Time for a new fuel filter so to start the process I tried to drain the sedimenter at the back of the car.
Whoops. The plastic drain plug sheared straight off in my hand. (Honest guv, it didn't take much force!)
The good side is that the threaded part is holding back the fuel. Oh, and the replacement plug was just 58p from a main dealer!
But I'm a little concerned by the weird beige powder that seems to be everywhere in the thread. And curious as to why the fuel isn't coming out at all. I would expect it to get out through the slot in the thread which my replacement plug has, but I imagine the powder is stopping it, combined with the way the shear must have blocked the slot.
Does this powder sound like fuel/water emulsion, once it's dried out? Or is it just the plastic of the plug itself, perhaps over-heated?
And more to the point, has anybody else had this happen? What worked for getting rid of the old plug? I'm considering either drilling it or trying to cut a slot into it for a screwdriver...
Thanks for any tips, K