What does water in fuel light mean?
First of all, you do not need to worry, this is a message indicating that the fuel water separator needs to be drained. Minimize driving until you can service the system to avoid water-related damage or contamination.
Water in Fuel Light - Diesel Only | How To | 2019 Ram 2500-3500
Is it safe to drive with the fuel filter warning light on? While it's not an emergency when the light first comes on, it is important that you get the filter drained as soon as possible. Waiting too long will let the water build up and eventually let it get to your engine where it can cause some serious damage.
Water is commonly found in diesel fuel due to many factors including condensation in fuel tanks, improper handling and environmental conditions. To minimise the damaging effects, water should be removed from diesel fuel prior to the final stages of solid particulate filtration.
The fuel filter prevents water from getting into the engine to a certain extent. However, once the water content gets stuck inside the filter body, the filtration efficiency decreases. Hence, it is necessary to replace the fuel filter.
First of all, you do not need to worry, this is a message indicating that the fuel water separator needs to be drained. Minimize driving until you can service the system to avoid water-related damage or contamination.
Water can cause corrosion inside your fuel system and injectors and keep them from monitoring your fuel delivery rate properly. If left long enough, your injectors can eventually fail altogether, meaning your car won't start at all. This, obviously, is bad news.
- Sputtering.
- Power surges.
- Engine hesitation.
- Starting difficulties.
- Phase separation.
- Corrosion.
- Strong gasoline smell while driving.
- Misfiring or rough idling.
In most cars you can easily expect to get somewhere between 50 and 100km of normal driving after the light first flickers into your field of view (noticing it always helps, too); go a bit lighter on the throttle and you can probably stretch that to the next payday.
What Will It Cost? According to some auto service pricing sites, a fuel filter replacement service should cost between $50 and $175 for most cars to have the work done by a mechanic. If you are handy under the hood, you can order the part and do it yourself for between $10 and $70.
How much does it cost to fix water in gas tank?
If you need to get a new fuel tank this will probably cost you $300 or less, plus the labor for installing it. If the moisture inside is caused by moisture getting from the filler neck, then you will need to get a new filler neck and a new gas cap. This will cost about $50 to $150.
Heet is the industry standard if you need an additive to remove the water from your gas tank. Not only is ISO-HEET a gas anti-freeze, but it can remove up to 5x the water as other additives. Easy to use and can be used with 2 cycle engines, gas or diesel.

Allow 24 hours for the fuel to sit in a dark, clear container. Water is denser than gasoline, therefore if any is present, it will settle to the bottom of the container.
The purpose of the sensor is to detect the presence of water in diesel fuel. The sensor is mounted inside of the fuel filter and has two main output signal stages, low level and high level, which identify the presence and absence of water.
To get water out of your diesel fuel, you need to drain or pump as much water out of your fuel tank as possible. Remember to use a siphon hose long enough to reach the bottom of your tank. Add the proper amount of Diesel 911 (or your preferred diesel additive) to your fuel tank.
Water in fuel or WiF sensor T417241 designed to fit in the water bowl at the bottom of the fuel filter to indicate the excessive presence of water in the bowl by sending a signal to the dashboard or ECU.
- A loss of RPM and power in the machine.
- Rough starting or erratic idling.
- Trouble or a lag in acceleration when stepping on the pedal.
- Abnormal exhaust such as white smoke.
Just like oil and water, diesel and water don't mix – they separate. So, if there's water in your tank, it settles to the bottom. That water will cause your tank to rust and algae to grow. The rust floats around, clogging and damaging your fuel filters.