My wife's late '99 7.3 PSD (60K miles) has the classic symtoms of a clogged fuel filter. Engine starts then sputters , then dies. It ran great in warm weather but now it has turned very cold. She says she doubts if she ever had the fuel filter changed.

We are now snowed in and I need to get this filter changed.

Could some one tell me the steps to do this? Starting with unscrewing the filter housing cover? Does it come off in the regular direction or clockwise like a gas grill connection.

I do not know very much about his vehicle because I have only been married a year and Diana came with the truck.

Any help will be greatly appreciated!

Dave E.Snowed in in Monkton, MD

 

If you want a clean filter change, get a few feet of rubber fuel line hose and a jar or bucket.

Look on the passenger's side of the crank pully from under the engine and locate the short open ended metal pipe. That is the drain for the fuel bowl. Attach the hose to it and put the bucket under the hose.

Now look on top of the engine at the fuel filter bowl. On the back side is a yellow lever, turn this clockwise 90 degrees to open. The fuel will drain out and into the bucket.

Unscrew the lid (regular direction) and carefully pull out the filter so you don't loose the lower o-ring. If you do just fish it out of the bowl.

Run a little bit of diesel fuel on the new filter o-rings. Slide the filter back in (carefully so again not to drop an o-ring), put the new large o-ring (coated in diesel) on the lip of the lid and tighten the lid down. Do not overtighten.

Close the fuel drain valve. It's amazing how often I forget this step.

Remove the hose and bucket from under the engine.

Turn the key to the run position and check for leaks at the fuel bowl. The fuel pump only runs for 20 seconds if you don't crank the truck, so you may have to rock the key back and forth 2-3 times to fully pressurize the fuel system. Allow the key to stay in the run position for at least 20 seconds at a time.

If there are no fuel leaks, you can now crank up the truck. Job done.

 

Underneath the plastic cover that says "Powerstroke" in some form there is a round canister. On the rear of the canister is a yellow lever. Put a large pan under the right front corner of the engine. Right meaning starboard side. Turn the lever until it points to the rear of the truck. Diesel fuel will run out the bottom front corner of the engine as the fuel bowl drains. You may need to adjust the position of the pan, it's messy.
When the fuel quits running close the lever. Get two very large screwdrivers or something similar and grab the top of the filter housing in an "X" pattern so that you have a lot of leverage to turn the lid. It removes in exactly the same motion that you would remove the lid from a jar of mayonnaise. Right hand threads. Once the cap is off the filter lifts out of the housing. Installation is the reverse of removal.
Once the filter is back in place, turn the key on and wait. You will hear the fuel pump run for 20 seconds, then stop. Do that four times, then attempt to start.

 

Beat me to it.

 

Also if you don't have a fuel hose to attach to the drain, you can open the fuel filter drain valve and try to catch the fuel with a large pan. However this can be tricky since fuel will fall all over the place.

 

Doh, Dan already suggested the pan.

 

I just use an empty "bottled water" bottle, with a screw-on cap. Put the end of my hose into there, fill'er up, then cap and toss or pour into the ground. Then I tuck my hose up into a hole in the frame (hose stays connected to drain tube always).

You fellas really cycle the key 3-4 times? I just turn it to RUN once and leave it there for 20+ seconds, then crank.

 

You might also consider using Diesel Kleen's (or one of the others) anti gel formula while it's cold. Sounds like that may be part of your problem.Don't know Diana, but sounds like you got a good deal to me.

 

Thanks to all! I will change out the filter tomorrow afternoon and let you all know how it turns out.

Again, a big thanks to all of you!

Dave E.
Monkton, MD
and Pawleys Island, SC (where I wish I was right now!)

 

I simply start it up too, but this truck is stuck in the driveway and I was trying to give him every advantage.

 

are you supposed to drain the filter housing??? in 60000 miles i have never drained the filter housing just to change the filter. call me cheap but i dont want to waste the diesel.

 

It's not necessary to drain the housing, no. Come to think of it I can't really come up with a real argument for doing do... maybe to avoid putting the new filter in a bowl of dirty diesel? I guess that's why... that's just how I've done it each filter change, so far.

 

Ever looked at the bottom of your filter housing? Kinda gritty. NO WAY do I ever want to stir that stuff up while I'm changing the filter. 19¢ worth of diesel fuel is a small price to pay compared to a damaged injector.

 

yah, kwik, you make a good point. from now on im draining the housing.

also what filters do do use?? i just buy a pack of 5 of them off ebay for $58. i go as cheap as i can.

 

I buy them by the six pack from fleetfilter.