Sleigher

I finally gave up on fixing my "rough idle" problem. I took the truck to Cummins to let them take a stab at it.
At first they told me that it must be a problem in the tank. They were able to make it run smooth if they took the fuel from a bucket instead of the tank.
I was to come pick it up because they wouldn't pull the tank.
Then he called me back and said that the truck wouldn't stay running (this hadn't happened before).
He asked if it would be okay to bypass the fuel heater. They didn't think it was needed anyway (I live in So Cal). I said ok.
Called me back and said the truck was running good, that there must be a restriction in the fuel heater but it was bypassed now.
They put the truck on their dyno and got 240 horsepower to the rear wheels (I was pretty happy about that).
So, do I need to re-connect the fuel heater?
Thanks in advance.

Peter

tjohnson

I would doubt it in that particular climate. The only thing you will miss is the pre-strainer filter that acts to trap large particulate matter in your fuel system before it hits the fuel filter.

I am in the process of rebuilding my heater/strainer. If it fries again I am going to do the bypass thing myself, I would need the heater a few days out of the year but I have heard of lots of people on this site that run without the heater as long as it isn't leaking diesel fuel or allowing air leaks into the fuel system.

Hemi Cat

Living in So Cal, you can probably get along without the heater portion of it. The problem you may encounter is that part of the heater unit is the pre filter/water seperator. You will be drawing in the fuel directly from the tank. As long as the fuel is clean and free of water, you will be ok. I would say it's ok in an emergency but not long term.

infidel

My feeling is the screen in the fuel heater is redundant, the one in the tank is just as fine mesh. That's the reason when most folks go to clean the heater screen it's rarely dirty.

Sleigher

With that I think I will leave it out of the loop.
I picked up the truck last night and it ran great..
176,000 miles and putting 240 hp to the pavement is pretty good in my book. Of course I don't ask for much.
Thanks again.

Peter