Part (3) CAT Engine

Caterpillar 3500 MEUI & ET - Operation
2. Fuel filter:
• The poppet valve can opens and closes more than 1/2 of billion times
during its normal wear life.
• The ability of valve to function properly after hundreds of millions of
cycles require More than quality design & manufacturing.
• This level of durability requires proper filtration to remove
microscopic abrasive particles contained in the fuel.
• Abrasive Particles < 10 μm in diameter can cause abrasive wear in any
high pressure fuel system.
• That is why much finer filtration
is being used on the Cat engines.
1
© 2008 Weatherford. All rights reserved.
2
• The difference between normal wear and excessive wear on the poppet
seat illustrates the importance of the proper filtration.
• The worn poppet (on the right hand) is resulted from; The abrasive
particles in the fuel flowing at high velocity past the poppet seat.
• This worn poppet seat leaks significantly during injection. In short; A
prematurely worn injector.
Normal wear Excessive wear

(good poppet) (worn poppet)
[The condition of
[Sealing bands in the sealing band is
good condition and the result of
providing abrasive damage
positive seal] from inadequate
© 2008 Weatherford. All rights reserved. filtration] 3
• The above condition of worn poppet could be avoided by using proper filtration.
• Cat. high efficiency filters than the normal filters.
• Filter ratings; More than Double
1. Micron Rating wear Life
2. Filter Efficiency.
1. Micron Rating can be misleading;
There may be significant differences in the filters ability
to remove abrasives with the same micron-rating
2. Filter Efficiency the ability to remove very small

abrasive particles from the fuel
Efficiency expressed in
Nominal rating
• Eff. Absolute rating
4
Example;
• 5 Micron nominal rating filter ;
(Remove about 50% of 5 – 7 micron particles)
• 5 Micron absolute rating filter = 2 Micron caterpillar high
efficiency Filter
(Remove about 98% of 5 – 7 micron particles)
• However the rating of the filter paper means nothing if the
construction integrity of filter is faulty.
• Caterpillar construct its high efficiency filters in a
complete automated process, constantly testing to insure
complete assembly integrity.
5
Why is this fine filtration important?

Researches proved that;
• Most abrasive wear is caused by 5-7 micron particles
6
This diagram illustrates the relative size between a single

micron and human hair
• Human hair = 4/1000 inch

• 1 micron = 4/100,000 inch
• The smallest particle visible to the naked eye = 1/1000 inch
• The abrasive particles
(5-7 microns) = 1/10,000
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• This example shows the difference in efficiency between;

1. A Cat. High efficiency filter and;
2. A typical 5-micron filter.
• The Cat. filter removes more than 98% of 5-7 micron abrasive particles
in the fuel.
• The 5-micron nominal filter removes about half of these particles,
assuming that there is no abrasives leakage around the filter paper.
8
Abrasive particles comes from several sources;

1- Refinery process (leaves very small highly
abrasive catalytic in the fuel)
2- During Pre-filling process.
• To avoid such dust in the tank place 2-micron Tank

Breather Filter to prevent dirt from entering the
tank.
9
3. Water Separator:
• Water separator is not used in all applications and should only be used in
application of large amount
of water may be in the fuel.
Water separator
• There are two cases;

1- Tanks with very high turn-over rates water causes no problem
2- Stationary tanks with no turn-over rates water causes problem
• Normal water percentage in diesel fuel = 0.1% (by volume).
• Abnormal water content in gallons is what we are speaking about.
10
(1) Film strength of

diesel fuel separates
the middle surfaces
of injector plunger
and barrel.
(2) Water has much

lower film strength
than the diesel fuel.
large water quantity (1) (2)
Provide poor lubrication.
(3) When the film breaks

down, metal-to-metal
Contact occurs between
The plunger &barrel.
(4)Plunger seizure and in

turn Injector Failure
resulted from step (3) (3) (4) 11
The suggestions of;

Removing the factory installed
secondary fuel filters is NOT
recommended.
Abrasive wear from

improper fuel filtration
- Is NOT a product defect
- Is NOT a warrantable failure
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 It is recommended that;
 Water should be drained daily
 Don`t pre-fill fuel filters for purging air purposes;
putting dirty fuel into the clean side of the filter
allows abrasives in the fuel to damage injectors.
 Instead, use the priming strategy to purge the air
Proper filtration is an essential

factor in the life of all fuel
system components
13
4. Fuel transfer pump

Draws fuel from tank, pressurizes it to about 420 KPa (60 Psi)
and supplies it to the injectors.
The pump has an internal

pressure relief valve that
limit maximum system
pressure to 125psi or less
(according to engine model) .
14
The transfer pump is Unserviceable

(always check the service manual for the correct pump
pressure specifications)
Fuel Transfer Pump
Most fuel transfer pumps are located on the rear right side of
the oil pump cover (as shown) 15
5. Fuel priming pump

• The optional hand priming pump is located near the canister filter OR on
the filter base of the spin-on filter (see the video).
Caution:
• Never pre-fill the fuel filters at installation
(pre-filling bypasses the filter element and introduces dust into the system)
• When fuel filters are replaced , there is usually still enough fuel in;
• The cylinder head, and
• Fuel supply rails.
To start and run the engine until air is purged by itself (the air is absorbed back
into the pressurized fuel).
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• In case of the engine will not start;

it will require system purging
(Remove air bubbles from the system)
• The priming procedure may be done by,
i. Manual priming procedure
ii. Use of an Electric priming pump
i. Manual Priming Procedure
• The correct procedure for manually priming the
system can be found in the special instruction form #
SEHS9586.
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The procedure;
1. Use the gage-valve assembly installed downstream of the fuel pressure regulator.
2. After installation of the tool shown, open the valve and start priming with the
hand priming pump to prime the system until the air bubbles disappeared from
the side glass.
3. The valve is then closed and then continue the hand priming used to pressurize
the system to 30-40 psi. This allows any remaining trapped air in the
system to be absorbed
back into the pressurized
fuel.
Side glass
In Out
From Regulator
© 2008 Weatherford. All rights reserved. Valve opened Valve closed
4. Stay for 8-10 minutes with the valve closed, after that open the valve and start the
engine.
5. If the engine will not start, repeat the process.
ii. Use of an Electric priming pump (see the video)
• Use of an electrical fuel priming pump is recommended.
• The pump is available as a service tool from Cat. As;
1. Temporary installation to purge the low pressure fuel system after Repair or
Maintenance.
2. Permanently installed option for many engine model.
• This pump capable of;
1. producing 90psi of pressure
2. Purge all the air from the system in a few minutes.
19
6. Fuel Regulator
(You need to look to VIDEO while discussing this section)
• The final component on the low pressure fuel system is the
pressure regulator valve.
• It is normally closed pressure relief valve.
• The pressure regulator is a spring-loaded valve and only
opens when fuel pressure reaches the relief pressure setting.
• The pressure regulator has an orifice that allows;
1. Small amount of fuel to flow through the spool and then
2. Return to tank even when the spool is closed.
• The function of the orifice is to allow AIR to bleed from the
low pressure fuel system;
1. After filter changes OR
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2. Whenever fuel has been drained from the head.
• Some models are equipped with anti-siphon valve

which mounts on the downstream end of the
pressure regulator.
• The anti-siphon valve has a pre-check valve with
very light spring.
• When fuel returned from the regulator the pre-check
valve opens against very low spring force, allowing
return flow back to fuel tank.
• When the flow from the regulator stops, the spring
closes the pre-check valve preventing fuel from
being siphoned from the engine.
21
I. Injector system operation

• MEUI injectors take a low pressure supply fuel and pressurize the
fuel between to 10,000 to 22,000psi.
• A camshaft pushes rocker arm pushes down the injector tappet and
plunger supplied the
mechanical energy
required to pressurize
and pump the fuel
from the injector
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• The combustion chamber receives pressurized fuel in

the correct quantity and after correct injection timing.
• The extremely high pressure fuel flow pass through a
very small orifice cause a fuel to be atomized into
microscopic droplets that burn more completely.
• This improved the combustion process to takes place
more efficiently caused;
1. Improved fuel economy and
2. Reduced exhaust emissions.
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II. Low Pressure Fuel System

• The low pressure fuel system supplies fuel from the tank to the
injectors.
• This system has three basic functions;
1. Supply fuel to the MEUI injectors for combustion.
2. Supply extra fuel flow for cooling of the injectors.
3. Supply extra fuel flow to remove air from the system.
• The major components of the system are;
1- Fuel bank
2- Fuel transfer lines
3- Primary fuel filter of water separator
4- Fuel transfer pump
5- Electric priming pump
6- Pressure regulator and Anti–siphon vale
7- Secondary fuel filters 24

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Caterpillar 3500 MEUI & ET - Operation

Normal wear Excessive wear

2. Filter Efficiency the ability to remove very small

Why is this fine filtration important?

This diagram illustrates the relative size between a single

• Human hair = 4/1000 inch

• This example shows the difference in efficiency between;

Abrasive particles comes from several sources;

• To avoid such dust in the tank place 2-micron Tank

• There are two cases;

(1) Film strength of

(2) Water has much

(3) When the film breaks

(4)Plunger seizure and in

The suggestions of;

Abrasive wear from

Proper filtration is an essential

4. Fuel transfer pump

The pump has an internal

The transfer pump is Unserviceable

Fuel Transfer Pump

5. Fuel priming pump

• In case of the engine will not start;

• Some models are equipped with anti-siphon valve

I. Injector system operation

• The combustion chamber receives pressurized fuel in

II. Low Pressure Fuel System

2- Fuel transfer lines

3- Primary fuel filter of water separator

4- Fuel transfer pump

5- Electric priming pump

6- Pressure regulator and Anti–siphon vale

7- Secondary fuel filters 24

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