Let me start by saying that I have rebuilt a couple diesel motors and have done a handful of filter changes. So i replaced the fuel filter today due to the car having some studdering issues and it was due for a change anyways. Put new filter in....filled it with a mixture of diesel and ATF tried bleeding the system and no luck....it keeps sucking air. there is fuel coming from the tank.....but it will not suck fuel from the filter. Could I have a faulty filter?

This filter was a little different than the original. The supply from the tank was switched with the supply for the pump.
here is the way the old filter worked with arrows showing which way fuel is supposed to flow. (same as arrows on the filter)
Here is a pic of the old filter:

Here is a pic of the new filter installed.
Hi,
The top one you have two arrows going out. Where does the fuel come in at?
Is the part with the clip for recirculation?
Sorry the one that points to the right should be pointing inwards. My bad....I didnt notice that. :oops:
that fuel pre-heater is sometimes the cause of the problem...
You recommend getting a new one??? Is it normal for the filter to be different like that?

I have never ran into a problem like this....I mean the car was studdering for the last two days.....but would the preheater cause something like this?
Yeah, I think there is an o-ring sealing it that can leak and let air in.
Clear fuel lines?
Do they have air in them?
Did you replace the seals at the preheater?, or perhaps one fell off. Sometimes i find i have to put a touch of quick seal silicone there .
Turns out that the filter is not meant for my application. It was missing the whole section that is supposed to seal the pre-heater. I put the old filter in for now and I will be getting a new one tomorrow. Here is a pic showing the old filter, I have circled the part that the new one didnt have.
Thats a very nice pic of the newly installed fuel filter.
lots of water though.. best to probably use compressed air to blow it all away to ensure none gets into the system (at least keep what we can out of the system)
and also inspect the hose ends for the common cracks. using a grease or petroleum jelly is a good way to avoid that. the hoses go on a bit easier, and come off too!
I have since found the problem....the new filter was different....put in the old filter and bled the system....car runs now....will be getting a new filter later today. here is the problem circled on the old filter.....the new one didnt have the circled part: