Changing the Diesel Engine Fuel/Water Separator Filter

After driving the Journey about 1200 miles these past two weeks, I finally had a little down time to catch up on some maintenance.  Diesel Pusher (DP) motorhomes require a large amount of preventative maintenance and I do most of it myself.  I don't always have the time to get everything done, so I spread it out and do it in small bunches.

I had a minor drip from the corner of my recently installed windshield, so I removed all the molding in that area and resealed it with some heavy duty silicone.  Also, I had a couple of loose screws on my awning where it attaches to the roof, so I got some longer and thicker screws and tightened them down and sealed them with Dicor caulk.

I have not had a chance to give the Journey a good washing since last fall, so it got a bath using a heavy dose of Blue Coral Wash and Wax, with another couple of ounces of Rainex Wash and Wax mixed in.  When it was done, the Journey gleamed.

My big items that were at the top of the list were changing the fuel/water separator filter (FWSF) and the air filter.  Today dawned cool and cloudy, so I started with the FWSF.  It is located on the rear of the Journey on a bracket in front of the radiator.

The yellow part is the filter and underneath is a plastic bowl that water and sediment can settle in.  On the bottom of the bowl is a petcock that opens to drain the filter.

Once the diesel fuel is drained, I used a strap wrench to remove the filter.

The sediment bowl is then removed from the filter.  It would be nice to have three hands at this point, but not being that equipped, I clamped the old filter in a vice.  Using two strap wrenches, the bowl twists off.

Using a clean rag, I wiped all the residual dirt from the bowl.

A new rubber gasket is installed on the bowl.

A very important step is to lubricate the gasket with some oil.

The the bowl is screwed on to the new filter.

No, I didn't clamp the new filter in the vice, I just rested it on the jaws and used the two strap wrenches to make sure the bowl was on tight.  While I was at it, I ensured the drain petcock was closed.

A new gasket is installed on the top end of the filter and again it gets lubricated with some oil.  The oil is important so the gasket slides into a seated position against the filter housing.  If the filter is installed with the gasket dry, there is a chance that it could tear and that would cause all kinds of trouble. 

I then reinstalled the FWSF back in place, I screwed it on as tight as I could by hand, then gave it a little additional twist with my strap wrench.

Now here is the the important part.  The filter is installed dry, Cat does not want you to pre-fill it with fuel.  The reason is the fuel you'd put in it would not be filtered and you don't want to get any tiny debris or dirt particles in the engine's injector pump or injectors.

You start the engine and rev it up as high as it will go and hold it there for several minutes.  This will cause enough suction from the injector pump to pull fuel from the tank into the filter and filter it at the same time.  After several minutes, the engine can be dropped to idle and let it run, while a visual check is done on the FWSF to ensure there is no leakage.

Everything came out well, so another task is crossed off my maintenance list.  Not a hard job, about an hour, it just requires a little muscle to twist things off and on.

  I had to put off the air filter change for another time because by the time I got the FWSF back on, it started pouring rain.  Just my luck.

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Revenge of the Stink Bugs

My boat shoes squished as I walked.  I never wear socks with boat shoes, I don't know why.  Maybe I'm a slave to fashion.

We stayed in the Journey for my mother's funeral services at my parent's church parking lot.  Ryan's family stayed with us.  There were six of us, four adults and our two granddaughters, Taylor and Kierra.  After two days of boondocking with no hook ups, we drove an hour South to our son Corey's house.   Staying in his driveway, we used the onboard water and holding tanks and just hooked into his electricity.

We used the showers in the house, but it was nice to have the bathroom in the Journey for use at night.

We had a great time visiting, Ryan and Corey were enjoying seeing each other for the first time in over three years and Amanda and Amber, Corey and Ryan's wives, got a chance to really get to know each other because of the distances they live from each other.

We took the girls to an Easter Egg Hunt put on by the town, they had a blast and got lots of candy.

Inside the Journey, we still have some Stink Bugs. 

 When one appears, I grab a tissue, catch it and flush it down the toilet, sending it to "Poop Beach".  After seeing how long a Stink Bug can swim we figured they were having a great time down there in the black tank. 

Checking my tank levels with the six of us, the black tank level showed full by Monday night.  We looked online and found, just 10 miles away, a campground at the Navy Base at Earl, NJ.  We called Tuesday  morning and spoke to a super nice lady who said come on over, we could dump our tanks for free!

Free is good and in no time, Marti, Taylor, Kierra and I headed over to the campground.  The campground is on a former mobile home site, the mobile homes that once were there each had a nice cement slab to park on.  The sites are all FHU, the only odd thing was that the sewer connection is about three quarters of the way up the slab, right in the middle.  And the connection pipe is about eight inches high.  Perfect for a mobile home, but a little difficult for the average RV to use.

Marti guided me as I backed the Journey into the site and I stopped with the back end of the Journey just even with the sewer connection.  I carry two 15 foot sections of sewer hose and they can be connected together.  Putting the two hoses together, I just reached the sewer pipe. 

Being very careful, after getting everything hooked up, I released the grey tank for a couple of seconds to make sure it would work.  The theory is if something went wrong, you'd only spill soapy water. 

I did everything right, the grey water flowed fine.  I picked the hose up starting from the Journey's connection and "walked" it towards the sewer pipe to get the water to flow.  It worked well.

I then went and opened the black tank valve and "walked" the sewer hose toward the sewer connection, bidding all my Stink Bug "Friends" goodbye.

Suddenly, the connection holding the two sewer hoses unhooked and there I was standing between the two connections, with 15 feet of black tank sewage shooting all over me from each hose.

Thanking my lucky stars I had my mouth closed, I quickly ran and shut the black tank valve, but the damage was already done.  There was a big puddle of black tank "stuff" all over the ground and I was covered from chest to toes with that "stuff".  I swear I heard dozens of tiny voices laughing at me, the Stink Bugs got their revenge on me for flushing their beach.

I reminded myself that I changed many dirty diapers in my lifetime.  I sloshed around and re-hooked my sewer hoses back together and made doubly sure the connection was tight.  I gingerly re-opened the black tank valve and finally got the black tank emptied.   To add insult to injury, one of my hoses sprung a leak, squirting a small geyser of water up into the air.

I took out my grey water hose that I use to flush my black tank and started washing down the area,  also using a broom.  

I made an amazing discovery.  Black tank chemicals don't help with smell.

I washed down the area and then I spent some time picking up "things" and putting them down the sewer pipe.  Marti, with her great sense of humor, took my picture while I was doing that task.  Yes, I love that woman of mine.

I spent about a half hour getting the site cleaned up.  When I was done, I walked into the Journey and took off my clothes, dumped them in a plastic bag and took a good long shower.  Twice.

It wasn't a total loss, Taylor and Kierra had a blast playing around the campground and climbing some trees.

We've taken a new direction in dealing with the Stink Bugs, when we see one, we now grab a tissue and catch it, wrap it carefully, squish it and then put it in the trash.  Next to my boat shoes.

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The Silver Lining

First of all, let me say thanks to all my Blog and RV friends for your prayers and support you gave us after my mother's passing.  We certainly found strength in it all. 

Marti and I pulled out of the RV-Dreams Rally on Thursday in Sevierville, TN and booked home 500 miles.  We pulled up in front of the house, grabbed some clothes and hit the road again to get to New Jersey.  I was pretty tired and after an hour, we pulled into a Walmart and overnighted.

It was a good stop for us for several reasons, one to rest and one to resupply the food in the Journey.  We had originally bought enough for the two of us to carry us through the Rally, but while we were traveling, we got some great news.

Our son, Ryan is stationed out in Oregon in the Coast Guard.  He wanted to attend my mother's services, but the air fare costs were too prohibitive.  His wife, Amber, did some looking on line and found a special package deal where if they rented a car, the whole family, Ryan, Amber and our two granddaughters, Taylor and Kierra, could fly in for less than the cost of a single ticket for just Ryan!  Have I mentioned I love Priceline?  We were thrilled, we have not seen them since last August.

So we re-provisioned with lots of extra food and snacks that the girls would love.

They flew into JFK in NYC and drove out to were we were in Northern New Jersey.  We were able to boondock for two nights in the parking lot of the church my parents attend, and Ryan's family stayed with us in the Journey.

The viewing and the funeral service went well.  It was very hard, especially for me.  My family asked me to do the eulogy.  I was able to do it and got through it without breaking down, again feeling the support of many thoughts and prayers.

It was bitter sweet.  Almost my entire family was there.  And for the first time in several years, my three kids, Corey, Heather and Ryan were together again.

My brothers and sister were all here and we took a family picture with my Dad.  It was also the first time in over ten years we were all together.  My brother Jeff, (on the left) was in the hospital for a leg infection and was able to get out and make it.  Answered prayers.

After everything was over, we all kicked back in the Journey and made plans for the next couple of days.

We packed up and headed South about an hour's drive to Corey and Amanda's house, our son and DIL.

The Journey fit nicely in their driveway and we were able to plug into their electricity. 

We've stayed close by my father's area to help him with some issues, today Marti and I met with him and took him to lunch to make sure he's okay and will do well.  Sadly, we have to leave tomorrow, (Wednesday) to head back to Virginia and say goodbye to Corey, Amanda and Ryan, Amber and the granddaughters who will fly back to Oregon.

It was a sad occasion, but it was wonderful to see family and our kids.  A Silver Lining.  Another reason we look forward to full time RV travel, we can visit them more often and stay longer.

Thanks for visiting and feel free to leave a comment.