Leaking Fuel filter

[Vernon]

My XJ certainly likes to give me a few thought provoking issues.

Checking found the fuel filter for no other reason than I am about to replace the filter - and when I touched the clear bowl - I swear it moved on its thread a bit anti-clockwise.  Not a lot I grant you - but any movement at all spooked me a bit!

I then investigated (to hell with the wrath of the god of Jeeps I thought) and found that the bowl moved easily anti-clockwise but distinct resistance clockwise.

Next thing I know I had diesel everywhere and the bowl in my hands.

After much swearing and cleaning up (a filter full of diesel really does go a long way….) I deduced that someone had screwed the bowl/filter into place having connected the wiring to the heater element and sensor wiring plugs.  
This wound the wiring loom up like a spring and presumably vibration etc started things moving.

It explains the starting problems of late and presumably the suction when running kept everything in place.

So new filter on order and looking forward to putting it all together.

I’ll try and load a short vid of the leaking bowl taken just after “It Moved!” - shortly after this it fell off, it all went pear shaped and there was diesel all over the place.

Interestingly- the fuel leaked exactly onto the spot where my “engine oil leak” falls.  So I wonder……?