Ok gents. Yesterday with about a quarter tank of fuel left my dash display popped up saying water in fuel. Seems every time I start the truck now the light comes on exactly 4 min later. I had the dealer change my fuel filters today since I had unused credit there but the light still illuminates. The dealer says they didn't see any water when they drained it.
This makes me think its just the sensor right? I have not drained the fuel water separator in the month I've owned the truck and have no idea if the previous owner did or not.
How hard and what tools are required to change the sensor out? Should I worry about the light since no water was found?
Thanks. I've got the upgraded drain plug on order to make it easier to drain on a regular basis. Hopefully that will prevent this in the future.
Sometimes the sensor and cavity gets full of crud that makes the sensor think it has water. You may need to disconnect the fuel lines and remove the cover and clean the cavity. Cover held on by 4 scews.
Make sure your drain plug is the new brass style, the old iron style rusted away on the inside and leaves rusty crud. Pull the cover spray with cleaner on and around the sensor, re install and all should be good. Worked for me, no WIF light anymore.
You will drain some fuel, only whats in the Pump and whats is the lines to the filter housing on the engine. It'll be around 1/2 to 3/4 of a gallon. If the fuel and the container are clean, you can put it back in the tank. Remember to cycle the ignition 3-4 times before you start it to re-prime the lines going to the 2nd filter on the engine. This will save cranking time, and running the batteries down.
Also, you dont need to pull the fuel lines to do this, although I do recommend moving the front drive shaft out of the way to give yourself good access to the pump cover bolts.
Thanks for all the help. I ended up replacing the sensor (about $35 from my dealer). Even after cleaning the light kept coming back on. So far, seems to have fixed the problem.
I definitely recommend the upgraded drain plug. My dealer was able to order them for about $16 each. Much heavier duty and allows you to easily drain the water/fuel separator without stripping the plug or using any tools.
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