Fuel bowl plastic shrinking?

[repete]

My neighbor just can by with his plastic fuel filter bowl and the threads and shrunk to the point they look like a pipe thread and it will no longer screw in and seal. I am guessing it to be about a 25 horsepower unit and 2.5 years old.

Is this a common thing?

 

[Peter 315]

Did he cross thread it and wreck the threads. Some have a o-ring seal also....

 

[PILOON]

I also had that problem on a Mitsubishi K3 engine.
Bowl is real close to the engine and my take heat did it in.
Mine was very dark yellow* age tinted as well as shrunken.
While it still threaded on OK, filters no longer would fit in.

Only replacement bowls available were 3 " long but I had to have a shorter 2" one.
I cut a 3" back to 2", capped and sealed it and added a drain cock making it into a separator.
I next added an inline throw away filter for any fines'
Going on about 5 years now and all is fine.

ps; tried some 5-6 different brand dealers to attempt to locate my proper 2" bowl without satisfaction.
* yellow was age related and not from rust.

 

[repete]

Did he cross thread it and wreck the threads. Some have a o-ring seal also....

No, it is the total circumference of the thread. At the end with the O ring seal it is like 4" and at the distant end of the thread from the O ring it is like 3 3/4". Looks like the taper to a pipe thread.