Leak from Fuel Filter Assembly

[Howie Dub]

Hey everyone,

I noticed a leak below the truck behind the front driver’s side wheel. Looked underneath and it seems to be coming from the fuel filter/water separator assembly. Is this something to be concerned or can it wait until I get my truck serviced? The truck has about 4200 miles and 41% oil life remaining. No lights on the dash right now. TIA!

 

[NorthStar]

Hey everyone,

I noticed a leak below the truck behind the front driver’s side wheel. Looked underneath and it seems to be coming from the fuel filter/water separator assembly. Is this something to be concerned or can it wait until I get my truck serviced? The truck has about 4200 miles and 41% oil life remaining. No lights on the dash right now. TIA!

View attachment 111211 View attachment 111212

Did you happen to try to turn that little valve (at the 11:00 position in your picture below) to see if it was tightened down? If so, could you see where it was leaking from? IMHO, I wouldn't continue to let it drip...investigate, see if you can quickly fix it by closing the drain valve and if not you should take it to the dealer (depending upon your mechanical ability).

 

[Howie Dub]

Did you happen to try to turn that little valve (at the 11:00 position in your picture below) to see if it was tightened down? If so, could you see where it was leaking from? IMHO, I wouldn't continue to let it drip...investigate, see if you can quickly fix it by closing the drain valve and if not you should take it to the dealer (depending upon your mechanical ability).

I’ll try that, thanks. I couldn’t see where the leak was coming from.

 

[Sascwatch]

Diesel may not be as flammable as gasoline but it’ll eat away at any asphalt it touches. I’d check the drain like northstar mentioned and see if it tightens any by hand, you won’t need any tools for that.

 

[Howie Dub]

Diesel may not be as flammable as gasoline but it’ll eat away at any asphalt it touches. I’d check the drain like northstar mentioned and see if it tightens any by hand, you won’t need any tools for that.

Thanks. I was able to tighten the nut by hand a little bit. Maybe the factory didn’t tighten it enough… there was a yellow line on it and I was able to tighten it a bit past the line. I felt around the assembly and it felt a little greasy with no real smell, maybe a faint grease odor. Hopefully that fixes the issue

 

[c3k]

Hey everyone,

I noticed a leak below the truck behind the front driver’s side wheel. Looked underneath and it seems to be coming from the fuel filter/water separator assembly. Is this something to be concerned or can it wait until I get my truck serviced? The truck has about 4200 miles and 41% oil life remaining. No lights on the dash right now. TIA!

View attachment 111211 View attachment 111212

FPNI

Do what @NorthStar said. It -should- be a simple fix, but if it isn't, let the dealer work it. It =is= under warranty, with that mileage.

Don't live with a leak. Better to fix it sooner, rather than later.

 

[WXman]

Now that you've tightened the water drain petcock on the housing, wipe everything down well with paper towels. That way you can check again in a day or two and see if it's still leaking.

If it continues to leak I'd strongly recommend having the dealer repair it. You don't want to risk drawing any air into these fuel systems.

 

[Howie Dub]

FPNI

Do what @NorthStar said. It -should- be a simple fix, but if it isn't, let the dealer work it. It =is= under warranty, with that mileage.

Don't live with a leak. Better to fix it sooner, rather than later.

Now that you've tightened the water drain petcock on the housing, wipe everything down well with paper towels. That way you can check again in a day or two and see if it's still leaking.

If it continues to leak I'd strongly recommend having the dealer repair it. You don't want to risk drawing any air into these fuel systems.

Thanks guys. It‘s still be leaking after tightening up the water drain petcock. I wiped everything down and filter is greasy again below the seal line, yet dry above it. Scheduled service first week of December since the local dealer is booked until then. Ordered a 1 1/8” socket to see if tightening up the filter cover will fix the leak.

 

[WXman]

Hopefully it's just something simple like a bad O-ring. I know that new filters always come with new O-rings for the screw-in cap on the housing.