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Wrangler Diesel Engine Questions

Capricorn

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The 2020 3.0L is my first diesel engine vehicle and I opened this topic to ask questions as a novice to this engine.

I read the Diesel Supplement Manual on the warning light for "Water in Fuel".

I went underneath the Jeep and located the Water in Fuel Drain valve. It may require removing the cover I guess to drain it if the light comes on? The opening to the valve on the side is a little too small for man's fingers to move it anticlockwise/clockwise. Anyone had the warning light yet and how did they handle it?

And does it need to be addressed immediately if the warning light comes on in the middle of your journey? Do you need to pullover ASAP and drain it or is it Okay to drive a few miles home or to take it to the dealer to have the draining done?

Is "Water in Fuel" a common and frequent issue one has to deal with as a diesel engine operator?

I always stick to Shell or Chevron for gasoline. Is one of them better than the other when it comes to diesel fuel?
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Bigsnoz

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Water in fuel is typically an issue if detected in tank.
 
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Capricorn

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Is something like this (WR-0) recommended and safe?

 

Compression-Ignition

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If the light comes on I think I'd pull over and shut it down and deal with it. Whether that be in a parking lot or side of the road. I have never seen a water in fuel light come on in a diesel. Out of all of the times I've drained the fuel bowl, I've only seen a few drops of water in the catch bottle I'm using.

Could be area dependent, but I don't think this is something you'll have to deal with often, if ever. To ease your mind, you could drain it monthly for a bit to see what's what. But my guess is you'll never see the light.

So back to what would I do, since this is something that should happen infrequently, and possibly will never happen at all, I'd take care of it ricky-tick and RFN.

As far as where to source your fuel, I am about positive all of the fuel in your area will come from the same depot. Getting your fuel from a station with a high turnover rate is a good idea. Also I never get fuel when the tanker is there. Could be an old wives tale, but the worry is that the fresh fuel going into the underground tank might stir up sediment, which could get pumped into your tank. Of course you have filters, but the cleaner things start, the cleaner they will be, and these fuel systems are not to be trifled with. Repairs can be very expensive.
 
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Capricorn

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If the light comes on I think I'd pull over and shut it down and deal with it. Whether that be in a parking lot or side of the road. I have never seen a water in fuel light come on in a diesel. Out of all of the times I've drained the fuel bowl, I've only seen a few drops of water in the catch bottle I'm using.
Thanks! That's good to know.
 

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This is something I find unintuitive with ESS on:

upload_2020-5-7_10-20-6.png

When a vehicle is stopped and ESS shuts the engine down, does it not contradict the above?
Unless cooling continues to happen when ESS is active I guess?
 

WXman

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This is something I find unintuitive with ESS on:

upload_2020-5-7_10-20-6.png

When a vehicle is stopped and ESS shuts the engine down, does it not contradict the above?
Unless cooling continues to happen when ESS is active I guess?
I think they figure that during the short duration of an ESS cycle, the oil will be fine. Same is true of the rod bearings, etc.

This is, however, another reason why high quality synthetic oil meeting MS-12991 is a must on this engine.
 

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This is something I find unintuitive with ESS on:

upload_2020-5-7_10-20-6.png

When a vehicle is stopped and ESS shuts the engine down, does it not contradict the above?
Unless cooling continues to happen when ESS is active I guess?
ESS is a joke and ought to be disabled permanently by a tazer or similar. The minimal upside to emissions and mpg do not outweigh the potential downsides re engine longevity, cooling, and especially off-road use imho.
 

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ESS is a joke and ought to be disabled permanently by a tazer or similar. The minimal upside to emissions and mpg do not outweigh the potential downsides re engine longevity, cooling, and especially off-road use imho.
I agree! Making a habit of getting in mine, starting it and immediately shutting off the ESS. Someone needs to hurry up and figure how to permanently disable it. Will a phaser on stun kill it?;)
 
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WVB

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Maybe it has changed recently? In the Diesel pickups a water in fuel light was a death knell. By the time the WIF light came on water had already gotten past the filter/separator and the damage was beginning. The fuel pumps on modern diesels put out as much as 28,000psi and have extremely tight tolerances. Their internal components will rust in the presence of water and the corrosion will destroy the pump sending metal shards through the entire fuel system. On the 6.7L Ford the repair could be $12,000 and Ford refused to warranty it even though it was their factory fuel filter/sep that let the water through. Me? If I see a WIF I am pulling over at the first safe place and draining the filter.
 

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ESS is a joke and ought to be disabled permanently by a tazer or similar. The minimal upside to emissions and mpg do not outweigh the potential downsides re engine longevity, cooling, and especially off-road use imho.
ESS is proven to save fuel to the tune of at least 1 MPG on the Pentastar in the real world. How much does it save on the EcoDiesel? Probably more since higher-MPG vehicles are more sensitive to change and idling. So, ESS is not a joke.

Engine longevity? They engineered the starter motor, flywheel, etc. to handle start/stop events long term. Cooling? The cooling fan is electric. It can still run with the engine shut down. Off-road? The manual specifically states to push the button and turn it off when rock crawling.

The potential downsides to disabling ESS are worse....idling causes fuel wash-down on modern diesels which dilutes your crank case with diesel fuel which in turn increases cylinder and valvetrain wear. Idling also increases DPF sooting and increases the number of regen cycles.

If you want your engine to last longer AND save you money, leave the ESS alone. I was bummed to discover the Ram application doesn't have ESS.
 

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Does anyone happen to know if the batteries in the diesel JL are the same as the gas ones?
I think I got a bad mini-battery. Taking it in to the shop today, trying to mentally prepare myself in case they have to order a battery :swear:
 

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ESS is proven to save fuel to the tune of at least 1 MPG on the Pentastar in the real world. How much does it save on the EcoDiesel? Probably more since higher-MPG vehicles are more sensitive to change and idling. So, ESS is not a joke.

Engine longevity? They engineered the starter motor, flywheel, etc. to handle start/stop events long term. Cooling? The cooling fan is electric. It can still run with the engine shut down. Off-road? The manual specifically states to push the button and turn it off when rock crawling.

The potential downsides to disabling ESS are worse....idling causes fuel wash-down on modern diesels which dilutes your crank case with diesel fuel which in turn increases cylinder and valvetrain wear. Idling also increases DPF sooting and increases the number of regen cycles.

If you want your engine to last longer AND save you money, leave the ESS alone. I was bummed to discover the Ram application doesn't have ESS.
For ess to have made a measurable gain like that, the data must come from a nearly all stop-n-go driving. My typical real world wouldn’t be like that. A modern diesel at idle consumes tiny amounts of fuel. At least that’s what was reported on the gen2 3.0.
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