vgabndo - 9-12-2006 at 08:02 PM
Are the stock fuel filters adequate for questionably clean fuel in Mexico? I once got two tanks of GAS in Mulege that were REALLY dirty. It could
have been ugly. (visualize: engine won't run, no power brakes, no power steering, then utility trailer jackknifed near the top of the parachute grade
north of Santa Rosalia)
Do I need to upgrade my diesel filters?
Bob and Susan - 9-12-2006 at 08:03 PM
nope
they've caught up with the "times"
gas and diesel is good
I drive down almost every month
Bob and Susan - 9-13-2006 at 05:37 AM
it's not the fuel...it's the station
if you buy from an old outdated station you may have problems.
old tanks old equipment
updated stations have updated filtration systems that take the bad stuff out before you buy the fuel
Dodge Chevy Ford spend millions of dollars on the development of good reliable products...
you don't need to "modify" their trucks and cars...
[Edited on 9-13-2006 by Bob and Susan]
Phil S - 9-13-2006 at 07:50 AM
Since this thread refers to Dodge Diesel Cummins, I'll stick to just Dodge in my response. I've been driving Dodge diesel pickups to Baja since l996.
Only one trip in all those years did I have a problem. Like to never made it to Loreto. No power, huge amount of black smoke up the inclines. There
is a Cummins Diesel shop in LaPaz should you have problems down there. It is a marine engine service center. Most people could direct you to them,
should you have a need to get there. I was ready to have it trucked from Loreto to LaPaz. Kind of a scary feeling for me. A new tank of guas
cleared part of the problem. Enough to drive it down to LaPaz & then they did whatever to clear up the problem. In & out in one day. Being
non mechanical, I hadn't a clue what happened. Figured it was a bad tank of diesel. And I stay away from the "older" stations.
On a side note.......
Hook - 9-13-2006 at 10:11 AM
......when I was last down at San Lucas Cove, I towed down empty and filled up in Santa Rosalia. After the first tankful, I noticed an unusual amount
of crud in my Racor. The tank in my boat is only about 2 years old so I have almost no residual crud.
I am wondering how much turnover there is in the at this station? The ingress and egress would seem to discourage the average semi, especially when
the south Mulege station is close enough and very easily accessible.
Does this station dispense to the diesel powered commercial boats in the harbor? What do you locals think about how fast this diesel is turned over?
vgabndo - 9-13-2006 at 10:20 AM
Thanks folks. The truck is a 2001 24 valve. Given that I can squeak about 500 miles out of a tank of fuel, I'll easily be able to choose only the
newer stations to fill up.
On a recent trip with the cab-over camper and a light trailer load of land sailers, driving the speed limit, the big green beastie got 20.4 mpg. I
can't wait to fill up with $1.80 diesel in Baja. My last tank in Mt. Shasta ran $104. and change. The Grand OIL Party indeed.
Corky1 - 9-13-2006 at 01:03 PM
In the old days riding motorcycles we often got gasoline from barrels a gallon at a time from small ranches.
We use a chamois when putting gas into our tanks to filter out water and forgiem particals.(dirt).
Will this work when getting diesel form less used locations??
Corky 
Bob and Susan - 9-13-2006 at 01:16 PM
you're not suppose to let a diesel run out of gas
if you do you may get air in the fuel line and you need to bleed the fuel lines
the truck will run terrible if you let it run out of fuel
vgabndo - 9-13-2006 at 03:54 PM
For sure the book says don't let it run out of fuel. Because fuel guages are so inaccurate, in the old days, I would always run out on purpose to see
what the guage was saying. With the Dodge, when the "miles to empty" says zero, I still have about 2.5-3 gallons assuming it really is a 35 gallon
tank.
Pescador - 9-13-2006 at 07:13 PM
I have worn out one Dodge diesel and have a pretty good start on wearing out the second one as we speak. I carry a spare fuel filter which is really
cheap insurance and only once did I get a bad load of fuel which required me to change fuel filters. I make it a habit to never fill up if the
supply truck is dumping a new load of diesel fuel into the tanks at the station. But I am on my original fuel filter and have 85,000 miles on my
current truck and only changed the filter prior to going to Alaska "cause I thought I should". So for the most part I never really worry about
filling in mexico at any of the major stations.
I used to drive the back country a lot in the old days, as well as flying a lot in the bush and we always used a chamois to filter the fuel. It
takes out water as well as really fine particles.
On my boat, I have had to go to a finer filter, like 2 micron, to trap the small sediments that come with the gas, since I have a newer injected
engine