DIRTY SECRETS

IF YOU WANT NOTHING BUT THE FACTS, FORGET THE ONLINE WACKOS AND CHECK OUT 4X4 AUSTRALIA’S GUIDE TO DIESEL FILTRATION

- DAVE MORLEY

THERE’S A bit of a tradition on social media: He or she who shouts loudest tends to get more eyeballs. It’s true, but it’s also a trap, because the online world is full of wackos spouting absolute rubbish. And if they happen to be loud wackos… well, you can see the problem. The point being, just because you saw it on the internet doesn’t make it a fact. And there’s no better example of that than some of the misinformation going around regarding auxiliary fuel filters on common-rail turbo-diesel engines.

WHAT FILTERS ARE WE TALKING ABOUT?

THE FILTERS in question are the aftermarket kits that add an extra filter to the vehicle’s fuel system. In the old days, this was a pretty straightforward subject, and an extra filter with a water trap was considered a good idea to prevent a tankful of dodgy diesel finding its way through to your engine. But things have changed as the march of technology has pushed the average off-roader’s engine towards the space-shuttle end of the tech spectrum. To say fuel filtration is not a simple matter anymore is an understatement.

In most cases, the filters we’re talking about are fitted to the fuel system upstream of the vehicle’s factory filter, making them a pre-filter. There are many brands available but, typically, not all of them are created equal. Which is a major cause of the confusion surrounding them. Like any fuel filter, their job is to allow diesel through to the injectors while trapping dirt, water and other contaminants safely inside the filter body where it can’t do any harm.

DIRTY FUEL?