Am I a victim of foul play or incompetence? LOL.

[Powerlinefixer]

After the power outage this week I changed the oil filter, fuel filter, fuel/water separator, topped off and then treated the fuel before putting the generator away.

Everything went fine until I went to change the water separator. Notice the gasket.



Bone dry.

And that lead to this:

View attachment 20250227_184058.jpg

So, I'm a Muggle (non-military) and I don't understand why someone would install a spin on filter gasket dry. Am I a victim of a prank or incompetence? Am I the one in the wrong? Is the separator gasket supposed to be installed dry?

 

[Chainbreaker]

Well, it did eventually come off with use of a persuader.

Unless I were to have some kind of filter that had specific instructions to NOT lube the gasket (pre lubed with grease or whatever), I always dip a finger in oil and lube the gasket.

So, it appears you're a lineman. What utility you with? We are on Lane Electric and I thought with the big rain and windstorm the other night we were going to lose utility power but we didn't. Though a friend a few miles away did lose power and it wasn't restored until morning. Of course, I had all my gensets prepped and ready for "lights out" but not even a power flicker here!

 

[Guyfang]

That filter has a LOOOOOOOONG history!

 

[Ray70]

Looks like your filter was the same as every other 802/803 with the exception that you got yours off without crushing , mangling and shredding the shell!
For some reason they didn't put any oil on them and many folks have found it nearly impossible to remove without using drastic measures, up to and including removing the entire filter mount from the machine to bring it "inside" to work on it!
Glad you got yours off "easy" by the looks!

 

[msgjd]

was there any gentle persuasive language associated with the removal?

 

[rickf]

I have run into that with oil filters on cars. About the only way to have a completely dry oil filter gasket is to clean the gasket surface and surrounding area with brake cleaner. In some of those cases I had to resort to a torch to heat the base (That was all that was left after tearing off the canister) to the point where the gasket would burn and then it would finally come off.
To answer your question, it is incompetence.

 

[DieselAddict]

And it’s also completely typical. We’ve all wrestled with those things.

 

[2Pbfeet]

I think that even when filters are oiled, some filters just seem to be complete pains, like the 803 fuel-water filter, especially an 803 filter that has been on for a decade or more.

I have a suction filter on a non-generator hydraulic unit that gets changed every two days (50hrs) of use, so you would think it wouldn't be too bad, right? Perhaps not... I had been using a strap filter removal tool and a 30" breaker bar, and it was always a knuckle scraping, unprintable experience, and that is with oiling the gasket every time. After more than a decade of reluctance, I finally upgraded to a 30" chain wrench. No further complaints as "resistance is futile" with the chain wrench. It improved my quality of life, for sure.

I sometimes think recurring problems are great reasons to expand the tool collection.

All the best,

2Pbfeet

 

[Powerlinefixer]

Well, it did eventually come off with use of a persuader.

Unless I were to have some kind of filter that had specific instructions to NOT lube the gasket (pre lubed with grease or whatever), I always dip a finger in oil and lube the gasket.

So, it appears you're a lineman. What utility you with? We are on Lane Electric and I thought with the big rain and windstorm the other night we were going to lose utility power but we didn't. Though a friend a few miles away did lose power and it wasn't restored until morning. Of course, I had all my gensets prepped and ready for "lights out" but not even a power flicker here!

Right now I'm with Pacific Power. It's definitely not perfect but way better than the other place I was at.

 

[Powerlinefixer]

was there any gentle persuasive language associated with the removal?

Yes. Plenty.

 

[rickf]

Most of the time a hard to remove filter was installed far to tight. An automotive oil filter is hand tight plus 1/4 turn. I have seen guys tighten it with one hand and then grab it with both hand and turn it an addition 2-3 turns. Most of the time they just use the same removal tool to reinstall. Those are the same guys that crank a drain plug in with 200 ft/lbs of torque.

 

[rickf]

Right now I'm with Pacific Power. It's definitely not perfect but way better than the other place I was at.

Welcome to the nuthouse. You are sure to cringe at some of the installation stories and methods discussed here.

 

[Powerlinefixer]

Welcome to the nuthouse. You are sure to cringe at some of the installation stories and methods discussed here.

Lol. At the utility we tend to see the extremes- From multi-megawatt 16cyl gensets 10 stories up, all the way down to farmer Joe trying to kill us by innocently backfeeding the dryer socket with his Harbor Freight special.

 

[Powerlinefixer]

I think that even when filters are oiled, some filters just seem to be complete pains, like the 803 fuel-water filter, especially an 803 filter that has been on for a decade or more.

I have a suction filter on a non-generator hydraulic unit that gets changed every two days (50hrs) of use, so you would think it wouldn't be too bad, right? Perhaps not... I had been using a strap filter removal tool and a 30" breaker bar, and it was always a knuckle scraping, unprintable experience, and that is with oiling the gasket every time. After more than a decade of reluctance, I finally upgraded to a 30" chain wrench. No further complaints as "resistance is futile" with the chain wrench. It improved my quality of life, for sure.

I sometimes think recurring problems are great reasons to expand the tool collection.

All the best,

2Pbfeet

This is what I bought after I broke my strap wrench. Other than the couple times I tried to Bruce Lee the engine block, it actually worked pretty good.



Click here to see this filter wrench on Amazon

 

[Guyfang]

I have a whole collection of tools for removing that filter. Some worked sometimes. Some not.

 

[2Pbfeet]

This is what I bought after I broke my strap wrench. Other than the couple times I tried to Bruce Lee the engine block, it actually worked pretty good.

View attachment 941459

Click here to see this filter wrench on Amazon

Yup, I have one of those, too. I like it a lot for filters on some modern vehicles that seem to require magic wands because the clearance is so tight. Like @Guyfang, I have a whole collection of filter wrenches. These days, for stubborn filters, my go to is the chain wrench. No fuss, no bother.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MKSSH5S (24")



All the best,

BG

 

[Toolslinger]

Just removed one today... I had pulled the whole fixture out of the dead 813a during salvage operations... Clamped the block in a vise, and got the 2" strap wrench set up. 1/2" ratchet, and 30" pipe got it off, but the can didn't survive unscathed, and it took a pretty good pull out at the end of that 30" pipe.
I'm not looking forward to the 802a as I really don't want to have to take the block out...

 

[G744]

Try any You-tube "Customer states".

Unbelievable...

D

 

[Ray70]

Try any You-tube "Customer states".

Unbelievable...

D

"Just rolled In" on you tube.....

 

[rickf]

Just Rolled In

Mechanic, customer states, and automotive-related content from all around the world! ------------------------------------ Feel free to send us photos & videos that YOU took to possibly be featured on the channel - www.JustRolledInYT.com (Must be over 18). ------------------------------------...

www.youtube.com

There are some real classics on here. I saw a lot of them when I had my shop but some are simply unbelievable!