'69 Ford 3000 Fuel Filet Bleeder Screw/Bolt

wirlybird · Jan 27, 2022

HI all,
Got a 1969 Ford 3000 diesel. One of the bleeder "bolts" on the fuel filter bracket stripped out the threads on the housing.
I can tap this out to a 3/8-24 but do I need a special bolt with holes in it for the bleeder to work ok?
For now I am just going to add a 1/2 inch 3/8-24 bolt so it doesn't leak.

I noticed that the other bledder "bolt" as a hole in the end of it and likely another neat the head to allow air to purge.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Texasmark · Feb 26, 2022

I have a CAV pump and just bought a new dual filter complete assembly on ebay for about $30 with free shipping and the first filter has a clear sump so that you can visually see if there is water in the fuel that needs to be drained before you have to diddle with the drain screw.

Harry in Ky · Feb 26, 2022

The port is (or was) 3/8-16. I doubt tapping it to 3/8 - 24 will work. You would need to go larger than 3/8 since there will be little left to tap. Not to complicate things, but you might consider going to 10mm if you can find a short enough bolt that size. Taps are available. The biggest concern is getting the new threads square with the base, since the seal takes place with a seal washer between the underside of the bolt head and the surface of the base. If it's not square, you will have a leak, then possibly over tighten and strip it again.

As for the vent hole, no, you really don't need that. If you loosen the bolt a few more threads, the filter will bleed just fine.

wirlybird · Mar 3, 2022

Harry in Ky said:
The port is (or was) 3/8-16. I doubt tapping it to 3/8 - 24 will work. You would need to go larger than 3/8 since there will be little left to tap. Not to complicate things, but you might consider going to 10mm if you can find a short enough bolt that size. Taps are available. The biggest concern is getting the new threads square with the base, since the seal takes place with a seal washer between the underside of the bolt head and the surface of the base. If it's not square, you will have a leak, then possibly over tighten and strip it again.

As for the vent hole, no, you really don't need that. If you loosen the bolt a few more threads, the filter will bleed just fine.

The one that came out was 5/16" I tapped to 3/8-24 and it works fine, no leaks!