Cheap defective aftermarket parts….lol

My earlier post about failed Asian plastic filters seems to have caused a bit of concern. Last show i saw several very expensive restorations with these that had failed. Owners not happy. Not just plastic but steel parts like bolts, carbs, brake component and alternators are becoming a costly problem.

vintovka said:

Couple months ago we noticed our filter looked odd. On closer inspection the cartridge had detached from the metal inlet side allowing all the debris to pass and partially blocking the outlet. This common chinese made filter was supplied by Edelbrock with a new 1416 carb. I have since seen a dozen or more of these fail especially when using ethanol gas.

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Isn't that filter marked with flow direction? The metal end is the outlet, not inlet. It detached because it's flowing backward. Dirt is supposed to get caught on the outside so you can see how dirty it is.

No - took pic at odd angle so looks just backwards. It was properly installed so flow arrow points toward carb with filter originally attached to metal body. Junk is supposed to collect in empty area before passing thru filter to carb. Think ethanol makes the filter cartridge comes loose on these and is free to move away from the outlet.

Posted this on another forum and many cases are being reported so heads up. Several commenters have added that water removing additives like heet (alcohol) may be either increasing filter failures or causing them directly by dissolving the adhesives that hold the filter to the metal end. Manufacturers must be aware as more of these "see thru" filters have internal supports that hold the filter cartridge in place. Some are talking lawsuit as even biggest carb maker supplied these with new units.

I only use filters with stainless steel inserts from summit or holley. They can be cleaned, don't dissolve and look good. I run a fuel pressure regulator with gauge on my rigs so I can see if something is wrong with the fuel pump or a filter or a line is clogged.

ali_c20 said:

I only use filters with stainless steel inserts from summit or holley. They can be cleaned, don't dissolve and look good. I run a fuel pressure regulator with gauge on my rigs so I can see if something is wrong with the fuel pump or a filter or a line is clogged.

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What do they look like?

https://www.summitracing.com/search...material:stainless-steel-mesh_sintered-bronze

You have to buy the adapter for your setup like an to hose barb.

ali_c20 said:

https://www.summitracing.com/search/part-type/fuel-filters?N=universal:yes+fuel-filter-style:inline+brand:summit-racing_holley+fuel-delivery-type:carburetor+filter-housing-material:aluminum+filter-element-material:stainless-steel-mesh_sintered-bronze

You have to buy the adapter for your setup like an to hose barb.

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Those look pretty good. Thanks for sharing

vintovka said:

No - took pic at odd angle so looks just backwards. It was properly installed so flow arrow points toward carb with filter originally attached to metal body. Junk is supposed to collect in empty area before passing thru filter to carb. Think ethanol makes the filter cartridge comes loose on these and is free to move away from the outlet.

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That would be the first fuel filter I've ever seen that's supposed to flow in that direction, from the inside to the outside of the element. If I saw one that was marked to flow that way, I'd assume it was marked backward, and install it the other way. If you examine the construction, I expect you'll find it was designed to flow the other way, and failed mainly because the pressure was pushing on the element from the wrong direction.

For the record, that muffler in the side pipe assembly was fine and not the source of the clanging noise. Shop that welded me up the exhaust pipes to connect to the side pipes did not do a quality job. Oh well…took it to the only shop I could find within a reasonable distance that does custom exhausts, they had several high $ old cars in getting complete systems. But apparently mine wasn’t nice enough to do it right for more $ than it shoulda cost. Thanks guys….typical case now of it will take more time to take it back for them to fix than it will to do myself at home.
Oh and back to the big heavy steel aftermarket aux fuel tank. Why would this ever have been a good idea back in the day, when you could have used another OEM tank and hardware that only holds 2 gallons less? Did they not sell replacement gas tanks and brackets in the 70s/80s?

backwoodsman said:

That would be the first fuel filter I've ever seen that's supposed to flow in that direction, from the inside to the outside of the element. If I saw one that was marked to flow that way, I'd assume it was marked backward, and install it the other way. If you examine the construction, I expect you'll find it was designed to flow the other way, and failed mainly because the pressure was pushing on the element from the wrong direction.

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Been a couple months and was paying attention at the shows around here. About half of those using this type of see thru filter have failed. Checked each and all correctly installed with filter cartridge (originally) attached to the metal outflow plate per "flow arrow" marking. Most users did not notice the cartridge had completely detached from the outlet port. With engine running on some the fuel pressure would push the cartridge up against the metal and looked correct but moved away when off. I see many have complained about this to sellers like Amazon. Talk about shooting the messenger.

vintovka said:

Been a couple months and was paying attention at the shows around here. About half of those using this type of see thru filter have failed. Checked each and all correctly installed with filter cartridge (originally) attached to the metal outflow plate per "flow arrow" marking. Most users did not notice the cartridge had completely detached from the outlet port. With engine running on some the fuel pressure would push the cartridge up against the metal and looked correct but moved away when off. I see many have complained about this to sellers like Amazon. Talk about shooting the messenger.

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Not trying to shoot any messengers, just trying to figure out what you're saying. Your photo and earlier description sure made it seem like the flow arrow was backward and the metal end was being treated as the inlet, but now you say it's the outlet, which of course is correct. Did I misunderstand? If so, sorry, and please ignore everything I've said. If I misunderstood, the best time to point that out would've been back when I said it.

Sorry not you. It was a guy with like an $15,000 engine that had one of these at a show. He blew a gasket when i asked if he knew his cartridge was floating around inside the plastic case. Never seen someone so upset and while I don't hold him responsible he really let me (and everyone around him) know like it was all our fault. Did not calm down even when i offered to take him to get a replacement!!!

I may be suffering my own filter failing and dumping debris in my Edelbrock 1406 carb. Every so often i get a misfire/backfire under acceleration. It happens every so often and goes away just as fast. Not sure its crapola randomly clogging the jets. Thoughts????

Should add that's a squarebody 84 GMC Sierra classic k10 stepside chassis, 350/700r4 and all the running and steering gear under that 54 body. Was pristine till buddy drove it off steep road, flipped it upside down and scraped the entire cab off after about a 100 yards downhill. He survived!!