Fuel water separation on B-series or L-series?

[Sid Post]

I have a B2601 and L4600. After my friends Kubota bent connecting rods and blew some injectors, I tend to think there is the potential for water to be part of the problem. This has me thinking about my tractors.

I see both have fuel bowls beneath the filter. Will that catch water? On the farm back home in my youth, the tractors (big HP) and Semi-trucks had large canister fuel filters with a water bowl on the bottom and a spigot to drain water.

Do I need to consider a modest filter upgrade?

TIA,
Sid

 

[Mark_BX25D]

I'm of the opinion that a filter upgrade is a good idea.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=bx+fuel+filter+upgrade+

 

[Butch]

I have a B2601 and L4600. After my friends Kubota bent connecting rods and blew some injectors, I tend to think there is the potential for water to be part of the problem. This has me thinking about my tractors.

I see both have fuel bowls beneath the filter. Will that catch water? On the farm back home in my youth, the tractors (big HP) and Semi-trucks had large canister fuel filters with a water bowl on the bottom and a spigot to drain water.

Do I need to consider a modest filter upgrade?

TIA,
Sid

Here in Maryland I had a lot of condensation issues and would remove the OEM bowl and discard the water. realized there could be some water remaining in the filter element. I am like you should I worry.... Not any more... I ordered a RACOR oil water separator from West Marine. I think I got the smallest diesel filter they had. Costs with Maryland taxes... $102.00. Installation time about 4 beers. I really like this set up.

 

[SDT]

I have a B2601 and L4600. After my friends Kubota bent connecting rods and blew some injectors, I tend to think there is the potential for water to be part of the problem. This has me thinking about my tractors.

I see both have fuel bowls beneath the filter. Will that catch water? On the farm back home in my youth, the tractors (big HP) and Semi-trucks had large canister fuel filters with a water bowl on the bottom and a spigot to drain water.

Do I need to consider a modest filter upgrade?

TIA,
Sid

Never an issue with any of the OEM fuel filter/seperators on any of my Kubotas, MFs, JDs, etc.

Bent connecting rods are usually caused by water injestion through the air intake. Stay out of the pond and you should be fine.

SDT

 

[Sid Post]

Never an issue with any of the OEM fuel filter/seperators on any of my Kubotas, MFs, JDs, etc.

Bent connecting rods are usually caused by water injestion through the air intake. Stay out of the pond and you should be fine.

SDT

No rain or standing water. The air filter was dry and slightly dusty when he started. The driveway he was on has a pretty good slope and I have never seen water there. In a really hard rain, there is a little run-off in the ditch.

 

[Bulldog]

I put a Dahl filter on my L years ago and use the 2 micron element. I have it plumbed in as my Primary filter. it works so good I don't even change my factory filter except when I feel guilty because it's been so long. Honestly I probably could get by with never changing it because it never has anything but clean fuel in it.

 

[lugbolt]

lot of reasons for bent rods

your partner who told you that water in the fuel caused it is not telling you the whole truth most likely

water ingestion through the air intake or through the exhaust, excessive fuel, engine oil, starting fluid can all cause bent rods.

injectors can be damaged due to water too but usually mostly on common rail stuff which neither of your tractors has.

But you really can't over-filter your fuel, unless the filtration system's flow rate is too low to support the engine's fuel usage. That said most aftermarket filters do not filter the tiniest particles out of the fuel very well. On that note, the micron rating of a lot of the aftermarket fuel filters is such that if used on a warranty kubota engine, and the engine suffers some kind of failure due to dirt in the system, they are a lot less likely to cover it in the limited warranty. And yeah, they're asking for lab data now too. Send a sample off, get the results, send results to kubota, and then they make a decision based on that and other items.

 

[Sid Post]

lot of reasons for bent rods

your partner who told you that water in the fuel caused it is not telling you the whole truth most likely

water ingestion through the air intake or through the exhaust, excessive fuel, engine oil, starting fluid can all cause bent rods.

injectors can be damaged due to water too but usually mostly on common rail stuff which neither of your tractors has.

On my friend's side-by-side, he is obsessive about good preventative maintenance. Water in the air intake or exhaust is extremely unlikely considering how it is used and on the day in question specifically. Condensation on a humid day after shutting down rusting the exhaust ... maybe. Starting fluid (or WD-40) on a diesel engine can do horrendous damage but, not the case here either.

Excessive fueling is a possibility though since a pair of the injectors were "bad".

In my case, a 4-micron 15GPH pre-filter is what I am looking at. If pre-filtering your fuel violates a warranty claim, that is an issue for the lawyers.