Filter King leak

[attwood]

Does anyone have experience of a Filter King leaking around the bowl seal?

I bought and fitted the (67mm) Filter King about three years ago but I've only had a battery on the car and been running the engine intermittently for a few months. From time to time it starts to leak for no apparent reason. I normally remove the bowl and examine it and the seal - everything looks fine so I refit it and it seems OK until the next time it leaks. I've tried various degrees of tightness for the clamping screw.

I've seen on the internet that others have had a similar problem and some recommend to use the metal bowl rather than the transparent plastic one.

The supplier is not very interested because I bought it three years ago.

I'm thinking of buying another one and substituting the bowl and the seal and the body one by one to try and isolate the cause.

Or is there a non-setting sealant which I could use?

All tips appreciated.

[Heuer]

Mine has been OK or over three years now and no sign of leaks. I have the glass (?) bowl.

[Heuer]

I stand corrected! Just found my Filter King is dripping fuel.

Tightening up the thumb wheel seems to have sorted it out for the moment. The bowls are plastic and it seems they ceased offering the glass ones many years ago.

[Heuer]

Spoke too soon. It is still leaking even after I took it off, cleaned the seals and checked for damage, although none was evident. I assume the plastic bowl must have warped with age/fuel/heat so I have ordered a alloy bowl from Rallynuts and see if that solves the problem.

[andy303]

FWIW, there is a guy in Canada selling a NOS Malpassi Filter King on eBay, but its an 85mm model. Apparently he has a stock of them, as I bought one from him last year for an Alfa Spider. Worked great, set at exactly 3 psi, but is adjustable of course. Has a glass bowl too. It matches one that I removed ( along with the interior) from a 2.8L XJ6 in an Italian breakers yard in '83, and which I still have in my box of odds and ends. I was working for the US Army back then. Anyways, here's the link: http://tinyurl.com/6bte8m4

[attwood]

Further to my earlier comments, I bought a new Filter King with a view to replacing individual components. The bowl of the new one is glass, the first one I bought (3 years ago from the same supplier) is plastic.

I have swapped the bowl and the problem seems to be solved.

The top (sealing) surface of the plastic bowl is not flat - it is higher at the outside diameter of the plastic wall than at the inside diameter.

The top surface of the glass bowl is rounded - higher in the middle of the glass wall than at the outside or inside diameter.

In the case of the glass this will seal tighter in the middle of the rubber seal, whereas the plastic bowl will exert pressure against the outside edge of the rubber seal which may not be perfectly concentric with the bowl.

In summary the glass bowl inspires much more confidence!

[Heuer]

Thanks for the update Dave. I wonder if 'replacement part' clear bowls are glass or plastic? I think I will try honing the bowl rim with fine emery paper and see if that works.

Edit: A few seconds on a wet-stone revealed the problem. The bowl has warped leaving a low spot on part of the rim. I have worked it lightly on a flat piece of wet & dry paper and finished it off on the wet-stone leaving an even matt finish to the rim. Will re-install and give it a try.

Edit2: Yes, that worked and I am leak free again.

[Heuer]

Just to complete the thread I can say the replacement Filter King bowls are indeed glass which I will fit as no doubt the plastic one will warp again. While I was at it I noticed the internal paper filter had trapped quite a lot of dirt when I washed it in petrol. For the cost I put a new one in.