Old timer at a truck stop taught me a fuel filter trick I still use

Back in 2019 I was changing a fuel filter on a Freightliner at a Flying J in Ohio and this crusty old mechanic walks over, says "you're bleeding it wrong kid." He showed me to crack the bleeder screw on the housing and crank the starter for 3 seconds instead of pumping the primer a million times. Has anyone else gotten a random tip from a stranger that actually works better than the book way?

3 comments

3 Comments

fionafoster3d ago

crank the starter for 3 seconds"?? dang that sounds sketchy af tbh. i'd be scared of hydrolocking the whole thing or spraying diesel everywhere if the bleeder isn't cracked right. but i guess if some grizzled truck stop wizard vouches for it, maybe it works on those old mechanical pumps. still, my luck would be the starter catches fire or something, lol. glad it worked out for you though, maybe i'll try it on a beater first before trusting it on a rig i actually need.

sammartinez2d ago

Starter fluid's the same way, works amazing right up until it blows a hole in your piston lol.

phoenixk642d ago

Question is does it actually work better or just faster cause fast ain't always safe.