are fuel filters changed less now?

[edwardh1]

I had a 1979 VW rabbit, manual said change fuel filter every 15 or 25 k miles. my toyotas have NO change frequency , I drove one 100k miles, gave to son, he drove it another 100k, no filter change, my present toyota is at 105k on original filter. all fuel injected
Is gas cleaner now or was the 15k filter change a german overkill thing?

 

[The_Jeff]

The filters are bigger and I wonder if the pressure drop mattered. With a carbed engine a little pressure drop could lead to vapor lock from it trying to suck through a half clogged filter while something injected with an in tank pump pushing, means it can still get through.

 

[Kira]

eijafino: I like the theory of pressure drop caused by a clogged filter.

Also, could it be that many in-tank gas filters are designed to be washed down by the fuel in the tank?
Sis's Jeep Cherokee had an unserviceable fuel filter in the tank too. Kira

 

[Kruse]

I think modern fuel is cleaner than it used to be. But more cars have a fuel system that does not have a return line, so the volume of fuel going through a fuel filter is less than it used to be and the interval for changing fuel filters can be extended.

 

[jamesyarbrough]

Whether its spec'd to change or not most people forget about it. Its not uncommon to see a car go 100k or more on a factory fuel filter.

 

[supton]

High pressure pump with a regulator. What's a few psi of drop as it slowly loads up?

 

[The_Eric]

It depends on the type of fuel system.

If the system returns excess fuel back to the tank, then the filter is doing LOTS of work and should be replaced every 40-50k. I've seen lots of fuel pumps die trying to push fuel through plugged up filter. So plugged that you can't blow through them.

The returnless systems can go much longer between replacements because the only enough fuel passes through them to feed the engine.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: Kruse
I think modern fuel is cleaner than it used to be. But more cars have a fuel system that does not have a return line, so the volume of fuel going through a fuel filter is less than it used to be and the interval for changing fuel filters can be extended.


The fuel is cleaner than it use to be and the fuel dispenser at the gas station has its own filter.

But situations can arise where a vehicle is not driven for awhile and when its back to running, the filter will pick up lots of crud.

 

[Burt]

Originally Posted By: The_Eric

If the system returns excess fuel back to the tank, then the filter is doing LOTS of work.

The returnless systems can go much longer between replacements because the only enough fuel passes through them to feed the engine.


Do you think that the filter misses that much contamination on the first pass that it then catches on the 2nd, 3rd or 4th time?

Hmmm....

I would think if the filter catches 90%+ on the first time through, cycling again is not going to pick up much more.

 

[Eddie]

I've seen Texaco stations change their gasoline fuel filters which had a 5u listed on the canister. We are getting cleaner fuel today.

 

[NHGUY]

There are filters at the gas pumps,your tank should be clean unless its all rusted up or you use funnels without strainers,no need to keep replacing fuel filters.Cut one apart at 50K,it should be spotless.

 

[Kira]

I think modern plastic fuel tanks eliminate the chance of rust particle formation.

At 100K I opened a plastic gas filter from a Toyota and it was full of water. Coleman fuel funnels have a filter which block water. I assume fuel filters have some of that capability.

Brisk, possibly repeated, circulation through a large filter you can change might not be a bad thing. Kira

 

[Chris Meutsch]

I've never changed one in my 19 years of driving. Mk Civic had 227k on its filter. My CR-V is at 186k. No issues. Fuel is very clean these days straight from the pump.

 

[rslifkin]

The one in my Jeep is original and will remain original until I have a reason to drop the gas tank. It's a sock on the pump intake, so it's not easy to service (and there's no in-line filter after the pump).

 

[dparm]

A lot of guys knee-jerk and say you should replace it if your car is stumbling or feels sluggish. I don't understand why. I've never seen a fuel filter look clogged or dirty.

I changed my old Audi's fuel filter at 50k and it literally looked brand new.

 

[Quest]

3 things at play here:

(1) fuel delivery chain filtering: from refinery to delivery truck and all the way into the underground tanks in your gas station to the pump fuel filter. This has to be as clean as possible.

(2) older return-based automotive fuel delivery design: up and until the late 90s, most EFI automobiles run on return-based systems where excess fuel pressure from the pump goes back into the fuel tank; the recirculation rate and such would require frequent, if not scheduled fuel filter change to rid of debris.

(3) most newer EFI designs run on returnless fuel delivery systems....fuel in the fuel delivery line does not flow back into the fuel tank, thus the less need for fuel filter replacement (less circulation of muck in the tank as a result).

For (3): most automobile manufacturers now on returnless fuel systems no longer specify fuel filter replacement intervals.

Q.

 

[KB2008X]

In general fuel is cleaner these days, but contamination does still occur and there are several points in the distribution system that it can occur before the fuel goes in your vehicle.

Automotive fuel filters are not perfect, and not created equal, and your fuel system has several components that can be expensive to repair.

Just follow the recommendation in the owner's manual for your specific vehicle and use high quality fuel filters. It's that simple.

 

[bdcardinal]

My new Mustang has no fuel filter, so it gets changed whenever the pump goes out, which is hopefully never.

What is interesting is as the gasoline fuel filters are being essentially eliminated, diesel fuel filters are increasing in importance with the newer fuel systems.

 

[InvalidUserID]

I've always stuck to the recommended service interval on my vehicles and those close enough to me. If it's simple enough to get to, most are on the cars, it's every 2-3 years.

Though I admit my girlfriend's mother's car, a 2002 Accord SE, is the most neglected car and just had its fuel filter changed at 90k and didn't suffer because of it. That's pure negligence though and not "lets see how long it'll go".

 

[supton]

I think diesel filters have always been critical to diesel engines; they never really tolerated garbage in the fuel. The injectors etc are much more pricey today, but in my (probably unfounded) opinion what would be scary is low lubricity fuel. That was a concern when I bought my diesel 10 years ago, and I'm not sure our fuel has gotten any better since then.

Speaking of which, I've been letting my D2 filter go for 40-50k now, inspite of the 20k manufacturer rating. Came across too many stories of people letting it go for 100k and having no issues (like, they get told about it, and decide they should now replace it, not that its failed).