Bad Fuel or bad tank

Fourwinds · 04-02-2019, 03:13 PM

My 2015 Thor Fourwinds Super C with 11,000mi is in the shop and I almost had heart failure. I had a check engine light come on returning from an outing. Took it to local Ford dealer who specializes in RV repair.

Was told ejector was bad, covered under warranty, no problem, they got it right in and fixed it. Went on another weekend adventure same check light coming home. Took it back, was told another ejector was bad and they found rust in my fuel tanks

THEN...... was told to clean tanks and entire fuel system and replace ejector it would be i the neighborhood of $12,000!! Yes that is the correct number of zeros. I told them no way I would be over to get it. All they did was do a diagnostic for check light and fuel sample out of each tank...$500

I took it home, on the way it shut off going down the road but I went to neutral and it instantly restarted and I drove on. I changed the fuel filters myself and found absolutly clear fuel and no foreign material in the primary filter. Im so confused, have an appointment at local diesel machanic to get another opinion.

Bob Denman · 04-02-2019, 03:35 PM

I am sensing that your Ford Dealer's special training, had more to do with lightening their customers' wallets!

I hope that the next Dealer does a better job for you.

**fhenn** · 04-02-2019, 03:40 PM

All fuel tanks since 1997 are a polymer base. Plastic dose not rust. I am guessing fuel. If you see a tanker emptying the fuel at a store do not fill up there for at least 15 minutes, after he is done. This will allow the trash in the tanks to settle down to the bottom.

jeeepz · 04-02-2019, 03:56 PM

The tanks should be plastic so there shouldnt be any rust in there.12000 is way over the top.5 or 6 hrs to drop the tanks and flush system should be plenty.as a check out charge they cant charge you more than what you agreed to when you dropped it off.i would get a second opinion.open up the fuel filter and see whats in there.dont forget about the genny filter.if it is fuel contamination its in the genny too.

The Gritz Carlton · 04-03-2019, 12:59 PM

Water accumulation in diesel, especially since the introduction of the new ultra low-sulfur blends, is very common. You have a fuel/water separator which needs monthly maintenance and draining. If not drained properly, it can allow water to get into the fuel rails and this can blow the tips off injectors. Ford has issued a directive to dealers stating, signs of rust in the fuel rails are a sign of water and will not be warranted. They've actually advised dealers to let customers know this and quote a complete fuel system replacement at around $12-15K. You fell right into this. Have you ever drained this separator system? The link below is good...especially starting with Post#7.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...or-on-17s.html

The Gritz Carlton · 04-03-2019, 01:04 PM

This is a 'quote' from another website regarding 6.7 Fuel-Water Separators.

"The other thing we have discovered is once the "water in fuel" light (WIF) comes on, there is already water passing and damage has already occurred. The way the Ford warranty system works is if there is ANY sign of surface rust on the flow control valve, the system is no longer under warranty. There is no further inspection that will be done, and the dealers are told to not spend anymore time on the truck, except to give the customer an estimate for a complete fuel system replacement. This is a cost of 12,000- 18,000, depending on whether you brought it to them when you could still drive it, or the fuel pump went south and damaged even more components."

Bob Denman · 04-03-2019, 01:18 PM

So if a part covered by the warranty fails: it invalidates the warranty?

Fourwinds · 04-03-2019, 01:24 PM

Well I never drained it because I never got a water indicator light, the oil and fuel filters were changed at 6,000 miles,it now only has 11,000 miles. I just changed the filters and never saw any water.

The Gritz Carlton · 04-03-2019, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fourwinds

Well I never drained it because I never got a water indicator light, the oil and fuel filters were changed at 6,000 miles,it now only has 11,000 miles. I just changed the filters and never saw any water.

So many things change from year to year and we as users never hear about them. Another issue...the RV dealers have zero concern for the chassis and never go over anything relative to it. When I was selling commercial trucks in another life, we would walk a customer through the parts department, assign them a contact person for their account and also the service department. A service advisor would spend about 30-45 minutes with them going over everything necessary with preventative maintenance specific to the truck(s) they were buying.

As stated in the quote above, the warning lights don't come on until "it's too late". You may have gotten bad fuel on your last fill that accelerated your issue. The fact that you didn't see any water is puzzling, as the problem you are experiencing is directly related to water in the fuel...or it seems that way. I always keep both tanks absolutely full...especially during season changing as temps up and down create much more moisture than with steady outside temps. There are after market fuel-water separators available but they are costly. Your thread has enlightened me to look deeper into adding something like this to mine, since they sit unused for such long periods. Diesel repairs are as costly as heart surgery compared to the common cold.

The Gritz Carlton · 04-03-2019, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Denman

So if a part covered by the warranty fails: it invalidates the warranty?

They are referring to negligence of the fuel system (keeping water out)...not warranted parts failing. Warranty doesn't cover water in the fuel.

Bob Denman · 04-03-2019, 02:22 PM

I wonder if Mercedes treats these issues in a similar fashion?

The Gritz Carlton · 04-03-2019, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Denman

I wonder if Mercedes treats these issues in a similar fashion?

Pour some water in your fuel tank...run it through the injectors...and find out.

Bob Denman · 04-03-2019, 02:55 PM

That's a great idea!

Fourwinds · 04-03-2019, 03:04 PM

Thanks for the input Gritz, Im new to owning a diesel, but I still have some level of mechanics and I always keep tanks full also to keep moisture out, but I was just floored that with all the upgrades to diesel tech the filter system didn,t prevent this. I will probably get stuck replacing alot of the fuel system according to the mechanic, but it will be alot less than $12,000 Ford wanted

The Gritz Carlton · 04-03-2019, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fourwinds

Thanks for the input Gritz, Im new to owning a diesel, but I still have some level of mechanics and I always keep tanks full also to keep moisture out, but I was just floored that with all the upgrades to diesel tech the filter system didn,t prevent this. I will probably get stuck replacing alot of the fuel system according to the mechanic, but it will be alot less than $12,000 Ford wanted

I'm with you...the air tanks on air brake trucks have an auto evacuation system for moisture...seems like that could done with the fuel system as well.

Bob Denman · 04-03-2019, 03:32 PM

I'm even newer at it: my oil burner has about 124 miles on it...

So I'm all ears, and trying to learn as much as I can.

The Gritz Carlton · 04-03-2019, 03:37 PM

Diesel is the bomb...best engine design ever. Clean fuel, clean filters, clean oil and they run forever. Bob...read up on your fuel system and recommended filter changes/maintenance. It's about the only thing that will get you. The smallest drop of water will pop the injector tips. Easy to prevent.

The Gritz Carlton · 04-03-2019, 03:54 PM

I've driven diesels for years and have never had an issue with water overwhelming the system. I believe you've picked up a huge amount of water all at one time that flooded the system outside of normal protocol. If so, it may be an issue insurance would cover. If you could trace back to your last fill location...do a bit of research and see if they had a problem others were complaining about also.

Bob Denman · 04-03-2019, 04:14 PM

Thanks: I sure will!

saddlesore · 04-03-2019, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Gritz Carlton

I've driven diesels for years and have never had an issue with water overwhelming the system. I believe you've picked up a huge amount of water all at one time that flooded the system outside of normal protocol. If so, it may be an issue insurance would cover. If you could trace back to your last fill location...do a bit of research and see if they had a problem others were complaining about also.

My thoughts as well..

Something just doesn't "feel right" on this

No "water separator" filter or not a good enough/large enough separator filter??

dunno........

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