vapor passage. An increase in surface
tension will also result in an increase in resistance to vapor passage. Once the
media pores are wetted with fuel, these pores will not allow the passage of air
until the vacuum on the clean side is sufficiently greater than the vacuum on the
dirty side of the filter. This vacuum differential increase will break the surface
tension of the fluid bridging the pores.

The only time the air will pass through the media is when the vacuum differential
across the filter overcomes the surface tension. In actual engine installations of
suction-side filters, when the primer or transfer pump is activated, a vacuum
differential across the media is created. This vacuum differential is large enough
to overcome the surface tension and allow the passage of air and/or fuel through
the media. As the media is wetted, the air-vapor barrier is formed and so any
new air vapor generated will be blocked from passing through the media.

Revised October 2013


Page 1 of 2
With the fuel system completely sealed and assumed leak proof, then one may
ask, how is the air generated and where does it come from? The source of air
vapor is in the diesel fuel itself. Similar to water, diesel fuel contains a certain
amount of dissolved air, depending upon the fuel temperature, pressure on the
fuel, specific gravity and the amount of aeration to which the fuel has been
subjected.

Increasing the fuel temperature or a fuel pressure reduction will release the air.
The amount of air released is dependent upon the degree of the air saturation of
the fuel and the magnitude of temperature increase and pressure reduction.

Laboratory experiments have proven the filter will always be full on the clean
(outlet) side and air-vapor is present on the dirty (inlet) side. Therefore, there is a
sufficient amount of fuel leaving the filter. The reason that the filter appears
partially full when removed from the engine is because as the seal between the
filter and the mounting base is broken, the vacuum differential across the
cartridge is also broken. The fuel level on the clean side and the dirty side of the
cartridge are instantly equalized, thus resulting in a filter that appears to have
had the same fuel level on both sides of the cartridge when under operation.

There are, however, instances that some filters upon removal from the engine do
appear to be full of fuel: (1) there are voids in the seal between the element and
the end caps within the filter, or (2) the element does not seal properly in the filter
or housing. When any of these conditions exist, a filter bypass condition can
occur and a filter may then be full of fuel when it is removed.

Remember that the air passage resistance is related to paper pore size.
Therefore, a bypass in a filter will represent a large pore size. Hence, easier
vapor passage.

Note of Caution: If a suction-side fuel filter is full of fuel, do not automatically


assume that the filter is of an inferior quality. There are other reasons beyond the
scope of this publication that contribute to this effect and may not necessarily
mean filter bypass. For example, a filter that has reached maximum capacity
(plugged) may show the same conditions. (For further information, refer to TSB
94-4 and TSB 95-1)

For additional information, contact:

Filter Manufacturers Council


P.O. Box 13966
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-3966
Phone: 919/549-4800 Fax: 919/406-1306
www.filtercouncil.org
Administered by Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association

Revised October 2013


Page 2 of 2

You might also like