Oil & Fuel Ford 1920 fuel filter mysterious spring

[Danica]

Help! I just changed the fuel filter on a 1920 and then after an hour of trying to position the bowl back in found a 1” spring at the bottom of the bucket into which I let the diesel to drain into. I have never seen anything about a spring under or in the fuel filter but to my dismay saw on Amazon a 1920 fuel filter kit that included this exact same spring! What gives? Does it go inside the hole on one end of the filter? I really dread going thru this messy process again and am afraid to run the tractor if I’ve left out a critical part.

 

[TractorTech]

Danica, the spring goes at the bottom of the filter to apply tension from the bowl so that it stays snug. You should be able to shut the fuel valve off, unscrew the filter ring, install the spring under in the fuel bowl so that it goes up against the filter. Shouldn't be too messy

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

Help! I just changed the fuel filter on a 1920 and then after an hour of trying to position the bowl back in found a 1” spring at the bottom of the bucket into which I let the diesel to drain into. I have never seen anything about a spring under or in the fuel filter but to my dismay saw on Amazon a 1920 fuel filter kit that included this exact same spring! What gives? Does it go inside the hole on one end of the filter? I really dread going thru this messy process again and am afraid to run the tractor if I’ve left out a critical part.

I changed 3 filters today. Now I have 15 gallons of oil and a few filters to do before dark. One is a 150 kw generator under a light. I have to flush the radiator too. That's my evening and it's after 7 pm now. But I do have a go home box of Mexican food someone dropped off for me. I'm working on it now.

 

[Danica]

Danica, the spring goes at the bottom of the filter to apply tension from the bowl so that it stays snug. You should be able to shut the fuel valve off, unscrew the filter ring, install the spring under in the fuel bowl so that it goes up against the filter. Shouldn't be too messy

Thank you! Will try tomorrow and hopefully it will be easier 2nd time.
Danica

 

[Danica]

Thank you! Will try tomorrow and hopefully it will be easier 2nd time.
Danica

I will and thank you again for your definitive answer!

 

[Tinhack]

Yep. Without that spring, the filter could slip off the upper tube. When it does that, there's no filtering.

 

[JC-jetro]

Spring on the bottom actually pushes up the filter and seals against the top filter assembly body. The purpose is that there is no filter by pass from inlet to outlet.


The inner inlet of the filter needs to be tight against the black o-ring.

 

[Danica]

The disgusting thing is the spring isn’t mentioned in the owner’s manual or the massive repair manual or even on any of the YouTube videos that ostensibly show exactly how to change filter and bleed lines. Thank you again!

 

[JC-jetro]

The disgusting thing is the spring isn’t mentioned in the owner’s manual or the massive repair manual or even on any of the YouTube videos that ostensibly show exactly how to change filter and bleed lines. Thank you again!

Funny you said that as in mine when I tried to change the filter noticed a rubber o-ring on the bottom of the bowl to raise the filter a bit higher to have top sealed against the o-ring I showed on my picture. I used a stainless steel spring from a pop-up sprinkler head. The dia of the spring i used was smaller of bowl dia and fitted the bottom of filter well. I did have to trim the spring enough to make sure I have a tight seal. if the filter is just floating in the bowl then it is not doing anything and all the fuel just gets by-passed without being filtered.

 

[Danica]

Seems like a bad design flaw…why not just have a single filter (like oil or hydro) with a outflow button on bottom for releasing water. Then it’d be like a normal filter change…