Greetings All,


I installed the Racor pre-OEM fuel filter a few weeks ago, the one with the heater and the WIF sensor from Lubspecialist and have not been able to get the WIF sensor to trigger the DIC message. Today, I installed a new OEM fuel filter (also from Lubspecialist) and tested the OEM sensor--IT WORKS!


I tested voltage across the electrodes of the pre-OEM WIF sensor and got 14v. Also have 14v on the heater. Lubspecialist has been very helpful, sending me a second sensor in case that's defective, but it exhibits the same condition (i.e. doesn't light the dash when shorted).


So, can anyone help me diagnose why the pre-OEM WIF sensor isn't working?


Thanks!


Don

Sounds like maybe you didn't get the connection in the engine harness complete.


Are you sure the wire splice connector worked? Are you sure it's the right wire in the harness?


Those are the only two things I can think of right now.

I'll snap a pic and post it an you tell me (I think I got it right, but I was thinkin' the same thing!).


I did in fact re-do the splice as well, this time using pliers to push the connector down over the wires. Still no joy...Edited by: donmiller714

OK, I checked my wiring and had the pink wire connected to the larger guage pink wires under the fuse block instead of the small ones. I fixed that however there was no change in the WIF sensor (not that I expected one, but you never know!).


I also tested the fuse and the plug it plugs into on the racor harness-both were good. Then I tested the plug that the relay plugs into. I get voltage from pins 1 to 3 but not 1 to 5, and voltage from pins 2 to 5 but not 2 to 3 (all these tests done on the plug the relay plugs into, not the relay itself).


I'm figuring that when shorted, the racor WIF sensor should be producing a voltage on the yellow wire? But I don't know.


I would also like to know how to test the relay, or if it's even possible.


Here's a pic of the WIF wiring


http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/uploads/BA8_DSC01349.jpg


Thanks!


Don

Don


I have been covered up this week but I am going to set down with a harness and go through some trouble shooting. If I recall the WIF does not produce voltage but rather pulls it to ground. I will let you know.





Greg

Thanks! btw: just tested the relay--applied 12v to the coil and it closed the circut between 3 & 5. I'm guessing though that this simply provides the 12v back to the plugs at the filter, right?


thanks!


don

Don,


I think the relay is only there for power to the fuel heater. I've misplaced the install intructions for mine but will keep looking.


I think you've got the correct wire in the engine harness IIRC..


Open the clip on that splice and check to see if there is power there with the key on. I think Greg is probably right about the circuit being activated by ground, not power. If true, you should have voltage on the little metal piece of the splice. If no power, use a sharp end lead from you meter and go through the insulation on the yellow from the Racor, if you've got power then the splice isn't making contact.


If there's no power there, do the same thing with the engine harness lead. If there's power, it's a ground activated circuit and you've got a problem with the power feeding from the pink wires to the Racor.


If there is power in both those lines, the splice is bad. If there isn't power in the engine harness, then it's not ground activated and you'll have to have power fed from the Racor to it when activated.


Does that make any sense to you? Sometimes I don't make it clear what I'm thinking when trying to explain something. Max or Greg might have a better idea, but lacking a wiring diagram, I can't think of another way to figure it out.

Ok, I have been messing with this a little this after noon and they way Racor's WIF works is the black wire is ground, red is plus 12V and the yellow should pull low when shorting the WIF. I have to leave for a couple hours but when I get back I am going to hook up a harness and do some checking. It could be the harness got put together wrong by me. I have not had any problems with them but their has to be a first.





Greg

Boy I don't know why this has not come up before. I installed the harness on my truck this morning and had the same thing happen. Well after about 15 minutes of looking things over I discovered the blue quick splice is to big for the wire in the engine connector. Went to a red one and it works like a charm.


Greg

Well at least I was on the right track and not giving him bad advice...http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Approve.gif


I was surprised to see that blue splice myself, the one Racor sends out is really tiny and is a PITA to get on the wire, but it's water proofed and you can re-tape the harness to look factory.


Maybe some folks are not testing the WIF sensor function because they did as I did, filled the thing with diesel fuel for leak checks before I completed the electrical. Then you've got to get more diesel all over to test the probe.


Been there, done that...http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Confused.gif

Well I need to find some smaller weather prook connectors now. But at least the problem is solved and thats what counts.

Greg

I tested my WIF sensor when I installed my Racor about two months ago, & it worked fine with the blue quick splice.

But at least the problem is solved and thats what counts.

Greg


That's right!...http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Clap.gif

So I would suspect that I can get a smaller red splice at my local auto store? If that's the case, I'll just pick one up this afternoon and try it before you send a new harness Greg.


Thanks!


Don

Try to get a weatherproof one. If you can't find one you might want to buy some dielectric grease and pack it full.

weatherproof, shmeatherproof! I'll strip down the wires, solder 'em together, them tape 'em down good to something metal!


just kidding! I'll stop by the electronics supply for the connector, then salvage the "grease" from the discarded blue one.


thanks!


Don

SUCCESS!!!!


I went and bought some (some! a bag of 25!) solderless terminals, red, 22-18 AWG and replaced the blue connector. Poof! A nice shiney WIF light!


THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR HELP! I COULD HAVE NEVER DONE IT WITHOUT YOU (though I am glad I didn't have to do Zeeb's test!).


(greg, I'll keep a couple of the terminals and send the rest to you along with the sensor, Thanks!)


NOW THE REAL QUESTION IS SHOULD I REPLACE THE OTHER BLUE QUICK-CONNECT WITH A RED ONE AS IT TOO CONNECTS TO A SMALLER DIAMETER WIRE FOR THE FUEL HEATER?


thanks!


DonEdited by: donmiller714

Don
The pink wire that you are hooking to under the fuse block is larger. You should have any trouble with that at all. i am so glad I have my own Dmax now or otherwise i would have been pulling my hair out.

Greg

SUCCESS!!!!


THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR HELP! I COULD HAVE NEVER DONE IT WITHOUT YOU (though I am glad I didn't have to do Zeeb's test!).





Glad you got it working...http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Approve.gif


Sometimes it's hard to tell how comfortable someone might be doing different things, so if they ask and I think I might be able to help, I try to do that.

Don
The pink wire that you are hooking to under the fuse block is larger. You should have any trouble with that at all. i am so glad I have my own Dmax now or otherwise i would have been pulling my hair out.

Greg


I have 2 sets of pink wires under the fuse block--the installation instructions only show one however. After reading some posts here and checking a little more closely, I found that the smaller gauge wires are the ones connected to the fuel heater fuse (at least according to the legend on the label under the fuse block lid). Admittedly, every time I think about which wires for the heater I question whether I got it right! They're definately connected to the smaller guage wires under the block though. Now, if we could figure out a test for *that* device too, we'd be goin' places.


thanks!


don

You have voltage to the heater because the WIF is working. The WEif and heater get the 12V off the same wire at the filter end of the harness. All the pink wire does is supply 12V to the relay when you turn the switch on.

Greg

Interesting, I thought that the power was coming from the connections on the terminals at the fuse box and that the ECU was supplying power to the pink wire when it determines the heater should be on. Is that right?


When I went to work this morning...


My Check Engine light is now on. I called OnStar (they have that remote diagnostics thingy) and they said that it was the transmission control module (or something like that) and that the severity is minor (check within the next week or at your convenience). The Diesel Supplement booklet says that it's the emmission control system warning and that it could be caused by low fuel, where some air gets into the fuel line.


When I installed the WIF sensor last night some fuel leaked out and I'm sure some air got into the lines. The system ran fine in spite of the light.


When I started up the truck for the ride home, the check engine light was out. So I'm guessing that it was in fact the fuel bubble...


thanks!


DonEdited by: donmiller714

I'm getting ready to do the WIF splice (into the wire harness on the engine) for my Racor installation, and am not a big fan of using the 3m Scotchlock connectors. From reading the above posts, it sounds as if Racor is using some other kind of weatherproof connector to splice into the wire harness under the hood. Does anyone know what brand / type they use?

Can't tell you the brand since it's so small I'm not even sure there was one written on it. It's essentially the same idea as the 3M, but smaller, different case, looks to have dialetic grease in it and a button on top to close the splice. It's small enough that you have to strip the insulation off of the yellow wire, coming from the rear WIF sensor, in order to get it into the splice.


The Racor directions say it's a weatherproof connector.


I think Don had the right idea going to an electronics store...http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Ermm.gif

Zeeb...thanks for the note. I think I know what you are describing. They are used for splicing telephone wires, and are round. The ones I have seen are different colors, depending on the guage wire to be spliced.

One of these days, I have to finish hooking up the wiring for my filter. I just ran the harness and coiled it up next to the firewall. Putting the filter on was more important than the heater to me.


Maybe I'll get it done by winter, along with mounting the EGT and Boost guages that have been ready to go in since April. http://dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Embarrased.gif


I should just call Idle_Chatter and have him come over to motivate me... http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Big Smile.gif

Zeeb...thanks for the note. I think I know what you are describing. They are used for splicing telephone wires, and are round. The ones I have seen are different colors, depending on the guage wire to be spliced.


That's it, it was a small round one...http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Approve.gif

Just trying to install my RACOR GM approved preOEM filter and a couple of questions pop out (2004 LLY):


1) Is the Fuel HT 15A fuse and therefore the fuel heater "always on" or does it only come on at a certain low temp? My kit has one red wire going from the underside of that fuse (spliced to one pink wire) to activate the Racor filter heater relay, and the other red wire from the WIF sensor going to the other pink wire on the Fuel Ht fuse. If the fuel heaters are not always on that doesn't make sense.


2) My WIF DIC msg comes up when the new RACOR is plugged in but goes away if unplugged at the filter connector. Bad Sensor? (no water in fuel by the way).


3) May be entirely separate problem, but after installation, glow plug lite comes on at first start in morning and will not go away until after start. Following starts that day seem normal with glow plug lite going out very quickly. Needs to sit overnight to repeat symptom. Any guesses?

Who did you get it from because my kit has one red, one black, one pink and one yellow wire. The heater has a builtin T-stat. Sounds to me like you have it wired wrong, of course it could be a bad sensor but I doubt it.





greg

It's been awhile since I installed mine and I can't locate the directions right now, I'll have to look a little further, but a couple of thoughts come to mind.


1. The heater is thermostatically controlled. Where that thermostat is, or if it's controlled by the ECM (which I don't think it is) Racor told me it comes on at 32 degrees F.


2. It sounds like there is a problem with your sensor, or the install. If you don't want to pull it, you could check for continuity between the poles on the cannon plug. If you've got a circuit, then either somthing is shorting the contacts, or the sensor is bad. If there's no circuit, then your wiring is wrong.


3. It could be coincidence, but there have been some problems with the glow plug control module and, IIRC, GM is working on a fix for that. Or it could be that you do have something wired wrong that is lighting the WIF on the DIC and contributing to the long light on the glow plugs.

http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley1.gif Thanks guys. The built in thermostat in the filter now helps me understand the installation. I will meter out the WIF sensor and see if it is open (good) or closed (bad). I will also check the wires. As I recall it Greg is correct. There are 3 wires for the WIF - pink(or lite red), black and yellow. Pink goes to the Fuel Ht fuse on engine fuse block to supply 12V to WIF sensor. Yellow goes to Engine harness connector to turn on WIF indicator, and Black is ground.


The filter heater is two wires, red and black. Red goes to a relay that is activated when truck is turned on and connects the heater to 12 V through the included fuse from the accessory stud. That supplies 12V to the heater whenever the truck is turned on.


I will go at it again. Thks for the help.

I don't think its possible to check the WIF sensor for continuity with a meter. The sensor we use is a 3 wire sensor (RK30880) that is an amplified sensor that will ground the signal lead when water is present.


Just a note on the relay in the kit. The relay applies 12v to both heater and WIF circuits on the Racor bowl. As mentioned above, the relay turns on when the truck is on. When I connected my pink lead, I was able to splice in the the pink wire (one of the smaller guage ones) at the wire harness where it enters the underhood fuse panel. That saved me from having to remove the fuse panel to put the splice underneath (the fuse panel).

http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley17.gif Success! The WIF DIC message is now gone. Why? Some klutz (that would be me), blew the Fuel Ht 15A fuse at some point. If that fuse is "open" you will get a Water in Fuel DIC msg. Thks Roegs for the thought on continuity testing of the sensor. Anyway, she all seems to be OK now, although I still need to test the sensor to see if it will ground the signal lead when water is present. Certainly it does it when the fuse is blown. Theory: Must float the sensor without it's 12Vs and thus ends up grounding the signal (yellow) lead?