What's everyones thoughts on when to change that dude? Annually? 25k?

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I'm not a doctor, but I'll have a look.

'85 300SD 245k
'87 300SDL 251k
'90 300SEL 326k

Six others from BMW, GM, and Ford.

Liberty will not descend to a people; a people must raise themselves to liberty.[/IMG]

I think it really depends on the history of the vehicle. If you know it has been replace regularly then i would say 15,000 to 20,000 miles is reasonable. But if you just picked the car up and it looks as if its the original one on there you may want to change it with about every oil change to make sure everything is cleaned out in the fuel system. Some low concentration of biodiesel works really good for cleaning.

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2003 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins - Georend fully built trans, Banks Big Hoss Bundle, Smarty Tuner, 5" turbo back exhaust. 500 HP and 1100 ft/lbs to the ground.
1979 Mercedes-Benz 300CD - Lost to a four car pile up on 275, Thank You Michigan Drivers.
1986 Mercedes-Benz 300D - Sold, Euro non-turbo car.

I do both fuel fitlers every fall, cheap insurance.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Sounds wise, I have a delivery of some setup for tomorrow.

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I'm not a doctor, but I'll have a look.

'85 300SD 245k
'87 300SDL 251k
'90 300SEL 326k

Six others from BMW, GM, and Ford.

Liberty will not descend to a people; a people must raise themselves to liberty.[/IMG]

I just carry spares and replace them both whenever I start to feel fuel starvation.

20K??

I tend to change it about once every three of the pre filters.

Tom W

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

IIRC it is 30k on the W210. Suspect the W123 and others should be the same?

Are all the same fuel and filter technology.......

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Terry Allison
N. Calif. & Boca Chica, Panama

09' E320 Bluetec 77k (USA)
09' Hyundai Santa Fe Diesel 48k (S.A.)

IMHO, fuel filter replacement intervals are nonsense. They will run forever with clean fuel and clog immediately with one tank of contaminated fuel, so their life is completely unpredictable. A brand new filter will clog just as fast as a 30K mile one if you run a batch of crud through it. Always carry spares.

On average, I probably change both mine every 30-40K miles whenever I feel a loss of power (once you feel it once, you will recognize what's going on). I just change them both, although I could probably get away with just changing the pre-filter.

I do both at the same time every 2 to 2.5 years, and have never had an issue yet....I think I went close to 40k on one of my spin-on filters....

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-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

I change mine every oil change, about 5000 miles. But, I run the 350 on waste turbine fuel I collect at work. And since I run a 300 mile commute to work( once a week) in the wee hours of the morning, it makes sense to me to change them at my convenience rather than on the side of I-10 with a flashlight in my mouth. I carry spares with me just in case though.

Wayne

Another vote for "change it when it clogs." I always keep a spare or two in the trunk, and a wrench of the right size for roadside changes.

I burned through a couple of them REAL FAST when I took a 172k car and put it on a strict diet of B99 biodiesel. I forget if that clogged two or three filters, but it happened in less than a thousand miles or so. Following that cleanout of ten years worth of tank gunk, I haven't had to change again.

Cheers, John

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'98 E300TD (W210) | Sold 6/09 with 205k and counting
'04 VW Touareg V10TDI

Absolutely. It's like asking "how often do you empty your ashtray?" Never if you don't smoke.

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Mark in MA
05 MB E320CDI 402k Granite Grey Metallic
05 MB E320CDI 267k Black
05 MB E320CDI 232k White
05 MB E320CDI 209k Tectite Grey
99 Dodge 2500 Cummins 5sp 148k
62 Jeep CJ-6 120k

Absolutely, Usually you'll detect a little "stumble" when pulling a hill and you then have plenty of time to change filters. The Cummins doesn't like to be starved for fuel, but no problem with the MB.

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1985 Euro 240D 5 spd 140K
1979 240D 5 spd, 40K on engine rebuild
1994 Dodge/Cummins, 5 spd, 121K
1964 Allice Chalmers D15 tractor
2014 Kubota L3800 tractor
1964 VW bug

"Lifes too short to drive a boring car"

Any sure fire way to tell that the spin on is clogged?

__________________
I'm not a doctor, but I'll have a look.

'85 300SD 245k
'87 300SDL 251k
'90 300SEL 326k

Six others from BMW, GM, and Ford.

Liberty will not descend to a people; a people must raise themselves to liberty.[/IMG]