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Well, it's time for a fuel filter change. The jackass before me didn't hand tighten it. It took me 2 hours and a broken strap wrench to get this one off.
I do believe it's a fuel filter. The one on my '88 7.3 looks identical, even with the drain plug at the bottom to let the water out.
Haven't looked under the truck in awhile, but I'm pretty sure the oil filter is longer than that.
I've learned to not expect anyone I don't know personally to do anything right, ever. That way I'm never disappointed, and sometimes pleasantly surprised.
I do believe it's a fuel filter. The one on my '88 7.3 looks identical, even with the drain plug at the bottom to let the water out.
Haven't looked under the truck in awhile, but I'm pretty sure the oil filter is longer than that.
I've learned to not expect anyone I don't know personally to do anything right, ever. That way I'm never disappointed, and sometimes pleasantly surprised.
Fuel filter and oil filter are the same length I think, unless you use the MotorCraft FL-1995 filter from the early PSDs. It was the fuel filter. The jackass did the same thing with the oil filter, but that's just in a much more awkward and uncomfortable place to get to. All in all, to get both off, it took me 6 hours. Ridiculous.
This reminds me of the first time I changed the oil in my 76 Chevy 4x4. The PO put it on so tight that I couldn't get it off with any kind of oil filter wrench. I tried 3 different types. I even hammered a large screw driver thru the side of it and tried to turn it. but that didn't work either. Matter of fact I ended up shredding the filter so all that was left was the screw on part.
I started this oil change after work. I gave up after dark, and had to loose a day of work the next day.
I finally had to use a long screw driver and a hammer to hammer the screw on part, by putting the tip of the screw driver on edge in one of the holes in the end and tapping on it. if I remember right I tore thru a few of those holes before I finally got the piece to move. By then half my day was gone, that's why I lost the whole day of work.
I had to laugh when I first read the thread title. Honestly, I was expecting something more along the lines of the DSPO claiming "it's always had a bit of an oil leak", only for you to find that he had safety wired the filter into place, or some other DSPO trick of that type.
I do believe it's a fuel filter. The one on my '88 7.3 looks identical, even with the drain plug at the bottom to let the water out.
Haven't looked under the truck in awhile, but I'm pretty sure the oil filter is longer than that.
I've learned to not expect anyone I don't know personally to do anything right, ever. That way I'm never disappointed, and sometimes pleasantly surprised.
My bad, I haven't worked on diesels. My gas filter looks alot different than that
Just a note- sometimes those things do tighten from operational temperature changes over time. Let it go long enough, and it can be a hell of a thing to get off. I do all my own oil changes, tighten as directed, and still have trouble sometimes.
I have to admit, I've always given my oil and fuel filters a little snugging up with a filter wrench. I never have trusted just getting them hand tight. Haven't had too much of an issue with it yet...
I only go hand tight, and a weak hand tight at that. Makes removal a tool free operation and never had a leak. Oil filter wrench comes out when I work on someone else's car, that had the filter put on at a shop or whatever. That habit comes from dealing with similar situations as shown here by the OP. Glad you got it taken care of, does suck to deal with though!
Just a note- sometimes those things do tighten from operational temperature changes over time. Let it go long enough, and it can be a hell of a thing to get off. I do all my own oil changes, tighten as directed, and still have trouble sometimes.
Scott
i have to agree with Scott on this one. the last time i changed the fuel filter on my 88 was around 2004, because the truck has been relegated to back up snow plow and has only gotten 1300 miles put on it since then.
last year it developed a leak after a pinhole rotted in the fuel filter.
i had to do the screwdriver and hammer trick to get it off, and i only put the fuel filter on hand snug.
I have a friend I call Grip when we're working on a project together. I don't allow him to use anything but a quarter inch ratchet when tightening bolts. He also doesn't get to 'hand' tighten oil filters or fuel filters either.
I only hand tighten my all oil filters, but they all need the filter wrench coming off, no matter the vehicle. I'm guessing the heat/cool cycles are the culprit? Even hand tight I've had more than one where I distorted the filter housing trying to get it off. I had one vehicle -I don't remember which one- that I had to use the screw driver trick on every filter change as you couldn't get a filter wrench on it.