Emergency help please - fuel filter dumping fuel

[Keith_S]

Hi,

I'm unreasonably panicked / anxious as I type...

Smelt a faint fuel smell this morning walking around my van but dismissed it. Later I turned the ignition on to then hear a liquid splatter sound and discover the fuel filter drain tap is dumping fuel, I mean it's flowing out at a high rate, not dripping. I tighten the plug, I have no idea what I'm doing at this point. Fuel is still flowing. I get buckets and start to catch the fuel then remember this only started when I turned the ignition on. I turn the ignition off and the flow stops.

There is still a slow continuous drip from the tap (from the centre not where it meets the fuel filter body). I assume this drip is what gave rise to the fuel smell.

It's a 2016 2.2 Custom. I had the fuel filter professionally changed recently. Since then I have driven from the UK to southern France and it has been fine. I can't say I'm 100% certain about as I was really upset when it was happening but I do believe the tap had been left such that it still required turns to tighten it i.e. loose.

The reason for the anxiety is that I am alone, living in my van while here and it's a Sunday so I can't speak to the garage where the work was done. I have no idea what I'll do if it has to be taken somewhere. I do have European breakdown cover.

Any suggestions as to what's going on? What I can do? From what I can gather it could be one of several problems: incorrectly fitted drain plug (it felt fine when I was tightening it i.e. not cross threaded), a damaged o-ring. I am also aware that if air got into the system by the plug being loose, manually priming could work as the plug is now tightened. There is however still that small drip.

Any help really appreciated.

[metalworker0]

Well without ignition on, its only going to drain less than 1 litre

So i suggest .. have a play with it fully loosening it .. and draining .. and tightening it back up with bucket under it

if this does not cure it, that is going through the loosen to tighten, cycling tight to loose a few times .. so easing off perhaps loosening captured road grime / crud in the threads ..maybe

here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68qjalKyIGQ

if that does not cure it .. there must be a seal or washer that needs replacing.. or someones over tightened it, so ruining the washer or o-ring seal

so don't be afraid, get the bucket out .. remembering this is plastic .. and can bust, if you over do it .

note washers or o-rings are not shown on the parts diagram, only available as complete lower fuel filter housing

http://www.catcar.info/ford/?lang=en&l= ... EzMw%3D%3D

all the best.mark

[Keith_S]

Thanks, that's really useful and appreciated. When the initial panic subsided I did start to undo the plug but it wouldn't loosen. Earlier I had tightened it with pliers, I now understand you're not meant to. I knew it was a plastic part when tightening so I didn't go crazy with the pliers. The pliers are too small and when the plug is wet with fuel they slip when trying to undo the plug so I abandoned the effort.

I don't really see how loosening / tightening would work anyway, it's as tight as it can be and I am certain it's not cross-threaded so I have to assume something is damaged / missing. But then I just can't work out how, if that's the case, I got this far.

I have reluctantly organised recovery for tomorrow morning and I hope it is something simple that can be fixed on the spot.

[Keith_S]

Just worked something out through watching videos. Why didn't I do this earlier instead of using AI?

So the plug / tap is never meant to be flush to the filter body. It seems that it's meant to sit proud of the filter body i.e. a few turns 'undone' as it were. When I tightened it as tight as it can be tightened I left it in the drain position, I assume that in this position something in the body of the filter is raised / opened to allow the fuel to drain out.

The reason I couldn't undo the plug is not because the pliers were small / slipping it's because the plug is reverse threaded from what I can see.

I don't understand however what the correct position is to leave the plug, I have read the term 'until strong resistance is felt' referring to tightening the plug. Even if I did know that I am still confused about how all this started - is it realistic that the plug somehow was tightened or loosened while driving? Have I ruined any chances of a roadside fix by tightening with pliers?

I am not doing any more on this now, It's late and I've given a lot to this today already. I will raise this with the person who attends tomorrow, it would be great if it really was a simple fix...

[andz327]

calm down mucker and just work the problem.....
theres no left hand thread on the drain plug, righty tighty, lefty loosey , screws out to drain and in to stop drainage ,
what Mark was saying to slacken and then retightening is a way of removing any debris in the threads or the seat where it seals , is the leak definitely from that drain plug and not higher and just running down
in around the filter there's T piece in the fuel pipe and a thin fuel pipe that feeds the 5th injector/dpf injector and can be brittle and break, its worth having a closer look, there's an electric fuel pump in the fuel tank that switches on when you turn ignition on, so if you've not sorted or found the problem limit the time ignition is on to see if still leaking

Sent from my SM-G990B using Tapatalk

[Keith_S]

Thanks andz327. I am trying to be cool but I'm in a really difficult situation. Anyway, have a look at 3m 38s from this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4UMr9YhQa8

Before draining the plug tap is out / proud of the filter body. To drain he turns it counter-clockwise which moves the plug towards the filter body. Unless I'm misunderstanding this is not loosen to drain and tighten to close, it is the other way round? The hidden / upper part of the plug has to raise or open something inside the filter body to allow fuel to drain.

[Keith_S]

I now have the plug out - see photos.

Can anyone comment on condition of the rubber seal?

Also does anyone have any temporary fix suggestions? I just tried clamping hose to the tap and clamping the other end closed but the pressure overcame the clamps. But when I tried this the plug was fully inserted so perhaps if I reseat the plug in the correct (closed) position this fix could still work...

[metalworker0]

rubber seal is buggered ,you are not going to get it anywhere .. there are valves for the mk7 .. but they are different

suggest repair is a stack of O-rings

available now at lidl - if any left.. as on offer last week

all the best.mark

[metalworker0]

or was i wrong

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/276547326838?


all the best.mark

[Keith_S]

Thanks for the reply and link. Trouble is I'm in France and I imagine I could pay substantial customs duty on that part. I have found an Irish website that also has just the valve:

https://www.transitcenter.ie/bleeder-va ... -6049.html

I may be able to get the filter housing locally and this includes the valve. It seems that there's confusion about part numbers however as, when I spoke with people today, they couldn't find any reference under 1781617. But there's also CC11-9160-AA.

Which number most likely to return hits if someone is looking for parts on systems?

[metalworker0]

1781617 is the ford part number and the number that is used on the parts diagrams
CC11-9160-AA. is the one printed on the packaging label as well as 1781617 and sometimes on the part itself.

to get you back home . you could wrap PTFE tape around it x

edit - no forget that it may end up in the high pressure pump and injectors

all the best.mark

[andz327]

good to see you found the problem thats fooked, would have to be a special shaped seal and not a normal O-ring, thinking back to the last couple of these euro 5 filters I've done and didn't actually touch the drain plug when changing the filter, I'm sure thats a similar seal thats on the2.4 rwd clutch slave cylinder bleed nipple (and possibly others that have the 1/4turn plastic nipple) not that that helps any but on the off chance you cant get new drain plug but perhaps this clutch slave cylinder may be available and seal is inside the circled part ..... just a thought that maybe get you out a hole and back on the road (I've got one of these spare so will measure seal just in case)

Sent from my SM-G990B using Tapatalk

[Keith_S]

Okay... just ordered the filter housing and it may arrive Friday (someone local has allowed me to use their address). The filter housing includes the plug / valve.

I have spoken with someone at the garage in the UK that I use and they suggested that the valve is not meant to be removable. This possibly means that even if I did order the valve separately it might not work. Does anyone have a view on this?

In the meantime 3 questions:

1. Could a temporary fix be to remove the plug entirely then clamp or cable tie a suitably sized tube to the part of the filter housing that protrudes? Then tie or clamp the other end of the tube. I am thinking a bicycle inner tube could work.

2. I have collected about 10 litres of fuel in buckets. The containers are clean, one had been used previously for cleaning, for example it may have had washing up liquid, soda crystals in it. It was however dry and clean when I used it to collect fuel. There were some particles in there though, maybe grit. I would like to return the fuel back to the tank. How safe is this as in am I likely to cause damage trying to use that fuel?

3. Once I get the part fitted I understand the steps are: 1. bleed the air and 2. manually prime the fuel. Is there anything else I should be aware of?

By the way please know that any help or advice you can give is making a massive difference to me, it is really appreciated.

[metalworker0]

pouring through a coffee filter or paint filter in a funnel should get out and particles in the fuel

typical paint filter

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/364148333069?

typical coffee filter

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/406928764345?

you can use any means you can think of to stop it leaking .. all you have to remember is .. if using stuff and it flakes, tears apart, crumbles, devolves or whatever . that it will get into your fuel pump or injectors, tyre tubes may turn too mush when exposed to diesel ..

all the best.mark

[metalworker0]

pouring through a coffee filter or paint filter in a funnel should get out and particles in the fuel

typical paint filter

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/364148333069?

typical coffee filter

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/406928764345?

you can use any means you can think of to stop it leaking .. all you have to remember is .. if using stuff and it flakes, tears apart, crumbles, devolves or whatever . that it will get into your fuel pump or injectors, tyre tubes may turn too mush when exposed to diesel ..

if leaking out of the nozzle end, you can use a tube a bolt and 2 jubilee clips

like so .. with shorter tube

download/file.php?id=52655&mode=view

all the best.mark