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Additional fuel filtration, or factory "good enough" as is?

Dave88LX

Dave88LX

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When I pulled out my 30K fiilters (filtered 15K - 30K), it left me wondering if additional filtration would be a good thing.
Or, maybe this filter looks like trash, but, it did its job and that's all that's required. Old and new filters next to each other.
Seeing how black it was just made me question a lot of things.
I know the "buy from high turnover/newer places etc. etc. but you're not always in a place where you can plan it out.


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Thats pretty dark for the rear but its filtering great as the front filter is still beautiful looking
 
That picture would sum up why I wouldn’t want to switch filtration. That back filter is kicking ass and letting the front one just coast and find anything that may of snuck by.
 
Here's what someone else said:

I don’t believe what you’re seeing is uncommon, especially for a 2019+ truck. The primary filter is naturally going to be dirtier because it is the first line of defense and will see more contaminants and particulates than the final fuel filter will.

If you didn’t notice any significant power loss then I’d say those filters weren’t necessarily clogged or overly used.

The black you’re seeing could very well be asphaltenes captured from returned fuel from the High pressure pump and rail. When you take diesel fuel and expose it to rail pressures in excess of 30,000psi, you essentially cook / scorch the fuel.

This high heating creates little microscopic balls of tar that go back to the fuel tank. This is partly why you see increased filtration as standard equipment on the new era of Cummins powered Rams.

As they increased injection pressures, they had to increase fuel filtration as a means of cleaning up the returned fuel.

Add to that the fact that you want the fuel absolutely clean before it goes through an injection system at 30k psi.
 
Black market performance makes after market filtration with billet mounting options. You can use cat filters or whatever floats your boat. Stock filters are decent, but there are other filters like CAT that are way better and half the price.

That rear is dirty as hell, but the front looks decent. You could always replace the rear at 7,500 miles since it sees the most contamination first, and then extend the front by 7,500 miles. If you’re worried about cost or anything.

I’m anal so I always replace mine before the recommended, but I also have a fass 165 with cat filters. I replace ever 7,500-10k miles.


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Lift89 said:
Black market performance makes after market filtration with billet mounting options. You can use cat filters or whatever floats your boat. Stock filters are decent, but there are other filters like CAT that are way better and half the price.

That rear is dirty as hell, but the front looks decent. You could always replace the rear at 7,500 miles since it sees the most contamination first, and then extend the front by 7,500 miles. If you’re worried about cost or anything.

I’m anal so I always replace mine before the recommended, but I also have a fass 165 with cat filters. I replace ever 7,500-10k miles.


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Actually cat filters are worse than stock…..
 
I just wish the rear filter was less messy to change.
 
H3LZSN1P3R said:
Actually cat filters are worse than stock…..
Click to expand...

2 micron is worse huh? I have a fass with cat water separator and 2 micron high efficiency filter.

The water separator is a 10 micron, 100% removal of free water and 95% emulsified water. Then the filter is 2 micron. Doesn’t really get much better than that.


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Last edited:
Lift89 said:
2 micron is worse huh? I have a fass with cat water separator and 2 micron high efficiency filter.

The water separator is a 10 micron, 100% removal of free water and 95% emulsified water. Then the filter is 2 micron. Doesn’t really get much better than that.


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According to most the things i have read CAT’s 2 micron filter actually is a 4 micron filter according to many tests the rating they give is an absolute rating…. Also the OEM filters are 10 for water seperator then front is a 5 micron outer layer and 2 micron inner layer so it filters better than CAT filters
 
H3LZSN1P3R said:
According to most the things i have read CAT’s 2 micron filter actually is a 4 micron filter according to many tests the rating they give is an absolute rating…. Also the OEM filters are 10 for water seperator then front is a 5 micron outer layer and 2 micron inner layer so it filters better than CAT filters
Click to expand...

They have a 97.5% at 2 micron and a 99% at 3 micron and above, according the the local CAT tech I spoke with. So if anything they are just as good as stock in filtration. Where they are better, is price, availability and filter media, they can filter more and longer. So, CAT filters are essentially better.


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