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500 Hour Service Interval Guide for a John Deere 650K Dozer – Part 2
Written by Luis Montes Updated On April 9, 2025
Previously, we changed this dozer’s engine oil and filter.
Part 2 of this 500 hour service guide will cover changing the fuel filters on the John Deere 650K.
You can watch Keith, an expert heavy equipment technician, replace the filters.
Change the Primary and Final Fuel Filters
The fuel filters are in the rear right-side door. The first filter you’ll find is the primary filter (water separator), and the final fuel filter is the one behind.
Since the fuel tank is usually higher than the filters on this type of equipment, close the shutoff valve so you don’t make a mess.
Next, pop off the drain hose and the water sensor to make room for a drain pan underneath the filter. The sensor has a red safety that you must pull down to unplug the sensor.
Some people cover the filter with a plastic bag instead of using a pan to catch the fuel, just like Mike (another expert heavy-duty mechanic) did when he serviced a John Deere 85G.
The safety can be tricky to pull down. In our case, we needed a set of pliers. On some machines like the Kubota KX040, owners find removing the whole filter housing easier. Our article “Kubota KX040-4 Repair Guide” shows how to do it.
Turn the water bowl clockwise to remove it from the filter. Have a pan underneath to catch the fuel that will come out. Do the same with the filter. If you can’t take them off by hand, there’s enough room for a set of filter pliers.
With the primary filter out of the way, there will be plenty of room to remove the final fuel filter.
The John Deere 650K has a fuel pump, so we didn’t have to prefill the primary filter. The owner’s manual instructs not to prefill the fuel filters to avoid damaging the system with debris.
Before installing the filters, lubricate their o-ring seals. You can use a thin oil film or, even better, pour a bit of fuel and rub the O-rings with your fingers. A non-lubricated seal could bind and twist as you tigh the filter, leading to a non-sealed installation.
Usually, we don’t use tools to tighten spin-on filters, as mentioned in the previous post. However, the John Deere 650K fuel filters have sidewall O-rings instead of a mating surface style, like the John Deere 85G (MIU805005) and the Komatsu PC200LC (600-311-3750) fuel filters, so we used a set of pliers to close the gap between the top of the filter and its housing.
Clean the water separator bowl and replace the seal. Again, splash a bit of diesel to lubricate the seal and spin the bowl counterclockwise by hand into the bottom of the water separator.
Plug back the sensor, push the safety all the way up, take out the drain pan (if used), and put the rubber drain hose back in.
To finish, reopen the shutoff valve and prime the filter by pressing and releasing the engine start switch a couple of times.
Next Post
Part 3 will cover how to change the engine air filters on the John Deere 650K dozer.