Fuel filters

One thing I forgot to mention in the last post; partly because the last post was about last weekends exploits and partly I had just plainly forgotten; but it brings me onto the topic of fuel filters.

I guess, if I am brutally honest with myself, this is the one area of the rebuild I had over looked.  On removing the fuel system when we stripped the car down I had made a mental note...."replace fuel filter".  I duly went out and bought several infact so that I could service this part regularly over the course of the season.

What wasn't factored into the equation was the difference in high pressure systems and low pressure fuel systems.  Bit of school boy error, but hey ho, have to learn one way or another.

Whilst tinkering on the car yesterday, I turned my mind to setting up the dash (well what bits I could without actually being on track).  Started her up and all was good.  A gentle blip of throttle, temps rising all was looking good.  Until I heard what sounded like running water.  "What the......!"  Fearing a water hose had come off I shut the engine down then was overwhelmed by the smell of fuel.  "Oh s**T!".  In fact that is quite mild in terms of what I was really thinking.

You got it. Low pressure fuel filters are not designed to take high pressure fuel feeds.  After dealing with what was quite a significant fuel spill (all you environmentalists would be proud of me..... I actually dealt with it)....I set too trying to discover where it was coming from.  Fearing the worst i.e. i would have to remove the fuel tank to reaplace the fuel pump seal, on tracing the fuel lines back I came across what was left of the fuel filter.  It had literally exploded.  Plastic filters it would seem are not that strong.  So lesson learnt I saw to mopping up the remaining fuel.  Even my next door neighbour came outside wondering where the smell of fuel was coming from.  What I couldn't quite believe was his mate who decided to spark up a ciggerette just yards from where the spill had occurred.  Couldn't believe it!  But thankfully it didn't cause any spontaneous combustion.

So Top Tip for the day..... don't buy cheap nasty fuel filters that are not designed for high pressure systems.