I had forgotten about the little o-ring on the shut off valve on top of the fuel filter. Mine had that problem also.

Another problem I had with the fuel filter mounting was one of the black plastic connectors on top of the fuel filter housing had a very tiny crack that was seeping fuel.

Being in Texas and not needed the fuel heater, I bypassed the heater and the small filter on the engine side of the fuel filter housing. From the fuel tank metal hose below the washer fluid, i ran a new hose with a fairly large in-line 50 micron filter and from there up to the fuel pump inlet. I snipped off the old plastic line and slipped my new fuel hose over the remaining stub and tightened it with a small worm gear clamp. It's been about 4 years and probably 40,000 miles and no problems. Doing this eliminated a couple of the clear plastic lines and also had a larger inside diameter hose to the fuel pump.

I believe the fuel hose was Gates Barricade 5/16 lower pressure version ( cheaper ).

https://images.firstcallonline.com/parts/img/documents/gat/gatesbarricade4page.pdf

I'm thinking about installing a washer fluid tank in the trunk and using the freed up space to install a low pressure fuel pump plus a 2 micron fuel filter with water drain. My hesitation has been in not knowing which fuel pump would be reliable enough for continuous operation. This would quickly allow locating any leaks air/fuel in the clear plastic lines plus eliminate any possible vacuum created by the existing fuel pump.