Fuel filter cut open 160k miles 2003 f150

[North to Alaska]

purchased this 2003 f150 4.2l about a year ago. One of the first things I did was replace the air filter and fuel filter at the same time. I’m the 3rd owner at 160k miles. 1st owner was a construction company which at least took care of transmission fluid changes. 2nd owner purchased at 120k miles and took care of nothing except oil changes. The air filter was filthy.
Truck ran much better after that…even better when I replaced the spark plugs and wires (and eventually the cracked coil pack). I’m sure the plugs were never replaced. Gap was .062 and new ones pre-gap is .044

By the way, the transfer case and differential fluids were disgusting too.

Attached filter porn…

 

[hrv]

I wish that cars still had a inline fuel filter that you can change and not the type that are in the fuel tank...

 

[North to Alaska]

I wish that cars still had a inline fuel filter that you can change and not the type that are in the fuel tank...

Agree
I just replaced the fuel pump in our 2016 Nissan NV passenger van. One of my kids shoved dirt and sand down the fill tube
There is no in-line fuel filter. Just a mesh filter at the pump…which was pretty well clogged.

 

[B1974]

One of my kids shoved dirt and sand down the fill tube

Kids!

I salute anyone doing Automotive work in the snow. It's twice as hard to do.

 

[Kira]

The fuel filter (similar, if not, identical to, the OP's) on my '05 Ranger was 2 months shy of 15 years old.

1) I know I never cut one open before because I surely would've remembered such a difficult job.

2) The fuel I could shake out of it was clear/clean.

3) The media was a deep yellow color (worthless observation as I don't know what it started as) but had a few stretched-out globs of black stuff in a few of the pleats. There was no other crud of any kind that I could see or feel.

I honestly feel the air cleaner was original -w/<48,000 mi.- as it was loaded with sand. That felt good to replace.

 

[Dave Hess]

I wish that cars still had a inline fuel filter that you can change and not the type that are in the fuel tank...

+ 10000000%

Last car we had with replaceable fuel filter was a 1998 Civic.