what have you done to your car today ?

smutts

Active Member
Apr 12, 2020
372
188
Changed diesel fuel filter last week, as the last one (china) was letting in plenty of air.
Fitted a new/old stock one, (UK made), and no more bubbles. Watch the lovely clear fuel with no bubbles. Joy.
Fuel consumption improved 5 mpg. (as bubbles compress & delay the injectors from popping.)

Filled up with fresh tank of diesel (Shell, Trago Mills, Liverton)
fuel consumption took a turn for the worse.
Today I open bonnet, fuel looks like banana milkshake.
Drained the new fuel filter, Its full of water.
For crying out loud. :poop:
 
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Sl1ced

Active Member
Oct 10, 2020
797
404
Changed diesel fuel filter last week, as the last one (china) was letting in plenty of air.
Fitted a new/old stock one, (UK made), and no more bubbles. Watch the lovely clear fuel with no bubbles. Joy.
Fuel consumption improved 5 mpg. (as bubbles compress & delay the injectors from popping.)

Filled up with fresh tank of diesel (Shell, Trago Mills, Liverton)
fuel consumption took a turn for the worse.
Today I open bonnet, fuel looks like banana milkshake.
Drained the new fuel filter, Its full of water.
For crying out loud. :poop:

How strange


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iammooks

Active Member
Nov 27, 2018
1,748
1,135
Changed diesel fuel filter last week, as the last one (china) was letting in plenty of air.
Fitted a new/old stock one, (UK made), and no more bubbles. Watch the lovely clear fuel with no bubbles. Joy.
Fuel consumption improved 5 mpg. (as bubbles compress & delay the injectors from popping.)

Filled up with fresh tank of diesel (Shell, Trago Mills, Liverton)
fuel consumption took a turn for the worse.
Today I open bonnet, fuel looks like banana milkshake.
Drained the new fuel filter, Its full of water.
For crying out loud. :poop:

Could be the garage - I hate the person who runs Trago Mills with a passion and it wouldn't surprise me if they were cutting corners on the fuel side of things.

It could also just be the remnants of air and water from the old filter being dragged kicking and screaming from the engine.

Can you open the drain cap on the bottom of the filter?


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smutts

Active Member
Apr 12, 2020
372
188
I changed the filter two days before filling up. No banana milkshake. teaspoon of water in old filter.
I bought a tank of fuel two days later, Banana milkshake, with tablespoons of water drained out of the new filter.
The tank's locked, so no one has pissed in the tank.

Occam's Razor says crappy water contaminated fuel.

In defense of Trago Shell, I've bought most of my fuel there for years, and draining the fuel filters had always been a waste of effort, a teaspoon water in 10,000 miles tops.

Anybody with a common rail engine, who bought fuel at shell liverton trago, pump 16, lunchtime weds 10th march?
You might have had a very bad afternoon. Those common rail pumps hate water & cost fortunes to replace.

Older technology a win in this case. Phew.(y)
 
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Battoussai

Active Member
Mar 22, 2016
439
110
Portugal
Changed diesel fuel filter last week, as the last one (china) was letting in plenty of air.
Fitted a new/old stock one, (UK made), and no more bubbles. Watch the lovely clear fuel with no bubbles. Joy.
Fuel consumption improved 5 mpg. (as bubbles compress & delay the injectors from popping.)

Filled up with fresh tank of diesel (Shell, Trago Mills, Liverton)
fuel consumption took a turn for the worse.
Today I open bonnet, fuel looks like banana milkshake.
Drained the new fuel filter, Its full of water.
For crying out loud. :poop:
Sorry for the question but did you filled the diesel filter with diesel before attached to the lines?
 

Gokiwi64

Geriatric Member
Apr 26, 2014
1,379
722
Hockley, Essex
What are the odds - On the way to work yesterday punctured near side rear - no biggie these are chenshen ditchfinder 27#'s and are about 3 years old. Got two nice shiney asymetric 2's fitted (to match the fronts finally) on the way to work this morning punctured offside rear.......
 

smutts

Active Member
Apr 12, 2020
372
188
Sorry for the question but did you filled the diesel filter with diesel before attached to the lines?
Yup.
I cheat by leaving the return line to the tank for last, push a short length of clear vinyl hose on the return barb of the filter & sucking the fuel up into the filter & pump, then quickly swap over and connect the return line.
DO NOT DO THIS, as breathing diesel into your lungs is a great way to get lung damage.
But as I grew up in the 1970's, concepts of acceptable risk may vary. The following youtube link would be an example of this.

GMP Motorway Group 1979
 

smutts

Active Member
Apr 12, 2020
372
188
What are the odds - On the way to work yesterday punctured near side rear - no biggie these are chenshen ditchfinder 27#'s and are about 3 years old. Got two nice shiney asymetric 2's fitted (to match the fronts finally) on the way to work this morning punctured offside rear.......
I've been using Goodyear's Efficient Grip Performance (wow what a snappy name, not!). Quiet, grippy, last so so long, but very prone to weird punctures. Favorite are stones shoved right through the tread belts. Sidewalls pop if a horsefly lands on them. Nerg the Nail is alive and well (Paul Sample's Ogri cartoon)
Nerg.jpg
 

Yellow fr

Gone to new owner so seat less for now
Sep 6, 2018
1,547
1,062
Sandbeds West Yorkshire
Yup.
I cheat by leaving the return line to the tank for last, push a short length of clear vinyl hose on the return barb of the filter & sucking the fuel up into the filter & pump, then quickly swap over and connect the return line.
DO NOT DO THIS, as breathing diesel into your lungs is a great way to get lung damage.
But as I grew up in the 1970's, concepts of acceptable risk may vary. The following youtube link would be an example of this.

GMP Motorway Group 1979

Just change it and then turn ign on and off till the pump stops pumping the fuel or I think it’s 5 times on and off


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Thai-wronghorse

Self proclaimed Cupra R addict & butcher!
Dec 3, 2015
2,199
1,038
Kent
Forgot to ask but what’s the texture platters like on the outer plastic? I seem to remember the Audi being slightly different?

I’ve got a bid on a 2003 A3 black glove box but not sure it will match correctly?


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Correct, it is slightly different in texture. It's something I toyed with ages ago but couldn't be arsed with in the end.
You can overcome the difference by transplanting the fascia panel across though with a bit of butchery.

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Scotty_b

Leon Cupra 300R
Jun 3, 2004
6,026
66
Hertfordshire
Correct, it is slightly different in texture. It's something I toyed with ages ago but couldn't be arsed with in the end.
You can overcome the difference by transplanting the fascia panel across though with a bit of butchery.

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Thought that would be the case. The door I can swap but the lower wouldn’t match then so would need to rip the internals out swap over. Think my Dremel days are behind me with this car...


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Thai-wronghorse

Self proclaimed Cupra R addict & butcher!
Dec 3, 2015
2,199
1,038
Kent
Thought that would be the case. The door I can swap but the lower wouldn’t match then so would need to rip the internals out swap over. Think my Dremel days are behind me with this car...


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The door doesn't really come off as such, you need to separate the face panel from the internal one.
I played around with a spare I had, it's doable but a bit faffy and you'd need to bond the Leon one back on absolutely bang on or it'd look shite.

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Yellow fr

Gone to new owner so seat less for now
Sep 6, 2018
1,547
1,062
Sandbeds West Yorkshire
Mine is pre PD, so no pump in the tank.

In that case just hold the filter in the housing and fill with some diesel and then lift it up and pop it on the top off the filter housing and then put in place and tighten up fire the car up amd just give it a little Rev for a few mins and leave it running for at least five minutes


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smutts

Active Member
Apr 12, 2020
372
188
In that case just hold the filter in the housing and fill with some diesel and then lift it up and pop it on the top off the filter housing and then put in place and tighten up fire the car up amd just give it a little Rev for a few mins and leave it running for at least five minutes


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Mine is pre PD, so the filter cant be disassembled.
 
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