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HFCM - Changed Out Due To Fuel Pump Failure

And I have changed the fuel filters on a lot of the 6.0 power strokes and have all ways used the motorcraft 4604 or the 4606 depending if it was a F series or E series and have never questioned the filters untill now
 
I have wonder why the dealer ship changed the complete HFCM instead of just the fuel pump and if they had just replaced the fuel pump they would have put in a new 4604 and I would have never known the diff.
 

Beachbumcook

Kansas Chapter member
I have wonder why the dealer ship changed the complete HFCM instead of just the fuel pump and if they had just replaced the fuel pump they would have put in a new 4604 and I would have never known the diff.

My dealer changed out the entire HFCM unit when they fixed my fuel pump problem. They even re-used the same HFCM filter, becuase the unit does not come with one and if they used a new one, they would have charged me their over-inflated price... so I told them to leave it and I would change it out on my own... since I have a supply of them.
 

blacksnapon

Moderator
Staff member
I've been looking with my parts manager, and we can't find anything that vaguely resembles the filter on the right. The early 03s (pre 09/15/03) had a different hfcm. After that, they were changed. I wonder if someone handed you the wrong hfcm?
 

Beachbumcook

Kansas Chapter member
I've been looking with my parts manager, and we can't find anything that vaguely resembles the filter on the right. The early 03s (pre 09/15/03) had a different hfcm. After that, they were changed. I wonder if someone handed you the wrong hfcm?

That is what I was thinking happened about the poster of this thread and his issues. I am not a mechanic, but I stayed at a Holidayy Inn Express last night (ha, ha).
 
Motorcraft 4604 fuel filter

Have found out through Charles Ledger <[email protected]> that there has been a change in the motorcraft 4604 fuel filter. And this is what he has told me .

The filter shown in your photos are both manufactured by Racor. The filter with the O ring is an improved version released to increase the robustness of the seal between the clean and dirty side of the filter.

The new filter element was implemented in first fit modules installed at KTP(*) as well as replacement modules available through FCSD(*). the replacement element pipeline may not be up to date as of yet.

Are you haveing fit issues with either of the of the filters? Both filters should fit the 6.0 and 6.4 HFCM(+) modules the only difference being the new element seals {in the recess} on the aluminum housing and the original filter seals on the {outside of the } pump body.

The new filter should fit all HFCM applications. The O ring may need to be lubricated and the filter installed in to the module befor the cap in order to properly seal.

The filter desidn change was driven by Ford Engineering but the up date may not have been communicated to Ford dealers if the replacement filters elements are not yet avaiable to the dealers.

For those of you who will ask
*KTP: Kentucky Truck Plant
+HFCM: Horizontal Fuel Conditioning Module (fuel pump/water separator/ fuel filter mixer)
*FCSD: Ford customer Service Department

For more information Call Racor and ask about the new design change on the motorcraft 4604 filter or Racor Pff 4604 .
Racor as said that there not changing the part number. New design will have same part number.
 
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Beachbumcook

Kansas Chapter member
The filter without the O ring is a 4604 motorcraft I removed the HFCM and removed the fuel pump from it took the 4604 fuel filter and snapped it on the cap installed it in to the HFCM and looked in the hole where the fuel pump gos and it likes about a 16th of an inch of touching where it is suppose to seal the only thing it touches is the cap no wonder my truck eats injector like a fat kid eats cake

Interesting info you collected in the post above this one... but earlier you wrote the following (above). Guess it is not the filter causing injector problems then????

I will call my contact at Racor tomorrow and inquire to what is going on and what info he can shed on this topic.

Thanks.... stay tuned.
 
The 4604 with out the O ring will not seal . The 4604 with the O ring seals . What makes this hard to find information on. Because there has not been a part number change only a filter change. The filter that has the O ring on it has the same part number as the one that dont. And Ford motor company said the one with the O ring is the correct filter. Now why world a company change a design on something and not the part number? No way to tell them apart unless you look at them side by side. Ford is not the only one to do this Mack has done the same thing on there E7 and E8 engines with. There fuel filters. Same part number but different part. And the reason for there change was the fuel was not filtered properly. And I will bet that Ford has found the same thing with there fuel filter. Why else would they spend time and money to redesign the fuel filter? If the filter worked as designed it would be a waist of time and money to redesign it. Why do you think ford has redesigned the fuel filter???
 
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I would think that if the HFCM (primary) filter wasn't sealed and filtering the fuel properly, the secondary filter would show it by being loaded with particulate. That's something I've never seen.
 

blacksnapon

Moderator
Staff member
The 4604 with out the O ring will not seal . The 4604 with the O ring seals . What makes this hard to find information on. Because there has not been a part number change only a filter change. The filter that has the O ring on it has the same part number as the one that dont. And Ford motor company said the one with the O ring is the correct filter. Now why world a company change a design on something and not the part number? No way to tell them apart unless you look at them side by side. Ford is not the only one to do this Mack has done the same thing on there E7 and E8 engines with. There fuel filters. Same part number but different part. And the reason for there change was the fuel was not filtered properly. And I will bet that Ford has found the same thing with there fuel filter. Why else would they spend time and money to redesign the fuel filter? If the filter worked as designed it would be a waist of time and money to redesign it. Why do you think ford has redesigned the fuel filter???
Nobody makes their own vehicles any more. Chances are, it was outsourced for manufacture, then the company decided to change design (to make it easier for them to manufacture) without informing Ford of the changes (and this does happen quite frequently). Then Ford gets the blame.
 

Beachbumcook

Kansas Chapter member
Man... I am so confused......

Not sure if it's the filter. the o-ring, fuel vapors or the poor spelling and grammer in this thread.... but wow, I have a headache!!!!

I sent an email to my contact at Racor asking for clarification and what information he can shed on this "issue" for me/us.

Stay tuned....
 
Thats what every body needs to do is call and find out for your self. Ford is the one that insisted in the change to the filter. I know of a 2004 F350 here in town that has 294,000 miles on it that never been in the shop for any problem other than for oil and filter changes. The guy that owns the truck works for Mack and he has a 100 gallon diesel tank in the bed of it and has added filters . that filter the fuel before it gets to the factory filters.And he uses a Mack filter base with Mack filters. He uses a 483GB471M secondary filter and a 483GB470AM primary Mack filters to prefilter his fuel. He said he has never had injector problems or EGR problems or starting problems. And I am not saying that Ford is at fault here. But I thank there has been unnecessary repairs to a lot of these trucks. I all so think theres been a lot of parts replacing going on and not fixing the problems. Hell the last time my truck was at the dealer ship they checked it out and said it needed a fuel pump and 3 injectors I did not let them repair the truck had it tow home. Checked it out for my self and fuel pump was out. So I took it back to dealer let them replace fuel pump. And they changed out the HFCM instead of just the pump. And now for some reason they cant find any injectors out. So tell me how the HFCM fixed 3 injectors. I could go to a different Ford dealer but its 150 miles a way. And I am not blaming all Ford dealers. Theres good ones and bad ones. Last year I bough a 96 F250 7.3 powerstroke 5 speed with 126,000 miles on it for 500 bucks.The guy was told by the same ford dealer I am dealing with that the motor was bad. The only thing that was wrong with truck was the duel mass fly wheel . I changed out the fly wheel it ran great and I sold it for 6800 bucks. So I would say that the Ford dealer here is not very good. But its the closest one I can get to with out making a 300 mile round trip. And it pisses me off when I try to get information about something on this truck from other Ford dealers and people in the business and get the same attitude as what I get from the Ford dealer here.
So I have the correct motorcraft fuel filter with O ring now and truck is running great with 3 injectors that mysteriously fixed them self. I am not saying that I have fixed the problem with this truck only time will tell. But you have to start some where. And when you have injector trouble on the big rigs you start at the fuel tanks and work your way to the injectors to make sure your fuel is not getting contaminated. And then go from there. .Hell I did better than my Ford dealer did I fixed 3 injectors and never touched them makes me wander how many times I have been screwed by this Ford dealer. I do know I have had Ford, Chevy and Dodge and you can get a good truck from them all .But you can get a peace of crap from them all so. And they all have there problems.
 
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blacksnapon

Moderator
Staff member
found it!

Its a redesigned filter to prevent "blow by" when the filter gets plugged or partially plugged. FMCdealer released a message about it today. The filters should be available at your dealer shortly.
 

Beachbumcook

Kansas Chapter member
Its a redesigned filter to prevent "blow by" when the filter gets plugged or partially plugged. FMCdealer released a message about it today. The filters should be available at your dealer shortly.

There you go... Black-strap-on has the answer... I mean, Black Snap-on.

I can never resist making a joke or thinking about your screen name.

Thanks Vince... you know I am just funn'n with ya.

Jeff
 

Beachbumcook

Kansas Chapter member
PAYBACK:


How does YOUR spell checker spell 'GRAMMAR' Jeff??

:nana: :rofl: :nana: :rofl:

Yep... you are right.

It's just that some others in this thread have poor spelling and grammar that it makes it hard to read and understand the "issue at hand". Not a huge deal... but I guess I get to picky at stuff like this.

I stand corrected... one word was mis-spelled and was one letter off... thanks for the "catch"... teacher.
 
Its a redesigned filter to prevent "blow by" when the filter gets plugged or partially plugged. FMCdealer released a message about it today. The filters should be available at your dealer shortly.

Great to know - thank you for the info!

I am assuming that if you did not plug your fuel filter, you still would have great service from the original design filter ...... please correct me if I am wrong!!
 

Beachbumcook

Kansas Chapter member
Here is what the ford dealer web said

Interesting.. good info and a good thread.

The key message in the PDF file you posted above is about "blow-by" from owners who's filters are at the end of their life. That sounds like code for "idiots that don't change their fuel filters every 15,000 miles"!!!!

Change them on time and the old style works just fine!!!!

Thanks for the info.
 
Any filter that bypasses at any time is not doing its job. And who can say that there filter is not nearly clogged after just 1,000 miles. The only true way to check is to check flow rate of the filter. Witch can not be done by the naked eye.
 

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