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Broke Water Drain

1878 Views 7 Replies 5 Participants Last post by  PanJet
So I went to finally change my fuel filter (again, after initially thinking I had the incorrect fuel filter last time I attempted to change it), and when I went to loosen the water drain, it twisted right off with very little force.

It appears I now need to replace the entire water separator just to get a new lower cap. Perhaps in purchasing the whole unit, a new filter will come with it as well? GM Part 22937278

Moral of the story: Be very careful not to over-tighten your water drain plugs. I thought I had been extra careful on mine, but it appears the unit is more fragile than I would have expected.
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Perhaps in purchasing the whole unit, a new filter will come with it as well? GM Part 22937278

Moral of the story: Be very careful not to over-tighten your water drain plugs. I thought I had been extra careful on mine, but it appears the unit is more fragile than I would have expected.
The filter element should be included with the whole water separator assembly. Look around online you might find it cheaper then the $137.40 from gmpartsonline, although thats a pretty good price considering your are also getting the water sensor and heater along with the housing. Try checking Rock Auto, amazon, and ebay. Two months ago I was able to purchase a brand new complete water separator including filter in original box from ebay for only $39.95 including shipping (cheaper then just the filter).

My 6.0L PS uses a similar black cap for both fuel filters and the oil filter, I never had to torque any of them just needed to snug up a little as the O-rings do all the sealing. Also I use a light application of grease on the o-rings since the diesel fuel causes them to swell a little which makes for a tight hard to remove fit.
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It always felt very fragile to me when I did my fuel filter changes. I no longer bother with opening the drain when I change the filter.
Another reason to me not to touch that, and just take the whole cap off.
Good to know! I've drained every oil change but have been really careful tightening it back up. I guess I need to be ever more careful!
I'll post a picture of the broken unit later. Right now, I loosely left it on the car sitting in the garage to protect the inside of the water separator from contamination. It's crazy how small of a plastic neck secures the drain.

I confirmed with my dealer this morning - the parts diagram specifically mentions that the cap is not to be sold separately - one must purchase the entire unit. The dealer has one in stock, but wanted $225 for it - funny because my dealer's online eBay store sells it for $150 with free shipping.

I found a new unit on eBay for $91 including expedited shipping. Since I confirmed with the seller it includes the filter element, I'll look at it as buying the cap for about $20, since I'll have another $70 filter with it. It should be here Wed. Fortunately, I have a second car.
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I'll post a picture of the broken unit later. Right now, I loosely left it on the car sitting in the garage to protect the inside of the water separator from contamination. It's crazy how small of a plastic neck secures the drain.

I confirmed with my dealer this morning - the parts diagram specifically mentions that the cap is not to be sold separately - one must purchase the entire unit. The dealer has one in stock, but wanted $225 for it - funny because my dealer's online eBay store sells it for $150 with free shipping.

I found a new unit on eBay for $91 including expedited shipping. Since I confirmed with the seller it includes the filter element, I'll look at it as buying the cap for about $20, since I'll have another $70 filter with it. It should be here Wed. Fortunately, I have a second car.
That's a great deal!
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Well folks, here it is - the tiny little piece of plastic that is the neck of the water drain plug.

Don't break it - it'll cost you.

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