Mini filter needed

[Terranical]

Does anyone have a fuel mini filter they don't need?
When attempting to remove mine to clean it I dropped the b****y thing and it has disappeared without trace. I'm currently running my T2 without one which I'm not happy about.
I'm in Spain (as is my Terrano) and would need it to be posted here. If anyone can help I would be extremely grateful.
Cheers
Bruce (Terranical)

[stinka]

You don't need it, just leave it out. Early ones don't have them. Just change your fuel filter every 6 months

[rustic]

You don't need it, just leave it out. Early ones don't have them. Just change your fuel filter every 6 months

How often should the fuel filter be changed then?

Every 6 months seems OTT !

[stinka]

Well once every full/major service so every 12k or perhaps even as long as 24k

But being as he's in Spain, and the amount of dust and shit on the roads I suggested every 6 months if he's concerned

I have no mini filter in mine and I shall change my fuel filter once a year

[Terranical]

You don't need it, just leave it out. Early ones don't have them. Just change your fuel filter every 6 months
My mini filter needs cleaning every 3 or 4 months (symptoms - poor acceleration, excessive black smoke), each time I take it out it's completely blocked, and this must be getting through the main fuel filter to end up in the mini filter.
What I don't want is all this c**p to end up in the diesel injection system, hence my urgent need for a replacement mini filter.

[stinka]

In that case your tank must be rusting on the inside, unless you are buying contaminated fuel !

Drop the sender out and have a look in your tank for rust etc

[solarman216]

I have a TDi that I am preparing for off road fun, I do not know yet if it has still got the filter but I do not want it so if it is there I will gladly let you have it, I have yet to be convinced of the need for this thing, after all the fuel has gone through a paper filter much finer than the gauss mini thing, so where does this contamination come from? Rick

[briggie]

I have a TDi that I am preparing for off road fun, I do not know yet if it has still got the filter but I do not want it so if it is there I will gladly let you have it, I have yet to be convinced of the need for this thing, after all the fuel has gone through a paper filter much finer than the gauss mini thing, so where does this contamination come from? Rick

ive no idea either rick , but , judging by the amount of people that had clogged up ones , and then cleaned them to notice a vast improvement , i can only summise it must be doing something :nenau :eek:

[davenclaire]

Im thinking the mini filter its self is the problem as rick says the fuel has passed threw the paper filter first. so my thinking is the mini filter is reacting with the deisel its self poss chemicals added to it..... these same chemical attach them selves to the mini filter and build up over time

think of it like scale building up in ur kettle.

[Terranical]

I have a TDi that I am preparing for off road fun, I do not know yet if it has still got the filter but I do not want it so if it is there I will gladly let you have it, I have yet to be convinced of the need for this thing, after all the fuel has gone through a paper filter much finer than the gauss mini thing, so where does this contamination come from? Rick
Thanks for that Rick, if you do have one would it be possible to send it to Spain? Obviously I would pay for the filter and postage costs and some extra to cover costs of taking it to the post office,plus something for your trouble.
The problem I have is that when I'm not in Spain my daughter uses my Terrano, and as she never has any money, runs it til it's running on fumes - any gunge in the tank then gets sucked up. I think that's why my filter gets blocked.

[davenclaire]

Thanks for that Rick, if you do have one would it be possible to send it to Spain? Obviously I would pay for the filter and postage costs and some extra to cover costs of taking it to the post office,plus something for your trouble.
The problem I have is that when I'm not in Spain my daughter uses my Terrano, and as she never has any money, runs it til it's running on fumes - any gunge in the tank then gets sucked up. I think that's why my filter gets blocked.
Gunge still wouldnt get threw the main paper filter thothey filter down to 5 micron but i understand your concern

[Fez_uk]

newer terranos don't have them or the mavericks.

[rustic]

I've never touched mine in 17 years :augie
But I must admit I am tempting to whip it out and have a look see.:nenau

[arcascomp]

Could the crud be down to corrosion of the pipes from main filter to pump on the inside? :nenau or does the pump cause so much suction that it reduces the effectiveness of the main filters?

[kitchenman]

When my mini filter was done under warranty the garage bloke said it was full of stuff like belly button fluff, could it be bits of fuel filter element?

[Terranical]

Each time I have done mine it has been blocked with thick black treacly stuff, don't know what it is.

[stinka]

I'd pull your sender and have a look in your tank, its an easy job

You can see whats in the tank and its simple enough to dredge it out then.

Mine was like new metal inside with clear diesel, thats what you are looking for, but i'd expect yours to be shitty and dirty on the bottom, maybe some cowboy put old engine oil in there or sommit

[Terranical]

I'd pull your sender and have a look in your tank, its an easy job

You can see whats in the tank and its simple enough to dredge it out then.

Mine was like new metal inside with clear diesel, thats what you are looking for, but i'd expect yours to be shitty and dirty on the bottom, maybe some cowboy put old engine oil in there or sommit
Thanks for that Stinka, I will do that. If what is in the bottom of the tank is old oil or something similar, it might explain why it's getting through the main filter.

[cncfabs]

Thanks for that Stinka, I will do that. If what is in the bottom of the tank is old oil or something similar, it might explain why it's getting through the main filter.

Word of caution the sender unit is held on with several very small screws that on older truck may well snap off wouldnt go there myself.You could run the tank low then undo the drain plug on bottom of tank see what comes out.

[stinka]

Mine had those very small ones and they were corroded to hell

I had to hammer on a multi point socket a size smaller as the heads had gone :p

I had soaked it in wd40 over night, and I managed to reuse the bolts again by tapping said socket on each bolt again

[stinka]

But yeh, if they look fooked go the way of drain plug if u arent feeling brave

[solarman216]

well had a look at last for this filter, at first did not see one, certainly nothing in the front banjo, then looked at the rear and found a ball and spring with three washers behind it so it is calibrated, could see a metering orifice below where the ball sits, but by on holding it to the light could not see through it decided there must be a mesh filter in there but had to insert a screw quite tight into the brass ferrell and it needed a fair effort to get it out as it had been peened over, the only reason I can see for this to be where it is, is to stop the rather small orifice from becoming blocked by wear debris from the pump, the paper filter is much much finer than this mesh, and I will not be refitting it, as to whether it is to one you want I will leave for you to decide, it measures 5.5 mm diameter and 16 mm long of which 3.6 mm is the ferrell, Rick

[Terranical]

well had a look at last for this filter, at first did not see one, certainly nothing in the front banjo, then looked at the rear and found a ball and spring with three washers behind it so it is calibrated, could see a metering orifice below where the ball sits, but by on holding it to the light could not see through it decided there must be a mesh filter in there but had to insert a screw quite tight into the brass ferrell and it needed a fair effort to get it out as it had been peened over, the only reason I can see for this to be where it is, is to stop the rather small orifice from becoming blocked by wear debris from the pump, the paper filter is much much finer than this mesh, and I will not be refitting it, as to whether it is to one you want I will leave for you to decide, it measures 5.5 mm diameter and 16 mm long of which 3.6 mm is the ferrell, Rick
Hi Rick
Thanks for looking, it doesn't sound like the same filter - mine was under the front banjo roughly below the steering pump pipework (didn't know there was another!)
From memory (as mine is lost), it was about 8mm dia and 8-10mm deep, made from s/s mesh with a brass top, meaning you can't use a magnet to lift it out!
Cheers. Bruce

[solarman216]

yes I thought they may be different, on your TD is the banjo at the front the feed to the pump or the return, on my TDi it is the feed the return being the one at the rear horizontally mounted with the injector leak off joining it, I remember on the Perkins 6,354 truck engine it had a similar control orifice on the return, it was there to keep the pump at a reasonably stable pressure if it got blocked (as your filter) then it screwed the hydraulic governor up, Rick