Avoided a Disaster

[Wayne Maybury]

When I built my car three years ago, a friend commented that I had done evrything right except for one thing. I had used one of those glass inline fuel filters. He warned me that I was going to have a problem one day since they tend to leak.

No problems the first two years. This spring when I am starting the engine after the long winter rest, the filter begins to leak. I simply tightened it up a bit and the leak stopped.

This past weekend, I ask my wife if she wants to go for a drive. We get all buckled in, I fire up the car and begin to back down the driveway. I shifted from reverse to first ready to drive away when I glanced at the driveway and see gasoline all over. I just about crapped right there. The filter had sprung a major leak, this thing was spraying gas everywhere, not just dripping a bit.

I managed to get the car back into the driveawy at which point I shut her off immediately. I opened the hood to see gas still leaking from the filter. I got the hose out and began to rinse down the driveway, as well as the garage floor. While I didn't like doing this, there was no real alternative, I had to get the gas away from the car as well as off the driveway.

One spark and I would have lost my Cobra. I have now replaced that filter with an Earl's billet aluminium unit. I highly recommend that anyone using one of those glass filters, consider replacing it as soon as possible. There is no doubt in my mind that it is not a question of IF you will have a problem, but rather WHEN you will have a problem with it.

Wayne