ICQ>

> Much spraying of pentatratring oil etc & still nothing; I guess it's all a matter

> of technique, but, I did manage to dimple a hailine tear in filter--which now >leaks under pressure.

James,

I always dread changing those fuel filters under the car for it always seems if something can go wrong it will. Years ago my dad gave me a very large pair of adjustable channel locking pliers for Christmas. At the time I wondered what I would ever do with those- now I wonder what I would do without them. I've creased a fuel filter with an adjustable wrench in an effort to get things tight enough to stop a fuel leak on a new filter- yup, ruined a brand new fuel filter! The cases are soft and thin on those filters. I now use my large channel locks to hold the filter while I try to tighten or loosen the fitting. I grip it on the reinforced lip at the top of the filter.

I find it much easier to swap out the filters on the bench. Remove the filter and pump assembley from under the car and work on the bench.

Many times you don't get new coper washers with the filter. Be sure to take the old ones and renew the faces on them by rubbing the two surfaces on 400 wet or dry abrasive paper on a hard flat surface. This increases the possibility of getting them to seal without having to apply tremendous torque to the fittings.

I always keep a large CO2 extinguisher handy when working on those filters- I don't want my neighbors to read about me in the newspaper.