Upgrade Your 6.7L Cummins with the FASS Drop-In Fuel Filter System

Making Life Easier For Dodge Ram Owners

Keeping up with maintenance on your diesel truck is paramount. With the current cost of trucks and the associated repairs, anything you can do to prolong their life and minimize needed repairs is worth your while. In the grand scheme of things, fluids and filters are cheap and easy to keep up on. But if you have a 2012-current Ram, you may disagree when it comes to their fuel filters. The plastic cap on the engine-mounted filter cartridges requires Hulk strength to loosen, and the chassis-mounted filter is located in the perfect position to make the largest mess possible when changing. No one looks forward to performing service on these applications. And if the pain of replacing them wasn’t enough for you, the cost may be the final straw. If you’re using OEM filters, you can expect to spend a few hundred dollars on the set of filters alone, not including the labor and time to replace them.

Luckily, you have some options out there that can turn your filter replacement into a breeze and not hurt the pocketbook doing so. In this case we are looking into installing a FASS Drop-In Series fuel filter system to replace both the OEM chassis- and engine-mounted filters and placing them in one ultra-convenient location, as well as adding a handful of other benefits. To aid in this installation, we are adding a Fleece fuel filter bypass to entirely remove the engine-mounted fuel filter housing.

Let’s expand on some of the reasons why this install might be the right decision for you, starting with some of the issues you may see with the factory filter setups.

Engine-Mounted Filter:

• The plastic cap is difficult to remove and commonly wears out or breaks from failed removal attempts.
• Even when drained before removal, it is challenging to avoid a mess when replacing.
• If you have a larger intake horn (such as a Bank’s Monster Ram), accessing the filter can be even more difficult. Then add a lifted truck to the mix—forget about it!

Once the Fleece fuel filter bypass is installed, there is no longer a need to get down there.

Chassis-Mounted Filter:

• With the location being over the rear driveshaft, space is very limited to firmly access the filter—to the point where some even remove the driveshaft to make accessing it easier. You better chock the wheels first!
• With limited space, replacing the filter is more difficult with the truck on the ground.
• The filter base can become corroded and unable to seal when a new filter is installed.
• With the location, some people don’t even know that it exists, so it never gets changed.
• Makes a mess when changing.

Some features and benefits of this install include the following:

• The Drop-In filtration system includes air separation, which also leads to increased lubricity of the fuel sent upstream.
• Water separation capability of over 99% efficiency
• Heater options are available if you operate in colder climates.
• Retains the use of the factory in-tank lift pump. This saves you from spending on something that is not needed in most cases.
• Significantly lowered maintenance cost.
• Makes filter replacement very simple.
• WIF (Water in Fuel) sensor capability is preserved.

Being that we are changing the fuel filtering capabilities, it’s important that we discuss the filters themselves. When it comes to FASS fuel filters, you may be most familiar with the PF-3001 particulate filter, the XWS-3002 Extreme Water Separator, and the larger XL capacity counterparts PF-3001XL and XWS-3002XL. These are the filters that you will see on all FASS Titanium Signature Series lift pumps. The PF-3001 filters are a 144-micron rated particulate filter, and the XWS-3002 filters bring it all the way down to 2 microns while boasting an impressive water separation efficiency of over 99%.

With the Drop-In Series line we see a new filter come into play—the CWS1010. This filter takes the place where a PF-3001XL would normally sit on other systems. The CWS1010 is also a waste separator and rated at 10 microns.

So why do we need two water separators on this system? There is a very important reason for this. During this installation, you will be removing both of the factory Water In Fuel (WIF) locations, so we need to ensure we maintain this capability.

The Extreme Water Separator (XWS) is a synthetic media that blocks all water from passing through and locks the molecules in place within the media. This water does not shed and fall to the bottom of the filter. This is why you won’t see a drain on the bottom of these filters. Unlike the XWS, the CWS is a cellulose media, coalescing-style filter, which means that the water that is blocked from passing through will shed to the bottom of the filter and can collect on top of the WIF sensor and trip it in the event of high water content.

Overall, this setup will deliver you a return on investment—not only monetary but on capability as well.

PHOTO DESCRIPTIONS:

• There are photos of the filter styles. The CWS1010, which is shown in the package, has a drain installed. The WIF sensor is included in the Drop-In kit and will have to be transferred over to the new filter with each replacement.
• Photos of the Drop-In Series filter installed in the standard front bed bolt location.
• Where the chassis-mounted fuel filter is typically mounted. The filter base is able to be completely removed and a jumper connector installed in the WIF plug.
• Fuel supply hose routing from the filter base all the way up the frame and directly plumbed into the CP3 pump.
• WIF extension wires ran from the engine bay, alongside the fuel supply hose, and connected to the CWS1010 filter.
• A Fleece fuel filter bypass was installed, and the factory engine-mounted fuel filter housing completely removed.

Parts Used on 4th Gen:

• FASS- DIFSRAM1001 (2010-2018 6.7 Cummins)
• Fleece- FPE-FFD-RO-4G (2010-2018 6.7 Cummins)

Parts Needed for 5th Gen:

• FASS- DIFSRAM4001 (2019-2023 6.7 Cummins)
• Fleece- FPE-FFD-RO-5G (2019-2023 6.7 Cummins)