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H1LM002G55
Expert
Date registered: Mar 2010
Location: S Florida / Geneva / Jeddah
Vehicle(s): 500 GE, G55, LM002, H1
Posts: 1796
| Fuel in America....A fuel filter change
Yesterday, I elected to change the fuel filter in the 500 GE. I changed it last about a year ago and it only has seen about 6,000 miles since the last time it was changed.
I realize I have been criticized for "over maintaining" my vehicles and I am aware of the very lengthy "recommended" fuel filter change interval stipulated by MB.
I was astonished to see the amount of contamination present when I emptied the contents of the old fuel filter into a stainless steel bowl.
I always:
- Buy Premium Fuel, 93 Octane
- Only buy from "big name" gas stations (Chevron, Shell, or Mobil)
- Buy from "main fueling hub" stations and not "off the beaten path", privately owned joints
- Buy after they have received their petrol delivery...If you buy when the fueling truck is on station, the contaminants left sitting in the underground bunker tanks will end up in your fuel tank
I am going to a 6 month fuel filter change interval. My injectors will thank me. The quality of fuel in the States (or lack thereof) is becoming seriously disturbing.
Edited by H1LM002G55 6/15/2013 5:34 AM
 (Fuel Filter .jpg)
Attachments
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 Fuel Filter .jpg (323KB - 1 downloads)
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Amnaggar
Veteran
Date registered: May 2013
Location: Dubai
Vehicle(s): '10 G55, '10 C250, '05 Volvo S40 T5, '05 Pajero
Posts: 100
| Re: Fuel in America....A fuel filter change
An unbiased expert should look at this and evaluate whether this is in fact wrong to happen, or is normal and that the filter is actually doing its job. We've always thought oil shouldn't come out black in an oil change, but fact is the black is the carbon particles that form early on in the new oil usage so dust particles would cling to these carbon particles, and that translates into the filter actually doing its job.
Edited by Amnaggar 6/15/2013 5:43 AM
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J.R.
Elite Veteran
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: Southern Maryland
Vehicle(s): 00 G500, 09 911 4S, 11 Cayenne S, 86 280GE (sold)
Posts: 828
| RE: Fuel in America....A fuel filter change
Have you considered cracking open the filter case and have a look at the filter media to see what it might hold too? I've always had some captured material back-drain into the drain pan, but have to say that I've not seen the level that you captured. I too am careful about avoiding low volume fueling stations.
I ask/offer the following purely out of curiosity. If you were making a guess, how much of the "contamination" might be residual from inside the tank (on the sides of the tank) that the last 6000 miles of fill ups (about 400 gallons?) cleaned the walls and bottom of the tank, and then the filter did it's job? The ethanol in our fuel these days does have some "cleaning" properties.
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Brent
Expert
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: SW Colorado USA
Vehicle(s): '13 Wolfsburg GTI
Posts: 1754
| RE: Fuel in America....A fuel filter change
Some urban legend there... All of the fuel you pump goes through a filter/s before it gets to your tank. Buying premuim when you do not need it helps to ensure you are getting the oldest fuel at the station. Regular is replenished much more often than premium and they ALL have plenty of detergents for your system. There is NO advantage to buying premium unless your car requires it.
Looks to me like the filter was doing its job. Condemning US fuel seems a bit extreme. Do you have a comparison from a european vehicle driven similarly? |
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DUTCH
Administrator Doppelgänger
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: US, GA, Atlanta
Vehicle(s): 2015 Audi Q7 3.0 TDI,2018 Sprinter
Posts: 9963
| RE: Fuel in America....A fuel filter change
J.R. - 6/15/2013 9:17 AM
The ethanol in our fuel these days does have some "cleaning" properties.
And, it captures moisture which leads to corrosion. Since I started using the enzyme "snake oil", all of my engines - both 2 cycle and 4 cycle - start easier and run better. Placebo effect? Possible, but not probable. |
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amg463
Veteran
Date registered: Apr 2013
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Vehicle(s): 1994 G300
Posts: 217
| Re: Fuel in America....A fuel filter change
Wait so regular is fine in my M103? |
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H1LM002G55
Expert
Date registered: Mar 2010
Location: S Florida / Geneva / Jeddah
Vehicle(s): 500 GE, G55, LM002, H1
Posts: 1796
| Re: Fuel in America....A fuel filter change
I disagree. I use the fuel recommended by the manufacturer always. For AMG motors, it is always premium. Though I know the Bosch fuel injection system on the 500GE is robust enough to burn anything which can be called fuel. Just ask the Russians and Eastern Europeans that bought the lion's share of MB cars in the late 1990s and filled them at their "petrol stations" which dispensed fuel similar in appearance to what I found inside my filter. |
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Brent
Expert
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: SW Colorado USA
Vehicle(s): '13 Wolfsburg GTI
Posts: 1754
| Re: Fuel in America....A fuel filter change
H1LM002G55 - 6/15/2013 1:36 PM
I disagree. I use the fuel recommended by the manufacturer always. For AMG motors, it is always premium. Though I know the Bosch fuel injection system on the 500GE is robust enough to burn anything which can be called fuel. Just ask the Russians and Eastern Europeans that bought the lion's share of MB cars in the late 1990s and filled them at their "petrol stations" which dispensed fuel similar in appearance to what I found inside my filter.
Does your 500GE have an AMG motor? Or is it the standard low compression 5 liter that came in the US spec S-class cars?
Congratualtions on buying into the oil companies marketing though and displaying a good dose of automotive hypocondriac-ism  |
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H1LM002G55
Expert
Date registered: Mar 2010
Location: S Florida / Geneva / Jeddah
Vehicle(s): 500 GE, G55, LM002, H1
Posts: 1796
| Re: Fuel in America....A fuel filter change
Brent - 6/15/2013 4:12 PM
H1LM002G55 - 6/15/2013 1:36 PM
I disagree. I use the fuel recommended by the manufacturer always. For AMG motors, it is always premium. Though I know the Bosch fuel injection system on the 500GE is robust enough to burn anything which can be called fuel. Just ask the Russians and Eastern Europeans that bought the lion's share of MB cars in the late 1990s and filled them at their "petrol stations" which dispensed fuel similar in appearance to what I found inside my filter.
Does your 500GE have an AMG motor? Or is it the standard low compression 5 liter that came in the US spec S-class cars?
Congratualtions on buying into the oil companies marketing though and displaying a good dose of automotive hypocondriac-ism :biggrin:
Yes. All 500 GEs have 2 valve AMG motors from factory with hotter AMG cams, different bearings, exhaust headers, domed pistons for HIGH compression, special fan clutch, etc...
These are the AMG refinements for the 2 valve per cylinder 5.0 V8. The Hammer engine was based on the M117 but had special AMG 4 valve heads...No 4 valve Hammer engines were ever fitted in a 500GE.
Edited by H1LM002G55 6/15/2013 4:48 PM
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W5YK
Extreme Veteran
Date registered: May 2006
Location: San Diego
Vehicle(s): 2002 G500, Unimog U2450,
Posts: 543
| Re: Fuel in America....A fuel filter change
Something wrong. That is way too dirty for a fuel filter. Are you sure you dont have some corrosion going on somewhere? I would investigate rather than just changing filters. |
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H1LM002G55
Expert
Date registered: Mar 2010
Location: S Florida / Geneva / Jeddah
Vehicle(s): 500 GE, G55, LM002, H1
Posts: 1796
| Re: Fuel in America....A fuel filter change
W5YK - 6/15/2013 6:25 PM
Something wrong. That is way too dirty for a fuel filter. Are you sure you dont have some corrosion going on somewhere? I would investigate rather than just changing filters.
I sent the picture to a point of contact at the MB Classic Center to get some feedback. No corrosion evidence seen anywhere. The fuel inside the filter was just very dirty / sooty.
Mechanic was not surprised. He says he sees even new cars towed in that have integrated fuel filters and pumps that will not run because of poor fuel or water contamination.....All stemming from poor quality gas station fuel.
His words, not mine. |
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olasdeplata
Extreme Veteran
Date registered: Sep 2006
Location: At the Beach in Hatteras
Vehicle(s): 280GE convertible 84, 300E 89
Posts: 396
| Re: Fuel in America....A fuel filter change
I would consider draining the fuel tank and washing it... |
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Brent
Expert
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: SW Colorado USA
Vehicle(s): '13 Wolfsburg GTI
Posts: 1754
| RE: Fuel in America....A fuel filter change
It should be spotlessly clean inside. I had the fuel pump out of my 20 yr old BMW just a few weeks ago and it was shiny as a mirror in the tank. I suppose not though on a poly tank 463  |
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hipine
Date registered: Jul 2006
Location: US, CO, Bailey
Vehicle(s): 460 1980 280GE w. 617A
| Re: Fuel in America....A fuel filter change
W5YK - 6/15/2013 4:25 PM
Something wrong. That is way too dirty for a fuel filter. Are you sure you dont have some corrosion going on somewhere? I would investigate rather than just changing filters.
I agree. I don't give a thought to which gas station I use, I try not to gas up when the tanker's there, but do on occasion, I do change fuel filters regularly and our vehicles see a total of 40,000 miles a year so I dump out a diesel fuel filter twice a year and a petrol one once a year. Never seen anything like what you're showing there.
Although, its true that this thing is a filter so just one dose of bad fuel can put contaminants in there that will be there until you change it even if the rest of the fuel run though is pristine. Still worth some looking inside the filter can and upstream for rust.
Good luck!
-Dave G. |
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H1LM002G55
Expert
Date registered: Mar 2010
Location: S Florida / Geneva / Jeddah
Vehicle(s): 500 GE, G55, LM002, H1
Posts: 1796
| Re: Fuel in America....A fuel filter change
Update:
Ran "Marvel Mystery Oil" every tank for the past year or so in proper amounts as specified on the bottole.
Did one or two Chevron with Techron fuel additive bottles over the past year.
Swapped fuel filters again about 3 months ago and voila! Extremely clean fuel drained out of the fuel and it was completely transparent.
The only change I did was add "Marvel Mystery Oil" when filling up the gas tank and 2 treatments (about every 6 months when making a 3 hour road trip) with the Chevron fuel additive.
Thought I would share. |
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H1LM002G55
Expert
Date registered: Mar 2010
Location: S Florida / Geneva / Jeddah
Vehicle(s): 500 GE, G55, LM002, H1
Posts: 1796
| Re: Fuel in America....A fuel filter change
P.S. I change fuel filters yearly. Cheap insurance with the fuel quality of today. |
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gelenda
Veteran
Date registered: Mar 2012
Location: Great Bay, New Hampshire
Vehicle(s): '03 G500, '16 E63S AMG, '15 Grand Cherokee Diesel
Posts: 122
| Re: Fuel in America....A fuel filter change
So the MMO helped clean out your gas tank and fuel line? If the dirt wasn't in the filter then where did it go? |
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H1LM002G55
Expert
Date registered: Mar 2010
Location: S Florida / Geneva / Jeddah
Vehicle(s): 500 GE, G55, LM002, H1
Posts: 1796
| Re: Fuel in America....A fuel filter change
I *assume* my multiple treatments of MMO / Chevron with Techron fuel additive and multiple fuel filter changes in a short period of time cleaned the system. I now have clean fuel based upon the contents of the filter and the color of the fuel during my last filter change. I will post a picture as soon as I can find it. |
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olasdeplata
Extreme Veteran
Date registered: Sep 2006
Location: At the Beach in Hatteras
Vehicle(s): 280GE convertible 84, 300E 89
Posts: 396
| Re: Fuel in America....A fuel filter change
My understanding is that most "distributors" of gasoline, Chevron, Shell, Exxon and non branded companies share refineries to avoid the high cost of transporting bulk gasoline. Even if the refinery is owned by one of the top brand distributors, it will service all others, delivering the same product. The "non brand" are usually cheaper because they purchase gasoline in the spot market.
The following companies use "EPA Top Tier detergents" in the US: Chevron QuikTrip, 76 Stations, Conoco, Phillips 66, Road Ranger, Kwik Trip, Shell, Entec Stations, MFA Aloha Petroleum, ARCO, BP, Costco, CountryMark, Express Convenience Centres, Exxon, Mobil, Hawaii Fuelling Network (HFN), Holiday Stationstores, Kwik Star, MFA Oil Break Time, Ohana Fuels, Superamerica, Texaco, and Tri-Par Oil Company... that is pretty much every gas station.
The only thing, in my opinion, you get from a top tier brand, is the quality control at the retail location, tanks, dispensers, shop etc. The rest is pure marketing. Gasoline is a commodity.
I do agree with some comments above: never fill when the tanker is there (the sediment in the bottom is disturbed), premium tends to be older gasoline, and gas stations in marginal locations will have older fuel (premium gas and no brand will compound the problem). Changing the filter often is cheap insurance.
Regarding additives, Polyetheramine or PEA is the best detergent. One should purchase "this" and not the "branded" additive.
Edited by olasdeplata 10/7/2014 1:02 PM
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DUTCH
Administrator Doppelgänger
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: US, GA, Atlanta
Vehicle(s): 2015 Audi Q7 3.0 TDI,2018 Sprinter
Posts: 9963
| Re: Fuel in America....A fuel filter change
olasdeplata - 10/7/2014 12:58 PM
My understanding is that most "distributors" of gasoline, Chevron, Shell, Exxon and non branded companies share refineries to avoid the high cost of transporting bulk gasoline. Even if the refinery is owned by one of the top brand distributors, it will service all others, delivering the same product. The "non brand" are usually cheaper because they purchase gasoline in the spot market.
Here in the Atlanta area, they all arrive in the same pipeline. |
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