Hello. I was changing the fuel filters on my 2005 F250 6.0 yesterday. The primary fuel filter along the frame rail installed without any issue. I did have a problem with the secondary fuel filter on top of the engine. The old fuel filter removed from the bowl without issue but when I attempted to install the new secondary fuel filter, I could not get the fuel filter snapped into the cap correctly. I watched a couple of videos and some folks snap the filter onto the cap and install it and then some folks place the fuel filter into the bowl and then thread on the cap.

When I tried placing the secondary fuel filter in the bowl and tried threading on the cap, the threads on the cap would not thread onto the bowl because something wouldn’t let the fuel filter seat into the cap, it was either crooked or wouldn’t push down all the way into the bowl. A couple times I tried seating the fuel filter into the cap but it was a little bit crooked, every time. I then had to grasp the fuel filter and pull it off and ended up crushing the element on the filter pretty good.

I verified the part number and they are Motorcraft filters and it is the stock plastic fuel filter cap. Do you guys have trouble seating the filter into the cap? Any tips or tricks here before I mess up the next filter? After I finished my diesel spa treatment yesterday and the secondary filter wouldn’t snap into the cap, I got mad as a bald faced hornet and put the old filter back in and it didn’t have a problem seating. After sleeping on it and forgiving the cap and filter of their transgressions, I thought maybe I should have sanded the filter a little bit so it wasn’t such a tight fit but then I thought, “Damn it, this is a genuine OEM part, a real Motorcraft filter and it should fit. I shouldn’t have to modify and sand down filters to fit.”

The only thing I can think of is some manufacturing tolerance issue on the filter?

Amazon.com. Motorcraft Fuel Filters sold by Auto Parts Warehouse and fulfilled by Amazon.

Could be some Chinese counterfeit junk! I picked up some new Motorcraft filters today from O’Reilley’s so I will try it and let you know.

Interesting. I just looked at the filter that didn’t fit and it doesn’t have an extra ring like you showed in that picture. I looked at the little tabs that are supposed to click into the cap and the plastic is worn from being such a tight fit in the filter cap. Something must be wrong with the filter.

There was nothing out of the ordinary in the cap or the fuel bowl. IT WAS THE FILTER. The new fuel filter from O’Reilley’s snapped right into the cap without issue.

I did notice that the package wrapping on the filters were different. The plastic wrap on the filters from Amazon were all loose and thin plastic. The plastic wrapping on these other filters was thicker plastic and were real right and needed a knife to open.

I think so completely. Those guys over there are real good with their trickery!!! I easily noticed the difference in plastic wrapping! The new filter just clicked right in. Looks like I will be buying REAL Motorcraft OEM filters on someplace other than Amazon.com.

Bismic, I saw you posed some place you buy filters from. Was it Diesel Filters.com?

I buy from them too. I got nervous a while back when there was an FBI raid real close to them about a huge amount of Motorcraft counterfeit parts, brake parts, filters, steering ..... I posted about that.

Even 10 ... 15 years ago it was amazing how close counterfeit parts came to looking like the real thing in some cases.

I did buy a “Motorcraft” filter and wouldn’t buy any other brand but it appears it is a FAKE MOTORCRAFT part. Be careful of Amazon because the website states “Motorcraft” but the parts come from some other shop and who knows where they got the parts from. How can you tell a fake Motorcraft filter from a real one when everything looks the same?

Dude that is nuts. Thanks for posting!

You bet! Maybe it is a real Motorcraft filter and the manufacturing tolerance is just off enough such that the filter won’t snap into the cap. Who knows, but I have a hard time believing that after 15 years of making these filters that they still have issues, but I guess it is possible. The wrapping is what got me. There was a noticeable difference in the plastic wrapping. I wish there was just one little thing that I could look at to tell the difference between a real filter and a possible counterfeit filter.