Water separator drain plug installation question

[MMcCawley]

Hi,

I noticed a small fuel leak under my drivers side frame rail which I believe was coming from either the o-ring on the drain plug or the gasket under the water separator cover. Anyways, I removed the plug without any issues and replaced the o-ring which looks to be chewed up. Upon reassembly the plug would get relatively tight and then free up. Is this normal? Initially I thought the o-ring "crush" was preventing the threads from starting but after inspecting everything it looks like things are threading together but the male plug threads are tightening past the female threads and then just spinning. I read through the manual and couldn't find any mention of this. Can anyone explain what's going on? The threads don't look stripped.

If it matters my plug is the original OEM style without the knurled thumb screw. Also, my plug looks different than the aftermarket knurled plugs in that it doesn't have the "T" similar to the one in this link (mine doesn't extend past the threads). Is this normal?

Thanks

[bismic]

Originally Posted by MMcCawley

Hi,

I noticed a small fuel leak under my drivers side frame rail which I believe was coming from either the o-ring on the drain plug or the gasket under the water separator cover. Anyways, I removed the plug without any issues and replaced the o-ring which looks to be chewed up. Upon reassembly the plug would get relatively tight and then free up. Is this normal? Initially I thought the o-ring "crush" was preventing the threads from starting but after inspecting everything it looks like things are threading together but the male plug threads are tightening past the female threads and then just spinning. I read through the manual and couldn't find any mention of this. Can anyone explain what's going on? The threads don't look stripped.

no. not normal. The plug should not be overtightened. The o-ring should be doing the sealing

Originally Posted by MMcCawley

If it matters my plug is the original OEM style without the knurled thumb screw. Also, my plug looks different than the aftermarket knurled plugs in that it doesn't have the "T" similar to the one in this link (mine doesn't extend past the threads). Is this normal?
Thanks

yes, it is normal. The OEM plug is just a short, threaded plug w/ an o-ring.

[MMcCawley]

I wouldn't consider how much torque I applied to the bolt to be overtightened- maybe 8-10 ft-lbs. I've read the stories on the forum of people's allen heads being stripped during removal from the bolt being too tight and I can say mine was nowhere near that. Is it 'normal' for these bolts to tighten to a point where they loosen up or do I have something wierd going on? I can certainly tighten to the point before it loosens back up but I want to make sure this is the correct procedure. I don't want it coming out while I'm driving and start leaking fuel all over the road. Thanks for your input.

[jimmyv13]

Sounds like you have stripped threads on either the plug or the housing.

[raptorfever660]

If it happens to be your housing I have an extra in my garage. I bought it off a wrecked truck when I thought my pump was bad. I'll check the plug on it.

[MMcCawley]

The plug thread looks good and I'd be really surprised if the housing is stripped but I'll pull everything apart this weekend and take a better look. Can someone confirm that the plug should tighten down and NOT keep spinning.

RaptorFever, I'd be interested in your cover if mine is stripped.

Thanks again,
Matt

[jimmyv13]

I can confirm the plug should get as tight as you can turn it with an Allen wrench. When I took mine out to replace it with the updated plug, I had to put a boxed end wrench on the end of the Allen to get enough leverage to break it loose.

[dieselmatt]

Before I came back to the states I had my dad take my truck in to have all fluids changed and make sure the truck was good to go for him to drive it across the country. In the process purchased a knurled knob drain valve and the dealer installed it along with the rest of the work. Not too long ago I had to drain the water and thought it was really difficult to open and close the knob. Well, upon further inspection I noticed that the o-ring was not the proper size. It was too big and getting chewed in the threads. So, I hopped on down to the auto parts store, bought a new o-ring, and now it is perfect. It is easy to open and close and there are no leaks.

Point being, make sure you have the right size o-ring.

[JER-1]

Originally Posted by MMcCawley

The plug thread looks good and I'd be really surprised if the housing is stripped but I'll pull everything apart this weekend and take a better look. Can someone confirm that the plug should tighten down and NOT keep spinning.

RaptorFever, I'd be interested in your cover if mine is stripped.

Thanks again,
Matt

Stock plug in my 6.0 tightens down ,does not keep turning.
JER-1

[WildStyle]

Should snug down and stop spinning. The plugs don't strip, they are steel. The housing they thread into is aluminum on the other hand, and they do. You can buy just the cover for the HCFM.