F-250 Diesel Fuel Filter Housings Made of Gold - Ford Forums - Mustang Forum, Ford Trucks, Ford Focus and Ford Cars

F-250lou · 06-02-2009, 10:36

My 1997 Ford F-250 Power Stroke Diesel developed a fuel leak in the region of the fuel filter which sits on the top rear of the engine. Being away from home and not having all my tools along I had to take the pickup to the local Ford dealer where I am currently located. I was told that the new low sulfur fuels dry out the seals in the filter housing and the only fix available is to replace the whole thing. Cost for the filter housing part? $500!! Another $100 or more for labor and a new fuel filter and the whole bill is well over $600. At this rate I guess Ford won't be declaring bankruptcy for a while. F-250lou

**jwko** · 06-02-2009, 12:19

That's Outrageous!

**360ci** · 06-02-2009, 18:03

That is a ridiculous replacement cost!

A couple Cummins Diesel owners that I know do something a bit, well, old school to help compensate for the ULSD fuel. They add an ounce or two of 2 stroke engine oil before they fill up with diesel. One said he noticed a quieter engine (01' 5.9L I6), and neither one has noticed any premature failure of emissions components. It'd something to look into. If you don't own a farm, perhaps adding a couple ounces of regular engine oil will work (as it's not dyed blue since it can cause trouble with authorities).

F-250lou · 06-02-2009, 20:18

A followup: Total cost to fix the leak problem was nearly $700. When I went back to pick up the vehicle I asked to see the filter housing they took out. It appeared to be fuel soaked on the outside as well as the wiring going into it. The technician that did the work told me that the metal in the side walls of these filter housings gets porous and that the fuel leaks right out through the metal. The metal appeared to be cast aluminum or some other light-colored metal. I kind of figured his explanation was pure B.S. but I don't know. Is that kind of leaking technically possible? Anybody know about this for sure? F-250lou

**jwko** · 06-02-2009, 22:06

Quote:

The technician that did the work told me that the metal in the side walls of these filter housings gets porous and that the fuel leaks right out through the metal. The metal appeared to be cast aluminum or some other light-colored metal.

Yes that's true. I don't know how many carburetors I have seen, where the bowl will leak because the metal became porous. The filter housing in question is probably of the same metal.

But still yet, $700 is still too damn high. Have you tried calling around to different dealers and see what they would charge? Find out the price for parts and the book labor rate & get that in writing. If there is a huge difference in quote v/s what you paid, I would confront them with your quotes and ask them what the deal is.

F-250lou · 06-03-2009, 21:18

Second followup: I called the Ford dealer back home and inquired about the price of the F-250 fuel filter assembly. The full assembly, which is what they replaced here, was the same price, $501. He did say that there was just a housing shell available for $187 but that would not include the drain valve, inlet and outlet fittings, electrical harness, and special O-ring seals. So I suppose that if one considers all the accessory parts needed and the labor to reassemble it, you wouldn't gain anything. The only way it probably could have been done cheaper is if just one fitting like the drain valve was leaking and only that would have had to be replaced. I suspect that the whole unit would have had to be pulled off to do that, however. I can see why the dealers consider it simpler and safer for them to warrant their work to just have the customer bite the bullet and replace the whole thing. F-250lou