Are they supposed to look like this when you take them off? I didn't think so, but it appears that the filters are the least of my problems.

I need to get some help to tow it back to the shop and pull the tank, there is a bunch of sludge in the bottom. Cant even get fuel out of the tank right from the tank outlet. This is on a new to me tractor, I haven't even put 20 hours on it yet. Someone must have run some dirty fuel through it.

well at least you have a place to start. wow. good luck.

I'm not a tractor guy, but if that was a pickup, you could be looking at replacing a lot of components. Flushing might help some, but pumps, injectors, etc could be beyond help.

Ksnow, I don't think anything got that far. There are 2 fuel filters this pic was the first one the second one didn't look too bad none of that sluge on it. But I'm no mechanic.

i hope your filter got all the gunk, but ya drain and flush the tank and lines after every thing is clean put new filter on run it a short time and change filers again hope things are good then.

A couple cans of cleaner in the tank after flushing wouldn't be a bad idea either. Hopefully the filter caught everything.

Could be bio sludge? might need to run some bio treatment through after you get it drained and flushed..Fishing vessels often get that, combo of water, dirty fuel and time...

60 years on the farm and ive never seen that Dana. At least the first one caught it.
You'll also have to purge the lines unfortunately.
First blow them out with air.
Then Ive used a pump sprayer with fuel in it to shoot through the fuel lines.
Hopefully you don't have to make new lines.
Then you get to prime the whole system again.

Keep us up to date, id like to see what you find.

Diesel Alege, ide just change filters, maybe pump bottom of tank once it's low, no panic

Friends of mine had the bio sludge/algae in their boat tank, they took a case of filters with them and kept changing them out when the motor acted up, that and the algae treatment finally got it cleaned up...

Our Power Pro guys who maintain all our generators on base run into this occassionally. Diesel in some tanks over 30 years will get this algae like growth and they utilize Power Service treatment with a green colored band on it. Helps with treating the diesel and maintaining the fuel tank.

Had that problem once. Took 3 years to completely clear it up

X 2 had it at Ft Riley in 75 got to treat it then filter the heck ou of it as will plug filters faster then can change them.

It might be fuel tank algae.
*

So much for just topping it off.

DEF?, Sea Foam?, Startron? , other????

See those glass sample jars sitting on the window sill
at the large fuel depo...

I assume its not a gravity feed tank. So I'd pull out the fuel pickup tube and inspect to make sure its not partially plugged up. Also, sometimes the pickup tubes have a check valve on the bottom. So I wouldnt recommend blowing air back into the fuel line to try and clean it that way. The bottom of the pickup tube will sometimes plug preventing fuel to get to the engine. You could drain the tank with an electric pump by simply connecting one end to the pickup tube or put a temporary tube in its place and pump it that way. Amazon sells cheap transfer pumps that connect to a drill. Whatever you do, you want to make sure to keep contaminated fuel away from your injector pump, good luck

Reaperman it actually is gravity fed. I completely disconnected the fuel line from the bottom of the tank and get no fuel flow even like that the sludge on the bottom of the tank has plugged the tank outlet.

This where ethanol works great, get as much fuel out as possible and put some gas with ethanol in the tank, if you can stir it the gas works better, it will kill the algae with dissolving the sludge.