Thread: What did you do on your Landy today?

Originally Posted by Toxic_Avenger

I feel guilty typing this, but In my defence my puma only has 33,000km on it...
What's the best way to check the diesel water filter? I've never done it before

Gut feel is ignition on to ACC (prime the pump?) Clear Glass or equivalent jar to drail diesel into, give it a bit to drain while looking for any water that settles out... Close tap, keep driving?
Is there any risk of draining too much? IGN on or off? Any other tips for young players?

Mitch if it hasn't been changed in all those km it might be an idea now.

It isn't just water but snot can build up pretty quickly, they need to be checked reasonably regularly.

The Tdi's had/have sedimentors on the outlet of the tank which drops a lot of water and snot out before it gets anywhere near the filter.
Back in the day running farm fuel the ex's GU Patrol would regularly have the water in fuel light come on. (They have a float and switch in the base of the fuel filter) whereas the filter in the Landy was always clear, the sedimentor caught most of the nasties.

I use a regular dose of Nulon Diesel additive/treatment and have never had a water or snot problem.

I started regular use (about every forth or fifth fill) of the additive a few decades ago when, on a three month trip, fuel consumption would increase after about 7,000 kms and a dose of the Nulon would restore consumption to a more acceptable level. I figured that the additive must have been cleaning the fuel systems condition so decided on the regular treatment to maintain condition and hence the freedom from fuel water and snot problems.

I'm not pushing the Nulon product in particular, there are other brands of additives/treatments available, but I just found that the Nulon was easily available, reasonably priced and it worked for me.

The Defender has done 73,000 kms. I would have thought it should have been replaced before now by the previous owner but maybe it didn't happen.
There is a drain screw on the bottom. Twist it and the filter empties out the gunk. The one I took off emptied some gunk with the fuel that came out.
Got a nice clean filter now.

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Originally Posted by 67hardtop

Maybe u should cut it open to check it hasnt got any water or other contaminants in it, just for peace of mind. I would.

Cheers Rod

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I drained it but I assume its full of gunk. I think the key is to regularly drain it - say every time the main filter gets replaced - is that 20,000 kms?

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Mick I can't remember 100%, but I think it's every 40K it's supposed to be replaced. LR didn't do mine, but I didn't find this out until about 75K when I had some issues.

The drain hole on the filter is fairly small and may not allow snot to drain - it may even block the drain. I experienced this years ago with the sedimenter on my 200Tdi - had to completely remove sedimenter, dismantle & clean.

Best IMHO to avoid allowing snot & water to accumulate by using fuel from reputable suppliers and applying regular fuel treatment.

Originally Posted by Toxic_Avenger

I feel guilty typing this, but In my defence my puma only has 33,000km on it...
What's the best way to check the diesel water filter? I've never done it before

Gut feel is ignition on to ACC (prime the pump?) Clear Glass or equivalent jar to drail diesel into, give it a bit to drain while looking for any water that settles out... Close tap, keep driving?
Is there any risk of draining too much? IGN on or off? Any other tips for young players?

I was talking about the filter down the back near the fuel tank and the rear driver's wheel. It has a guard over it.
Are you talking about that or about the filter under the bonnet?
The one down the back doesn't seem to be under pressure. It just drained until empty. I was worried extra fuel might have kept coming out of the tank, but that didn't happen.
Engine started first turn and idled OK for a couple of minutes.


I guess the lesson from all this is not to take fuel filters for granted, but to regularly empty them. I suspect mine had never been emptied.

Originally Posted by Xtreme

The drain hole on the filter is fairly small and may not allow snot to drain - it may even block the drain. I experienced this years ago with the sedimenter on my 200Tdi - had to completely remove sedimenter, dismantle & clean.

Best IMHO to avoid allowing snot & water to accumulate by using fuel from reputable suppliers and applying regular fuel treatment.

As you say, it's not hard to screw the filter off, empty it out and put it back.
Yes, I've read that BP is the highest quality fuel, but obviously they all have to meet a certain standard.
I guess the other things to do are to favour garages with a high turnover so the fuel doesn't sit too long and not to fuel up while or immediately after a tanker has filled the tank, as that could stir up algae in the tank.
My Defender came from Wauchope which is only a small town so if the previous owner filled it locally there could have been more algae in the fuel than if he had filled it in a busier place, say nearby Port Macquarie.
I noticed the first fuel that came out of my failed filter, which I collected in a white ice cream container, had spots of algae or something floating in it, so I didn't put it back in the tank.