How often do you change your fuel filter?

Benski

Benski

Member
I'm just curious what intervals you change your fuel filters. I have changed mine once before at 150k and now have ordered a replacement at 218k. It looked rusty when I was under the body changing my differential and manual transmission fluids.
 
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My truck still has the original fuel filter. It's 19 years old and has 384,000 miles in it. It seems to work just fine.

I'm not recommending anyone wait that long, but I'm not going to replace it until it either gives me problems, or I finish replacing and repairing all the other little things that the PO neglected.

Good to know that the fuel filter probably will outlast most trucks though.
 
They sure are easy to replace on our trucks, and at $30, I'm not sure why Toyota makes them relatively inexpensive and easy to do???

I mean if Toyota wanted them to be a non-serviceable item, why did they make them serviceable by just about anyone, even an orangutan?

Every dealer I've been to stocks them.

I change mine at 60,000 mi. Cheap insurance.
 
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I'm on my 3rd at 220,000 miles

The first one was clogged so bad not even my Saturday night hooker could blow through it.
 
Bump N Run said:
Not disagreeing with you but when I search site:toyota-4Runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/ fuel filter I see a lot of people having problems changing them for some reason. Mine was easy.
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Totally agree. I'm not sure why people have so much trouble. With the right tools, it takes 5-10 minutes.
 
Most new cars don't even have fuel filters in the US now. If the truck has the original one on it that's more than 15 years old, I'd probably change it, but after that you'll never need another one. Fuel is filtered at the pumps.
 
I changed the one on my 3.4 4runner just because. I don't think I really needed to but it was not difficult or expensive. I don't think I will ever change the one on my 2.7 tacoma (189,000 miles) unless I am having issues. It took me 10 minutes just to be able to see it! They really did not design it to be replaced.
 
I changed the original one when I bought my runner at 213k before I did plugs and wires and the rest of the tune it. It made the truck run better and start easier. Then a tune up did the rest but I was surprised at how well it ran after just the fuel filter change. Probably will change it again in 5yrs
 
I changed my original filter at 100k. Well, I looked at it at 100k. Then I brought it and a 12 pack of beer to the guys at Jiffy Lube and they handled it in about 5 minutes. They were going to do it for free since they only charge for the part and not the labor when they do fuel filters (That's what they said, at least. They were stoked when presented the beer.).

That Jiffy Lube was weird. They were all very nice, honest people. I stopped taking my wife's car there when the oil change guy told me to never come back, as it was the manager's last day.
 
StreetCreeper said:
My truck still has the original fuel filter. It's 19 years old and has 384,000 miles in it. It seems to work just fine.

I'm not recommending anyone wait that long, but I'm not going to replace it until it either gives me problems, or I finish replacing and repairing all the other little things that the PO neglected.

Good to know that the fuel filter probably will outlast most trucks though.
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With that kind of mileage I would change it... I changed mine around 170k and cut it open and there was some pretty nasty stuff in it. It's cheap and easy and a good number of members report having a little more getup and go or better gas mileage after changing theirs.
 
Unner said:
With that kind of mileage I would change it... I changed mine around 170k and cut it open and there was some pretty nasty stuff in it. It's cheap and easy and a good number of members report having a little more getup and go or better gas mileage after changing theirs.
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Oh I'll change it at some point, but mostly because I'm now curious what it would look like if I cut it open. When I do so, I'll document and report it here with plenty of pics. People can judge for themselves if it actually needed it after nearly 400,000 miles.
 
Bump N Run said:
Not disagreeing with you but when I search site:toyota-4Runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/ fuel filter I see a lot of people having problems changing them for some reason. Mine was easy.
Click to expand...

Mine was a snap as well at 184k, but it's led a pretty quiet life. Off and on without hassle or leaks.

Anyone up north in the salt zone would have some trouble if they took off the filter guard. Nasty road conditions up there for anything under the chassis...
 
This thread has some great insight. I was just wondering at what mileage I should change the filter. Thanks to this thread, I now know. Thanks!
 
Bstrom said:
Mine was a snap as well at 184k, but it's led a pretty quiet life. Off and on without hassle or leaks.

Anyone up north in the salt zone would have some trouble if they took off the filter guard. Nasty road conditions up there for anything under the chassis...
Click to expand...

It's easy unless yours looks like this (not mine):



That's when a 10 min job turns into a 2 hour job. Or worse, having to buy new fuel lines.
 
Like [MENTION=115590]StreetCreeper[/MENTION] I had mine on since the day I owned it. I just now changed it along with my MAF and O2 sensors for no other reason than just because it's cheap and easy to change. I probably won't touch it again for another 150 or 200K miles. (I needed to change my AF/O2 sensor out because I was getting an intermittent 0420 code over the summer. Cleared it up)

I've still got my old filter on the bench. Easy job without any rust to contend with. I'll be cutting it in half and will report back this week some time if StreetCreeper doesn't get to change his out soon.
 
Rock_Rat said:
Like [MENTION=115590]StreetCreeper[/MENTION] I had mine on since the day I owned it. I just now changed it along with my MAF and O2 sensors for no other reason than just because it's cheap and easy to change. I probably won't touch it again for another 150 or 200K miles. (I needed to change my AF/O2 sensor out because I was getting an intermittent 0420 code over the summer. Cleared it up)

I've still got my old filter on the bench. Easy job without any rust to contend with. I'll be cutting it in half and will report back this week some time if StreetCreeper doesn't get to change his out soon.
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Go for it! I've got other stuff I need to finish before messing with the fuel filter so it will be a while before I get to it.

I'll be interested to see how yours looks.
 
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