Community Forums

HeyRob · 05-08-2023, 12:43 PM

Hey guys,

I am trying to locate my 3126B's fuel filter in my 2003 Fleetwood Excursion. It's on a Freightliner XC chassis. Unfortunately, I don't think my engine has both a primary and secondary filter.

The only fuel 'filter' I've found is behind the radiator and is a Luberfiner LFF 90013 fuel/water separator. While this is fine as a Primary fuel filter, I'm mostly sure this does not meet the minimum specification from CAT for a 2 micron filtration before going to engine's injector system.

Does anyone else have experience with a single-filter fuel system? Is just replacing that fuel/water separator enough for my 3126B?

It just seems like a serious oversight from Freightliner to not make primary/secondary filter setup here. Any help on confirming this is 'normal' for Freightliner to do would be appreciated!

Thanks guys!
Rob

deblas · 05-08-2023, 02:16 PM

On my 05 Providence (Spartan), the secondary was mounted high up on the motor. To get to it, I had to remove the floor access panels in the bedroom.

If you’ve already looked there, I will suspect you are correct about not having it.
If that is the case, I have read that this was repeatedly practiced in some model years. I can’t speak to the reasons or if it is appropriate.

Skip426 · 05-08-2023, 07:19 PM

Do you have the micron specs on the LuberFiner LFF-90013 ?

My coach with the secondary filter moved from the top of the engine along with a manual primer pump has .
Primary LFF-1000
Secondary LFF-4783

This spec sheet for the 3126B shows the secondary fuel filter about a foot behind the HEUI pump , with the manual primer pump on top.

After the manual fuel pump section of the HEUI pump , fuel pressure is 65psi+ so any re-location of the filter requires the appropriate high pressure fuel lines and fittings.
The spec sheet shows metal tubes for the high pressure fuel.

Skip426 · 05-08-2023, 07:49 PM

I also should have mentioned , all coaches will have one fuel filter , most will have two and some will have three.

Some Freightliner chassis have a " strainer " filter in the fuel line above the passenger side suspension air bag .
From connections in the area , it appears a PO had mine removed .
Diagram shows the location , first picture shows the strainer in place on another members chassis and second picture the fittings in that location on my coach.

An old post details how a member had over $3,500.00 in repair bills before the plugged strainer was found .

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f26/the-t...er-328852.html

The diagram has surfaced since this thread was posted.

FIRE UP · 05-09-2023, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeyRob

Hey guys,

I am trying to locate my 3126B's fuel filter in my 2003 Fleetwood Excursion. It's on a Freightliner XC chassis. Unfortunately, I don't think my engine has both a primary and secondary filter.

The only fuel 'filter' I've found is behind the radiator and is a Luberfiner LFF 90013 fuel/water separator. While this is fine as a Primary fuel filter, I'm mostly sure this does not meet the minimum specification from CAT for a 2 micron filtration before going to engine's injector system.

Does anyone else have experience with a single-filter fuel system? Is just replacing that fuel/water separator enough for my 3126B?

It just seems like a serious oversight from Freightliner to not make primary/secondary filter setup here. Any help on confirming this is 'normal' for Freightliner to do would be appreciated!

Thanks guys!
Rob

Rob,
There are probably a few thousand RV's with CAT engines in them out there with a SINGLE fuel filter only, mine is one of them. I spoke to a gent on here (and he pariticpates in other RV forums also and is a Freightliner instructor) about that subject back when I had a No start condition after changing my one and only fuel filter several years ago. He told me that CAT and Freightliner had some words/discussions etc back quite a while ago and one argued that there was a need for two filters and the other argued against two.

Well, he said the bean counters won for that time frame era and for a while, many, many RV's were produced with Freightliner chassis's along with both CAT 3126's and mine, the C-7 in various HP ratings and had a single fuel filter. Apparently it's not a hinderance or issue to run with a single filter because, we now have between 107,000 and 108,000 miles on our '04 Itasca Horizon 36GD with the CAT C-7 330HP and it runs like a top. I've changed oil and fuel filters a billion times and I still can't remember off the top of my head which part number of fuel filter I use without going out to the coach and looking at it. Whatever it is, it not only works but it has the water separator bowl on the bottom of it too.

I for one am seriously glad I don't have that second filter. The prime reason is, every one of my buddies that has that second filter cuss their heads off every time they have to change it because it's located in such a tight spot that fuel is spilled every time and there's no real delicate way of getting around that.
Scott

DJJ · 05-10-2023, 05:33 AM

Rob,
You are correct that the spec is 2 micron filter. That’s why those of us that have the single filter/water separator can’t use cat fuel filter. They don’t make a 2 micron like that, Alliance and others do. I made the mistake of going to a Cat dealer to get a fuel filter/ water separator with my engine ser# and what I later discovered it was rated at, if I remember correctly, 10 microns.

The other joy from Freightliner was that they did not install a primer pump for the fuel filter on many of of our chassis.

Jeff

HeyRob · 05-10-2023, 05:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skip426

I also should have mentioned , all coaches will have one fuel filter , most will have two and some will have three.

Some Freightliner chassis have a " strainer " filter in the fuel line above the passenger side suspension air bag .
From connections in the area , it appears a PO had mine removed .
Diagram shows the location , first picture shows the strainer in place on another members chassis and second picture the fittings in that location on my coach.

An old post details how a member had over $3,500.00 in repair bills before the plugged strainer was found .

The diagram has surfaced since this thread was posted.

Thank you for this info.. I will definitely be confirming my rig doesn't have at least that strainer setup between the tank and fuel/water separator.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJJ

Rob,
You are correct that the spec is 2 micron filter. That’s why those of us that have the single filter/water separator can’t use cat fuel filter. They don’t make a 2 micron like that, Alliance and others do. I made the mistake of going to a Cat dealer to get a fuel filter/ water separator with my engine ser# and what I later discovered it was rated at, if I remember correctly, 10 microns.

The other joy from Freightliner was that they did not install a primer pump for the fuel filter on many of of our chassis.

Jeff

So what was the outcome of your situation? Did you end up replacing it with a different filter? 10 microns is about the best I can find for a fuel/water separator setup.

Thank you all for the useful info and insight so far!

DJJ · 05-10-2023, 09:01 AM

Alliance filter ABP/N122-32FRT03
From Freightliner is 2 micron filter

NAPA 3693 is a 2 micron filter

NAPA 3783 is a replacement bowl

I have not used a Baldwin filter but my notes say BF7798-SP is 2 microns

Not having a primer pump I pre fill a new filter with a bowl. Plug center hole and fill the filter through the surrounding holes. Then drop the old filter and install the new one. Make sure the old square shoulder gasket/o ring is replaced. If it stays in place and you install the new one the filter won’t thread on.

Jeff

Wess14 · 08-09-2023, 07:10 PM

I spoke to a CAT service dept., Ring Power, Ocala, FL. They serviced the rig prior to me buying it. I advised them that I didn't have a secondary filter. I asked them if I should go with the 2 micron fuel/water filter instead of the CAT 10 Micron water/fuel filter. The service manager said not to go with just a 2 micron because it would plug up fast due to contaminants in the tank, such as algae. He told me to use the CAT filter that they put on it when they serviced it, the 10 Micron. He didn't really care to hear about the 2 micron when I advised him. I am thinking of putting a secondary 2 micron filter on the chassis next to the 10 micron. Any thoughts on this?