Now that I have the more expensive piston lift pump would it be wise to install a fuel filter before it? The inlet of the piston pump looks to have a screen in it but is not very fine. I was thinking that the piston pump will be less forgiving of crap than the old diaphram pump. Any thoughts will be great. Thanks

 

ABSOLUTELY !!!


The piston-pump had probably been on my truck about six months when I shut-down right in the middle of the busiest intersection in this little mud-lick town.

I trouble-shot for two days trying to track down the problem.

I finally decided the piston-pump had failed; and, when I started removing the expensive fittings from the inlet, I finally found the problem.

A big blob of crud, fuel "algae" I decided, was lodged against the screen.

I cleaned the mess out, re-installed the pump, and all is fine.

I immediately installed a long loop in the fuel-line, routing it through a see-thru plastic inline filter AHEAD of the lift-pump.

The reason for the long loop is so that I could locate the filter up high under the hood, easy to see and easy to replace, without having to crawl around under the truck.

Since that first episode, twice that simple inline filter has saved me from having to pull the lift-pump beside the road and clear the screen; the inline filter stops up instead.

 

^^^
Just as he said! You can go his solution, or even get a "universal" filter head and have a screw on filter set up, as I've done.
Hows your pressure now, and did you ever get the idle issue figured out?

 

I have not figured out the idle problem yet but I have a set of used stock injectors comming which I hope solves the problem. I know the injectors I'm getting are good cause I pulled them out work truck I used to drive, just waiting for UPS to do their thing. Hopefully it will fix the problem. Fuel pressure is a steady 17PSI after the filter with the new lift pump. I've got all new fuel lines, fittings, filters, muffler bearing etc etc and looked everyplace I could in the IP for metal shavings and have found none so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I'll update as soon as get it fixed. Thanks.

 

Bearkiller, You don't feel the little inline filter causes too much restriction in the fuel line? I'm basically stock so it should not be a problem I would guess. Thanks.

 

If there were any fuel-line restrictions, the twelve big Charolais cows that I brought in the other night didn't seem to notice.

 

BK - what kind of filter are you using? I saw wallyworld has the Fram brand inline filters for 3/8 lines, but it did not say anything about a micron or being diesel rated. They were only a few bucks each though, so I was thinking of getting 4 or 5. What you think?

 

Those are what I use, except I buy them in bulk at the swap-meets for way cheaper.

Micron rating is not important for our purposes; we just want to catch the gook that would otherwise clog the screen in the lift-pump.

Anything that works for gas will work for diesel; at least that has always been my experience.

 

10-4 - Thanks BK!

 

BTW I've taken Beerkillers advice and installed a pre-lift-pump filter as well. I usually do this even on my gaspot vehicles.

 

Who's Beerkiller ??