Riddle me this, oh my bitog brothers, how clogged does a fuel filter have to be to cause problem?
The story. The much loved, ever popular "Luv" machine, (1986 Chevy Astro Van, 4.3 V-6 family farm mule) has been running poorly as of late. It started with an occasional "hicup." This progressed to a motorized burp and tail pipe foofie. This escalated to poor power, TBI backfire, (more like a mild "pop") and engine dying under load.
At first, I thought I had water in my fuel bucket, especially as fuel "tank" is actually a five gallon bucket that sits behind the drivers seat. I was thinking maybe rain had leaked through the roof, (which is very rusted and has holes big enough I can stick my fist through them) and gotten into said fuel bucket/tank. Took bucket out, emptied it, cleaned it, reinstalled, no dice. Same problem, (in fact, it started getting worse).
Next step, change fuel filter. I happened to have an old, used one I had saved from when I did my sister's chevy truck about a year ago. Both her truck and the "Luv" machine use the same filter and I had saved her old one for just such an occasion. Swapped filters, fired up the ever faithful "Luv" machine and she ran like a sewing machine. Drove it around, tried to get it stuck in some soft sand, (testing for load), she pulled right through with renewed power.
I head back to my shop pleased, convinced the fuel filter I removed must be totally nasty and clogged. I mount said filter in a vice and cut it in half to take a look/see inside ready to be impressed by fuel nastieness. Much to my shock and surprise, it wasn't what I would call bad at all. The paper element inside was a dark brown color, (the color of a paper grocery bag). There were some tiny flakes of metal, but I count these up to cutting the filter in half with a metal saw. There was no gook or grime or dirt that I could see with my naked eye.
My question therefore is this, how "clogged" does a fuel filter have to be before it starts making trouble? I've had them go bad in the past, taken them off, blown them out and the stuff that comes out is black as coal, but this one actually looked pretty clean to me. Is is possible there is hidden junk that I simply cannot see? Or is it possible this fuel filter simple failed through some kind of flaw?
Thoughts, opinions, observations?
BTW - it was a NAPA filter that had been on the "LUV" machine about four years.
The story. The much loved, ever popular "Luv" machine, (1986 Chevy Astro Van, 4.3 V-6 family farm mule) has been running poorly as of late. It started with an occasional "hicup." This progressed to a motorized burp and tail pipe foofie. This escalated to poor power, TBI backfire, (more like a mild "pop") and engine dying under load.
At first, I thought I had water in my fuel bucket, especially as fuel "tank" is actually a five gallon bucket that sits behind the drivers seat. I was thinking maybe rain had leaked through the roof, (which is very rusted and has holes big enough I can stick my fist through them) and gotten into said fuel bucket/tank. Took bucket out, emptied it, cleaned it, reinstalled, no dice. Same problem, (in fact, it started getting worse).
Next step, change fuel filter. I happened to have an old, used one I had saved from when I did my sister's chevy truck about a year ago. Both her truck and the "Luv" machine use the same filter and I had saved her old one for just such an occasion. Swapped filters, fired up the ever faithful "Luv" machine and she ran like a sewing machine. Drove it around, tried to get it stuck in some soft sand, (testing for load), she pulled right through with renewed power.
I head back to my shop pleased, convinced the fuel filter I removed must be totally nasty and clogged. I mount said filter in a vice and cut it in half to take a look/see inside ready to be impressed by fuel nastieness. Much to my shock and surprise, it wasn't what I would call bad at all. The paper element inside was a dark brown color, (the color of a paper grocery bag). There were some tiny flakes of metal, but I count these up to cutting the filter in half with a metal saw. There was no gook or grime or dirt that I could see with my naked eye.
My question therefore is this, how "clogged" does a fuel filter have to be before it starts making trouble? I've had them go bad in the past, taken them off, blown them out and the stuff that comes out is black as coal, but this one actually looked pretty clean to me. Is is possible there is hidden junk that I simply cannot see? Or is it possible this fuel filter simple failed through some kind of flaw?
Thoughts, opinions, observations?
BTW - it was a NAPA filter that had been on the "LUV" machine about four years.
