With all the threads recently about motors going south and fuel filters being clogged, I wonder if a lot of the lean conditions are really being caused by dirty fuel filters, not so much the chip

Just a thought....

*Disclaimer*This is NOT intended to start a tuner war

 

What i find ironic about the cloggedf fuel filter theory is this. Coming from the 4.6 Modular crowd, blown of course, we didnt have concerns with clogged filters. I was running over 52 lb injectors as well as 3 fuel pumps. I had no loss of power or clogged filters for years. I made a fuel filter change annually as a part of maintence.

Im beginning to wonder if the fuel filter setup thats in the L to begin with, is under engineered. It shouldnt clog as often as it does.

 

Flying,
I think you are correct. Overall I think the stock system is adequet except for the filter. The filter is the same filter used on all Ford gas trucks. Add the extra HP that most have and spending more time deep into the throttle it simply can't keep up.

I plan to up grade this winter. #8AN lines and fittings for the feed, #6AN for the return, dual 255lph pumps, spin on filters (2), and possibly billet rails and regulator.

 

I wouldn't be surprised. Fuel filters are not something most people replace alot, or even think about replacing alot.

I say change it about every 10k miles (max), if you use race fuel often change it more often then.

 

,,,

 

Just get a fuel pressure guage then when you pressure starts to taper off change your filter.

 

There is no question.
Less than 5000 miles on my 02, gas only bought from (2) "BRAND NEW" Amoco stations, and this is what my filter looked like.
YES I SAID IT HAD LESS THAN 5000 MILES WHEN THIS HAPPEN


It caused this to happen

Plugs had less than 800 miles on them when this happen

 

Changed the filter, put in Denso It-22's took off 3 lbs of boost from my upper pulley, went to the track with a 4lb lower and ran a 12.8 the first time out. Up to that point I had a 4lb lower and a 3lb upper and I couldn't break out of a low 13 sec 1/4 mile run.
I also had a gas starving on and off feeling everytime but never thought of the filter because the truck was only a few months old at the time and when I first starting racing it, I only had a few thousand miles on it. It was oviously already clogged then.

THERE IS NO DOUBT FORD ****ED UP BIG TIME HERE TOO.

 

Here is a fuel filter that will flow but even though they say it will fit F150s, it won't work with our quick-disconnect fittings. I tried it and you can't get the fittings off as they are too close to the filter body. They are expensive too--with replaceable elements.

Note the AN fittings offered for custom set-ups:

http://www.cmfilters.com/fuel.cfm#

Dan

 

Please explain how they "****ed up" here? did they put crud in your gas tank? I'm not attacking, but I keep seeing you post that Ford screwed up this and that. It looks like to me that filter kept a lot of chit from getting to your engine, in other words it was doing it's job until it got too dirty to flow properly. would you rather have had that crap get to your injectors or into your cylinders? then you would be complaining that the filter didn't clean enough!?

what i'm saying is that the fuel filter didn't cause that failure, that dirt and crud did. The filter was trying to stop that stuff and it did. do you see it otherwise? i'm interested in hearing your opinion.

later,
chris

 

ding ding

 

I swear I'm not trying to start a fight! I just really want to know how a filter doing it's job is blamed for all of the junk that appears to have been floating around in that gasoline?

I have no personal beef with Rob_02Lightning whatsoever, I just disagree with his explaination for what caused his plugs to melt.

later,
chris

 

superford,
Not so much that the filters are plugged up. It's that they don't flow enough under high H/P heavy loads. If you run big boost, high rpm, juice, etc. the demand on the fuel system can exceed what it is capable of flowing. Runing fuel additives or race fuel compounds the problem because they do clog up the filters. On a standard 5.4 F-150 they are probably more than adequet. The have smaller fuel pump(s), smaller injectors and much lower demand for fuel. We have dual pumps, 42lb injectors and use the same filter? Thats where Ford dropped the ball. Anyone know what the 03 Cobra has for a filter?

 

I follow you Silver-Bolt, I just disagree.

What Rob and lots of others have been saying is that the filters become clogged and this creates the lean condition. and I quote: I disagree that the filter is incapable of flowing an inadequate amount of fuel to begin with assuming that it is not clogged with debris or whatever it is that would clog a filter.

My truck made over 400HP and 500FT/LBS to the wheels for over 10,000 miles with the stock factory equipped filter never being changed, I have air/fuel ratio dyno graphs that show excellent ratios at all RPM points. If the filter is incapable of flowing a sufficient amount of fuel under load then please explain this.

And as for this:
Understandable if true because the filter was obviously not designed for RACE GAS or Fuel Additives designed to artificially increase the octane. it was designed to filter 93 octane pump gas.

again, not fighting, just debating.

later,
chris

 

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