Cozzykim.
Thanks for that. Either my Ducato was fitted originally with jubilee-type clips where you have your crimped hose clips, or someone has replaced them. I managed to get the big hoses disconnected plus the smaller hose by slackening off the Jub clips and eased the airbox free. Like you, I couldn't undo the 3 little nuts securing the airbox body to the base,-(rusted solid). But if you just take the lid off the fuse box you can jiggle and rotate the whole airbox out if the vehicle leaving the fuel filter well exposed. I found two out of three rubber locating feet were broken (not by me). I bottled out at this stage and reassembled all I had undone because I didn't know how to remove the water sensor plug from the base of the filter and I wasn't going to put a strap wrench on and remove it until I knew.
You still haven't told me how this is done!!!!! I know you can disconnect using the upper electrical connector. I'm grateful for your input, but this is the vital bit of information I need to give me the confidence to carry on? Seems our vehicles are pretty much identical. If I were you I'd bite the bullet and replace your big crimped hose clips with some marine quality big Jubilee clips. It will make your life easier if you keep the vehicle?
Finally, how do you access the Interactive Manual?
Cheers
I unplugged the water sensor at the plug attached to the engine bay firewall, a bit up and to the right on mine. This left a wiring tail about 10" long, still attached to the water sensor unit on the bottom of the filter.
I put the strap wrench over the filter from below, passing the wiring tail for the water sensor through the strap first. Then, when I unscrewed the filter (it's anti-clockwise, turn the wrench to the left/offside) the wiring tail could rotate with the filter, as it's loose at the other end.
The water sensor then comes off with the filter. I took the water sensor off, after draining most of the fuel from the filter into a canister, by unscrewing it and then releasing the remainder of the fuel.
Put the old sensor into the hole in the new filter when you've removed the temporary white plug, and tighten it onto its rubber seal.
Fill the filter to the brim with fresh diesel and knock it gently on something solid to get rid of air bubbles. Make sure that it's full as can be and then push it gently onto the fuel filter fitting before screwing it back in (making sure that the seal is lubricated of course). I also put a quarter turn on it with the strap wrench to make sure it was sealed.
I only found the excellent guide, that was posted here by Freespirit in 2008, yesterday after I'd already done it.
I didn't do the repeated low pressure pump priming that he suggested, because I was relying on verbal instructions from my mate who's a dodgy back street van dealer.
Nevertheless, he told me to turn on the ignition and wait until the LP pump stopped, then start the engine and keep the revs up at approx 2000, to take it through any air bubbles. This worked OK, with a few coughs and splutters, but the Freespirit guide is obviously preferable.
I found it yesterday because this thread was below the one I just posted:
https://www.fiatforum.com/ducato/142975-how-change-fuel-filter-2-8jtd.html
