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Old 03-25-2012, 05:45 AM   #1
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Draining fuel filter

The manual on the Vesta says to drain the fuel filter of water every day. I'm sure everyone does that!! but after 12,000 miles I have tried to find the sucker. It is mounted on the engine and supposedly under the "dog house" inside the coach. The rv mechanic and I tried to find the "clips" or screws to remove the "house" to no avail. Anyone know where they are located?

There have been 5 recalls so far on the Vesta in less than a year is that "normal". Guess its better to have a recall than to have them ignore the issue.
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Old 03-25-2012, 05:56 AM   #2
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I bet the coach maker put that filter in a location that you can get too easy from the
outside. Have you looked for it.

Art
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Old 03-25-2012, 07:09 AM   #3
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rg, most diesel MHs have two fuel filters, a primary and a secondary. The primary is normally located off the engine and has the water separator unit and drain as part of it. The secondary fuel filter is normally attached to the motor. Your owners manual should cover the location of the water separator unit and if not you should contact the dealer you bought it from or Monaco tech.
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Old 03-25-2012, 09:36 AM   #4
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I don't know anyone who drains their fuel filter with anything like that frequency. On many coaches the primary filter ("water separator") has a clear lexan bowl at the bottom; if there's water it'll settle to the bottom of the bowl quite visibly. If during inspection, there appears to be water or anything else in the bowl then it's time to drain it.

I am not sure about the filter used in the Vesta however if it has the lexan bowl you can do the same. Sometimes there'll be a replacement filter with bowl even if the original doesn't have one.
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Old 03-25-2012, 10:35 AM   #5
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Rg, on the Vesta both the primary and seccondary fuel filters are attached to each other and the primary has a drain valve located on the bottom of it. Check page 210 of your owners manual for a picture. You also have a "Water-In-Fuel" sensor that will automatically light a RED Triangle warning light on your dash see Page 211 of your Owners manual. Like I said both the primary and secondary fuel filters are side by side and are located on the drivers your motor in the engine compartment, see page 218 of the owners manual and look for items 7 & 8 on the top chart (just by the steering wheel). Since you have a "Water-In-Fuel" sensor I would not be that concerned about draining it every day. Maybe drain it once before each major trip. There is NO clear plastic bowl to check and see if there is water in the separator. You should take the time to locate these filters and drain the primary filter once so you know where it is located and how to do it if you get a dash indication of water in the fuel so you are not stuck at the side of the road. You should not drive far with that warning light on the drain maybe to the next exit or gas station. You should check and see where the fuel drops when you open that drain. If it drops straight down onto the ground then that is OK but if it drops onto the motor anywhere close to the exhaust system or anything else then you should carry a collection can or container. You only need a small one because you will probably only drain about 6 oz or less out. I like to look at my fuel after I drain it to see if there actually was water in the fuel. The water will stay on the bottom of the container with the fuel floating on top and it is easy to tell.
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Old 03-26-2012, 07:23 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rg neumann View Post
The manual on the Vesta says to drain the fuel filter of water every day. I'm sure everyone does that!! but after 12,000 miles I have tried to find the sucker. It is mounted on the engine and supposedly under the "dog house" inside the coach. The rv mechanic and I tried to find the "clips" or screws to remove the "house" to no avail. Anyone know where they are located?

There have been 5 recalls so far on the Vesta in less than a year is that "normal". Guess its better to have a recall than to have them ignore the issue.
If you do ever find your fuel/water seperator I hope you have better luck than I did with mine. I drained a little bit out of mine yesterday (for the first time in a long time) and ended up creating an air embolism in the fuel system. Had to bleed both the secondary filter and injectors to get the coach running again. Won't be draining THAT filter again anytime soon
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