Excavator video this week. I'm still waiting on parts for the dump truck, but at this point I'm quite certain I have located everything I need. I HUGE thank you to all the people who reached out with suggestions and offers to help. Much appreciated! If you like the video, don't forget to give it a thumbs up, and check out my amazon store: www.amazon.com/shop/farmcraft101. Many of my favorite tools are listed there. Have an awesome weekend folks!
Better option is a large filter similar in size as the main fuel filter, and perhaps a screen added to the replaceable filter to trap some of the larger debris. I would also consider flushing the tank with a some diesel & a small fuel pump into a bucket with a funnel to trap the debris. Let it run for an hour or two to get all of the loose debris out of the tank. Other wise your just burning $$$ buying replacement filters. You could also consider applying a Fuel tank sealer (KBS coatings). to seal off the rust & reduce contamination).
Wait isn't the state DOT supposed to take care of the "curb" to make sure it's a smooth transition. I no with most states that'd be like pulling teeth getting it done
I've used the tank sealing kits on an old 72 Suzuki dirt bike. I bet if you poured some in and used your bloe gun to spread it around some. You would get a lot of the rusty floor covered.
I welded up a stainless steel fuel tank for my boat. It had to be of certain dimensions since it was going into the center console. I know I read in the comments about an additional or replacement tank being redneckish or a hacky way of doing things but honestly, I don't believe your main purpose is to win a beauty contest. I believe you just want to get some production out of a $20k+ piece of machinery you purchased. Life is short my friend and it shouldn't be full of drama and frustration. Get one built (or if you can TIG, do it yourself) and enjoy using what you purchased.
I’m involved with experimental aircraft, one thing we learned about the pre filter you’re using is if the paper element gets water on it it will not pass fuel. You mentioned that you get condensation in the tank, if the water condensate makes it to that paper element in the filter it will act as though it is blocked. We don’t use them in aircraft for that reason. Something to think about.
I know the "dumb farmer" trope is a complete farce, but still amazing to see the non-linear "maths" of how fuel filter lifespan works so intuitively explained. It's a real gift that you take time time to share all the complex work farmers have to do and reason through
Phosphoric acid will remove rust only, without damaging the tank,just degrease the tank first. Filters can clog because of the fuel hoses degrading themselves from the inside,it's generally a black deposit. Check if the filtered material is magnetic or not. A big magnet can avoid rust to be sucked in the filter,stick it close,in front to the suction tube orifice.
Yeah, or any of the commercial rust converters which is usually tannic acid and/or phosphoric acid, plus various additives to make it work faster/better. And then use some kind of Epoxy Sealer which binds any remaining crud and stops any further problems - it'll probably outlast the rest of the vehicle.
I have an idea. Make (or maybe find) a canister filter housing and put removable neodymium magnets on the outside. Since this is rust it will stick to the sides of the canister where the magnets are and would be a quick easy clean out WITHOUT flow restriction issues. Once it is made it is a final solution with no more cost involved. Win, win.
I really don’t think those were sparks. It looked like droplets of fuel reflecting the light to me. With the camera looking into a dark tank a small reflection of light will appear overly bright. Also sparks would have illuminated the inside of the tank making everything noticeably brighter and that doesn’t appear to happen.
It was defo RED dirty weasel diesel vaporising, with light shining through it made it kinda look like sparks but it was 100% not any kinda fire /ignition
Thanks John. My wife and I have been binge watching your channel from the very first video. Thanks for the wonderful content and the humour, so much better than "traditional TV".
Idea, just put a second tank on the excavator and bypass the first. Quick, simple and effective. You could even cut the forward wall of the old tank you have access to and place a new plastic tank inside the old rusty tank. Then just utilize the existing fuel lines in place and the old fuel tank as a mounting bracket.
I admire you in so many ways it's hard to know where to start but the biggest one is how diligent you are when it come to cleaning before you get started working on anything. It drives me crazy when I watch TH-cam videos of people working on cars, or anything for that matter, without power washing or degreasing them First. I'm always impressed on how thorough a job you do cleaning Anything. But your idea about using a sandblaster as vacuum was the best, Thank you!
Bend the line inside the tank upwards about an inch or 2. It will help alot from picking up the stuff at the bottom. Has helped me many times in those same situations.
Love your stuff Jon. Back in the 80’s I was having the same problem with my Diesel tank on a JCB, so I cut a hole out large enough to get my arm in to clear the bottom of the tank. I made a plate bigger than the hole, put a rubber gasket on and used self tappers to hold it on. It turned out a good idea at the time. I was able to access the tank later on. Keep up the great content Jon. 👍🔧🇬🇧
Jon interesting video@s you keep it up , I have some vintage tractors here on the farm in the UK and rust in the the fuel tank is old problem , The way I overcome this was by putting an piece of light chain on the end of fuel cap long enough for it to roll /slide around the bottom of the fuel tank , when the machine is in use it will do the cleaning for you , you may have to change some filters to begin with but after that the fuel tank will be like new inside , best wishes Ton van den Berge UK
We had the same issue with our old "Weidemann" wheelloader. My way to fix it... Cut the steel tank open and install a plasic tank inside it. Works for 10 Years now. : ))
Even diesel tanks condensate water out of the air inside the tank. Add red bottle HEET (Heet Iso-HEET Water Remover And Premium Fuel Line Antifreeze + Injector Cleaner) Helps to stop rust. That 2nd filter is a Sediment Filter(&water), heavies would drop to the bottom of the bowl, just remove bowl (when needed) clean and replace. The little filter will last a long time. Great videos Jon, I watch a lot!
I just saw your excavator fuel filter problem video! Here's another fix that I came up with after my wife started complaining about the washer water slowly filling; taking to long due to sediment plugging the metal screen with being on a well. I installed a whole house filter inline to the washer hose and it's been over a year since I've even looked or heard of any complaints. Someone also suggested magnets which is also a good idea I think you could throw a couple into the bottom of the filter or even glue them to the outside of the filter case. This would extend your run time even more due to the size of the filter. "Oh darn" now I'm going to have to take a peek at my filter. Thanks for your great videos!
I love your attitude, John! You have a very good understanding of the engineering elements of what you are doing, and that makes your videos more enjoyable to watch. For the filtering problem, I think you can make a canister filter out of a piece of steel pipe if you can find some room for it somewhere before the paper filters. That should do the trick.
Really earned the channel name on this one! On the farm, where a random piece of #9 wire can sometimes be the most important and versatile tool in the box! Love it, and I miss farming. 😒
I had the same problem. Took the tank off my cat 303 and had it boiled, steamed and red-kote! Well worth the work! No more rust and filters stay clean.
Thanks for the explanation on the filter life, when i saw you implement it i thought "oh great that means 4 hours run time between changes which is okay i guess but not really great" but then you show the graph and explain, and suddenly it dawns on me. Thank you for that
Love your channel, I've been following it for about a month now. I've been seriously considering starting my own channel to share my 25 years of experience as an industrial maintenance technician, and you have given me some great ideas. Keep up the good work!
half fill the tank, connect a 4ft tube to the tank drain, start her up, and whilst swishing the machine from side to side, drain the tank into a bucket. That should get most of the loose stuff. sticking a few magnets in seems like a great idea. Personally, I'd have jet washed that tank out for ten minutes.
I had the same problem with an old John Deere tractor. I think I finally cleaned the tank enough to make it more reliable. If I have the same problem again, I'll remember this trick. I don't want to take my tank off either. Thanks for all the great videos.
I have had Rust problems on tractor tanks one trick I use is I put a strong magnet on the bottom of the tank it will keep all the loose rust in one spot and not slosh around another thing I do is use a marine inline fuel filter you can take them apart and clean them when they get full . Love the videos can't wait to see you put the trans back in the dump truck
Do yourself a favor and buy a neodymium magnet and leave it in the tank, near the outlet. Periodically remove and clean. The magnets won't rust themselves, if submerged. Great video sir!
Put a neodymium magnet in your excavator fuel tank tie it to a stainless wire to catch all the rust. I’ve bought neodymium magnets with holes on eBay-they are strong and may grab all the rust when the diesel sloshing around. I enjoy your videos and have certainly benefited from many of your trials and tribulations. Lol Best regards John
An observation, may or may not be of value. How about changing the orientation of the T fittings so that both filters encounter the same resistance? That way, they should clog at the same rate, in which case your explanation of the service frequency would hold (even more) true. Great video as always, especially enjoyed using the venturi effect for sucking and blowing!
Jeez Jon, you own a dump truck, why don't you just go and get some fill material instead of scraping the ditch??? Too soon? Sorry. :) One thought about the tank, you could hang a magnet in there to try to catch some more of the junk as well. I always glue a magnet into any closed boxes that I build (oil pan, trans pan, axle case). If the material flow continues, you could use a magnet with a hole in it, in the tank and tie it to the sender somewhere so that you can pull it out to clean the magnet off. Nice work, and thanks for bringing us along.
Argh. Why is it every... E V E R Y supplier says 'waiting on manufacturer'? The universe didn't get COVID and die... they just don't keep the parts in stock and want an excuse to wait for a 'container-load' order because 'executive bonuses' for 'efficiency'. J.I.T. ordering sucks for customers and there was a time that businesses actually SERVED THE CUSTOMER and not some half-wit college grad who's daddy got him a job deciding who gets parts and when.
three filters in parallel would mean change them once a season. I love "set it and forget it" solutions to irritations. Great viideo and very informative. a little phosphoric acid and a wash out would have probably saved you 3 fuel filters.
So just my two cents my friend I have a mini excavator that had the same pre filter you have and it kept dieing like that. I figured out the hard way that them time of inline filters wasn't ment for diesel I changed to the correct filter and problem went away. Keep up the good videos
I love what you did with putting the filters in parallel. I think while I had the tank apart, I maybe would’ve clean the tank out with soapy water. Then ran a hose through it, then took an old refillable fire extinguisher filled with diesel and sprayed it in the tank just to rinse the water out of the tank. I think there’s a lot of small dust like particles that are clogging those in-line filters pretty fast. Thanks for the video I always learn something new from you!
I have similar Io 15 Yanmar machine. Drained tank blew air into pickup line then used a shop vacuum cleaner with small flex pipe to clean tank.It was a plastic tank . They make a" cream " to coat steel fuel tanks. I used it on 2000 Ford 7.3 psd tanks which had galvanized particles coming off into fuel took a gallon. That tank is not that bad.... Best machine I ever owned.
Your work around was very clever and makes perfect sense after you explained your theory but if I'm being honest I'd of never thought of it. That's what makes this channel one of the best on TH-cam. Thanks for sharing buddy
There's lots of magnetic pre-filters available, at all sorts of costs... long term just get a plastic tank and be done with it! 10t of type 1 (don't know what you call it in the US) would stabilize that edging and not be so prone to creep. Great video.
Andrew throws a blue shop towel in tanks and blows them around. It's amazing how clean the tanks look when he's done. Try a sausage or a Twinkie on a stick ! Seems like a better idea than tools on a stick.
I remember when our forklift fuel tanks started rusting on the inside. Our on site mechanic stuck a heavy duty magnet in the tank near the output. Now I'm only an operator so I don't know if it did anything but the mechanic seemed pleased with himself.
hello Jon..good content....I found that by putting a lint free cloth in side the tank and using an air gun and tossing the cloth around ..makes a lot of difference cheers keep it up thanks
I'm not talking out of experience with gas tanks here, but at least theoretically, it shouldn't be the case. Think submerged structures, they never rust when they are fully submerged. I have seen bridge foundation piles dragged out of a river bed, as good as new after 50 years of sitting submerged.
@@mehdimarashi1736 I am speaking from experience. I once had a motorcycle on which the fuel tap didn't reach to the very bottom corner of the contoured steel tank. Most copies of that model bike had rust start in that bottom corner, within a few years, if you didn't treat it with alcohol periodically. Even gasohol can get too much water to absorb in a low tank after a long time sitting.
I used the same "hack" for my irrigation water filters a few houses back. Originally couldn't get through a single watering, then it was more like every 3rd watering that needed cleaned. Works well when used in the right places for sure!
A few observations here. Your comment about pressure washing the tank. It can be done without causing rust. Soda,Sodium Carbonate,or dishwasher detergent can be used. Just about any alkaline product will stop ferrous metal from rusting. A previous comment suggested bending the end of the tank fuel feed pipe up a little. Very good idea. One thing in particular I got bit on,years ago. I am guessing the Diesel fuel injection rack has an electrical solenoid doing the on/off cycle. Make absolutely certain the lever is going all the way on during the run cycle,and all the way off during shutoff. I there is any question about the proper operation of that solenoid,either replace it or replace the mechanism with a Bowden cable assembly where you personally push the lever to full on or full shutoff. Hesitation and uncertain running can be caused by what I just described, at the very same time as a fuel contamination problem. And with two causes,endless hate is the result. Lastly,just about any competent shop manual for a Diesel engine is going to have a flow chart for diagnosis. I hope you have such a manual. Please read that part carefully. Don't go chasing your tail unnecessarily. Been there. It is no fun at all. All the best with your beast.
I don't think there is any need to epoxy it to the tank, but the material is quite brittle, so you may want to encase it somehow (epoxy, heat shrink tubing, ...), otherwise you might end up with magnet dust in your fuel line...
For your view port idea, if you decide to do that in the future, press nuts are great for that sort of thinner metal. Mcmcaster has them. part # 96439A600 stainless 1/4-20 for example. They have all sizes.
One way to do it: Cut the hole, put a flange on top of it, drill bolt holes, remove flange, use flange hole pattern and drill holes to view port plate, put bolts to flange holes (note inside out) and weld bolts on the flange, put the flange inside the tank, bolts sticking out of the tank shell holes, tag weld flange to tank shell.
Always fascinating to see good problem solving. Also interesting to see how some things are built with a thought to future maintenance and some things ... well....
To bolt a plate to the outside of the tank, you could fabricate a frame/flange that would sit on the inside of the tank to receive your bolts, sandwiching the tank wall. You could also secure it to the inside of the tank with external bolts, effectively using the tank wall as a bulkhead.
if you turn your T for the 2 inline filter you will get equal (ish) flow to both of them bottom of the T is the inlet, left and right of the T sends fuel to the filters making the fuel make a right and left to each filter rather than 1 filter going straight and the other with a turn great content as always!! what about using a fuel bladder inside the tank.. trying to think out of the square rusty box you have plaguing your efforts
You could cut a oblong hole in the tank, get plate bigger weld bolts through new plate put plate and gasket inside tank and use nuts and washers on the outside. Really enjoy your videos.
Concerning inline fuel filters, NAPA has 2 different inline fuel filters. One is a gas filter, the other is a diesel filter. Be sure you get the correct one. Gas will flow through a diesel filter much easier than diesel will flow through a gas filter. Using 2 filters in parallel is a very good idea.
I have an ‘87 International truck with what I suspect is a rusty fuel tank. You have given me some good ideas for future fixing it struggle sessions. The advantage I have , of course, is that my tank is out in the open and can be easily removed and dealt with. I have already installed a cheap eBay water separator/filter but that tank is going to have to come off either way. Great video!
Krud Kutter is great for removing rust from a tank,you can buy it at home depot. It will desolve it gentally and neutrilize with water. Drain excess water and stick a hair dyer in the sending unit hole to dry it out. I'm subscribed so Ill be watching .Im building a trailer that is multi tasking ,I think you might enjoy the build. If you could find a thread on canister base and use a thread on filter it would last longer because it would hold more crud.
I saw a trick multiple people used. Put a strong magnet on the outside or inside of the tank which would allow the rust/metal to accumulate in one spot for easier extraction obviously away from the suction tube. Some even used the magnet on a speaker.
Invert your tubes on the tee after the filters. That's a nice way to help even out your parallel flow... The filters that feeds from the branch of the tee before the filter should feed the inline part of the tee after the filtre. That way both filter has tee branch on his circuit (each circuit get a tee branch and one inline tee...). We see that kind principle in hydronic heating system to help naturally even out the flow in multiple radiators circuit. Inverting the tubes is an easy task and also I'm curious to see if both filters would fill up on start-up with this mod.
Sounds like you've got it working well. My only thought is maybe bending up the fuel pick up pipe in the tank to get if further from the tank floor. The sediment was pretty small so might not make much of a difference.
My tank inlet had a small screen cage around the intake opening. It keeps the tube slightly above the crud and keeps larger debris out of the line. Has to be cleaned periodically. I agree no sparks. Just light reflection.
When I was a diesel mechanic we would do what we called a hot shot. We would drain it, put degreaser inside, scrub it the best we could with a rag on a metal rod, then get the heated pressure washer as hot as possible and blast the inside out then run a fan into the tank to dry it out. That was the best way to clean the crud.
It might be worth installing a beacon on the roof of the excavator, or having a small magnetic one you can put up there when working roadside. It really helps people distinguish operating plant next to the road much earlier to give you more room or reduce speed a little.
I had a big Liebherr excavator that had fuel problems. Turns out there were 2 inches of sludge in the tank. I drained it and sucked up all the sludge with a shop vacuum. Then I installed a new fuel pump and it ran great afterward.
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24:50 If you inverse the lines on the second T, you won't have any straight line : both lines will have the same "pressure" (one curve each)
I´m confused. See your diagram and understand the technical background of this solution opend my eyes and shows me, how stupid i am ! Hahaha ! Great videos and greetings from germany !
Some really ingenious comments from the viewers. I remember a movie about drug runners from the 80's where their plane had 3 fuel filters in parallel. With shut off valves to replace in flight if needed. I guess the avgas handling in Columbia wasn't super hygienic - LOL. Was taking Physics in college about that time and it resonated with me.
I'm 10min in to this video (man the sparks were Bizarre), and you just found all the rust in the bottom of the tank. I just want to say, before i watch the rest, that i would simply reline the bottom of the tank with tank urethane and simply trap it all in place. (But not w/o first checking the walls and top of the tank for flaking-off rust) 👍
If you swap the brass fitting around on the fuel filters so one connects to the T on the intake and the other filter connects to the T on the outtake, Thereby evening it out somewhat more?
clever idea, must add 5 or 10 filters. I'm just trying to be funny and not in my mother language. keep goinf. your videos are so relaxing. thanks a lot.
You can use a 'chimney whip' to clean inside tanks. They come in .095 'weed-whacker line' and steel braided cable models. Powered by a drill & do a good job of cleaning if they hit. (Big open area they'll want to flop around. )
Good Day, Sir I learned a long time ago from my old farm owner, that if you have been running your tractor all day then you should fill your tank every night before you put your tractor to bed, so you do not get condensation in your tank
Have you got an air powered vacuum gun that you can use with your compressor? If not i seriously recommend getting one, they are so useful, i use mine for everything in the shed from vacuuming up oil spills to cleaning up sawdust.
I worked for a petroleum contractor, installing and upgrading gas stations. we had air operated tools of all kinds... liquid diaphragm pumps, jig saw, and vacuums...obviously there not cheap, but work very well and spark free... maybe you can come across something used.
I'm with you on the sparks. Might be interesting to put some different metal shavings, rust, sand, stones, in a metal tube and blow it out in a dark room.
One way to limit water condensing inside the fuel tank is to keep it topped full of diesel (i.e. that liquid gold) after each job. The greater the empty head space in the tank, the more moist air gets pulled inside as the air expands & contracts from daily heating & cooling cycles.
Excavator video this week. I'm still waiting on parts for the dump truck, but at this point I'm quite certain I have located everything I need. I HUGE thank you to all the people who reached out with suggestions and offers to help. Much appreciated! If you like the video, don't forget to give it a thumbs up, and check out my amazon store: www.amazon.com/shop/farmcraft101. Many of my favorite tools are listed there. Have an awesome weekend folks!
Better option is a large filter similar in size as the main fuel filter, and perhaps a screen added to the replaceable filter to trap some of the larger debris.
I would also consider flushing the tank with a some diesel & a small fuel pump into a bucket with a funnel to trap the debris. Let it run for an hour or two to get all of the loose debris out of the tank. Other wise your just burning $$$ buying replacement filters.
You could also consider applying a Fuel tank sealer (KBS coatings). to seal off the rust & reduce contamination).
Wait isn't the state DOT supposed to take care of the "curb" to make sure it's a smooth transition. I no with most states that'd be like pulling teeth getting it done
I've used the tank sealing kits on an old 72 Suzuki dirt bike. I bet if you poured some in and used your bloe gun to spread it around some. You would get a lot of the rusty floor covered.
Just want to say i really appreciate the pacing and editing of your videos, keep up the good work, and the diversity of the content is excellent.
What a pain in the Johnson.
I welded up a stainless steel fuel tank for my boat. It had to be of certain dimensions since it was going into the center console. I know I read in the comments about an additional or replacement tank being redneckish or a hacky way of doing things but honestly, I don't believe your main purpose is to win a beauty contest. I believe you just want to get some production out of a $20k+ piece of machinery you purchased. Life is short my friend and it shouldn't be full of drama and frustration. Get one built (or if you can TIG, do it yourself) and enjoy using what you purchased.
I’m involved with experimental aircraft, one thing we learned about the pre filter you’re using is if the paper element gets water on it it will not pass fuel. You mentioned that you get condensation in the tank, if the water condensate makes it to that paper element in the filter it will act as though it is blocked. We don’t use them in aircraft for that reason. Something to think about.
I know the "dumb farmer" trope is a complete farce, but still amazing to see the non-linear "maths" of how fuel filter lifespan works so intuitively explained. It's a real gift that you take time time to share all the complex work farmers have to do and reason through
Phosphoric acid will remove rust only, without damaging the tank,just degrease the tank first.
Filters can clog because of the fuel hoses degrading themselves from the inside,it's generally a black deposit.
Check if the filtered material is magnetic or not.
A big magnet can avoid rust to be sucked in the filter,stick it close,in front to the suction tube orifice.
Yeah, or any of the commercial rust converters which is usually tannic acid and/or phosphoric acid, plus various additives to make it work faster/better. And then use some kind of Epoxy Sealer which binds any remaining crud and stops any further problems - it'll probably outlast the rest of the vehicle.
Put rags into the tank and blow them around using a high pressure air line. Clean / replace rags and continue until clean ;)
@@aeros4me 👍 I have also used muriatic acid to clean rusty metal tanks.
@@Torbjorn.Lindgren Absolutely! John has a tendency to over think when the solution could be much simpler.
Most rust isn't magnetic. It depends on the oxide. A magnet lets most rust past.
I have an idea. Make (or maybe find) a canister filter housing and put removable neodymium magnets on the outside. Since this is rust it will stick to the sides of the canister where the magnets are and would be a quick easy clean out WITHOUT flow restriction issues. Once it is made it is a final solution with no more cost involved. Win, win.
Yes UP vote.
Agreed, did this to a filthy landrover tank, worked a treat.
I was thinking just slap some magnets on the outside of the tank also...
Haha that is a great idea!
That's pretty clever. I wonder why it isn't main stream. Maybe it's time for you to start manufacturing them or something.
I really don’t think those were sparks. It looked like droplets of fuel reflecting the light to me. With the camera looking into a dark tank a small reflection of light will appear overly bright. Also sparks would have illuminated the inside of the tank making everything noticeably brighter and that doesn’t appear to happen.
I agree, that's exactly what it looked like to me. If it were sparks it would have likely ignited that vaporized fuel.
Agreed, I came looking into the comments just for this
👍
It was defo RED dirty weasel diesel vaporising, with light shining through it made it kinda look like sparks but it was 100% not any kinda fire /ignition
...regardless I learned a lot from his speculation as well as this exchange concerning his speculation...thanks to you all.
I enjoy this guy. He is always polite, uses appropriate language and has a positive approach to his work.
Thanks John. My wife and I have been binge watching your channel from the very first video. Thanks for the wonderful content and the humour, so much better than "traditional TV".
Idea, just put a second tank on the excavator and bypass the first. Quick, simple and effective. You could even cut the forward wall of the old tank you have access to and place a new plastic tank inside the old rusty tank. Then just utilize the existing fuel lines in place and the old fuel tank as a mounting bracket.
This is how people used to deal with broken TVs. They'd use the old dead console black and white TV as a stand for the svelte new color TV.
That's a prety hack job way to fix a tank that's really not that rusty. There are other ways to clean a tank and not have to take it out.
He could use a temporary plastic tank and use it for a bit with abrasive in the crusty tank and have it clean while its being used.
@@shoopnooop2952 that's a good idea! I like useing chain for in tank cleaning. You pull out one piece it all comes out.
I read that as "just put a second excavator on the tank and bypass the first." Now that's an idea, lmao!
I admire you in so many ways it's hard to know where to start but the biggest one is how diligent you are when it come to cleaning before you get started working on anything. It drives me crazy when I watch TH-cam videos of people working on cars, or anything for that matter, without power washing or degreasing them First. I'm always impressed on how thorough a job you do cleaning Anything. But your idea about using a sandblaster as vacuum was the best, Thank you!
Bend the line inside the tank upwards about an inch or 2. It will help alot from picking up the stuff at the bottom. Has helped me many times in those same situations.
Love your stuff Jon. Back in the 80’s I was having the same problem with my Diesel tank on a JCB, so I cut a hole out large enough to get my arm in to clear the bottom of the tank. I made a plate bigger than the hole, put a rubber gasket on and used self tappers to hold it on. It turned out a good idea at the time. I was able to access the tank later on. Keep up the great content Jon. 👍🔧🇬🇧
I had a JCB 214 has large inspection covers so I could clean fuel and hydraulic tanks.
Best to do so every few years.
Cheers
Jon interesting video@s you keep it up , I have some vintage tractors here on the farm in the UK and rust in the the fuel tank is old problem , The way I overcome this was by putting an piece of light chain on the end of fuel cap long enough for it to roll /slide around the bottom of the fuel tank , when the machine is in use it will do the cleaning for you , you may have to change some filters to begin with but after that the fuel tank will be like new inside , best wishes Ton van den Berge UK
We had the same issue with our old "Weidemann" wheelloader. My way to fix it... Cut the steel tank open and install a plasic tank inside it. Works for 10 Years now. : ))
Even diesel tanks condensate water out of the air inside the tank. Add red bottle HEET (Heet Iso-HEET Water Remover And Premium Fuel Line Antifreeze + Injector Cleaner) Helps to stop rust. That 2nd filter is a Sediment Filter(&water), heavies would drop to the bottom of the bowl, just remove bowl (when needed) clean and replace. The little filter will last a long time. Great videos Jon, I watch a lot!
I just saw your excavator fuel filter problem video! Here's another fix that I came up with after my wife started complaining about the washer water slowly filling; taking to long due to sediment plugging the metal screen with being on a well. I installed a whole house filter inline to the washer hose and it's been over a year since I've even looked or heard of any complaints. Someone also suggested magnets which is also a good idea I think you could throw a couple into the bottom of the filter or even glue them to the outside of the filter case. This would extend your run time even more due to the size of the filter. "Oh darn" now I'm going to have to take a peek at my filter. Thanks for your great videos!
Great and interesting video as always. It is really nice that you even use/show the metric system for all of us who uses that,
I love your attitude, John! You have a very good understanding of the engineering elements of what you are doing, and that makes your videos more enjoyable to watch.
For the filtering problem, I think you can make a canister filter out of a piece of steel pipe if you can find some room for it somewhere before the paper filters. That should do the trick.
Really earned the channel name on this one! On the farm, where a random piece of #9 wire can sometimes be the most important and versatile tool in the box! Love it, and I miss farming. 😒
I had the same problem. Took the tank off my cat 303 and had it boiled, steamed and red-kote! Well worth the work! No more rust and filters stay clean.
Thanks for the explanation on the filter life, when i saw you implement it i thought "oh great that means 4 hours run time between changes which is okay i guess but not really great" but then you show the graph and explain, and suddenly it dawns on me. Thank you for that
Incredible idea using the sandblasting gun as a vacuum 👍 Brilliant 🙂
I was gobsmacked when I saw this idea! Fabulous!
Love your channel, I've been following it for about a month now. I've been seriously considering starting my own channel to share my 25 years of experience as an industrial maintenance technician, and you have given me some great ideas. Keep up the good work!
half fill the tank, connect a 4ft tube to the tank drain, start her up, and whilst swishing the machine from side to side, drain the tank into a bucket. That should get most of the loose stuff. sticking a few magnets in seems like a great idea.
Personally, I'd have jet washed that tank out for ten minutes.
I had the same problem with an old John Deere tractor. I think I finally cleaned the tank enough to make it more reliable. If I have the same problem again, I'll remember this trick. I don't want to take my tank off either. Thanks for all the great videos.
I have had Rust problems on tractor tanks one trick I use is I put a strong magnet on the bottom of the tank it will keep all the loose rust in one spot and not slosh around another thing I do is use a marine inline fuel filter you can take them apart and clean them when they get full . Love the videos can't wait to see you put the trans back in the dump truck
Do yourself a favor and buy a neodymium magnet and leave it in the tank, near the outlet. Periodically remove and clean. The magnets won't rust themselves, if submerged. Great video sir!
Put a neodymium magnet in your excavator fuel tank tie it to a stainless wire to catch all the rust. I’ve bought neodymium magnets with holes on eBay-they are strong and may grab all the rust when the diesel sloshing around. I enjoy your videos and have certainly benefited from many of your trials and tribulations. Lol
Best regards
John
An observation, may or may not be of value. How about changing the orientation of the T fittings so that both filters encounter the same resistance? That way, they should clog at the same rate, in which case your explanation of the service frequency would hold (even more) true.
Great video as always, especially enjoyed using the venturi effect for sucking and blowing!
I had the same thought and comment before I read yours
Tees are in backwards. That’s why the one filter is not working until the first one clogs up
My thought was get rid of the "T" connector and use a "Y" connector.
Ha! Just made the same comment!👍
Love the filters in parallel trick! Never thought it would work so well. Gonna keep that one in the back pocket for a rainy day
The shed does the job nicely weathering nice, I've gone 1600km, s in my car and never seen an excavator beside the road, cheers.😁
Jeez Jon, you own a dump truck, why don't you just go and get some fill material instead of scraping the ditch??? Too soon? Sorry. :) One thought about the tank, you could hang a magnet in there to try to catch some more of the junk as well. I always glue a magnet into any closed boxes that I build (oil pan, trans pan, axle case). If the material flow continues, you could use a magnet with a hole in it, in the tank and tie it to the sender somewhere so that you can pull it out to clean the magnet off. Nice work, and thanks for bringing us along.
You were correct, I was dubious of your 'two filter' solution till I saw the graph. Nice!
Nice to see the excavator running well and bummer for waiting on parts for the dump track
Argh. Why is it every... E V E R Y supplier says 'waiting on manufacturer'? The universe didn't get COVID and die... they just don't keep the parts in stock and want an excuse to wait for a 'container-load' order because 'executive bonuses' for 'efficiency'. J.I.T. ordering sucks for customers and there was a time that businesses actually SERVED THE CUSTOMER and not some half-wit college grad who's daddy got him a job deciding who gets parts and when.
three filters in parallel would mean change them once a season. I love "set it and forget it" solutions to irritations. Great viideo and very informative. a little phosphoric acid and a wash out would have probably saved you 3 fuel filters.
So just my two cents my friend I have a mini excavator that had the same pre filter you have and it kept dieing like that. I figured out the hard way that them time of inline filters wasn't ment for diesel I changed to the correct filter and problem went away. Keep up the good videos
I love what you did with putting the filters in parallel. I think while I had the tank apart, I maybe would’ve clean the tank out with soapy water. Then ran a hose through it, then took an old refillable fire extinguisher filled with diesel and sprayed it in the tank just to rinse the water out of the tank. I think there’s a lot of small dust like particles that are clogging those in-line filters pretty fast. Thanks for the video I always learn something new from you!
Excellent presentation on the optimization benefits of in-line filters. The area under the curve! lol
I have similar Io 15 Yanmar machine. Drained tank blew air into pickup line then used a shop vacuum cleaner with small flex pipe to clean tank.It was a plastic tank .
They make a" cream " to coat steel fuel tanks. I used it on 2000 Ford 7.3 psd tanks which had galvanized particles coming off into fuel took a gallon. That tank is not that bad....
Best machine I ever owned.
Your work around was very clever and makes perfect sense after you explained your theory but if I'm being honest I'd of never thought of it. That's what makes this channel one of the best on TH-cam. Thanks for sharing buddy
There's lots of magnetic pre-filters available, at all sorts of costs... long term just get a plastic tank and be done with it! 10t of type 1 (don't know what you call it in the US) would stabilize that edging and not be so prone to creep. Great video.
Andrew throws a blue shop towel in tanks and blows them around. It's amazing how clean the tanks look when he's done.
Try a sausage or a Twinkie on a stick ! Seems like a better idea than tools on a stick.
I remember when our forklift fuel tanks started rusting on the inside. Our on site mechanic stuck a heavy duty magnet in the tank near the output.
Now I'm only an operator so I don't know if it did anything but the mechanic seemed pleased with himself.
Your sense of humor has me on the floor crying laughing throughout the video. Thanks for making these videos, they make my day!
hello Jon..good content....I found that by putting a lint free cloth in side the tank and using
an air gun and tossing the cloth around ..makes a lot of difference cheers keep it up
thanks
Will have to park that solution up in the brain cells, if I can find any more room. Your explanation made perfect sense.
Awesome work, really like the filter graph explanation. 👍
Leave some evaporust in the tank for 24 hours and then drain it. I’ve had awesome success with old motorcycle tanks that way.
The graph helped me understand the two parallel filter lasting longer than twice as long (for your situation)
Keeping the tank full will keep the walls from rusting, but if you don't purge the water frequently, it'll still rust the bottom.
I'm not talking out of experience with gas tanks here, but at least theoretically, it shouldn't be the case. Think submerged structures, they never rust when they are fully submerged. I have seen bridge foundation piles dragged out of a river bed, as good as new after 50 years of sitting submerged.
@@mehdimarashi1736 I am speaking from experience. I once had a motorcycle on which the fuel tap didn't reach to the very bottom corner of the contoured steel tank. Most copies of that model bike had rust start in that bottom corner, within a few years, if you didn't treat it with alcohol periodically.
Even gasohol can get too much water to absorb in a low tank after a long time sitting.
@@davesvoboda2785 Good to know. Experience trumps naïve theory every day. +1 to you, sir!
You are awesome in the way you analyze, explain, & fix a problem! Great job 👏🇨🇱🙋♀️
Totally agree, he breaks things down for a simple mind like mine to comprehend
Ah ! Eric L got there first !
Thought I was going to be genius LOL !
Tank inside a tank !
Keep the videos coming , big thumbs up !
I used the same "hack" for my irrigation water filters a few houses back. Originally couldn't get through a single watering, then it was more like every 3rd watering that needed cleaned. Works well when used in the right places for sure!
A few observations here.
Your comment about pressure washing the tank. It can be done without causing rust. Soda,Sodium Carbonate,or dishwasher detergent can be used. Just about any alkaline product will stop ferrous metal from rusting.
A previous comment suggested bending the end of the tank fuel feed pipe up a little. Very good idea.
One thing in particular I got bit on,years ago. I am guessing the Diesel fuel injection rack has an electrical solenoid doing the on/off cycle. Make absolutely certain the lever is going all the way on during the run cycle,and all the way off during shutoff. I there is any question about the proper operation of that solenoid,either replace it or replace the mechanism with a Bowden cable assembly where you personally push the lever to full on or full shutoff.
Hesitation and uncertain running can be caused by what I just described, at the very same time as a fuel contamination problem. And with two causes,endless hate is the result.
Lastly,just about any competent shop manual for a Diesel engine is going to have a flow chart for diagnosis. I hope you have such a manual. Please read that part carefully.
Don't go chasing your tail unnecessarily. Been there. It is no fun at all.
All the best with your beast.
Have you considered getting a chunky neodymium magnet and epoxying it about 1" away from the end of the pickup tube or in a corner?
No need to glue it in, those suckers will stay where they land forever. Care would have to be taken to prevent it from sticking somewhere else!
I don't think there is any need to epoxy it to the tank, but the material is quite brittle, so you may want to encase it somehow (epoxy, heat shrink tubing, ...), otherwise you might end up with magnet dust in your fuel line...
For your view port idea, if you decide to do that in the future, press nuts are great for that sort of thinner metal. Mcmcaster has them. part # 96439A600 stainless 1/4-20 for example. They have all sizes.
One way to do it: Cut the hole, put a flange on top of it, drill bolt holes, remove flange, use flange hole pattern and drill holes to view port plate, put bolts to flange holes (note inside out) and weld bolts on the flange, put the flange inside the tank, bolts sticking out of the tank shell holes, tag weld flange to tank shell.
Loved that idea of the sand blaster! Brilliant
Good call on the filters..keep tank full, replacing filters should eventually get all the crap out of the tank.. hopefully
Always fascinating to see good problem solving. Also interesting to see how some things are built with a thought to future maintenance and some things ... well....
I think your solution works great!
Yes, there are other ideas. Everything is done before we see this.
To bolt a plate to the outside of the tank, you could fabricate a frame/flange that would sit on the inside of the tank to receive your bolts, sandwiching the tank wall. You could also secure it to the inside of the tank with external bolts, effectively using the tank wall as a bulkhead.
if you turn your T for the 2 inline filter you will get equal (ish) flow to both of them
bottom of the T is the inlet, left and right of the T sends fuel to the filters making the fuel make a right and left to each filter rather than 1 filter going straight and the other with a turn
great content as always!!
what about using a fuel bladder inside the tank.. trying to think out of the square rusty box you have plaguing your efforts
Interesting watch as you sort problems out on the fly.
You could cut a oblong hole in the tank, get plate bigger weld bolts through new plate put plate and gasket inside tank and use nuts and washers on the outside. Really enjoy your videos.
Concerning inline fuel filters, NAPA has 2 different inline fuel filters. One is a gas filter, the other is a diesel filter. Be sure you get the correct one. Gas will flow through a diesel filter much easier than diesel will flow through a gas filter. Using 2 filters in parallel is a very good idea.
I always look forward to your videos, John. Thank you.
I have an ‘87 International truck with what I suspect is a rusty fuel tank. You have given me some good ideas for future fixing it struggle sessions. The advantage I have , of course, is that my tank is out in the open and can be easily removed and dealt with. I have already installed a cheap eBay water separator/filter but that tank is going to have to come off either way. Great video!
Krud Kutter is great for removing rust from a tank,you can buy it at home depot. It will desolve it gentally and neutrilize with water. Drain excess water and stick a hair dyer in the sending unit hole to dry it out. I'm subscribed so Ill be watching .Im building a trailer that is multi tasking ,I think you might enjoy the build. If you could find a thread on canister base and use a thread on filter it would last longer because it would hold more crud.
I saw a trick multiple people used. Put a strong magnet on the outside or inside of the tank which would allow the rust/metal to accumulate in one spot for easier extraction obviously away from the suction tube. Some even used the magnet on a speaker.
Invert your tubes on the tee after the filters. That's a nice way to help even out your parallel flow... The filters that feeds from the branch of the tee before the filter should feed the inline part of the tee after the filtre. That way both filter has tee branch on his circuit (each circuit get a tee branch and one inline tee...). We see that kind principle in hydronic heating system to help naturally even out the flow in multiple radiators circuit.
Inverting the tubes is an easy task and also I'm curious to see if both filters would fill up on start-up with this mod.
Sounds like you've got it working well. My only thought is maybe bending up the fuel pick up pipe in the tank to get if further from the tank floor. The sediment was pretty small so might not make much of a difference.
Great content as usual FC101! Your problem solving and thought process is relevant to so many everyday situations...thank you
My tank inlet had a small screen cage around the intake opening. It keeps the tube slightly above the crud and keeps larger debris out of the line. Has to be cleaned periodically. I agree no sparks. Just light reflection.
I find all of your content to be both interesting, and very helpful. Keep doing your thing man.
no idea but i get goosebumps of well explained graphs lol awesomevideo again, to oshort tho!!!
When I was a diesel mechanic we would do what we called a hot shot. We would drain it, put degreaser inside, scrub it the best we could with a rag on a metal rod, then get the heated pressure washer as hot as possible and blast the inside out then run a fan into the tank to dry it out. That was the best way to clean the crud.
Look into using feed grade molasses to clean rust.
Works wonderfully.
It's very VERY slow, but it's gentle and does a great job.
Ya, I was thinking the same. I tried soaking some rusted items in a dilute molasses solution for weeks, it ~hardened back to ~steel in place.
It might be worth installing a beacon on the roof of the excavator, or having a small magnetic one you can put up there when working roadside.
It really helps people distinguish operating plant next to the road much earlier to give you more room or reduce speed a little.
I had a big Liebherr excavator that had fuel problems. Turns out there were 2 inches of sludge in the tank. I drained it and sucked up all the sludge with a shop vacuum. Then I installed a new fuel pump and it ran great afterward.
24:50 If you inverse the lines on the second T, you won't have any straight line : both lines will have the same "pressure" (one curve each)
Doh! That's a great point. I may have to change that up. Thanks.
I´m confused. See your diagram and understand the technical background of this solution opend my eyes and shows me, how stupid i am ! Hahaha ! Great videos and greetings from germany !
Some really ingenious comments from the viewers. I remember a movie about drug runners from the 80's where their plane had 3 fuel filters in parallel. With shut off valves to replace in flight if needed. I guess the avgas handling in Columbia wasn't super hygienic - LOL. Was taking Physics in college about that time and it resonated with me.
I'm 10min in to this video (man the sparks were Bizarre), and you just found all the rust in the bottom of the tank. I just want to say, before i watch the rest, that i would simply reline the bottom of the tank with tank urethane and simply trap it all in place. (But not w/o first checking the walls and top of the tank for flaking-off rust) 👍
If you swap the brass fitting around on the fuel filters so one connects to the T on the intake and the other filter connects to the T on the outtake, Thereby evening it out somewhat more?
clever idea, must add 5 or 10 filters. I'm just trying to be funny and not in my mother language. keep goinf. your videos are so relaxing. thanks a lot.
VERY NICE WORK. !!!!!!! KEEP SAFE...... PUT EXTRA 3X BIGGER FILTER...
Power washer does a great job at cleaning them out. Would have tried that first.
Hey,you can use vinegar for cleaning the tank,it will eat all those rust away.safest cleaning options so far
You can use a 'chimney whip' to clean inside tanks. They come in .095 'weed-whacker line' and steel braided cable models. Powered by a drill & do a good job of cleaning if they hit. (Big open area they'll want to flop around. )
Awesome tip, thanks!
Good Day, Sir I learned a long time ago from my old farm owner, that if you have been running your tractor all day then you should fill your tank every night before you put your tractor to bed, so you do not get condensation in your tank
And the duel fuel filters…brilliant!!😄👍
Switch the outlet tee around so that the second filter is on the straight. It will help to balance the pressure drop and equalise the flow. 👍🏻
Hey Jon they make cleanable in-line filters!
Have you got an air powered vacuum gun that you can use with your compressor? If not i seriously recommend getting one, they are so useful, i use mine for everything in the shed from vacuuming up oil spills to cleaning up sawdust.
I worked for a petroleum contractor, installing and upgrading gas stations. we had air operated tools of all kinds... liquid diaphragm pumps, jig saw, and vacuums...obviously there not cheap, but work very well and spark free... maybe you can come across something used.
I'm with you on the sparks. Might be interesting to put some different metal shavings, rust, sand, stones, in a metal tube and blow it out in a dark room.
There are paints that bond to rust and prevent further rusting. Works pretty good.
Caswell epoxy tank sealer. Please, use this product. I did on a fuel tank for a diesel genset i owned. Fantastic product.
One way to limit water condensing inside the fuel tank is to keep it topped full of diesel (i.e. that liquid gold) after each job. The greater the empty head space in the tank, the more moist air gets pulled inside as the air expands & contracts from daily heating & cooling cycles.