SAFETY WARNING: unplug your fuel heater element

kccrd · **Joined:** Thu Mar 08, 2007 10:35 pm **Posts:** 267

my 05 now has 54,000 on the clock and yesterday I changed the fuel filter and I filled the filter with fuel installed it plugged in the wif conection started it up and it ran just perfect I went in to my garage to get a towel to clean up a couple of drips of fuel and for the first time I saw smoke coming out of the connection for the fuel heater at the filter head so I unplugged it right away. Today I drove it to the local Jeep only dealer and showed it to the service manager and explained the problem and told him about all the great info from this web sight about this particular problem and the safety hazard and asked him if he would go to the web sites a read about the problem and he told me he did not have time to look at any crazy web sites complaining about jeep. I told him there is a lot of great info there and to take a look maybe he would learn a little. He told me he would look into the problem and see if there is any recall. Tonight I regestered a complaint online with the government dealing with such matters. any more info would be a great help.

ATXKJ · **Posted:** Fri Nov 09, 2007 10:04 pm

I'm at 43,000 and I haven't had any driveability issues - however when I pull the fuel heater plug I've got diesel there - so it's in to the dealer - I told them the diesel has to stay on the other side of the plug.
It's still under warranty so I'll give them 1st try at fixing it, if that doesn't work - Racor time.

kccrd · **Joined:** Thu Mar 08, 2007 10:35 pm **Posts:** 267

How can you still be under warranty at 43,000 miles they told me mine was past warranty but the engine and power train has a 7 70?

DarbyWalters · **Posted:** Sat Nov 10, 2007 12:02 pm

2005's have a longer warranty than 2006's

kccrd · **Joined:** Thu Mar 08, 2007 10:35 pm **Posts:** 267

So is mine still under warranty? I thought I read where someone on this site got theirs replaced with a racor unit at a dealer that also sold dodge trucks and they said no problem and even covered it under warranty. Or am I just having wishfull thinking. thanks

ATXKJ · **Posted:** Sat Nov 10, 2007 10:14 pm

I was worried about buying a 1st year product so I got the extended warranty - 100,000 miles

kccrd · **Joined:** Thu Mar 08, 2007 10:35 pm **Posts:** 267

You won't believe what happened to me today. I got a new fuel seperator from my jeep dealer after complaining yesterday that my heater plug was smoking after I changed the fuel filter the other day. I told him about this website warning us but he didn't believe me. So I get a call this morning saying my part was in and I needed to schedule a time to have it installed. I showed up at the parts counter and they brought out the fuel seperator with a filter attached and said the service manager ordered it for me and it would be paid for by jeep but I would have to install it and I said no problem I will bring you the old part right back when I am done, which I did. Everybody happy but what a suprise they must now know there is a problem with the fuel heater element part of the filter head unit.

DarbyWalters · **Posted:** Tue Nov 13, 2007 11:20 pm

NO, they visited the forum and read a little...they do that :wink:

chrispitude · **Posted:** Wed Nov 14, 2007 8:23 am

kccrd wrote:

You won't believe what happened to me today. I got a new fuel seperator from my jeep dealer after complaining yesterday that my heater plug was smoking after I changed the fuel filter the other day. I told him about this website warning us but he didn't believe me. So I get a call this morning saying my part was in and I needed to schedule a time to have it installed. I showed up at the parts counter and they brought out the fuel seperator with a filter attached and said the service manager ordered it for me and it would be paid for by jeep but I would have to install it and I said no problem I will bring you the old part right back when I am done, which I did. Everybody happy but what a suprise they must now know there is a problem with the fuel heater element part of the filter head unit.

It might have been better if you sent the old housing to the NHTSB for evaluation.

- Chris

kccrd · **Joined:** Thu Mar 08, 2007 10:35 pm **Posts:** 267

Darby you have got to be right. and yes I probably should have sent the part in for inspection. I will be watching the new fuel seperator very closely for any sign of burning or smoking at the terminal. Thanks for the warning about this I would have never known otherwise.

Hydraulic Jack · **Posted:** Thu Nov 15, 2007 5:16 pm

Am I going to have a problem? I had my son change the filter the other day. Neither of us knew anything about it. Before I unscrewed the filter the I noticed electrical connection on the bottom wasn't hooked up also. We then changed the filter and tried to start the vehicle. I started for a second then stalled. We stood there for a few seconds scratching our heads. Then we noticed the plunger on the top. We pumped it a few times then started. The outside temps that day were in the 50's. I drove it home and put it in the garage and haven't driven it yet. Does the system self purge or do I need to purge the air out? HJ

BVCRD · **Posted:** Thu Nov 15, 2007 5:31 pm

Hydraulic Jack wrote:

Am I going to have a problem? I had my son change the filter the other day. Neither of us knew anything about it. Before I unscrewed the filter the I noticed electrical connection on the bottom wasn't hooked up also. We then changed the filter and tried to start the vehicle. I started for a second then stalled. We stood there for a few seconds scratching our heads. Then we noticed the plunger on the top. We pumped it a few times then started. The outside temps that day were in the 50's. I drove it home and put it in the garage and haven't driven it yet. Does the system self purge or do I need to purge the air out? HJ

It does sort of self burp when you change a filter IF you get enough of the air out by doing exactly what you did. You may want to pump the primer bulb, loosen the bleeded nipple and purge some more air out. No worries though, the air will come back. I burp weekly.

Hydraulic Jack · **Posted:** Thu Nov 15, 2007 5:35 pm

I've driven this for over 40,000 miles and haven't done any purging. HJ

BVCRD · **Posted:** Fri Nov 16, 2007 7:47 pm

Hydraulic Jack wrote:

I've driven this for over 40,000 miles and haven't done any purging. HJ

Trust me, the air is in there. Just not enough to cause any driveability issues....................YET. Only thing that happened to mine was I was sitting in it with it running and fully warmed up, and it just died off. It refired OK though. Must have got a big bubble in it.

dirtmover · **Posted:** Sat Nov 17, 2007 10:24 am

BVCRD wrote:

Trust me, the air is in there. Just not enough to cause any driveability issues....................YET.

Maybe he just doesn't notice the issues. My wife doesn't notice the shudder but then neither do the techs at the dealer :evil:

Cowcatcher · **Posted:** Sat Nov 17, 2007 10:41 am

We don't all get air all the time. I have only needed to burp mine twice in 30K plus miles. Once when I ran too low on fuel and once when I replaced the fuel filter. I have had one 1/4 tank, hot day, hot fuel, air incident too.

I had a Volare that I always ran out of gas with because the fuel gauge was conveniently placed behind the steering wheel spoke where you couldn't see it and you absolutely could could not pull a hill with the air conditioner on. I had a Taurus that would fog up everytime it rained because Ford couldn't find the water leak. It also had every door handle replaced under warranty and lots of other pesky problems like cup holders that allowed a cup to spill out of the holder on a gentle turn. I have a Chevy PU with doors so heavy that they sag and need to be bent back up about every two years to latch and once the fan clutch siezed while under warranty and ripped the heck out of everything under the hood. The fit and finish on this truck absolutely sucks. I had a Honda Civic that the paint started chipping off early in life...great Honda product support, forget it. It also had manual transmission problems start occuring at 85K that were too expensie=ve to justify my keeping it. I anyone following all of the Toyota PU and V6 Camry issues?

Bottom line is there is no free lunch and there never has been. I will live with this little tractors peculiarities smiling until they get a whole lot worse then some of the other foreign and domestics I have driven that were also slightly flawed.

widowmaker · **Posted:** Sat Nov 17, 2007 11:14 am

I had an AUDI

oz_crd · **Posted:** Mon Nov 19, 2007 8:54 pm

widowmaker wrote:

I had an AUDI

I have an innie, but why change the subject to belly buttons? :lol:

(Sorry, it was too easy, I couldn't resist.)

MRausch82 · **Posted:** Thu Dec 06, 2007 9:34 am

Does anyone know when and if we'll see a recall from Chrysler on this? I have not heard anything further from the NHTSA.

truckbouy2 · **Posted:** Thu Dec 06, 2007 9:48 am

Won't see one.........
I believe chances are better to win the Powerball Lottery :wink:

SAFETY WARNING: unplug your fuel heater element

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