Any Way To Screw Up A Fuel Filter Change?

[RANOVRU]

Doing mine today and the only thing I find in the owners is instructions on draining and the instructions with the filter refer you to the owners.

Im assuming its just unscrewing the bottom piece, letting drain, and then unscrew the filter from the top? Theres a rubber ring that came with the filter, where does that go (assuming the top)??

Any tips for starting? The owners says it might run a little rough for a few after draining.

Any advice/help is appreciated...


Jon

 

[SparkandFire]

I always refill the new filter with ATF before screwing it back on...

With the 7.3 two piece filter screw the bottom housing on first, refill the filter, then screw the filter onto the filter housing.

 

[8seconds]

On the 7.3 filter arrangement, which is a two part setup, the bottom that screws on is the water seperator. The rubber ring that you spoke of is gasket that goes between the water seperator and the new filter. Just unscrew the whole unit as one then pour the fuel out and unscrew the water seperator and discard the old rubber ring and place the new one (rubber Ring) onto new filter at bottom and screw on water sepaerator. Ford suggest not refilling filter with filter, but I would suggest filling new filter before screwing it back onto the fuel filter head, saves time and your IP.... Hope this helps.....

 

[icanfixall]

Filling the new filter with atf is a great idea. If you install a dry filter then you need to crank and crank to clear the trapped air. The starter and batteries take a hit doing this. If the engine wont start and stay running bleed the air from the injector lines at the injectors. Only crank for 20 seconds and allow the starter to cool for 2 minutes. Hold the throttle wide open so more fuel iand air is purged thru the system. Crank and stop. Crack open the injector lines and look for fuel and listen for compressed air to escape. Care should be taken because this is fuel and air under 2000 lbs of pressure but very little volume.

 

[Goofyexponent]

Anyway to screw it up?....have a cigar hanging from your mouth in the process ...

Naw, it's fairly easy. I offer this advice though....warm teh engine up to temperature first....that way, if the fuel drains back from the IP (even though it shouldn't), your engien is hot adn you won't wear your GP's out trying to get it primed and ready to fire!

 

[Compu Doc]

Anyway to screw it up?....have a cigar hanging from your mouth in the process ...

Naw, it's fairly easy. I offer this advice though....warm teh engine up to temperature first....that way, if the fuel drains back from the IP (even though it shouldn't), your engien is hot adn you won't wear your GP's out trying to get it primed and ready to fire!

X2

I recently changed mine but had to change it cold because the one piece filter I bought was not going to be at the parts dealer till the next morning and the filter that was on there developed a leak. Although I did fill the filter before installing the truck still stalled. You don't want to know what I did to get it going again

 

[hesutton]

Same advice as posted above, but I just fill the filter with clean diesel. I always have several gallons of diesel at the house as my mower is an IDI diesel as well. Not, that ATF is bad, but if I've got diesel, I use it.

Heath

 

[RANOVRU]

Not being able to get it started again is one thing that makes me nervous.

ATF?? Really?? Thats not going to hurt anything???

I dont have any spare diesel to add to the new filter. Is it that important enough to actually wait and go get some?? Like was mentioned, Ford suggests not filling it. Why would they recommend that if it were neccessary??


Much thanks guys!

 

[flareside_thun]

If anything ATF HELPS stuff......Ford may not recommend filling it but every diesel mechanic I have seen does it. It's not going to hurt anything to fill the filter and it makes the filter change a hellova lot easier. If you want, don't prime the filter....but once you DO get the fuel system bled you won't ever spin on a dry filter again....

 

[hesutton]

Trust me, you want that filter as full as possible before trying to start the truck after a filter change. Otherwise, all the air in the filter will go straight into the injection pump/injectors. Then you'll spend the next 30 minutes or longer cranking and cranking the engine trying to bleed at that air out.

Heath

 

[icanfixall]

What I think the ford dealer shops are trying to avoid is contamination getting into the center of the filter. If you can pour fuel or atf carefully just do it but... Don't allow any fuel or atf to get into the center bigger holes in the filter. Make the filter work for you and only pour the fuel into the outer small holes so the fuel is being filtered by the filter media. any dirt.... And I mean any. even the stuff you can't see if poured directly into the center of the filter will be pumped directly into the injection pump and injectors. Dirt will kill your injection pump and injectors. It may look clean but its really not. The clearances in the injection pump are way less than one thousands of an inch. Sometimes finger prints damage these fine tollerances.

 

[colorado_joe]

Is any auto parts store (ex: NAPA) fuel filer good to use, or is this another IH or Ford part to get?

 

[RANOVRU]

FWIW Joe I just got a Purolator from the local parts store.


After reading this, and taking into consideration that not only do I have to work tomm (with the truck), but Im leaving wed to head to north carolina with a camper, I think Ill wait until I get back. Theres nothing wrong with the way its running and the fuel filter light isnt on or anything. The filter thats on it doesnt even look that old. I was just going to change it for spite.

Ill take the filter with me along with a qt of atf and worst case Ill have it if I need it.


Again thanks for all the help!

 

[93f250idi]

i agree with whats said about. fill the filter up with fuel or atf. i tried a dry filter one time. ending up costing me $60 plus the filter lol. my starter went from cranking it so much trying to prime it.

 

[RLDSL]

Another way to screw up, always make sure to look for an old rubber seal that might be still stuck around the threaded part of teh mount when you get the filter off, before you put the new filter on. Some filters use a small center oring around this part and some dont but if you leave the old one on there and put a second one on top of it or just try to mount a filter that doesnt' use one on top of one, your outer seal will leak like crazy no matter what you do.