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My E90 is at 120000. I has never had a fuel filter change. Should this now be done and any other related repairs good to do when doing this?
E90 fuel filter change - how often/ also do at same time
- Thread starter mckenzie333
- Start date
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
I am assuming gasoline E90? Fuel filter in E90 gas versions is pat of fuel pump system, particularly fuel regulator. Fuel regulator will eventually fail. The filter is considered lifetime, but the regulator plastic cracks, and if you start smelling gas, or have a bit hesitant crank in the morning, but normal cranks during the day, it is the regulator. Regulator is $130-140 but it is bit PITA to change. If you want to change fuel filter as preventive maintenance, change whole regulator assembly.
Most cars don't have a separate fuel filter anymore. It's part of the fuel pump now. It doesn't need to be replaced on any regular schedule, unless it's a common failure point in the E90.
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Very helpful - thanks
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Hi Edyvw- thanks for your input as always. I guess fuel filters aren’t a regular maintenance item anymore. The E90 starts well so I think I’ll watch out for a change in start up timing to revisit the regulator. By the way the Motul 5w40 excess is going great for the e46
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
Yeah, BMW classifies that on gas engines as lifetime. I mean $120-130 for VDO regulator is not much, but it is 2-3hrs job. If you smell gas on left(driver) side, in the back, it is cracked regulator. If on right, it is cracked fuel pump (maybe). Sometimes it is just a gasket. I had a smell, replaced the gasket, and the problem was solved. $6.Hi Edyvw- thanks for your input as always. I guess fuel filters aren’t a regular maintenance item anymore. The E90 starts well so I think I’ll watch out for a change in start up timing to revisit the regulator. By the way the Motul 5w40 excess is going great for the e46
If you have a starting issue like that, first rule out a ground problem. There is a ground wire around the starter/left engine mount. That wire can go bad, especially in salt areas. It turn green or has physical damage. Before buying a regulator, just connect the negative jump cable to the ground connection by the coolant reservoir and the other negative side to any engine part, like OFH, etc. If the car starts well, it is your ground, not the regulator.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
Yeah, it is not common, but they will eventually go bad.
ah, the famous octopus part.
as said its considered lifetime. of course its isnt.when it will go bad you dont know.it also depends on the quality of gas you put in your deposit.
i have a story.i mean if it is 100 octane like this
then i guess you will go sooner for replace.yes this is the quality of gas in balkans europe.its from an owner i know.he lives in austria ,good gas there.
but when he arrived in balkans for some months ,this is the result.and this with the use of 100 octane,imagine the 95 octane
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
Octane rating doesn’t have anything to do with quality of gas.ah, the famous octopus part.
as said its considered lifetime. of course its isnt.when it will go bad you dont know.it also depends on the quality of gas you put in your deposit.
i have a story.i mean if it is 100 octane like this
View attachment 289399
then i guess you will go sooner for replace.yes this is the quality of gas in balkans europe.its from an owner i know.he lives in austria ,good gas there.
but when he arrived in balkans for some months ,this is the result.and this with the use of 100 octane,imagine the 95 octane
Not that I think octane has anything to do with it but:ah, the famous octopus part.
as said its considered lifetime. of course its isnt.when it will go bad you dont know.it also depends on the quality of gas you put in your deposit.
i have a story.i mean if it is 100 octane like this
then i guess you will go sooner for replace.yes this is the quality of gas in balkans europe.its from an owner i know.he lives in austria ,good gas there.
but when he arrived in balkans for some months ,this is the result.and this with the use of 100 octane,imagine the 95 octane
Isn't gas octane measured with RON there vs AKI?
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
Yes, Euro 100 is US 98
95 is US 93.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
Maybe. Did not really look into it.
Here is the BMW CCA tech guru stance:
In reality, the service life of a fuel filter depends entirely on the cleanliness of the fuel it filters. It’s possible for a fuel filter to last indefinitely if it always filters clean gasoline. It’s also possible for a fuel filter to last a block and a half if you fill up with sufficiently dirty gasoline. Usually gasoline cleanliness is in between those two extremes. There’s no way to really tell how much dirt is trapped in a fuel filter without cutting it open or backblowing the fuel into a receptacle. This is why the fuel filter is best replaced as a routine maintenance item.
Fuel filters from the mid-2000s on are now in the fuel tank, a one-piece assembly with the pressure regulator and hoses, and the cost a great deal more than the old style fuel pumps; three-figure prices are common. This is where we’ve come from the $1 inline filter for the old 2002! Is it worth the savings to wait for a breakdown in order to replace the fuel filter? That is up to you.
In reality, the service life of a fuel filter depends entirely on the cleanliness of the fuel it filters. It’s possible for a fuel filter to last indefinitely if it always filters clean gasoline. It’s also possible for a fuel filter to last a block and a half if you fill up with sufficiently dirty gasoline. Usually gasoline cleanliness is in between those two extremes. There’s no way to really tell how much dirt is trapped in a fuel filter without cutting it open or backblowing the fuel into a receptacle. This is why the fuel filter is best replaced as a routine maintenance item.
Fuel filters from the mid-2000s on are now in the fuel tank, a one-piece assembly with the pressure regulator and hoses, and the cost a great deal more than the old style fuel pumps; three-figure prices are common. This is where we’ve come from the $1 inline filter for the old 2002! Is it worth the savings to wait for a breakdown in order to replace the fuel filter? That is up to you.
I would change the fuel filter on my 2002 E39 every 60k miles. Could not believe the crud in the pleats when I cut it open after use. I was running 93 octane, top tier gas too.
ah, the famous octopus part.
as said its considered lifetime. of course its isnt.when it will go bad you dont know.it also depends on the quality of gas you put in your deposit.
yes this is the quality of gas in balkans europe.its from an owner i know.he lives in austria ,good gas there.
but when he arrived in balkans for some months ,this is the result.and this with the use of 100 octane,imagine the 95 octane
guys thats what i said already , didnt you read it carefully? the 100 octane example was sarcastic so that to prove that quality of gas matters and that in balkans they cheat,they put cheap gas for 100 octane which is supposed to be the best quality at least in the rest of europe.I thought it was closer to
correct,in our label on deposit it says 100=98 or 97 i dont remember i will check, and 95=91
98 was not in production in europe when the model of the car was produced
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
They don't put cheap gas. They buy good gas, then the driver and the station manager mix it with water.
relax ,we say the same thing..am i missing sthing? these 2 i was refering too.my sentence is right,didnt say what they buy or who they buy from but what they sell..
who else could put gas to your car?
its not just water
its mix of 95 with 100 octane in almost 80% 95 but sold with the price of 100 which is pricer.
or they mix it with more percentage of sulfur ,normal is 10mg/kg ,they mix it with more mg/kg
or they mix it with methanol
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