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Lowe

Member Since: 13 Nov 2017
Location: Frederikssund
Posts: 37

Newbie Fuel filter leak question

Just had a great weekend in Sweden hiking, on the way there the car developed a fuel leak from what appears to be on the forward facing side of the fuel filter.
Having 3 days to acquire new parts or fix the problem before Easter holidays, i ill have a quick look in the morning and take action from there, is there anyplace in particular i should start looking ?

Mind you we are going on a 4 day trip on saturday, so it would be great to have it fixed ASAP. Without having to fab about..

25th Mar 2018 6:44pm

geobloke

Member Since: 06 Nov 2012
Location: Nottinghamshire
Posts: 4410

Hi Lowe. Can our TD5 join your in Sweden sometime?!?!

Ok So to the filter. It is entirely commonplace for the aluminium filter housing to corrode at the pipe inlets/outlets. Usually on the filter side of the copper sealing washers. This causes fuel to leak out, air to leak in and can lead to a host of running issues. I would say 90% of TD5 owners will replace their filter housings for this reason.

Be careful removing the pipes as the plastic securing clips can be brittle and difficult to release. Apart from that it is an easy job to replace the housing and filter.

Only word of warning is to make sure you buy the correct housing for your Defender. If I recall correctly the Disco one is different.

25th Mar 2018 7:25pm

Lotus_esprit_s1

Member Since: 01 Oct 2014
Location: Uk
Posts: 201

Replace it with a GORE filter housing, sorted once and for all then.

26th Mar 2018 7:19am

Lowe

Member Since: 13 Nov 2017
Location: Frederikssund
Posts: 37

Looks like i got of with a warning...

Seemed to be the filter it self that was leaking, so replaced it with a new one, and the hope that will work.

26th Mar 2018 2:14pm

bluebottle

Member Since: 08 May 2015
Location: Not in my Landy enough!
Posts: 705

Hi guys, so I am not so lucky as Lowe... I noticed a slight smell of diesel when I got Bertha out of the garage the other week, but nothing really on the floor - had a peek under the wheel arch in the general area of the tank etc. and saw that the cover for the fuel filter cover was damp with fuel. There was also fuel on the link arm where it had presumably run down the side of the filter cover or down the outside of the filter itself?

Anyway, took the cover off today - only the one bolt to undo, the lower one has been sheared off at some point and there's maybe half a centimetre of bolt shaft protruding like a rusted pin.
Unscrewed the filter, realised that the housing is completed rusted through and in fact not actually attached to the chassis at all. It has been held on by the four pipes connected to it. God knows how long for...

Click image to enlarge

So the part coloured yellow no longer exists, it's in a million rusty pieces across the highways of Great Britain.
The left hand of the two bolts sheared off (little green circle) when I tried to remove it, so I'm presuming in their infinite wisdom the great engineers of Solihull had placed a captive nut inside the chassis leg? Any ideas how to drill it out without ruining the fixing, or a solution to drilling out the captive nut and having it rattle around inside the chassis for ever more?

Typically the LR cat from which I nabbed the image does not give the part number for the housing... Is Gore the best option, being aluminium presumably I ought to fit some sort of gasket to prevent corrosion from bolting it directly to a steel chassis?

Finally, the bottom of the fuel filter on mine appears to be part of the filter itself, an offset white plastic knurled bit sticking out the bottom - not like the part circled in green at all... Is that just because it's a non-LR genuine replacement, and should I be worried? (I intend to put a new filter on when I get the new housing anyway... thinking I'll go genuine LR).

8th Apr 2018 11:22am

geobloke

Member Since: 06 Nov 2012
Location: Nottinghamshire
Posts: 4410

Hi Bluebottle. Just checking you do have a TD5, right? That parts page looks to be from a TDI manual.

TD5 version: https://www.island-4x4.co.uk/fuel-filter-h...27772.html

Last edited by geobloke on 8th Apr 2018 11:57am. Edited 1 time in total

8th Apr 2018 11:46am

bluebottle

Member Since: 08 May 2015
Location: Not in my Landy enough!
Posts: 705

Ah - yes - I do have a 2005 TD5, although superficially at least it looks like that in that it has 4 pipes, 2 either side.
The other 2 options on the Russian LR Cat link (page 4 of the sticky in General Chat) don't look anything like mine.

8th Apr 2018 11:47am

geobloke

Member Since: 06 Nov 2012
Location: Nottinghamshire
Posts: 4410

This is what you are looking for;

https://www.island-4x4.co.uk/fuel-filter-h...27772.html

There is also an alternative Gore version if you want to go no OE: https://goreproducts.com/products/td5-fuel-filter-housing

8th Apr 2018 11:59am

bluebottle

Member Since: 08 May 2015
Location: Not in my Landy enough!
Posts: 705

Brilliant, thanks.

Now all I have to do is work out how to get the sheared bolt out of the chassis and pray the existing pipes are serviceable...

8th Apr 2018 1:09pm

geobloke

Member Since: 06 Nov 2012
Location: Nottinghamshire
Posts: 4410

Be very very careful with the pipes they can be quite brittle, as i found out...

Also worth double checking the part number is correct for your defender. There is a difference between the Def and Disco part numbers. Give LR a call if you are uncertain. i believe it was only the arrangement of the brass connectors, in particular the position of the one way valve.

8th Apr 2018 1:16pm

bluebottle

Member Since: 08 May 2015
Location: Not in my Landy enough!
Posts: 705

Ok, ive gone for the GORE housing since I intend to keep the truck forever.

Now I need advice on tools please - I’m guessing my best bet is to drill out the old rusted bolts and then replace with a shiny new rivnut. To do this I would be best to remove the wheel - so I’ll need axle stands and a rivnut tool.
Ideally this should still be cheaper than going to a garage! Will a pair of 3 ton stands be enough to hold up the back axle of a 110 CSW?
Anyone know from memory the bolt size for the fuel filter housing? M8 or M6?
Cheers!

12th Apr 2018 9:22am

NickMc

Member Since: 01 Oct 2014
Location: Norn Iron
Posts: 1628

Click image to enlarge
Move the housing out of the way and heat the bolt with a blow torch and take your time, rotate the remains back and forth with a pair of mole grip SLOWLY! and they normally come out easy enough with the mole grips. Normally nothing wrong with the bolts, it’s the corrosion between the housing (aluminium) and steel bolt that explodes and snaps the head off! Rest of the bolt will be fine.

Watch the plastic pipe ends soak and clean them out first don’t go at it like gorilla!

Run a tap down the threads before you fit new bolts!

17th Apr 2018 10:12pm

bluebottle

Member Since: 08 May 2015
Location: Not in my Landy enough!
Posts: 705

Thanks Nick, unfortunately I don’t have a blowtorch so I’ve had to make do with a drill!
I have, however, got a set of bolt removing bits so we will see how they fare tomorrow...

17th Apr 2018 10:21pm

NickMc

Member Since: 01 Oct 2014
Location: Norn Iron
Posts: 1628

DIY plumbers blowtorch (under £10) will do the job! They’re in rivnuts so trying to extract them with drilling or extractors will put you in a world of hurt and end up spinning wrecking the threads! Trust me I’ve done lots of these mate.

17th Apr 2018 10:32pm

bluebottle

Member Since: 08 May 2015
Location: Not in my Landy enough!
Posts: 705

Damn.

I’ve now drilled out the bolt, made hole big enough for a new rivnut.

A big thank you to Keith at Challenger 4x4 for giving me a handful of them (M8 incidentally) when I popped in to get a fresh filter to put on when - if - I ever get this finished!

Can’t fit rivnut because the thickness of metal is too great for the rivnut to squash and bite.

I’m now in the interesting position of having to take the rear plate of the housing shield off the chassis... obviously the special order Land Rover bolts with heads made from cheese/chocolate were fitted in the factory, so they’ll round off nicely.

Honestly, it’s like LR designed everything down to the lowest quality possible to get away with the job

Either that or they hoped to diversify into divorce law, my better half is distinctly unimpressed with how long this is taking me!

18th Apr 2018 10:50pm

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