Warning: Ditch the generic fuel filters for Fleetguard before you lose a pump

Spent 6 months running cheap Napa filters on my 7.3 Powerstroke. The day I pulled the old one and saw the bypass valve had started to fail I switched to Fleetguard. Who else has nearly toasted an injection pump running budget filters?

2 comments

2 Comments

william40718d ago

Start by saying the bypass valve failing is actually pretty rare on those Napa filters unless you let them go way too long. I ran them for years on my old Cummins and never had a bypass issue, but I was changing them every 5k religiously. The main problem with cheap filters is the media itself can collapse or get water logged, which starves the pump of fuel flow before the bypass ever opens. Fleetguard does make good stuff but there are other solid options like Wix or Baldwin that get the job done without costing double. Just change them on time and you'll be fine with most well known brands.

camerony8218d ago

Yeah, I totally get what you're saying @william407. I actually watched a buddy of mine completely trash a brand new injection pump on a 12-valve because he ran some no-name filter for way too long, and the media just kind of collapsed in on itself (like a soggy cardboard box). It didn't even clog the bypass, it just starved the pump and it started whining like a wounded animal before it gave up. He switched to Wix after that and changes them every 4k like clockwork now, zero issues. I think people overthink the brand name thing, but the real killer is just letting any filter sit on there past its prime, you know?