Question: Replacing Fuel Filter

[dogfish246]

I got a fuel filter the other day for $7.99 since I dont know if it was ever changed. I thought it would be easy/fast to do, but after reading the service manual, it seems a bit of a hassel!

Is there anything tricky that I should know about?
Also, do I have to take anything apart besides the fuel lines connecting the fuel filter?

Thanks!:cool

 

[LT4man]

1. Do this when the engine is stone cold!
2. Remove gas cap to relieve pressure.
3. A "crows foot" socket on the end of a 3/8" drive 12" extension will work wonders.
4. Loosen the small screw holding the filter bracket. Do NOT remove. Just loosen the screw enough, so the filter can rotate inside the bracket.
5. After disconnecting the rear fitting, use a socket on the end of the filter to help remove it.
6. Be prepared for a gasoline shower.
7. Make sure the o-rings on the fuel lines are in place and in good shape before installing new filter. Lube both o-rings to facilitate installation.
8. Tighten everything so no fuel leaks.
9. Remember to tighten your gas cap!
10. Start engine and check for leaks.
11. Pat yourself on the back for a job well done!

AFTER INSTALLING YOUR NEW FILTER, DO NOT FORGET TO SAVE THE !

 

[dogfish246]

Thanks a lot! Im printing out your directions and going to replace it on monday (hopefully)! I am also going to run water thru the filter backwards into a bucket to see if there was a lot of dirt in the old one...

Dont worry, I always !!!


Thanks again!

 

[Red Vette]

Your lucky you have the coupe. For a convertible, one has to remove the cross members to get at the fuel filter. That is why I let my Chevy dealer do it now. When I took my vert in for a fuel filter change, the cost was $53 including the filter; the flashing message sign in the dealer's service advisor bay was Fuel Filter replace $53. When they finished the job (2 hours), the flashing display red the same, with Except Corvette, added. The coupe is much easier to work on for fuel filter replacement. BTW, Gregory's instructions were correct. You may want to disconnect the battery with all of the gas being drained.
Barrett

 

[Towu4free]

when i did the fuel filter replacement on my convertible i put it on jack stands, releived pressure at tank removed the line on the bottome(coming from the tank) and pulled the fuel filter up through the engine bay, was pretty simple! good luck

 

[Paul Higg]

From someone who helped me. I think it was Tom.

(I also used a crow's foot, made it a lot easier.)

A typical fuel filter is in line on the frame rails of a car or at least in a spot that you have access to. 


The only thing in other tech forums that was anything remotely close to what I found was the fact that the filter is located on the passenger side frame rail just behind the front tire..

1) You will have one of the cats blocking it! 


2) Only the "tank" side of the filter is easily gotten to with tools to loosen the nut. The other side is tucked behind the cat and made it impossible to get a tool in to loosen. 
*
*
Here's what I had/did to get my fuel filter. 
*

1) After the car is supported on jack stand I unscrewed the 3 10 mm nuts that support the fuel line all the way to the rear of the car. I did this in order to have some play in the lines and be able to move them. 
*


2) Disconnect the tank side of the fuel filter. Don't forget about possible spillage and watch your eyes. 
*


3) Disconnect the fuel filter strap from the frame rail. 
*


4) Go under your hood and find the 2 SS fuel lines on the engine. Trace those down till you get to a 10 mm nut that holds them in place in the engine bay. Unscrew the nut. Now release the fuel line attached to the fuel filter from the plastic clip it is attached to. You are now able to pull the fuel line attached to the fuel filter out and get to the engine side of the filter in order to disconnect and replace the filter. *
*


5) Repeat backwards in order to re-install. 
*


6) CHECK YOUR O-RINGS!!!!!!!!! REPLACE IF NEEDED!!!!!!! 


 

[ameribrit]

Clogged Fuel Filter?

Anybody care to tell me some symptoms you had that resulted in fuel filter replacement? Did it work?

 

[CROOZ1N]

Which brand is better Purolater ,Fram or AC Delco? Is there a difference in the filtering capacity? How many microns?

 

[John Robinson]

2. Remove gas cap to relieve pressure.
6. Be prepared for a gasoline shower.

I sure wish I had had these instructions when I did mine. First I did not do item 2. Item 6 is so correct in my case I got sprayed in the face and the fuel poored out of the line like it was being pumped. By the time I got out from under the car and back to the fuel cap the fuel was everywhere. When I removed the cap to relieve the preassure it converted the return line into a syphion hose and I had to disconnect it from the tank to stop the flow of fuel. Alltogether I probably lost 3 or 4 gallons of fuel before I got it stopped in a closed garage with heaters running. All this time I was nearly blind from the gas in my eyes and the pain until I got the gas stopped and could flush my eyes. Greg's information should be posted on evey C4 owners garage wall.;worship

 

[boomdriver]

Anybody care to tell me some symptoms you had that resulted in fuel filter replacement? Did it work?

A fuel pressure gauge is the best way to tell if you need filters...

Poor accelleration, backfiring & spitting, slow to rev, hard starts...
The backfiring baffles most people and they run to the ignition system.
It does burp and backfire when the pressure goes low. Low battery voltage (under 10.8v) will do the same thing. Thank God for digital instruments...

if you know what the gauge means by each movement of the needle and how it behaves you can isolate the problem IF there is a pressure problem. If the problem is the inline filter OR the intank strainer. The needle should be rock solid and only dip slightly when rpm is increased if the filters are both ok. Movement should be smooth. A needle that has jitters or unsteady is indicating a flow or pressure issue.
I'm sure the inline filter is small...10mic? 5? What comes out of one thats been plugged can best be described as powder.Not much gets past because the injector screens/baskets just cannot handle any amount of contamination. The Intank strainer gets all the stuff that you can actually feel....and that strainer plugs up with rust and debris from internal system decay mostly. These tanks WILL rust. Because there are small amounts of water in the gas, (ethanol helping water to mix with gasoline), it will grow some pretty serious rust inside if given the right circumstances. The level sender assy & filler neck can get covered in a bad case.

 

[boomdriver]

I sure wish I had had these instructions when I did mine. First I did not do item 2. Item 6 is so correct in my case I got sprayed in the face and the fuel poored out of the line like it was being pumped. By the time I got out from under the car and back to the fuel cap the fuel was everywhere. When I removed the cap to relieve the preassure it converted the return line into a syphion hose and I had to disconnect it from the tank to stop the flow of fuel. Alltogether I probably lost 3 or 4 gallons of fuel before I got it stopped in a closed garage with heaters running. All this time I was nearly blind from the gas in my eyes and the pain until I got the gas stopped and could flush my eyes. Greg's information should be posted on evey C4 owners garage wall.;worship

I was about to post the "how to" on the gas spill....
next time, pull the fuel pump plug or fuse and run the engine till it dies from lack of fuel. This uses as much as possible out of the system so the "shower" is greatly reduced.
Your imagination will cause a panic attack when laying there in a pool of gasoline...:ugh Mine sure did.

Also, after remounting the fuel line, and it MUST be secured underhood, go back and LOOK at every inch of it and make damn sure that the steel line is not rubbing on the exhaust collector or downpipe or heat shield....it CAN rub thru the mild steel lines and cause a leak. The consequences can be....severe.
I have a line that had to be brazed because of this,. and it is now secured with HD tie-straps anywhere there is a chance of the line rubbing on something. Other sections have a slit piece of heater hose or vac hose over the steel line to protect it from contacting something else.

 

[John Robinson]

103,000miles



This is what they look like when dirty. I only had from memory about 35 PSI on fuel preassure gauge with this filter in place. The car would go very flat above 60 and it would act like it had fuel starvation. I replaced the in line filter and the fuel pickup filter for the fuel pump and when I did I found that my new fuel pump had a small hole in the case so I got a warrenty replacement. Also I made sure that the surge dampner was tight on the line and not leaking. Last but not least I removed the screen filter in the Preassure regulator per the FSM advice. Now I have 39 psi at idle and with vacuum off the preassure regulator it goes up to 47 PSI and at 2000RPM I have a steady 39 PSI. No more fuel starvation problems now.

 

[joshwilson3]

It's best to pull a certain fuse. And run the engine till it dies from starved fuel. I think the fuse is for the fuel pump, or something else. I forget, and it might be different for different years. This will remove the fuel pressure so you don't get much of a fuel bath.

 

[aklim]

If you don't want a fuel bath, simply park the car and do it in the morning. I sure as hell won't do it when the car is just shut down. Check the schraeder valve and release pressure there.