How To Change The Fuel Filter On A 2016 Ram 3500

| How-To - Engine and Drivetrain

Tips And Tricks For A Quick and Easy Filter Change - Fuel Filter Basics

Don't let this happen to you!

Make clean fuel is key to a healthy diesel engine. Fuel filter replacement is one of the major maintenance items that is frequently neglected or disregarded entirely. Diesel fuel filters too serve a dual purpose, filtering out both droppings and water. When filters get clogged, they can allow water to bypass them, contaminating the truck'due south injection system. Waiting until the filter element is completely plugged before changing can also lead to fuel starvation that will non but cause functioning loss, only also potentially damage injectors, injection pumps, and lift pumps. The bottom line is: Bad things happen when filters are left unchanged.

The expert news is, however, changing a fuel filter is something everyone can practice. All that'due south needed are the new filter (or filters if you own an '03 or newer Ford), a take hold of pan or bucket, and a couple of bones handtools. This month's basic preparation lesson is not meant to be an all-inclusive guide to changing your specific filter, rather a primer demonstrating the ease and basic procedure for virtually trucks. Exist certain to consult your owner's manual for your truck'due south specific filter change intervals (typically effectually fifteen,000 miles) and filter role numbers. Diesel fuel filters aren't always cheap, but we propose purchasing factory replacement units, as some of the more inexpensive alternatives don't ever provide the protection sensitive loftier-pressure fuel systems require.

Later on you've read this and decided it'southward fourth dimension to alter your fuel filter, a great resource for pace-by-step instructions for the first- timer is the Internet. While information technology may seem obvious to some, brand-specific forums, Google, and YouTube are chock-full of how-to stories and instructional videos. With their assistance there is no reason to shy abroad from performing a filter alter at home, saving a costly trip to the dealer and keeping your fuel system in tip-top shape.

Both five.9L and six.7L Cummins fuel filters are located on the driver side of the engine, beneath the intake manifold.

Cummins

On Cummins engines, the fuel filter blazon and style has changed slightly over the years, so for our purposes we're going to describe those found on the common-rail engines. Both 5.9L and 6.7L filters are located on the driver side of the engine, below the intake manifold. The major departure lies in how they are oriented, with the 5.9L filter being accessible from the topside of the engine and the six.7L from under the truck.

To change the filter, the first footstep is draining the fuel. Located on the lesser of the filter housing is a water drain valve. Attach a hose to this nipple and route it to a catch pan, and then open the valve and bleed the fuel. With the filter drained y'all tin at present remove the housing. On the v.9L, the cap is removed and the filter lifts up and out, yet, on the 6.7L you lot first demand to unplug the water-in-fuel sensor before lowering the canister and filter out through the lesser of the vehicle. The filters are reinstalled in the reverse order; make certain to replace and lubricate the canister O-ring. To prime number the system, cycle the cardinal without starting the truck 10 to 20 times.

All the Cummins-equipped Rams use a cartridge-manner filter, with the v.9L being accessible from the top. A one ane⁄8-inch socket is used to remove the filter cap.

The Duramax fuel filter is located on the rider side of the engine compartment, near the firewall and next to the battery. Due to its location, guys with larger hands need to think skinny in order to become a grip on the filter. Removing the plastic fenderwell liner is the easiest mode to betrayal the filter, since information technology is only held on with about 14 plastic snap fasteners and takes mere minutes to remove. Making the Duramax fuel filter unique is its integrated water-in-fuel sensor, which also houses the h2o drain petcock. This sensor needs to be unplugged from the vehicle's wire harness before spinning the filter off, and once removed, a special wrench is required to remove and install the sensor.

Replacement filters volition provide two new O-ring seals: i for the sensor bulkhead and one for the filter'south sealing surface, both of which should be lubricated with a petroleum-based lubricant earlier existence installed. Once the new filter is fastened to the truck, it's time to prime number the filter. On the Duramax, priming is washed by first opening the relief valve (accomplished with a ½-inch nut driver or flat-head screwdriver) and and so manually depressing the primer pump located on top of the filter housing. This process takes a bit of fourth dimension, and then patience is fundamental. Once all the air is bled from the filter, the relief valve should exist closed and the process is complete.

This is the Duramax fuel filter's factory location. As y'all can encounter, it tin exist tough to reach from the top.

While some people resort to pliers to remove the fuel-in-h2o sensor, there's a special tool that makes the job much easier and doesn't risk destroying the delicate plastic.

On this relocated filter you tin can conspicuously see the relief valve and the primer pump.

The Power Stroke family of engines is the most unique when it comes to not just fuel filter blazon and placement, just too quantity. While the Duramax utilizes a single sealed spin-on-type filter and Cummins uses a single cartridge, Fords equipped with 6.0L, 6.4L, and 6.7L engines receive two cartridge filters (vii.3L engines apply a single cartridge.) The chief filter is located along the driver framerail at nigh the midpoint of the chassis, and restriction lines and wire harnesses can obstruct depending on year. On '03 and newer models, the secondary filter is located on tiptop of the engine.

Thankfully, changing the filters is a relatively straightforward task. The first footstep is to drain the filter using the h2o drain valve. While the procedure is the same, the actual drain valve is different on each engine model. With the fuel drained, the canister cap tin be removed and the new filter installed. Brand sure to replace the quondam O-rings with the ones provided. On the half dozen.0L and 6.4L engines, the secondary filter is inverse in much the same way. Merely remove the plastic cap and replace the filter element and O-ring.

As a departure from the previous cartridge-fashion secondary filter, the 6.7L uses a sealed cartridge, which is replaced every bit a unit. Replacement requires a setscrew to be loosened and the two quick-disconnect fuel lines to exist removed. With those steps consummate, the unit simply lifts out for disposal. For a quick style to know if the filter has ever been changed, look for a tertiary nipple, which is nowadays merely on the original factory filter.

Priming the fuel system merely requires the key to be cycled 10 to 20 times without starting the engine. This will allow the vehicle's depression-pressure fuel pump to make full the new filters with fuel and purge the system of air.

If you're lucky enough to own a 6.0L, 6.4L, or 6.7L Power Stroke, you'll observe a secondary fuel filter, like to this one, under the hood.

Seen here is the primary fuel filter on a 6.0L-equipped F-550 iv-wheel bulldoze. Mounted near mid-chassis on the driver side, this truck'due south filter is partially obscured by the front driveshaft. Also notation the water drain is a plug, which is removable with a hex bit.

On 6.4L-equipped trucks, the h2o bleed valve became more user friendly—and it got fifty-fifty easier on 6.7Ls.