I have a problem. I broke the water seperator on my '96 Ford F-250 ps. The sending unit on the water seperator was leaking diesel so I tried to tighten it a bit and broke the threaded hole it fits into. I have everything loose on the water seperator but there is a solid line off the bottom of the seperator that runs under the fuel filter canister. I need to know if I need to take the fuel filter canister off and if I do how hard is that to do. Any help would be appreciated.

 

from steve baz's site.

To gain access to the HP oil pump, replace Injection Pressure Regulator valve or lift pump, or to service the filter housing, sometimes it's easiest to get the housing off of the engine. Removal is not that difficult except for the hoses. Remove the intake Y-pipe and plug the openings into the heads. Open the water separator drain to minimize the amount of fuel dumping into the engine valley. Loosen the hose clamps on the return line at the pressure regulator block, the primary (upper) lift pump hose at the filter housing, and the secondary (lower) lift pump hose at the lift pump. Remove the two head return lines at the pressure regulator block. Disconnect the harness connector at the RH side of the filter housing. Remove the two mounting bolts at the rear of the housing base. Lift up on the LH side of the housing to disengage the return line; pivot the housing forward to disengage the primary pump hose; pivot the housing back to disengage the secondary hose; and turn the housing clockwise to disengage the drain hose. Disconnect the IPR valve wire and remove the housing from the vehicle. Any o-rings or sensors on the housing can be serviced, and removal of the pressure regulator block for service/cleaning can now be done(the regulator can be removed with the housing installed on the vehicle, but with risk of o-ring damage on reassembly). Reverse the procedure for installation, taking care not to damage the hoses when their nipples are inserted in each. Do not over tighten the hose clamps or they will strip.