STX 550 V9X - Diesel and Water Issues

[blk33]

The other day I had the Nav 550 serviced by the local garage. The fuel tank had about 15 litres left and the garage added a ‘fuel additive – injector cleaner – water emulsifier’ product. I drove the car about 5Km and it started missing and surging.

I managed to get home and phoned the garage, they sent a tow truck to pick the Nav up. At this stage I was unable to get the engine going at all, the starter cranked over, the engine kicked but would not start.

On the way back to the garage (on the tow truck) we stopped and filled up the fuel tank with diesel, assuming that whatever was added would be diluted. The report from the garage was a fuel filter full of white stuff – water and diesel! The filter was replaced ($110) and everything is back to normal.

I’m after a little advice on where this water has come from? I tend to fill up when the tank is nearly empty, generally every 3 to 4 weeks. A friend has suggested keeping the tank full, saying fill up each week, that way, less air will be in the tank which will reduce air and moisture.

Rob

 

[tweak'e]

moisture via air is only a small amount.
typically water will be from gas station and its managed to get through there filters.
however keeping tank full helps a bit with fuel temps which is a good thing.

"fuel additive – injector cleaner – water emulsifier" rings alarm bells. water emulsifier is used on petrols to make standing water mix with petrol so it can injected into the engine and consumed. with diesel you want the opposite, to separate water and fuel so it can be caught in the filter.
they may have added a petrol injector cleaner. the filter may have been full of that.

diesels pump a lot a fuel around from and back to the tank. so the same fuel goes through the filter multiple times. so water gets picked up very quickly in small doses. you rarely get water in the tank unless a lot was poured in all at once. considering that was a new filter (or meant to be) fitted as part of the service and it just happens to be a can sized amount of fluid caught.......i would be going back and find out exactly what they put in and how much.