Wix sensor?

[foresterdj]

O.K., change of plans, miss behaving RR parking brake cable will not be the next thing.

Have noticed a slight but increasing fuel leak right front of engine, cleaned everything off and watched and there it was...spit, spit, spit from weap hole on lift pump. Already picked up a new pump to install this weekend, along with a new short piece of fuel hose, clamps, a new olive for the top of the line at the filter (figured all the involved wiggling would end up making the 20 year old one leak, so why give it a chance) and,

figured to change fuel filter while at it, since I am not sure when previous owner last changed it. (Also plan to change oil and oil filter, just in case any fuel was making it's way into engine.)

Had seen several theads where folks advised going with the Wix fuel filter with drain and sensor, so got one. Now here is the noob question, filter has a threaded hole and o-ring for the attachment of a sensor stud (I guess), for the water in fuel plug, but where do I get this item? (I have not owned an IDI long, and have never replaced a fuel filter yet, so will feel pretty stupid if you tell me to just screw it out of the existing base. However, if I need to get one in town, will want to do so before this weekend.)

 

[Brimmstone]

Good luck. I searched and finally got mad and just stuck a bolt in it with an o-ring to seal. Had a shop change it once when I didn't have time to a service. I couldn't understand why my truck started so hard afterwards till I saw fuel coming from the bottom of the filter. They had installed the filter and just left the little plug in it that sealed the hole from dirt. Thankfully I had my old filter in the side box so I just grabbed my old bolt out and away I went. Hard starting problem went away after that also.

 

[RLDSL]

THe sensor is screwed into the base of your filter. There is a wire that pushes straight onto a threaded post that is the contact for the sensor, , to remove the filter, pull teh wire off and remove the filter, unscrew the sensor from teh old filter , remove the old oring from teh sensor, put some oil on the new oring and put the new oring on the sensor CAREFULLY install the sensor in the new filter, these things will crossthread very easily ( when I first got my truck, the sensor had about 4 different sets of threads cut into it, I finally bought a new sensor, the things are cheap)
MAke sure the water drain is tight. Install the filter

 

[foresterdj]

O.K., took off early today, and got it all done (except for oil change, that is tommorrow).

Hardest part was getting the old gasket cleaned off, since most of it stuck tight to block. New fuel pump actually went in real easy. Put the new line on inlet, replaced olive at top of steel line, not being sure about sensor deal, I picked up a regular fuel filter for that replacement.
Filled new filter with ATF and spun filter on, then the moment of truth.


Turned key waited for the light to go out, and it started right up, didn't seem to faulter a beat, ran it 'till it was warmed up, shut it off, started it again, took it for a spin, no fuel leaks to be seen, all-n-all uncanny good results for a Friday the 13th!

Anyway, back to my stupid questions about the filter base and the water in fuel sensor.

So on the bottom of the factory fuel filter base there are 3 features.

1- a schraeder type valve that lifts and open a seat inside the filter base, I assume this is to drain the water? It is in a threaded hole close to center above the next item

2-a large brass knurled knob which was so darn tight I couldn't loosen it by finger, inside seemed like a nut kind of a thing. Not sure what the function is for this, had thought it might have been a valve for a drain, since it seemed to have a short (~1/8" long) tube in the center of the knob, and lastly

3- what I assume is the water in fuel sensor, which has a tiny threaded stud on the outside which had a wire clipped to it (I assume the wire to the light in the dash?) and an exposed metal tip inside (which I assume is the contact for sensor). I gather from RLDSL's comment that this would screw out and could then be screwed into the WIX 33617 filter?

So,
A-what are the functions of these three items suppose to be (or did I guess correctly)?

B-how does the fuel in water sensor work, I would think that a sensor testing for resistance differences in a fluid would need two metal tips and more than a single wire? and

C-attached to the metal fuel line with rubber clips was a small (~1/8") metal line, connected to nothing at the bottom, at the top having a few inches of rubber hose slid on also not attached to anything, nor seeming to be long enought o have attached to anything.

An inquiring mind would like to know how all this is suppose to work.

 

[CDX825]

3- what I assume is the water in fuel sensor, which has a tiny threaded stud on the outside which had a wire clipped to it (I assume the wire to the light in the dash?) and an exposed metal tip inside (which I assume is the contact for sensor). I gather from RLDSL's comment that this would screw out and could then be screwed into the WIX 33617 filter?

From my understanding the advantage of the 33617 was to eliminate the base section of the filter but still allow the water in fuel sensor to be used. So the sensor should screw out of the stock base and into the wix filter.

The sensor works off of the fact that water conducts electricity and diesel fuel does not. So should you get water in the fuel it will settle to the bottom of the filter touching the contact and completing the circuit and lighting the "water in fuel" light

 

[onus]

Speaking of this. My truck currently has a baldwin fuel filter on it. But no sensor port, the sensor wire is just hanging around. What is the part number for the water in fuel sensor?

 

[93cc7.3]

i dont know what the part number is but when i tried to get one from the stealership they wanted 75 bucks for it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[onus]

Oh yikes forget that!

 

[93cc7.3]

Ya I don't know if they were lookingup the right part though

 

[onus]

Either way. I guess i'll just have to remember to drain the fuel filter every once and awhile. I hear some people never see the light come on anyway.

 

[jonathan]

Speaking of this. My truck currently has a baldwin fuel filter on it. But no sensor port, the sensor wire is just hanging around. What is the part number for the water in fuel sensor?

check out the parts bin it has the info you wont