Water in Fuel Light WIF warning is on.

Gaspiper

Active member
That yellow Water in fuel sign used to come on so often in my truck I called it the big brother watching , it was not fun going in limp mode each and every time !!!! There was never any water in the system but rather a short in the wire harness somewhere that later developed both high and low engine oil pressures faulty warnings !
Had the engine wire harness replaced and big brother never came on since . I still get nightmares just thinking about it
 

VietVet

New member
Hello All,

I'm new to the forum so if this question belongs elsewhere please advise.

I just purchased a 2017 Winnebago/Itasca Navion, MB 6 cyl., 3.0L. My question is: Are any of you using a fuel additive to prevent algae growth. I'm in Florida and as you know its hot and humid a climate ripe for the growth of fuel tank algae. Hopefully the tank is new and free of any growth and I would like to keep it that way from the get go.

MB has a recommendation but you can only get it in Europe. I called my local MB dealer and they could not help. If any of you are using a preventative in a newer unit can you please share the name and/or any suggestions could you please share.

Thanks in advance.
 

Midwestdrifter

Engineer In Residence
Any biocide designed for diesel should work. Most only need 1oz for 20 gallons or so. There is minimal safety concerns with that amount of additive.

You do not need to use a biocide continuously. If you are having no symptoms, and your filler cap has no microbial build up, you do not likely need any. The occasionally dosing with a new tank of fuel cannot hurt though.

Keeping your tank completely full during storage, and filling from well used stations is the best method to prevent microbial growth. The fungi/bacteria actually grow in liquid water that accumulates in the tank. No water, no microbial growth.
 
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220629

Well-known member
Can you document this? As far as I am aware, MB explicitly forbids all fuel additives except for wintertime anti-gel.
They don't forbid additives as a blanket statement. BeVo says secondary additives are not cost effective or generally necessary.

BeVo lists Grotamar as a biocide which is only available in Europe to my knowledge.

As Midwestdrifter indicated, there are many good quality tried and true commercial additives available, but they are not on the BeVo list. Most boating sites will have reviews to help selection.

vic
 
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avanti

2022 Ford Transit 3500
They don't forbid additives as a blanket statement. BeVo says secondary additives are not cost effective or generally necessary.
Well, MB is not known for absolute global consistency, but FWIW:

2016 US Sprinter Operator's Manual, P 278:

...do not use any special additives. This can otherwise lead to engine damage. This does not include flow improver additives. For further information, see "Flow improvers".
 

VietVet

New member
In one of their (MB) directives they given an OK to Grotamar71 and Grotamar82 both are sold only in Europe and not available here in the U.S.. Contacted a supplier in England but he said he could not ship it to the U.S.. Spoke to the firm that manufacturer and said they hope to have it available in U.S. in the future.

Thanks to all who have given suggestions and information, all suggestions are well received. As I mentioned in my initial post, I want to start without issue, the units new and I want to keep it that way.

@avanti, Thanks for the Operator Manual info I'll check it out.
 

220629

Well-known member
Well, MB is not known for absolute global consistency, but FWIW:

2016 US Sprinter Operator's Manual, P 278:
:idunno:

We all quote the documentation which supports our beliefs.

I feel that there are aftermarket additives which do have some value. I use my ASSYST oil change interval. Some don't believe Mother Mercedes and change their oil more frequently than it recommends officially in their operator manual.

I view many things in the Operator Manual as a dumbed down guide as compared to the detail found in BeVo.

There are worse things to follow though. Some of the facts/advice as quoted from dealership car salesmen comes to mind.

But there are already many additive threads. Back to the sticky Water in Fuel Light topic.

:cheers: vic
 
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Cole

OUTLAW SPRINTER!!!
Where is this sensor?

I just bought an NCV3 and this light came on yesterday and won't go away.

I've never had a water in fuel issue with my other Sprinter. Water in anything is not a big deal when you live in the high desert. Stuff is DRY here!!

This new to me van got filled at the same pump as the other van and was driven all day yesterday, water in fuel light only coming on at 5pm on the way home. The van has some other issues I'm working on sorting out and has some corrosion on stuff. So I'm more suspect of a bad sensor or connection than actual water in the fuel.....though this tank is almost totally empty right now too.
 
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220629

Well-known member
Where is this sensor?

...
I didn't know that this question was left hanging.

To my knowledge, all MB WIF sensors are installed or integral to the OEM style fuel filter. The NCV3 fuel filters that are more expensive than others have an integral non-replaceable WIF sensor.

vic
 

Cole

OUTLAW SPRINTER!!!
I didn't know that this question was left hanging.

To my knowledge, all MB WIF sensors are installed or integral to the OEM style fuel filter. The NCV3 fuel filters that are more expensive than others have an integral non-replaceable WIF sensor.

vic
Thanks.


FWIW, I found that my *new to me* 08 had he wrong fitting on the top of the factory fuel filter. So it wasn't firmly attached. Looks like someone changed out the filter at some point with a later style and didn't bother to change the fitting.

I replaced the filter and the fitting. Problem solved. (That one anyway)
 

buddyma

New member
Does it come on in a heavy rain? Its happen to me twice I shut it down and waited until the rain let up and when I restarted it .....bingo light was gone, five months ago same condition pouring monsoon type rain light came on again.pulled over shut down and restart no light waiting on the next rain storm.I realize the dealer missed an opp to relive me of some cash.Maybe the next time I'm sure there a light waiting to come on somewhere in my future.It seems it part of the there (M/B) game plan i.e.
 
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buddyma

New member
Its a condition that I get in heavy amounts of rain that falls from the sky.Beening from the Mile High City you get it in the form of that white stuff.Not to confuse the white stuff with that green stuff that been sold in your state.Thanks for the reply.If anyone else gets this condition please let me know.
 

220629

Well-known member
Does it come on in a heavy rain? Its happen to me twice I shut it down and waited until the rain let up and when I restarted it .....bingo light was gone, five months ago same condition pouring monsoon type rain light came on again.pulled over shut down and restart no light waiting on the next rain storm.I realize the dealer missed an opp to relive me of some cash.Maybe the next time I'm sure there a light waiting to come on somewhere in my future.It seems it part of the there (M/B) game plan i.e.
That almost screams of a harness or connector letting water get in across the monitoring circuit. The circuit doesn't care whether the water is trapped in the filter or not.

I would carefully inspect all the harnesses for wear points and make certain that electrical connectors are intact (seals in place?) and properly seated.

vic
 

buddyma

New member
Thanks I'll check the wiring and the connectors,Now that winter has come I've that that I get a lot of cold air int the area of the radio it appears I'll have get the under the dash to locate the leak,I used a bright light on the firewall but didn't see it looking from under the dash.Oh well maybe my new ford well be builted better.:hmmm:
 
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220629

Well-known member
From Chevron
https://www.chevron.com/-/media/chevron/operations/documents/diesel-fuel-tech-review.pdf

***************
Is the color of diesel fuel an indication of its quality?
The color of a diesel fuel is not related to its quality. As long as the fuel meets specifications,
it will perform well in your engine. The natural color of diesel fuels has traditionally varied
from colorless to amber. As refinery processing of diesel fuel increased to remove sulfur,
the color tends to get lighter and the diesel can change color. When it changes color, the
diesel is typically light in tone and can be green, orange, or pink. Sometimes it might
show a slight fluorescence when held up to light. Such a change in color does not affect
the quality of the fuel.

(vic comment - Cloudiness can indicate fuel quality issues.)



Does diesel fuel plug filters?

A plugged filter can be caused by several reasons. For example, if summer diesel is used
during cold weather, low temperature can cause wax crystallization, which can lead to
filter plugging. Dirt in the fuel or excessive microbial growth can also cause filter plugging.
The latter are “housekeeping” issues and are not directly related to the fuel itself.
Under some circumstances, a fuel with poor thermal stability can plug a filter. When the
fuel is exposed to the hot surfaces of the injectors, it forms particulates. If the fuel system
is designed to return a significant proportion of the fuel to the fuel tank, the particulates
are also returned. When the fuel is recycled, the fuel filter collects some of the particulates.
Over time, particulate buildup plugs the filter. This problem has been observed for
engines that were operating at high load and, therefore, engines that were operating at
higher than average temperatures.

*****************

Anyone who wants to increase their knowledge of diesel should review the Chevron PDF. There's lots of good information there.

vic
 
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Cole

OUTLAW SPRINTER!!!
My water in fuel light issue turned out to be a bad sensor.

The local Mercedes dealer had 6-7 of them in stock. Dealers don’t stock parts they aren’t replacing often
 

220629

Well-known member
My water in fuel light issue turned out to be a bad sensor.

The local Mercedes dealer had 6-7 of them in stock. Dealers don’t stock parts they aren’t replacing often
Not that anyone asked...

Sensor failures and harness problems can give a false warning. My course would be to at least use the water drain feature to get a fuel sample into a clear container for visual inspection. To just assume that the warning is a bad sensor can have some serious negative consequences.

:2cents: vic
 

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