Here at SRP Americas, we know that preventative maintenance is key to Reliable Power. We want to help you avoid paying thousands of dollars in repairs. Or worst of all, a complete engine breakdown.
Lets begin with fuel. Did you know fuel is where most engine performance problems start? You can never assume that your diesel is not contaminated. Even if clean when sourced, it will become contaminated through transportation and storage.
Fuel contamination is inevitable and filters will only help to remove non-organic contaminants. No filter will prevent the buildup of organic contaminants within the fuel and fuel tank. Contaminants will clog filters and cause injection system failure.
The best solution is prevention. Moreover, cleaning your fuel and fuel tank is the best way to do preventative maintenance. Depending on tank capacity and application, there are different options to choose from:
- For smaller tanks, we recommend and offer the TK-240 mobile fuel polishing system. It's compact design allows for easy transportation and will fit into tight areas. The TK-240 can polish up to 240 gallons (908.5 liters) of fuel in 1-hour of runtime.

- For larger tanks, we recommend and offer the MTC-1000. This system is also very mobile, allowing for easy transportation. The MTC-1000 can polish up to 7,200 gallons (27,255 liters) of fuel in a runtime of 8-hours.

- For critical applications that need constant cleaning, an automated option will work best. The STS series offers a selection of options to choose from depending on your specific needs.

Along with fuel cleaning systems, we also offer fuel tank options here at SRP Americas. These options include both sub base and above ground tanks. Custom built to meet capacity needs.

Inspecting the condition of your fuel and fuel tank should be a part of regular maintenance. Here are some methods to check the contamination of your fuel/fuel tank.
- Fuel sampling involves feeding a device into the tank port to capture a liquid sample.

- Water finding paste will change color if in contact with water. Apply the paste to the end of a rod and feed into the tank to test for water.

- You can also drain your fuel tank to get rid of the contaminated fuel and clean the tank.
Now that we've taken a general look at fuel/fuel tank maintenance, next up is the fuel injection system. All parts of the fuel injection system are very expensive to replace, which is why prevention is key.
The injection pump pressurizes the fuel and feeds it to the injectors. The injectors then atomize the fuel and spray it into the engine cylinders. Combustion of the engine is dependent on the state of the injectors. Which is why prevention and maintenance is so critical. Preventing contaminated fuel from entering the injectors will avoid two common problems. Nozzle hole clogging and poor fuel spray. A crack of the nozzle tip or poor spray will lead to deterioration of engine performance or breakage. Both issues are often attributed to the pump or injectors when the problem lies with the fuel itself.
Injection quality will also decrease if the fuel filter is not maintained. A very important factor to consider is the quality of the fuel filter. It may seem like a good idea to save money buying non-genuine fuel filters, but this will cost you much more over time. Non-genuine fuel filters do not prevent water or contaminants from entering injection equipment. Meaning you could be doing everything else right but still damage your engine with a bad fuel filter. Additionally, non-genuine filters are not designed for your genset like genuine filters are. What does this mean? It means that the amount of pressure applied to fuel varies per application. If your aftermarket filter cannot handle high pressure, it will break. Designed for different applications to ensure reliability, genuine filters are the solution. At SRP Americas, we offer FG Wilson and Mitsubishi genuine fuel filters.

For optimal protection, we also recommend using a fuel water separator. This is especially important if you do not clean your fuel/fuel tank often. As already mentioned, clean fuel will become contaminated from transportation and storage. Fuel water separators act as an extra line of defense. Removing water and other contaminants before reaching the engine. This prevents cracking of parts within the injection system and poor fuel spray. Protecting the engine from performance deterioration or even failure.
A final factor to consider for prevention is the quality and specification of the diesel. The level of sulfur in diesel varies based on region. For example, diesel in the U.S. tends to be low sulfur while diesel in Latin America and the Caribbean tends be higher. If you are using high sulfur diesel, you will need to plan to service more often. You should also learn how to choose the correct oil based on TBN (total base number). To do so, refer to your specific engine's operation and maintenance manual. At around page 40, there will be specific guidelines for choosing the right oil based on sulfur level. There will also be specific guidelines on how often you should change oil based on sulfur level.

If you want to achieve Reliable Power, it is critical that you understand prevention is key. The best form of prevention is regular maintenance. Starting with the fuel and fuel tank. It is also very important that you use genuine parts for your generator. At SRP Americas, we carry genuine parts for both FG Wilson and Mitsubishi brand gensets. If you buy from us, you will also gain peace of mind by having the support of our bilingual team of experts the whole way. Ensuring you always have Reliable Power.