Diesel injection equipment is lubricated by the fuel passing through it, which is why fuel filtration is unforgiving and why these are the most expensive parts on the engine to get wrong.
Most diesel systems filter fuel in two stages. A primary filter, usually combined with a water separator, takes out bulk contamination and free water. A secondary filter, considerably finer, protects the injection equipment itself. Fitting only one because that is what was on the shelf is a false economy measured against the cost of a set of injectors.
Micron ratings below range from 17 micron on the coarser primaries down to 6.5 micron on the FF5580, which is built for modern high-pressure common rail systems. Finer is not automatically better — fit what your engine was specified for. Understanding micron ratings explains why.
Where a number has a separator equivalent we have noted it, because on poor fuel the separator version is usually the better buy. See fuel/water separators.
The numbers are grouped below by brand. The Caterpillar pair are both secondary filters and both fine — 1R-0749 at 98.7% between 3 and 5 micron, and 1R-0755 at 99% at 4 micron — so neither is a substitute for a primary. The Donaldson numbers sit in the middle of the range at 9 and 10 micron. If you need a brand we have not listed against your number, ask: crossing a fuel filter between brands is routine, provided the rating and the thread both match.
The Perkins numbers are listed differently from the rest, and deliberately. Perkins publish fitment by engine rather than by dimension, so each card leads with the engine series and the exact models the part is fitted to. That is how a Perkins buyer identifies a filter anyway: from the engine plate, not from a tape measure. If you have the engine number, send it and we will match the part to it.
15 fuel filter numbers we are asked for most often, across Fleetguard, Caterpillar, Donaldson and Perkins. Our range is far wider than this — if your number is not listed, it is very likely we can still supply it or match an equivalent.
Fleetguard
Spin-on fuel filter
Typical applications Freightliner, International, Ford, Peterbilt, Kenworth, Mack and Volvo with Cummins engines; construction and agricultural equipment, 1972 to 2017.
Fleetguard
Spin-on fuel filter
One of the most commonly requested Fleetguard fuel filters. FS1251 is the fuel/water separator version.
Typical applications Freightliner, International, Ford, Peterbilt, Kenworth, Mack and Volvo trucks and equipment with Cummins engines.
Fleetguard
Spin-on fuel filter
Synthetic media rather than cellulose, which holds more dirt and copes better with damp fuel.
Typical applications Rolls-Royce 220 to 500 kVA generator sets; E.R.F., Foden, Seddon-Atkinson and Ashok Leyland trucks; Perkins engines.
Fleetguard
Spin-on fuel filter
The highest efficiency of the fuel filters listed here, at 99.9%.
Typical applications Volvo trucks and construction equipment, 1992 to 2019; China National HD Truck, Wirtgen and Kalmar.
Fleetguard
Spin-on fuel filter with drain plug
The drain plug lets you draw off collected water and sediment without removing the filter.
Typical applications Heavy-duty truck engines from Cummins, Caterpillar, Volvo and others.
Fleetguard
Spin-on fuel filter
A fine 6.5 micron secondary filter for modern high-pressure injection systems.
Typical applications Cummins QSC, QSL and QSL9 engines in JCB, Case IH, Hyundai, Komatsu, New Holland and Doosan equipment.
Fleetguard
Spin-on fuel filter
Typical applications Cummins engines in Ford, Freightliner, Peterbilt, Kenworth and Nissan vehicles; Case IH and JCB equipment, 2000 to 2020.
Fleetguard
Spin-on fuel filter
Typical applications Caterpillar earthmoving equipment; Mitsubishi trucks and construction vehicles, 1982 to 2020; Hyundai, Kubota and Kobelco plant.
Fleetguard
Spin-on fuel filter
Commonly fitted on FG Wilson generating sets.
Typical applications International DTA360, DT466 and DT530 engines; Perkins and Caterpillar industrial engines; FG Wilson generator sets and Timberjack equipment.
Caterpillar
Spin-on secondary fuel filter
Advanced high efficiency. A fine secondary stage for modern injection systems.
Typical applications Caterpillar C7, C9, C10, C11, C12, C13 and C15 engines, including ACERT variants.
Caterpillar
Spin-on secondary fuel filter
Advanced efficiency, and the finest of the Caterpillar fuel filters listed here.
Typical applications Caterpillar diesel engines on and off-highway.
Donaldson
Spin-on fuel filter
Gasket outside diameter 99 mm.
Typical applications Carrier Transicold refrigeration units and similar industrial diesel equipment.
Donaldson
Spin-on fuel filter
Collapse burst 6.9 bar. Gasket outside diameter 71 mm.
Typical applications Commercial and industrial diesel fuel systems.
Perkins
Fuel filter element, metal free
A secondary fuel element from the Perkins Eco range. There is no metal canister, so the used element can be incinerated rather than scrapped. Acrylic beads stop the pleats bunching and a nylon centre tube means no metal swarf from manufacture can reach the fuel system. Moulded end caps rather than glued ones, which removes a leak path.
Typical applications Perkins 1306-8T NGD, 1306-8TA NGD, 1306-9T NGD, 1306-9TA NGD, 1306-E76T, 1306-E87T, 1306-E87TA and 1306A-E87TAG engines.
Perkins
Secondary fuel filter
A short, wide can rather than the tall element people expect. No integrated water trap, so on poor fuel it wants a separator ahead of it. The dimensions here are the published figures for the element rather than Perkins' carton size; confirm with us before ordering.
Typical applications Perkins 1004-4, 1004-40, 1004-42, 403A-11, 403C-15, 403D-11, 403D-15, 403F-15, 404A-22, 404C-22, 404D-22 and 4.236 engines.
This is a shortlist, not our range. Send us the number stamped on the old element, or the make and model of the machine, and we will identify the right part, confirm the fitment and quote it with availability. We can also cross a number from one brand to its equivalent in another.