BX23s 50 hour service, fuel filter issue

pjoh784350

Active member

Equipment
BX23, quick attach bucket, 3 point, pallet forks
May 3, 2019
162
71
28
Danville
Did my 50 hour this weekend and changed the hydro fluid as well. All went well, relatively easy and aided by the info found here and a few excellent youtube vids. I decided to hold off and do fuel filters today. went out this morning and she started, ran a couple of minutes, coughed and died..I immediately knew I had a freeze up. Last fuel went in from a can I had bought in probably August but had treated with Power service. Now comes the fun part..added new fuel I had bought yesterday and put heat lamps under the tractor, no luck after an hour. I had done my homework and bought a fuel shut off valve so I figured I better start the filter change. Went after the ridiculous under tractor filter, attempting to make a removal and install the shut off valve. I used a small pair of vice grips with added padding in an attempt to pinch off the fuel (now full) line. Every time I tried to remove the filter hoses the grips would pop off or I wasn't able to get a good enough grip to remove the hoses. I was able to remove the front side and quickly realized that this filter was not blocked. Ended up reconnecting after several unsuccessful attempts and still have the old filter on the tractor now. Moved to the front filter and found it frozen, so that was the culprit. That one however was almost impossible to remove as well and ended up actually damaging the filter while trying to get the hose off. The nipple of the filter actually twisted before I was able to get the hose to spin and free it up. So a few questions...the rear filter, how am I going to get this off? I'm thinking of running the tractor dry? There is a plate under there that I think I may remove temporarily ( 4 bolts) and that should help. #2, what is the best way to get a hose off when it's sealed like that onto a filter? I tried to get it spinning with pliers, pry with a flat blade etc...Any help is greatly appreciated.
 

Cfrazer

Member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
BX2670-1,FEL, BX5450, BBox, GS1548, RB1560, QH05, AI2 Forks, SS Curtis Cab
Jan 22, 2018
86
2
8
North Rose, NY, USA
I used fuel pliers to pinch the line, then a small flat tip screwdriver worked between the filter and hose to break the bond it had, it was a real pain but did free itself finally. the plate should swing down by removing the front 2 bolts which will allow a little more working room
 

lugbolt

Well-known member

Equipment
ZG127S-54
Oct 15, 2015
5,205
1,889
113
Mid, South, USA
Remove the plate first. It makes it a LOT easier!
Pinch off the line before the filter (tank side).
Remove both of the spring clamps. Use a good slip joint plier.
While you have your slip joint plier in hand, hold the fuel line where the clamp used to be. Twist the filter. You don't normally have to put a lot of force on the line, just enough to hold it and no more. I've never had one that was so stuck that the nipple twisted off. Aside from lack of access, they're almost all easy. Don't forget to bleed the system after changing the filters.
 

DustyRusty

Well-known member

Equipment
2020 BX23S, BX2822 Snowblower, Curtis Deluxe Cab,
Nov 8, 2015
6,237
4,816
113
North East CT
The last time that I had a diesel fuel "freeze" up was during the Blizzard of 78. After than I always use the white Power Service additive, and make sure that I never introduce water into the fuel system. If you found frozen water in your filter, that means that you introduced it when you fueled your tractor. Diesel fuel doesn't freeze, but it can gel if it gets cold enough. This is where Power Service 911 comes into play. You add that to the fuel, and it will work its way to the clog (paraffin), and break it up and help with small amounts of water in the fuel. If you use a generous amount of Power Service in your fuel regularly, you will not have a problem. You don't have to go overboard, just don't skimp on its use. It isn't that expensive, and it won't hurt anything if you add a little extra. I could never understand why Kubota never offered a water separator filter as standard or optional equipment.