Craig,

Have U tried to access European Auto recently? I tried and I get a 500 error. I can enter make model and year but when I click on the part catagorie I need, I get the error.

I tried calling but no answer. I sent e-mails and no answer either.

P E H

I just used the link at the top of the page, It works fine for me now. Try again, maybe the site was down for some reason.

Craig,

I still get the same 500 error.

When I tried the phone number in the website, I got a buzz, buzz, buzz, not a ring. No answer from e-mails either.

P E H

This site has the fuel thermostat, so do many others out there. Got the beast all put back together, and broke a fuel hose going to heater in process...another trip to Napa to get some fuel line.

PEH, I hear ya. I'm all about saving $, but something about letting filters go for extended periods of time seems contrary to Mercedes mechanic advice on a diesel. $3 every 3k miles seems insignificant on a Mercedes. call me crazy but its not an 04 Civic... I wont touch the main filter for a while, but prefilter gets changed with every oil change for me.

__________________
Paul
Benz-less
I need an SDL !

Just for jollies.... I'll throw this in.

I've had a pre filter clog and it just feels like someone threw a boat anchor behind the car. I opted for the clear filters to see what was going on, and it was easy to see the filter close to collasping.
BTW, the major reason that I saw this was I switched to Bio-D. It did clean the system and be fore-warned..Using Bio-D is overall benificial, BUT, be prepared to change a filter or two while it cleans out the fuel tank and lines......

a2t,

This amazes me. I mean you replaceing a filter way too often because someone told you to. I like to think for myself. Why don't U ask the brilliant mechanic just why the filter should be changed at such short intervals? I doubt he will have any reason better than just because he thinks so.

The only thing the primary filter does is keep bigger chunks of dirt out of the fuel pump. Smaller particles are passed thru and caught by the secondary filter. Its the secondary filter that protects the IP by its much lower micron rating.

The wear mode of a filter is that it finally won't pass enough fuel to keep the engine fully supplied. It doesn't dump its load of dirt at any time, it just becomes plugged when the passages thru the filter medium become smaller than the molecules of fuel. And as the passages become smaller, a filter becomes more efficient, efficient meaning it filters out smaller and smaller particles of dirt but with a decrease in flow as probear said in his post.

Since the prefilter is so easy to change, one minute as U say, I have no problem changing it along the road as needed. This I have done many times my '80 300SD because it became contaminated with fungus. Even after treating with Biobor, the filters become plugged every year or 2. But I never change them until I notice a decrease in engine power. But the '79 300SD in 8 years and 72,000 miles has never needed the pre filter changed.

I even reverse flush the fuel filters and use them again. Maybe U would send your slightly used filters to me so I wouldn't have to so this.

P E H

Sure, pay for shipping and I'll send you the old pre-filters. Email me if you want them - pi2060@yahoo.com

I spoke with Hans (the Mercedes mechanic I know in Doraville, GA) about this thread. He recommends changing the prefilter at every oil change. BTW, Hans is a pretty serious Mercedes diesel guy. I donno what the P stands for in P E H, but I think Im going with a guy named Hans on this one

I felt like an idiot for asking him. Its all of (gasp...) a dollar 67 for a prefilter. This is also the last line of defense before that $2,000 ++++ injection pump. Why you would want to skimp on this and wait for the car to bog is way beyond me. What would happen if the plastic screen failed and suddenly let in chunks of debris rusting off the inside of the 250,000 mile old fuel system??

I'll send you the used motor oil if you want, too. Although that stuff seems to run black 2 minutes after I change it, so even you might not want it...

__________________
Paul
Benz-less
I need an SDL !

a2t, a reasonable comprimise is to buy the clear prefilters and keep an eye on it. I wouldn't change mine every oil change unless you really have some significant contamination in the fuel system. Mine seem to last around 40-50K miles on average. I suspect they clog suddenly due to contaminated fuel anyway, so changing them more often wouldn't help. If I do notice any reduction in performance I just change both filters at the same time. The most important thing is to always carry a spare set.

a2t,

Even MB does not recommend replacing the prefilter every oil change. Hans may be prejudiced because he makes money by replacing filters.

The prefilter is not the last line of defense of the IP, the secondary filter is. The prefilter protects the fuel pump.

Craig,

I have never seen both fuel filters plug at the same time. One plugging has no correlation to the condition of the other. When I notice a loss of power, I remove the prefilter and blow thru it. That is an easy test to determine if it is the cause of power loss. If fuel squirts out easily, I know the pre filter is OK and the secondary filter is the cause of the power loss. So I reinstall the prefilter and change the secondary filter.

I have replaced a lot of filters in one of the MB I have because I got fuel contaminated with fungus. I have treated the fuel system with Biobor but filters are still plugging more than usual which I attribute to dead fungus still in the fuel tank breaking loose. The necessary filter change intervals are getting greater, so I suspect that eventually the problem will disappear.

P E H

That would probably work, but if I bother to remove the prefilter, I'll replace it anyway. It's not worth messing around and blowing through it to save $2. I'm still not convinced that one filter being plugged has no correlation to the other. If there's enough >10 micron stuff to clog the prefilter, I would suspect there is some <10 micron stuff in the main filter too. In any case, if it's bad enough that I have to stop on the side of the road and get fuel on my hands and my engine, I'm going to change them both.

It doesn't happen very often on my car, maybe once in 40-50K miles, probably due to some dirty fuel. The last time I had clogged filter(s) was about 3 months ago after filling up in the middle of MN in some small town. I got on the highway and started noticing a loss of power within an hour or so, by the time I got to IA it was slowing down to 50 on moderate hills. There must have been something nasty in that fuel. I'm still using the filters I installed that day (about 10K miles now). I'm a little surprised it didn't clog the second set of filters. I was concerned because I only had one spare set and I was still about 800 miles from home.

All this talk about filters. My story goes something like this. My car ( 1995 e300)
Has never had any fuel filters changed since I've owned the car (6 years ). I did notice a change in performance.
I changed the pre-filter and noticed some small black balls (not very much but still disturbing ) in the filter with some slime. Not clogged but got changed anyway. Ordered a secondary filter because I determined the pre-filter wasn't affecting the performance. Haven't driven my 95 e300 in 3 years because I was working on the 85 300sd which I sold a month ago.
I got concerned about fuel contamination because I haven't been driving it for 3 years so I drained the fuel tank. Then removed the tank strainer. But I noticed the remaining fuel was very slow to drain. Once the strainer was out it was contaminated and coated with slime. Cleaned the strainer with acetone and got a new oring. Then I stuck my finger inside the tank where the strainer resides and a chocolate color gunk was at the bottom of the tank.
So the tank got removed and cleaned with a high pressure sprayer. Had to do it 3 times till the rinse water was clear. Left the tank outside the car till the residual water was evaporated. BTW taking the tank out....challenging.
Anyway I guess my point is that if you don't know the last time the strainer was cleaned it probably needs it. And be sure to check the sump in the tank for gunk. My car has 142k miles and this was the first time the strainer was cleaned.
Just thought it needed mentioning the tank strainer because it often overlooked.
Roddy

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Roddy,

Recommend that next time you leave a diesel car sitting for longer than a few months, fill the fuel tank as full as possible to reduce the air volume, and add some biocide to keep any microbes from growing. Water condenses out of the air in the tank with the daily temperature cycle, and microbes live in the water that collects in the bottom of the tank. Keeping the tank full minimizes this water build-up.

__________________
Respectfully,
/s/
M. Dillon
'87 124.193 (300TD) "White Whale", ~392k miles, 3.5l IP fitted
'95 124.131 (E300) "Sapphire", 380k miles
'73 Balboa 20 "Sanctification"
Charleston SC

I didn't intend to let the car sit for so long but unplanned events happen and things get put aside. Time can get away from you because priorities change.
I don't think having to take the fuel tank out every so often is that big of a chore and knowing that everything is clean helps with peace of mind. The point is the fuel system needs maintenance and shouldn't be taken for granted. Also...learn from my mistake. I think putting a chemical in the tank to kill off the fungus is a good idea but if you know you've got a fungus problem already then cleaning out the tank to get rid of the debris left behind by the fungus just makes sense to me.
Roddy

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