Removing threaded Fuel Control Cell... keep breaking tools... help?

[SoldTheBayliner]

I have ripped the handles off of two oil filter wrenches using cheater bars trying to unscrew this thing. Any tips?

[NautiqueJeff]

Some people remove the whole assembly and put it in a vice in order to get the bowl off. They were notoriously tight from the factory. Has yours ever been opened before?

[SoldTheBayliner]

Thanks for the reply. It I've owned it since 2011 and I have never opened it... not sure before that. A vice sounds scary... how beefy is the metal? Is that aluminum? Can I put a giant pipe wrench on it or will I crush it?

I figured out the brass drain plug thing... got a funnel and a hose under it and drained it out the plug hole into a tray... no water in there... but I assume the filter has got to be a little nasty? I'm tracking down a weird problem with 'limp home' mode kicking on (another thread on here) and a fuel issue is the only other thing I can think of that might contribute to that.... I'm hoping to find a horribly clogged filter and the cure to my 'limp home' woes....

[NautiqueJeff]

The filter housing is pretty beefy. You'd have to really be cranking on it to crush it.

I really doubt this is putting you into limp mode though. That can only happen from low oil pressure or high engine temperature.

[SoldTheBayliner]

Thanks a ton for your help on the other thread. Where were you $400 ago? As for this one, new filter is on the way anyway... it's been 19 years, maybe it's worth changing it out anyway. ha. And I can't give up at this point... gotta get that thing off. I'm borrowing a beefy chain style strap wrench tomorrow. I'll give that a go before I pull it all the way out.

[SoldTheBayliner]

Ladies and gentlemen, the greatest tool on planet earth:

[SoldTheBayliner]

Can I just hand tighten that thing back on like I would an oil filter, or do I need to apply 647 foot-pounds of torque? haha.... why so tight? It's an O-ring and not relying on the threads for a seal, right?

[NautiqueJeff]

No need to crank it back down. Just hand-tight, and make sure it isn't leaking.

[Infinity]

If you had too, you could also brush on a little of the white "pipe dope" that mechanical contractors use on gas lines, keeps the threads from leaking. I actually use it on my PnP bags at the threaded male fittings to keep tight water seal.

[SoldTheBayliner]

Awesome, thanks guys. I have a tub of that stuff around here somewhere......