foxrider56
New member
will changing the fuel filter help a very long start in the cold mornings?
How often do you change your fuel filter?
- Thread starter Benski
- Start date
Killswitch
New member
I'd replace at 100k or 5 years. It's definitely cheap insurance.
Supermoney
New member
Recently did it for the first time at 165k, probably would again at 300k but not before that
Jhelms
New member
I change mine with the timing belt service.
I have had one newer car that did not have a dedicated fuel filter and used a fuel sock only, it was my 05 outback XT.
At 80K miles, it had a rough idle so I took the injectors in to be cleaned by AES. They flow tested them and numbers were all over, especially at lower flows. In short, they were filthy.
Had them cleaned and serviced. After that, zero idle issues.
In short, a good fuel filter is a MUST. However I am with most, a LONG change interval is fine which is why I do them with my timing belts which I have no issue pushing to 150K miles in these LOW rpm engines.
I have had one newer car that did not have a dedicated fuel filter and used a fuel sock only, it was my 05 outback XT.
At 80K miles, it had a rough idle so I took the injectors in to be cleaned by AES. They flow tested them and numbers were all over, especially at lower flows. In short, they were filthy.
Had them cleaned and serviced. After that, zero idle issues.
In short, a good fuel filter is a MUST. However I am with most, a LONG change interval is fine which is why I do them with my timing belts which I have no issue pushing to 150K miles in these LOW rpm engines.
infamousRNR
Senior Member
So with all this said, and different opinions with how often it should be changed... Or in some cases whether or not it should be changed at all....
What should we be careful with.. Working with fuel is carcinogenic so should you avoid getting this on your skin?
When you undo the 2 bolts does a bunch of fuel come spewing out??
To release pressure, just undo the gas cap an hour before attempting the replacement?
My vote is replace it every 100k... That's about every 10 years depending on how much you drive... Also it would be interesting to see what different brands of gas cause clogging etc and therefore would encourage you to change it more often ...
I always use chevron if I can help it... That's just a mental placebo thing I got going on with quality of gas....
What should we be careful with.. Working with fuel is carcinogenic so should you avoid getting this on your skin?
When you undo the 2 bolts does a bunch of fuel come spewing out??
To release pressure, just undo the gas cap an hour before attempting the replacement?
My vote is replace it every 100k... That's about every 10 years depending on how much you drive... Also it would be interesting to see what different brands of gas cause clogging etc and therefore would encourage you to change it more often ...
I always use chevron if I can help it... That's just a mental placebo thing I got going on with quality of gas....
Jason B
Official Vendor
Lol. To change or not to change...
Also, did anyone notice any change after replacing? Better mileage? Anything?
The pressure will slowly bleed off as it sits. The more recently it ran (within probably what, an 8 hour window) will equate to more pressure/more fuel lost.
You can release pressure at the rail or just let it leak out. The gas will evaporate on it's own from there. It's pretty straight forward, 2 fittings. Not really much to mess up REMOVING it.
When installing, make sure you don't have the line cocked at an angle. This can result in the flare not seating properly and a slow leak/moderate leak. You can damage the flare as well depending on how proficient at breaking shit you are
How I do mine/all these type of fittings, master cylinders, ect. You can grasp the fuel filter in your hand and angle it to help guide the line into the proper angle. Use your FINGERS to thread the nut all the way down. Make sure it looks uniform and straight. Use your wrench for final torque only.
Using a wrench where the flare isn't seated properly is your sure way to make this more complicated. Even doing so, my fuel filter leaked 3 times. A drip every 3-5 seconds. I finally had to torque it with a little more authority and it sealed right up.
infamousRNR
Senior Member
[MENTION=132328]99Runnr[/MENTION]
10mm flare torque wrench?
10mm flare torque wrench?
Yes, I was using a flare wrench. The material seemed (from what I remember) fairly soft, so using the wrong tool could leave it stripped pretty easily.
Those rusted ones look scary.
Scramble
New member
Toyota states that this is a lifetime item so I think yearly is overkill.
I replaced mine when I had the engine rebuilt at around 147,000 miles.
It's really a ***** to get to on the 3RZ so I'll probably never change it again.
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Kanoe
New member
But... that location on the side of the motor under the intake means you will not have to deal with the rust issues on the 3rz!! No crud gets in there.
UnderFire
New member
I'd rather deal with the rust and crap than shove my head into the wheel well for a half hour lol.
Rock_Rat
Senior Member
Fuel Filter Dissection Photos as Promised
So...I cut the filter in half just to see what it looks like after 15 years and 320K plus miles. It's pretty dirty but without bringing it to a lab to test the filtration capabilities I would recommend changing it out during some sort of scheduled maintenance.
While nothing "fell" out, there was some miniscule dirt particles as you can see by the specks on the white paper. The actual screen was clean. The dirt on the filter that you see on the initial cut was probably the filter element cleaning my sawzall blade.
Photos are in my build thread Additional Fuel Filter Photos
So...I cut the filter in half just to see what it looks like after 15 years and 320K plus miles. It's pretty dirty but without bringing it to a lab to test the filtration capabilities I would recommend changing it out during some sort of scheduled maintenance.
While nothing "fell" out, there was some miniscule dirt particles as you can see by the specks on the white paper. The actual screen was clean. The dirt on the filter that you see on the initial cut was probably the filter element cleaning my sawzall blade.
Photos are in my build thread Additional Fuel Filter Photos
Rock_Rat
Senior Member
I added one more pic to the fuel filter section. Once the paper element inside the filter was dry I laid it over the white paper and took the handle of my screwdriver and rubbed it onto the paper. That was definitely dirt and not discoloration.
I'm thinking this will be a regular maintenance item from here on out for me.
I'm thinking this will be a regular maintenance item from here on out for me.
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StreetCreeper
New member
Wouldn't having the dirt on the filter just make the filter more efficient by making it harder for future dirt to penetrate the paper? Until of course the flow rate decreased and caused an issue. But until then you should be good. Or is that just the pot making me think this makes sense?
Lol, pot makes everything logical.
I would imagine it only remains efficient for so long with "x" amount of dirt closing blockage. I'm not an engineer, but regardless, how many miles were on that dirty filter?
Makes me wonder how clean the tanks really are. They all claim how good the filtration systems are, and how nothing makes it to your cars. I asked the dude filling the tanks one day while everyone was pumping gas.
StreetCreeper
New member
I used to haul fuel for a living. There was one guy who said he hadn't paid for fuel (aside from when he was out of town) since he started working for the company a few years back. He also said he had to replace a few fuel pumps on his trucks before he figured out he should filter his fuel since it never was filtered through a gas pump.
So I guess the fuel is pretty nasty before the pump but gets filtered nicely afterwards.
Now that I think about it, I wonder how often the filters at the fuel pumps get changed. Do they change it every X amount of gallons or do they wait until the flow rates are effected?
UnderFire
New member
A local cardlock station I used to use had older pumps with visible canister style filters on them, the filters were marked with a scheduled change date, I would imagine most stations would be the same, having a schedule to change the filters.
