Another "Fuel in the Valley" thread...with bonus RANT!

unclehoser

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Finally figured out the fuel leak that's plagued me since I've owned this truck (about 27 months). at first, it appeared to be the filter bowl drain valve, but, after replacing it twice, and replacing the o-rings twice, I still had a fuel leak problem. Fast forward to last weekend...

Degreased, washed, rinsed, dried EVERYTHING under the hood. Started her up, manned the flashlight, and waited. Sure enough...drip...drip...drip...about every 3-5 seconds (those oil-absorbent "diapers" definitely make it easier to see where the drips come from, if you can weasel a square of the stuff into the space under the filter bowl!).

As it turns out, both fittings leaving the bowl to the cylinder banks were dripping. Both were sort of loose, but I didn't want to over-tighten them, so I just gave them a little "kiss" of the wrench. No love...still dripping, although not as severely.

After a bit of research, I found that they're a proprietary fitting; namely, Parker-Hannifin Vibra-loks. They evidently have a Viton seal that goes bad over time. No problem...the whole world has them for sale online!

NOW THE RANT... Why in the hell does every outfit that sells these things at $1.50-$??? apiece insist on shipping them via UPS at an $8-$10 rate??? I can even buy a 10-pack from one supplier for less than ten bucks, but the shipping damned near doubles the price! Has the whole world forgotten how to throw a couple BS parts in an envelope and stick on a 50-cent stamp??? They can't weigh more than a fraction of an ounce!!!

OK...end of rant. Problem found, back to searching for a supplier who's not in bed with UPS/Fedex/etc...

Cheers!
Dave
 

greenskeeper

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My OBS has a fuel leak lately that only shows itself when the truck is driven a while. Sitting in the garage with everything clean and working the throttle produces nothing. When driving it's enough fuel for quarter sized pool below the fuel pump area. Not too worried about it for now.
 

compressionignitionrules

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I did the fuel drain valve kit when it had a big leak but its leakign again , but not enough to make a hard start. I'm goign to check those lines.........................
97 F350
 

unclehoser

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I did the fuel drain valve kit when it had a big leak but its leakign again , but not enough to make a hard start. I'm goign to check those lines.........................
97 F350

It can't hurt. As I said previously, it drove me nuts forever until I finally figured out that it wasn't that silly valve! I think the winning ticket was getting it all cleaned out & dry, then patiently watching & waiting. I'm new to all this, so I'm learning a bit at a time!

Cheers...
 

unclehoser

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Too rich for my blood....especially being stock. Not worth it in my opinion for my truck.



There are kits out there starting around $500 to eliminate the mechanical pump and fuel bowl going to an electric pump and filters on the frame rail.
 

unclehoser

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I'm with you. I don't have $500 to toss at a small problem right now! I bit the bullet, ordered a 10-pack of those little rubber seals for $9.00 & change (of course, the damn UPS cost $8.50...) but I'll have 'em if I need 'em. A bit of time and muscle pain from leaning over the fender and all will be well!

Thanks for the info!
 
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