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803a water separator breakthrough!

Buickrat

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New Hampshire
Well, after buying every brand out there: wix, napa, hastings, Baldwin, fleetguard etc etc, I still could not figure out how to adapt the drain to accept the military style that was stock on these units(that allows the fuel to drain outside the unit). Wix seemed to be the closest, but drain would only thread in 1/2 turn, and by 3/4 turn it would stop. Hmmm.
I thinks to myself, that sure looks like 1/4npt thread, so I get my 1/4 npt tap to open it up some. Tap goes in 3 turns, stops. dead. so much so that the insert in the filter started to turn. I junked 3 filters trying this. Contact Wix both by phone and email. Guy in the email says its 1/4 npt. guy on the phone says it's 1/4 npS.
Hokay, who's right? I explain the situation to the email guy, who immediately turns into a keyboard warrior, asking why would I try to modify the filter, I'll void the warrantee etc. Even emailed me a copy of their warranty!?! I emailed back politely (ok maybe not so politely) that I don't give a rats butt about warranty on the part, just want him to verify what the actual thread is. He emailed back saying he'd typo'd the wrong info, it is actually npS thread.

OK. Seems easy enough, need a male 1/4 nps to female npt adapter and I will be all set. Wrong again. Seems no one in the developed world has ever needed to adapt from nps to npt in 1/4. N O body!

Seeing as I had already procured a 1/4 npt fuel shut off that I could put a nipple on to accept the drain tube, I explained my woes to our mailman, who is ex navy and just so happens to have a machine shop in his basement where we could, if need be, cut down the shutoff so we can thread it nps. Or we could make an adapter ourselves which we may still do.
I decided, against my better judgement, to search out a fram (yeeuuck) p8043, not easy to get as most parts stores don't carry fram any more (big surprise).
Well, lo and behold, picked one up at autozone today and removed the petcock drain and presto, 1/4 npt, fits the stock drain perfect. Some white tape, 1/2 hour wrestle and 20 scratches on my arm to get the stock filter off, (King Kong musta had Wheaties that day). She is now sporting an ugly orange water separator with the factory drain with no leaks!!!

I am by no means a fram supporter, as their oil filter efficiency ratings are as bad as motorcrafts are (near the bottom in both single and multiple pass tests), and may pursue making the fittings so we can put a quality wix or napa gold filter on these units.
 
Last edited:

Guyfang

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Good job Rat!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I personaly like the idea that I could open a petcock and drain out the water! Its been standerd on Milatary gen sets for the last 50 years. You can SEE whats in the filter. Not just guess. It was always my heads up signal, when we had crappy fuel. And we often had REAL crappy fuel. In Bamberg, the diesel tank farm, was still using tanks that were german WW2 tanks. They had more water in it them, then Atlantic.

Once again, good job!
 

Buickrat

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New Hampshire
Thanks, Guy! For a few moments, I though I might have to buck up the 120 dollars for a stocker.

NPS thread seals on an o-ring, not on the threads like npt, so the adapter we make will have to have that machined surface on it.

If you think folks might have an interest in this, I may consider making a few of them.

Question, my unit did not have that seal that the new filters come with, at the threaded filter inlet when I removed I. I put one in when I put the new filter on. Did I do the right thing?
 

Kenny0

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Thanks, Guy! For a few moments, I though I might have to buck up the 120 dollars for a stocker.

NPS thread seals on an o-ring, not on the threads like npt, so the adapter we make will have to have that machined surface on it.

If you think folks might have an interest in this, I may consider making a few of them.

Question, my unit did not have that seal that the new filters come with, at the threaded filter inlet when I removed I. I put one in when I put the new filter on. Did I do the right thing?
I have found that water separators and primary filters don't always have a seal in the center. Secondary or final filters should always have one.
 

eatont9999

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I'm not sure I am understanding what is going on here. Are you guys saying that the black water separator/pre-filter with the petcock at the bottom is difficult to source? I bought two of them last spring to keep as spares. I didn't have an abnormally hard time finding them; nor were they expensive.
 

eatont9999

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Our favorite market of fleas! fleabay! Right now a guy/gal has some listed for $30+5 shipping. Not cheap but not horrible, either for the price of diesel filters.
 

Buickrat

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Location
New Hampshire
Thanks eaton, good to know. I did check fleabay, but I still don't always trust what is on e-bay.

I am still going to pursue the adapter. I can buy Wix separators for 11 dollars at any local parts store.
 

pjwest03

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OK. Seems easy enough, need a male 1/4 nps to female npt adapter and I will be all set. Wrong again. Seems no one in the developed world has ever needed to adapt from nps to npt in 1/4. N O body!
Dixon Valve part number 1740404C. Male NPSM to Female NPTF.

NPSM = National Pipe Straight Mechanical formerly known as NPS.
NPTF = National Pipe Thread Fuel and is compatible with NPT.
 

Buickrat

New member
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Location
New Hampshire
It should fit Wix and Napa filters. All the other brands seem to have some type of left hand coarse thread thumbwheel that cannot be removed.

I have not yet tried the Dixon fitting. By looking at it, it should work with an o-ring. I will order some soon and submit them to some testing before I can definitively say it will work.

Problem is, yah never know when some bean counter is going to convince Wix that its cheaper to put this pos left hand thread thumbwheel in them to cut costs.

Seems a lot of the newer filters have this crap design.
 

Triton

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Houston, Texas
Buickrat , let me know what you find out! Anything helps to make operating costs lower and maybe find better filters than stock.
 

uniquify

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Sioux Falls, SD
I tried chasing down an adapter earlier this year with no luck. I believe the threads on the Wix filter is actually 1/8-27 NPS as opposed to the 1/4.
 
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