Funky Fuel Filter

   / Funky Fuel Filter #1  

Richard

Elite Member
Joined
Apr 6, 2000
Messages
4,813
Location
Knoxville, TN
Tractor
International 1066 Full sized JCB Loader/Backhoe and a John Deere 430 to mow with
I’m not a mechanical genius, nor am I a mechanical dunce. All I could do here was laugh at myself.

The starter on Brutus conked out, needed new solenoid. I spent 2 hours trying to get the goober out. To get to the far bolt, I had maybe 3 inches of room to turn a wrench, so I was turning the nut a tiny bit at a time. BUT, to do this, I had to remove the fuel filter which was directly overhead of the offending nut. Since the fuel filter was directly overhead, I had a constant drip of diesel on my hands as I was removing the starter /w3tcompact/icons/hmm.gif

I took the fuel filter off and figured, since I was so close, I’ll just replace it with a new one and make it all snappy clean. (I also discovered why they invented sediment bowls). Anyway, starter off and fixed.. went back to put back together and wa-la.. I was ready for a 2 hour fight to install starter and it went back together in about 20 minutes, just “clicked” into place where I spent 2 hours wrestling it out the other day. I was happy as a bug, now just tighten all down, re-wire and put new filter back together and I’m done...

Wrong.

The new filter (which was the SAME EXACT number as the old filter) would not fit. What’s up? Upshot and butchering some terminology.. the “outlet” hole on the new filter was say, 1 inch in diameter but the outlet hold on the OLD filter was maybe 3 inches. When I put the new one on, there is a metal “ring” above it, that hits and clashes with the smaller diameter hole. Yesterday I went to SEVEN different places to see if anyone had the “right” filter (dealer is hour away in other direction). All came down to “this” filter and I was dumbfounded. They even made comments on how common this filter is.

Being rather hard headed, I went back to the scene of my toils, dressed in pre-dieseled clothing so that I would not mind another bath as much.. and thought.. “maybe there is an adapter on this” ??

No adapter.

Fine. Well, being rather cynical, I just KNEW that the dealer would have the “new style” filter rather than this “old” style filter, soooooooo what to do?

I spent the next 25 minutes taking the entire filter assembly off Brutus. I figure I’ll just take the dang thing to the dealer and let them see my issues.

It was THEN that the light went off in my head. Hmm..aren’t those little doohickeys odd looking? Hmm..isn’t there supposed to be a gasket here? Hmmm, I wonder why I have this metal lip pointing the way I do?

A short story made even LONGER... /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif it seems the top “sheet metal” of the OLD filter came off and was stuck to the top of the assembly. The reason the hole on the old style filter was so wide, was because it had no top!! Since the top was stuck to the filter assembly, I was trying to stack another top UNDER the old one... (like a Pringles potato chip).

Got out my trusty screwdriver...worked around, and POP off came this old lid and after I replaced the O ring, I happily reinstalled the entire assembly, now knowing & understanding why there was an “old” and a “new” style filter for this machine. /w3tcompact/icons/clever.gif

Now, if I could only figure out how to bleed this system to get the air out, and the fuel IN...
 
   / Funky Fuel Filter #2  
Been there, done that.

Back in the olden days when they used canister filters instead of spin on, I installed a new filter and O ring in a Chevy 283 but didn't remove the old O ring first. That thing leaked like a sieve until I figured out the problem.

Those bolts in places where you can't turn them are why 3/8 drive air ratchets were invented. You break it loose with a wrench then let the air ratchet zip it out and back in when you reassemble it. Best $50 I ever spent.
 
   / Funky Fuel Filter
  • Thread Starter
#3  
I'm with ya on the air ratchet....small issue though.. you would think (I would) that the bolts to the starter would be "outside" the diamater of the starter... sadly, they are about 1/2 way recessed with no real way to evidently get to them with a ratchet of any kind. SOMEONE (starter designer) was asleep at the wheel. It would have been SO easy to make the flanges a fraction of an inch further out.. as it is, the centerline of the bolt (not having really measured) is about parallel with the body of the starter... /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif
 
   / Funky Fuel Filter #4  
I hate when designers do that. Sometimes you can get those with ratcheting wrenches......but not always.

Know what I hate worse than that? When you can get the socket on and back the bolt out, but then you can't pull it all the way because the socket is against a lip of some sort and you can't get the socket off the bolt. Then you get to screw it back in and take it out with a wrench anyway.
 
   / Funky Fuel Filter #5  
Yeah thats why those design engineers are always snickering together down by the water cooler.
 
 
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