Hi all

I've read about the possiblity of getting poor quality diesel in developing countries and/or remote locations. I'm not sure if this means impurities ie dirt/water in the fuel, or what. 'Diesel Bug' does seem to exist, but is it really an issue?

I'm off to Morocco soon and was wondering what's the best way of dealing with this?

Obviously I'll try to buy fuel from decent supplies, but if there's an extra/different filter to install then I might as well do it in advance of problems.

I've seen a twin filter unit mentioned, and talk of different size filter holes (different makes/costs).

De-Bug and Powerplus gadgets look like a waste of money - I cant believe their claims.

What do the experts think? Anyone have experience of this?

Cheers
Clive
Land Rover 300Tdi

Hi Clive,

You'll have no problems with diesel in Morocco. Euro quality diesel has been available throughout the country for a couple of years. Look for "Euro 350" .Fuel stations are widespread so there should be no need to pump out of barrels, unless you're planning to spend a week in the wilderness, in which case fill your jerries/aux fuel tank.

Anyway, your Tdi will cope with poor fuel for ages, not like the Td5 or later engines.
See post here http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...498#post132662

Happy trails,

Jojo

Jojo

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Atlas Overland - Specialist adventure tour company providing off-road holidays for 4x4 enthusiasts in Europe and North Africa.
Tours to Morocco, Iceland, Arctic Circle, Portugal, Alps, Pyrenees, Eastern Europe, Corsica, and UK weekend tours.

Google Mr funnel, available from about £12. I have never used one but looks good.

Graeme

Given your engine I’m sure you’ll have no problems. Even the non Euro stuff will be fine. I think the only difference being it’s got a higher sulphur content. Someone on anther forum did point out high sulphur will contaminate your oil quicker so an oil change sooner rather than later when you get home maybe worth doing.
Mine was fine, just smoked a little more but actually seemed to run smoother on high sulphur. Lot to be said for low tech.


If you’re worried about water contamination there are marine filters available that will separate water.

Russ

I can vouch for the Mr Funnel, but get the largest one or the flow rate through it is a bit slow.

BTW I tried putting water through mine, & nothing came through!!

if you do pick up some dodgy diesel & use the Mr funnel, youll be suprised at the stuff it catches.

I also have a Racor prefilter as added security!

Andy

x 2 for Mr Funnel and definitely get the big one. We've used one on our trip and it's amazing how well it works.

I also fitted a second 'water seperator' fuel filter in our fuel line and changed both filters every 15,000km or so. Maybe a bit overkill, but peace of mind.

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www.seeyouwhenwegetthere.com

Any more info on the type of pre filters you used? Type, where from, where/how fitted etc?

I've a Land Rover 300Tdi

Thanks
Clive

Check out ASAP Supplies Marine & Industrial Equipment and Spares - worldwide distribution.

They have all sorts of filters & elements, just check the tech specifiactions etc regarding flow rates and Im sure you'll find one

I use racor, not cheap, but reliable & good reputation

Andy

Just to let you know that the 300 TDi Discovery has a "Sedimenter Bowl" which is a pre-filter, underneath the car near the rear axle. Most people in the UK are not aware of this as garage forecourt pumps usually have built-in filters. In fact some UK LR enthusiasts remove the unit and say that it is just a waste of time and space. On the other hand the pre-filter is very handy in places where jerry-cans are the norm. If one examines the pre-filter one will often find what looks like an egg yolk in the bowl so one may wonder how much the egg yolk installers get paid by the factory! In actual fact the "yolk" is usually a glob of bio-degraded diesel caused by condensation or damp in the fuel. It is of course highly desirable to trap the glob before it reaches the paper element filter.

One thing that might be worth carrying on a long trip is a spare lift pump as these sometimes give lots of trouble. I had a bad experience with these which in the end turned out to be fourth pump lucky! The problem was very poor running and the kangaroo effect so a new lift pump was bought (it was an aftermarket cheap brand with a dreadful reputation but at the time I didn't know that) The original Delphi pump would blow but not suck so I assumed that the new pump would fix things. A short road test showed that the car was still limping so what could it be? Next I took the injectors to a diesel fitters but the pop pressures were all about 2400 psi and the spray patterns were excellent so it wasn't that. By now I was thinking cracked head or blown head gasket which was making me feel quite ill. Nothing could now be done until new copper washers for the injectors arrived. Once they came I was able to do a compression test using a dummy glow plug adapter. Although the compression figures were not Rolls-Royce after a few turns of the engine the gauge was showing about 400 psi which to quote an old saying "is good enough for government work!" I was so happy that a new head or head gasket were not required that I ordered yet another lift pump. Unfortunately when it arrived there were no union nuts or olives and once again it was that infamous brand so I didn't even bother with it. Next a new Delphi pump was ordered and when the box was opened the superior quality was quite apparent but you get what you pay for. The new pump was fitted and when the engine was started it was immediately noticed that it now had a smoother and steadier even beat. On the road the vehicle was back on top form with white-van-man performance available! I checked the first replacement pump to try to discover what was wrong with it and came to the conclusion that the olives were the fault. They were very hard brass and they would not crimp down onto the pipes properly so if you are going to take a spare pump, take a Delphi! Good luck!