fuel filter

[digitaldrifter91]

i am going to replace my fuel filter for my 91 honda accord, it never been replaced. i just want to do it cause hehe basically it hasnt been done. i went to honda and they are charging me 22 dollars for one and fram at kregan wants 11 dollars for one.

which one is better, or are they both the same? i cant see inside i really want to see what kind of media is inside...so what should i do?

 

[nhkid]

If your honda has gone 12 years on a Honda fuel filter, I would definately put in another Honda fuel filter.

 

[digitaldrifter91]

do u think there is a differnce?

 

[digitaldrifter91]

probably ill start changing it out every 3 years or so. my gas milage is down to 270 tank city, and 310 highway....some people i know get 330 city and even more on teh highway...my car is tuned and everything is new...

im just wondering if there is a differnce between honda and fram...

 

[nhkid]

I am not sure of the difference, I was thinking more on the lines that you went along time with stock filter and didnt have any problems. My Silverado calls for a fuel filter change every 30K miles.

I have not really heard of any really stand out fuel filters so I would stick with the stock one.

Also a fuel filter is alot cheaper than a fuel pump. Keep up on the maintainence and you will save money in the long run.

[ March 11, 2003, 06:07 PM: Message edited by: nhkid ]

 

[joee12]

Drifter, I have always changed fuel filters at 60,000 miles in all of my vehicles, and have never had a clog or failure. I have had good luck with Purolater fuel filters. -Joe

 

[digitaldrifter91]

thanks for the replies guys. well my car calls for 30k changes for that fuel filter, its a canister quite odd. i am having doubts that i will loose some thing if i run a fram filter. as someone pointed out earlier, i have never had a problem with the oem one and it lasted this long. ill go to honda and buy their filter tomrrow. ill probably cut open my old one in a week when i know the car is running ok...i want to see if there is actually stuff in there, or nothing at all

 

[Bror Jace]

For cheaper OEM parts, try manhonda.com. Good prices, great service, etc ...

Generally, I've been very disappointed in the quality of aftermarket parts (little crap like PCV valves, certain filters, etc ...) for Hondas. Often they are not very good and they are not cheaper at all.

The OEM Honda fuel filter is REALLY well made and can last 50,000 or more miles. The one on my Civic feels far too substantial to be merely a throw-away unit even though that's exactly what it is. Anyway, I wouldn't use anything other than an OEM unit on a Honda.

--- Bror Jace

 

[digitaldrifter91]

thanks for the tip.. i do agree with you that some aftermarket stuff is pretty suckie. a pcv valve is way bigger than hondas...for important things like fuel filters, belts, pcv and stuff i use oem, but things like filters i just use anything else =)

 

[cryptokid]

buy a 0-100 psi guage for $10 and see if you need to replace it or not. assuming you use high psi fi and not some carb conversion or somthing.

 

[outrun]

Thats ludicrous,

12 year old car with the presumably OEM factory assembly line EFI filter? How are your injectors?

The car maybe running yes, that reaks of neglect. Call me an ultra conservative but i habitually change my EFI line filter every 2years.

Going back to the weight scale reference:

Take the used filter from your car and make sure it is dry/drained. Then compare it if possible to the new unused fliter weight.

I would be interested to know (assuming it is one of those large canister filters) about the total weight skank/crud/grit caught by the filter.

Of course after 12 years perhaps thier could be a backlog of grit contiously moving to and from fuel tank in perpetual backwash caused by the restriction?

My 2cents worth for the day.

Reminds me, my EFI filter was changed in the Summer of 2001...time for a new one and a PCV

Installing new Auto Parts is a turn on for me. If thats not a sign I am a motor head what is *lol*

 

[digitaldrifter91]

thanks for the replies. where do i get a psi tester? well my car is ok, injectors are fine. i dont get run downs and relitivly good gas milage. i use gas treatments though =) but it is time for a change which you pointed out. i am interested in what it caught as well. i just dont have the money right now to buy a honda one =)...my money went to frank, hehe for the auto rx and everything that is needed for it.

 

[cryptokid]

just about any auto parts store sells fuel pressure guages.

you could use any guage in theory, so long as it has the right adapters.

i dont believe in changing a fuel filter just because its been there x ammount of years. i think it should be changed when fuel pressure drops below factory spec.

 

[digitaldrifter91]

what is the variance of pressure drop compared to gas milage? like for example how much is a 1 psi drop going to have on my gas milage? how will i find out how much pressure my fuel system actually has compared to now?

 

[S2000driver]

I agree, the only way to tell if your fuel filter needs replacing is a psi check. Who knows when you get dirty fuel, and how often?

The proper psi measurement procedure is usually found in the shop manual.

However, By the time I buy the equipment and go through the hassle of checking the psi and replacing the crush washers, I might as well have installed a new filter.

I personally feel that replacing the fuel filter every 90,000 miles on my Hondas is more than adequate. Honda fuel filters are pretty big, and I always go for quality fuel.

quote:

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Originally posted by cryptokid:

i dont believe in changing a fuel filter just because its been there x ammount of years. i think it should be changed when fuel pressure drops below factory spec.

---

 

[S2000driver]

Your fuel pump runs at a constant speed an produces "excessive" psi all the time, and the fuel pressure regulator decreases the psi to what the injectors need by diverting some of the fuel back to the tank. As the pressure drop across the filter increases, the pressure regulator sends less back to the tank, maintaining the pressure regardless of the drop over the filter. So for most of the life of the filter, there is no relationship between gas mileage and filter restriction.

However, when the fuel filter is providing a significant pressure drop, then your injectors probably won't get enough pressure at high fuel demand. (The computer doesn't know the fuel pressure, it expects it to be a certain amount, and times the duration of fuel injector opening to provide the fuel required.) Depending on circumstances, this would result in poor high RPM performance and/or a check engine light.

If your car is stock, there is probably very little chance your fuel filter will become clogged enough to cause problems. However, if you modify your car for more HP and expect more flow from your stock injection system, you will want to change the fuel filter more often.

quote:

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Originally posted by digitaldrifter91:
what is the variance of pressure drop compared to gas milage? like for example how much is a 1 psi drop going to have on my gas milage? how will i find out how much pressure my fuel system actually has compared to now?

---

 

[digitaldrifter91]

ahh thanks for clearing it up. well i do loose power in the highest rpm range, really when i get to near red line the car starts revving hard but then the spedometer barley moves, yet when i get under that rpm (5.5k) then its fine...so i guess ill change the filter any ways. maybe i may see a differnce in high rpms...thanks for ur input s2000driver and everyone else!

 

[cryptokid]

thats probably just the way your engine is set up.
search the internet for a torque chart on your engine.

 

[S2000driver]

There is a lot of things that could cause poor high RPM performance. For the fuel injection system, it could be fuel delivery, MAP sensor, Atmospheric pressure sensor, etc. It could also be a clogged cat, a bad hose on the dual-charge intake valve (my 88 has this feature, maybe your 91 does too) and so on. But the fuel filter is the first thing I would replace if you are trying to solve the problem without a professional mechanic or special tools.

 

[eldawg4100]

filters for my car are like 5 dollars. i guess ill change the fuel filter every 20k just to be sure!