Rebuild Filter head or buy new?

[FarmDually]

Hello all
I have an 07' CC Dually and have a filter head that loses prime and it won't start.

Is it worth it to rebuild the filter head or just buy a new head?
I've heard some of the rebuild kits are pure junk.
thanks.

 

[LBZ_Baker98]

I've had good luck with a few rebuilds also had a few rebuilds that didn't work. Personally I'd upgrade to a Fass or airdog and get rid of the factory filter head all together

 

[zakkb787]

Rebuilds are hit and miss. I’ve rebuild three. Two of them took one didn’t.

 

[TheBac]

Just buy a new one.

 

[Bdsankey]

I'd buy the one from Parker that comes loaded with their filter, best "bang for the buck".

 

[lutzjk913]

Buy new

I’ve rebuilt 2 of them that didn’t work worth a damn for the Lb7

Got a spare one for my lmm ready to go on it when it decides to leak.

 

[HWI]

I use the style without the heating element, one less thing to leak. Not sure how effective that heater is anyway and I don't need it here in Florida even if it did work good.

 

[FarmDually]

Thanks for the feedback everyone.
I think I'll buy a new head and look at adding a FASS setup.

 

[OregonDMAX]

If you're going to get the fass get rid of the filter head completely, eventually they all go bad regardless if new or rebuilt.

 

[DAVe3283]

I used to think it was fine to get rid of the factory head if you had a FASS/AirDog. My truck is setup that way. My Suburban has an AirDog and the factory filter head. Got a batch of bad fuel, and the water separator on the AirDog didn't exactly work great. Drained about 1/2 cup of water out of the AirDog separator, and another 1/3 cup from the factory filter downstream. That means the AirDog separator only caught about half of the water, and the rest went right through.

Naturally, the water in fuel light didn't come on. I just knew I had gotten bad fuel and drained the tanks as soon as I got the Suburban back home. I've been questioning my decision to delete the factory filter head on my truck ever since.

If it were me, I would put on the new Parker filter head, even if you do also get a lift pump.

 

[Chevy1925]

I used to think it was fine to get rid of the factory head if you had a FASS/AirDog. My truck is setup that way. My Suburban has an AirDog and the factory filter head. Got a batch of bad fuel, and the water separator on the AirDog didn't exactly work great. Drained about 1/2 cup of water out of the AirDog separator, and another 1/3 cup from the factory filter downstream. That means the AirDog separator only caught about half of the water, and the rest went right through.

Naturally, the water in fuel light didn't come on. I just knew I had gotten bad fuel and drained the tanks as soon as I got the Suburban back home. I've been questioning my decision to delete the factory filter head on my truck ever since.

If it were me, I would put on the new Parker filter head, even if you do also get a lift pump.

do you think the factory filter caught all the water the airdog didnt? i have a real good feeling you still had water go through your fuel system. i dont think there is a water trap out there that works well unless its 4-5 times the size of what we use.

 

[DAVe3283]

do you think the factory filter caught all the water the airdog didnt? i have a real good feeling you still had water go through your fuel system. i dont think there is a water trap out there that works well unless its 4-5 times the size of what we use.

I suspect you are right. What I do know, though, is it caught a whole lot more water than if I didn't have the factory filter head still. That's why I would recommend keeping it, even with a lift pump.

 

[Bdsankey]

I suspect you are right. What I do know, though, is it caught a whole lot more water than if I didn't have the factory filter head still. That's why I would recommend keeping it, even with a lift pump.

What water separator was on the AirDog?

 

[DAVe3283]

What water separator was on the AirDog?

The factory AirDog branded one. I switched to a Donaldson now.

 

[Bdsankey]

The factory AirDog branded one. I switched to a Donaldson now.

That may have been part of the problem. The factory airdog separator isn't known for the best efficiency. I do know the Baldwin direct fit is badass at ~97% efficiency for water removal.

 

[Dozerboy]

I agree with buying new. Both the filter heads I rebuilt still leaked and that was with a Merchant rebuild kits not junk ones.

I also wouldn’t remove the factory setup, so what if you have to replace it every 10+ years. It has worked pretty good on a lot of stock trucks over the years.


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[PureHybrid]

So where are you guys seeing leaks from after a rebuild? I rebuilt mine with a Merchant kit $.02

 

[DAVe3283]

My first one was leaking around the primer plunger. Rebuilt it, and 6 months later it was leaking again. The one on the Suburban was leaking around the heater and the primer plunger. Just replaced that, didn't even try and rebuild it.

If you have a lift pump, a leak is annoying. If you don't, a leak means you're getting a tow. One single tow bill eclipses the cost of a new filter head. By my math, just replacing the filter head makes sense. Even with a lift pump, I'd rather just have a new one and not mess with it for another decade.

 

[HWI]

I used to think it was fine to get rid of the factory head if you had a FASS/AirDog. My truck is setup that way. My Suburban has an AirDog and the factory filter head. Got a batch of bad fuel, and the water separator on the AirDog didn't exactly work great. Drained about 1/2 cup of water out of the AirDog separator, and another 1/3 cup from the factory filter downstream. That means the AirDog separator only caught about half of the water, and the rest went right through.

Naturally, the water in fuel light didn't come on. I just knew I had gotten bad fuel and drained the tanks as soon as I got the Suburban back home. I've been questioning my decision to delete the factory filter head on my truck ever since.

If it were me, I would put on the new Parker filter head, even if you do also get a lift pump.

I'm with you on keeping the stock filter head in place, it's extra insurance on the cheap.

Have you seen the video that FASS released to showcase their new style water separator? The standard water separators definitely allow a good bit of water through. That new water separator that FASS has is pretty bad ass, it doesn't have a drain because the media absorbs the water. Though, because of that you have to stay on top of filter changes.