Another strange truck repair story

[agesilaus]

OK for years now I've called curses down on the Ford design team for
the way they designed the water-in-fuel sensor. Essentially is was two
flat plates with a low, maybe 3/16 ridge around the outside of the
cable end. They did not hold together well and several times a year
I'd get the water in oil alert and stop the truck and look underneath
to see the cable pulled off the fuel filter.

So finally the little ridge broke off all together and I had to order
a new sensor. Looking at the auto parts stores the Dorman sensor
looked nothing like the one on the truck. So I got the Ford dealer to
order one.

It came in today and looked exactly like the photo of the Dorman. I
told the parts guy 'that's the wrong part!". After considerable
confusion, not helped by the fact that Ford changed the part number
years ago, I finally had a flash of inspiration. Maybe the end broke
off the sensor and was stuck in the cable. Amazingly that still sort
of worked.

I just got home and sure enough that was the problem, with
considerable difficulty I got the broken piece off and the cable now
fits in the new sensor. I have no idea when the part broke in the
first place. You have to pull the cable off every time you change the
filter.

Hopefully that will clear the engine code but I saved the diesel I
drained from the filter in case I have to go get it cleared.

I should send this in the Rock Auto for their newsletter, they have an oddball repair story in each edition.

[Lynnmor]

ACZL wrote:
Your water separator must have been different from my '15. I didn't have anything you mentioned. Just a plastic screw you turned to open up the drain at base of filter to allow water/fuel to drain out of the filter.

Note that the connector needs pulled to change the filter. While your filter housing is completely different, the connector still needs pulled.

[ACZL]

Your water separator must have been different from my '15. I didn't have anything you mentioned. Just a plastic screw you turned to open up the drain at base of filter to allow water/fuel to drain out of the filter.