Inline petrol filter blocked. Why / how?

[Turbo]

Been fitting inline filters for years and I've yet to see one dissolve like that.
I suggest you fit a good quality branded filter and change your fuel station.

 

[bricol]

Ethanol - I don't know enough to guess but the filter was from the local motor factors 2 years ago so I'd expect it to be ok for modern petrol.

I wouldn't assume that - many still sell the same fuel line they always have . . it fell apart in quick time on lower levels of ethanol than we have now.

 

[bricol]

Issue with the clamped on glass bowl types is the sealing gasket - often not suited for modern fuels. One would hope new ones from a decent manufacturer have sorted that issue - but might be worth a question.

 

[bricol]

I've been using Mann Filters WK42/1 filters on my carb equipped cars and on my fuel transfer pump for the last few years - still appear to be intact and filtering

 

[ajlelectronics]

I've been using Mann Filters WK42/1 filters on my carb equipped cars and on my fuel transfer pump for the last few years - still appear to be intact and filtering

The Mahle KL470 (I think it is) is one that I use often for inline duties. However, even that is placed near to the tank and never in the engine bay.

 

[mechman]

Had glass filter on my MK1 Cortina, it caught fire.

 

[DAPPH]

Issue with the clamped on glass bowl types is the sealing gasket - often not suited for modern fuels. One would hope new ones from a decent manufacturer have sorted that issue - but might be worth a question.

The filters on many military vehicles had cork sealing filter bowl gaskets .

 

[DAPPH]

Had glass filter on my MK1 Cortina, it caught fire.

What did you expect to happen when you petrol bombed it for the insurance ????

 

[dave h 2]

Minimal risk from a manifold unless glowing red. It is a spark that usually ignites petrol. Fuel pipe came adrift from the Weber carburettor and completely doused the engine with fuel. It did not ignite (damn lucky as we were travelling at over 100mph at the time). After stopping, carefully raising the bonnet revealed fuel still boiling on the cylinder head.

Very true, however spill brake fluid on the hot manifold and things get very exciting very fast.

 

[Nomad]

Thanks everyone for the ideas & suggestions.
For now I'll be replacing the blocked filter with what looks like an identical replacement and will see how that lasts
The grass needs cutting again so I'll be trying the new setup sometime this week to see how much of a difference it makes.

 

[Nomad]

The grass got cut today, the new filter flows with no restriction
Very obvious when I filled the tank, I normally sort the petrol then connect the battery to give petrol time to fill the carb - no need now.
Same when draining the tank when I was finished, pull the fuel line off the carb and petrol flowed very quickly.

The only problem now is it'n not running too happy, max revs seem lower than usual and it didn't sound crisp.
Plug is a couple of years old and low hours but it's east to change, air filter seemed ok, there's not a lot else to check on this..

 

[DAPPH]

Some of the snot that was the dissolved filter may be the cause , with luck it may dissolve and disappear .
Was thinking ..... cellulose dissolves in E10 petrol , I wonder if cellulose paper bamboo cotton aka Rayon was what the internal cartridge was made off instead of wood paper ?

 

[Jack_K]

I would fit a mesh type of filter unless that's definitely what it had originally. Fine filters don't do well in gravity fed applications or on the suction sides of pumps.

 

[DAPPH]

IIRC a mesh of 100 strands per inch of fine brass wires will stop undissolved water in contaminated fuel passing through them

The old glass filter bowls usually had a screen of such mesh pressed inside of a thin brass mask , Land Rovers with tanks under your bum also had fine mesh filters in the bottom of the tank filler tubes , dissolved water in petrol did pass through .

 

[Turbo]

You can get inline s/s mesh filters that you can take apart for cleaning.