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Seems like all you need is some 1/2" O.D. rubber hose to jam up into the drain valve. The valve's orifice is tapered from about 0.525" I.D. near the bottom to roughly 0.425" I.D. near the top (I just measured a spare valve). Let us hear how well that works because I have not tried it yet ... but I will next time I check my fuel for water.
CORRECTION: I just tried stuffing a 1/2" O.D. hose into a spare valve and it DID NOT fit. I measured again and found the bottom opening measures 0.470" I.D., so it looks like a 7/16" O.D. hose (0.4375" O.D.) would be a better fit.
Admit y'all! Some of you were just waiting to hear about my demise because my hair-brained drain hose idea was completely cattywompass. Being such a nice day with low temperatures (mild nor'easter winds blowing), I did a lot of outdoor chores. Looked at my truck and got motivated to try my idea of draining the water filter using a drain hose. Besides, it's been a few months since I checked it. Located my section of 7/16" O.D. tubing, picked out a clear plastic bottle, and rolled underneath the F250 on my creeper. Fit the tubing up into the drain valve's center hole and since it fit nice and snug, I started thinking this is going to be a piece of cake. Pushed up on the drain valve and gave it a counter-clockwise twist to open it. WHAT THE HECK! The dadburn fuel drains out a different orifice than the center hole!!! Scrambled to capture the fuel which is now obeying gravity by landing on my arm and the driveway. So, in summary, disregard my half-**** idea of using a drain tube. On a positive note, there was no evidence of water and I did not break the valve.
I wish I would have seen this thread BEFORE I broke the little yellow nipples off my plug. What a **** design! Of course no dealership in San Diego had the part and I couldn't get it shipped to my house in under 5 days without paying $50.
If this happens to anyone else there are two solutions to keep you on the road.
1. Temporary fix (it's actually really solid and better than stock)
File off and drill out the spot where the little pins USED to be. Tap in some roll pins (available at any autoparts store) and epoxy the backside of each. This solution is really solid and probably would have lasted years but I swapped with the permanent fix.
I wish I would have seen this thread BEFORE I broke the little yellow nipples off my plug. What a **** design! Of course no dealership in San Diego had the part and I couldn't get it shipped to my house in under 5 days without paying $50.
If this happens to anyone else there are two solutions to keep you on the road.
1. Temporary fix (it's actually really solid and better than stock)
File off and drill out the spot where the little pins USED to be. Tap in some roll pins (available at any autoparts store) and epoxy the backside of each. This solution is really solid and probably would have lasted years but I swapped with the permanent fix.
Sorry to bump an older thread, but this little yellow ******* is fighting me in a new way that I haven't seen posted yet. I'm actually having trouble getting the damned thing to come off.
When I last drained the separator, I did break the little ears. But I had no spare at that time and I needed the truck to be running so I shoved the plug back in and felt it grab. It held in place and seemed to be secure, but it appears this move was a big mistake.
Now it just turns freely without coming off. I can turn the plug a full rotation but no amount of careful up or down force seems to find that sweet spot that lets it disengage. I'm curious if anyone else has had this issue. I was attempting to change the fuel filters but this is holding me up fast, and it's really frustrating. I have a new spare plug now, but I can't get this bugger to come off. I feel like I'm going to break the housing if I force it too much.
06-26-2018, 03:55 PM
Scrambled to capture the fuel which is now obeying gravity by landing on my arm and the driveway. So, in summary, disregard my half-**** idea of using a drain tube. On a positive note, there was no evidence of water and I did not break the valve.
