jracer98 Posted August 5, 2010 Report Share Posted August 5, 2010 JUST AN FYI for 7.3 Powerstroke guys... Developed a British Petroleum quality fuel leak Tuesday. After pulling the turbo outlet plumbing, we still could not see the leak but it was filling up the valley between the heads at a pretty high rate (but not like a pressured leak). Took the fuel filter housing off and looked all the hoses over, no joy. Sharp eyed crew guy Vince sees a hole that has "developed" in the casting of the fuel filter housing's bottom surface. Clean every thing up and "bondo" it up with JB weld. The hole was roughly the same size as a pop rivit drill so call it about 3/16. There was no symptoms of a leak before the gusher so I am at a loss on how a 3/16 hole developed in a day. It probably was plugged up with some filter debris that just gave way all of a sudden. Jay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwmbishop Posted August 5, 2010 Report Share Posted August 5, 2010 Its from the casting porosity - there are microsized bubbles in all castings, sounds like electrolysis slowly ate from the wet side into a series of the small bubbles and finally burst to the "dry" side. Sorta like we see with the water jackets in an aluminum head (but they are MUCH thicker and less porous). Yes diesel fuel creates electrolysis (all liquid does - just at different rates, water with minerals in it being the worse). I had a 65 dodge polara 500 2 door with the polyspheric 318 that I gave 600 for back when i was 20. It had leather low back buckets, slap stick shifter, mags, alum bumpers, fiberglass hood and front fenders and alum fuel tank - all factory - and original paint. It started getting water in the oil so figuring a blown head gasket I sold it to my brother for 200 bucks (it was in REAL nice shape - but...). he tore it all down and had the heads done - same problem on reassemble. He sold it for 100 thinking cracked block. As a rare car it was without doubt I would encounter it again 10 years later at a car show - where the guy told me how he scored the $10,000.00, 1 of only 760 made (I knew it was rare - but NOT that rare) car for 100 from some idiot who thought it had a cracked block - not knowing the timing cover was the back of the water pump and commonly corrodes thru from electrolysis. He put a new timing cover on it and had been showing it ever since. No it did not develop in a day - just the difference between holding and not took less than a day! Check all of your ground straps - batt to frame AND engine (two separate straps), engine to frame and body to frame. If any one of thoses paths are weak - you increase the amount of electrolysis occuring everywhere fluid travels - especially anything mounted to the block. I have seen many assume that just because they have a strap from bat to eng and another from the same engine point to the chassis that is sufficient. Its not - always complete the triangle! I have made a ton of money fixing aluminum cylinder heads from folks not following the triangle! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cummins359 Posted October 7, 2010 Report Share Posted October 7, 2010 the fuel bowl heater speeds up the process. common occurrence with older psd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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