are fuel filters changed less now?

[Quest]

biggest problem with Diesel (IMO) is wax and water, debris is a lesser problem.

Fuel filter design for diesel must be able to handle these 3 issues (capture, separate, etc.) so at the end: they have to be change out.

Gasoline fuel is mainly water and debris (not so much of water these days due to E10 usage), so getting rid of debris is the primary function for gasoline type fuel filter.

Q.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: 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.


Ask for a used one so you can cut it apart.

 

[KB2008X]

Originally Posted By: 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.


Your Audi's fuel filter may have looked clean, but that doesn't mean that it should not be serviced. That means you were lucky and either didn't have much crud in the tank, or the pump hasn't picked it up yet. You did the right thing changing it, if the manual recommended a 50,000 interval.

Over the years I have personally seen fuel filters clogged to the point that the vehicle ran poorly. I have seen vehicles towed in with a bad fuel pump and a clogged filter. Clogged filters are a real problem, not just old some old wives tale. If there was no need for fuel filters you can be sure the manufacturers would not put them on and would pocket the savings.

Now with that said, contaminated fuel is not the problem that it was years ago and clogged filters are not as much of a problem, but it does still happen.

If a vehicle has a drivability problem and the filter hasn't been changed on schedule, or not at all, it makes sense to replace it, as maintenance, and as a diagnostic step. How long do you think a mechanic would last in a repair shop if he spent hours searching for a stumbling issue and the fix was just a filter replacement ? I've seen that happen.

The advice to start with a new fuel filter when diagnosing a drivability issue is still good in many situations, especially when the filter is about $20 or less.

Think about this, a pump will continue pumping even if a restriction is placed upon it, like a clogged filter. But that pump is now pumping just a little harder. Harder than it was designed for. How many miles will it take for that pump to fail prematurely ? That is correct...who the heck knows. So why introduce a variable like that when there is no need to ? Follow the recommended filter change interval.

It's not like there is one fuel pump used in all cars and that pump has been improved to the point of invincibility. On the road right now there are hundreds of different pumps and they all have a point at which they will fail. Which pump do you have ? One that will last forever, or one that will fail at the first sign of restriction ahead ?
Who knows ?

 

[mclasser]

None of the fuel filters on my cars are considered "serviceable" because they lie in the fuel pump. Don't know if that's a good thing because you'd expect filters to be replaced at some point. I know a lot of Nissan guys treat it as a maintenance item every 30K miles.

 

[PandaBear]

Originally Posted By: 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.


I changed one of my car's fuel filter at 220K just because. It didn't make any difference at all other than making me feel good about it. It was a 95 Corolla with inline filter too!

I'd imagine you don't have to ever replace those in the tank sock like fuel filter at all nowadays.

 

[Quest]

Most in-tank sock filters type (nonreturn fuel systems type) does not require replacement, conservative estimate would be around 160~200k duration.

I've done 2 in-tank sock replacements so far (one on a 01 sentra, the other one on my SIL's 00 corolla), both had over 220k on the odo....when pulled, the socks still looked ok w/o any debris clogging (just some lint-type of fuzz trapped on the pores). I've also checked/verified the fuel rail pressures on these 2 vehicles to be norm.

Mind you though: these 2 automobiles owners are the avg joe type: fuel the gas, gas pedal(accelerate) brake (stop), and that's it. They would fill up with any kind of gas imaginable (unimaginable) to you BITOGers.

Anyways, I came to the conclusion that these sock-type fuel filters do not need frequent replacement...and that's what I've been not doing since....

Q.

 

[Nayov]

The rec for my Sentra is 30K miles ('93). I do change it at that interval, and when I blow through it backwards, just for the sake of curiosity to see what's in it, out pukes a ton of black, nasty whatever, so they definitely serve a purpose.

 

[artificialist]

I have dealt with a few cars that did need new fuel filters, however, this is rare. Usually the car sat for a long time, then the gasoline decayed. It got worse with E10 gasoline.

Replacing the filter when replacing a fuel pump is a must. The old filter will likely be full of pieces of the old pump.

I have dealt with newer returnless fuel systems where only the sock on the fuel filter does any filtration.

I have been told there is one very good reason for replacing gasoline fuel filters on time. I have been told that increased filter restriction makes the in-tank fuel pump work harder, and that is one expensive part to have fail.

 

[Robenstein]

Some cars as mentioned just have the sock/screen in the tank. My Scion has no replaceable filter inline and my sisters Neon did not have one either.

 

[turtlevette]

The ethanol keeps the fuel nice and clean so the sludge doesn't build up like in the old days.

How many have had a filter clog or have heard of one clogging. I googled it and can not find any complaints.

I don't think I'm going to bother on my suburban. Looks like a pain of a job.

 

[hattaresguy]

If the fuel is well filtered you should never have to change your fuel filters.

My truck doesn't have one, and on my boat I only change them once a year out of habit, they are always perfect.


It all depends on what you put in your tank, you want to use fuel from decent looking high volume stations.

 

[The_Eric]

Sounds like there are a lot who are convinced that filters never need changing. Believe me when I say that they can and do plug up- to the point where pumps have died trying to push fuel through to supply the engine. I've seen it before, many times... I've seen them so plugged up that the engine has lost power, or you couldn't blow through them (yes, with your mouth).

Generally speaking, I'm not one for "cheap insurance", but this is a case where "An once of prevention is worth a pound of cure"...

 

[Kruse]

Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
If the fuel is well filtered you should never have to change your fuel filters.


The last car that I bought was a Mustang for my daughter going to college. It had the factory fuel filter on it, a simple external filter that is held in place with a clamp and has two disconnects. Before I was able to change the filter (which I think should be changed at least every couple of years, BTW), it started to leak. This filter has rusted from the inside out, got a hole in the shell and was shooting out fuel. Not a very pleasant thing to think about, especially with a pressurized system and sitting relatively close to the exhaust.
As for systems that don't have a replaceable fuel filter, I had kept wondering why none of the part stores had a fuel filter for my '99 Suzuki Swift, until one of them told me that it was in the tank and was non-replaceable.

 

[wiswind]

OK.....if my vehicle had a replaceable fuel filter, I would change it....say every couple years.
However, my current vehicle has none.....it has a nice filter in the fuel tank as part of the fuel pump assembly.
I can buy the filter separately, however, I'm not going to drop the fuel tank to change my fuel filter unless some problem with it requires it.

As others have mentioned.....if the fuel pump needs to be serviced (replaced), I would certainly get the unit that includes a new filter.

 

[CBR.worm]

In past vehicles I have changed nasty fuel filters. The last ones were on my tundra I had to special order them,Toyota claimed lifetime. All kinds of [censored] came out, but the truck ran the same.

 

[artificialist]

I just remembered another reason I sometimes change fuel filters. Sometimes road salt can weaken a fuel filter, and that is a disaster waiting to happen. This depends on where the car was driven and where the filter is located. I only had to do this a few times.