Fuel filters, time vs. mileage.

[ziggy]

I have a 95 neon, has an external fuel filter. Their are many aftermarket ones, as well as dealer. Car bools say to epalce at 30,000 miles, or 2 years whichever comes first. This sounds like an oil filter...use it to 7,500 miles, or change at 3 months.. Suppose i do 30,000 miles in 5 to 7 years, and the same fuel filter?
What's everyone's thougts?

 

[novaracer69]

it should be part of your 30-40k service i think. maybe that is just the tech in me. but it depends on the car/age/condition/fuel tank(metal or plastic)and location.

 

[MrCritical]

There are some really low quality fuels out there now, and that's a pretty cheap filter. Change it at 30k, or 2 years, whichever comes first.

 

[parimento1]

yea I changed mine after 130k miles and 11 years in my car...wow what a difference, it no longer runs out of gas when the car is near redline it just keeps pulling. Must have been pretty clogged especially with the [censored] fuel that I buy.

 

[wiswind]

I suspect that a restricted fuel filter places a extra load on the fuel pump in most applications.
A few extra filter changes is a lot cheaper and easier than a in-tank fuel pump replacement.

 

[Tosh]

Originally Posted By: wiswind
I suspect that a restricted fuel filter places a extra load on the fuel pump in most applications.
A few extra filter changes is a lot cheaper and easier than a in-tank fuel pump replacement.

How do you decide when your fuel filter is in the tank?

 

[94 saturn sl1 2000 saturn sc2]

i have 171000 on my fuel filter.. yeah i know.... but no issues so far and the dealer wants 150 bucks to replace it. lol

 

[MrCritical]

Post the make/yr/model of your vehicle, and I'll bet someone here knows.

 

[wiswind]

No, my fuel filter is not in the tank (except for the "sock" filter on the pickup).
My fuel pump is in the tank.....and the fuel filter is in the supply line.....under the vehicle.

What I was trying to say.....on a system like I have.....fuel pump supplies fuel to the fuel rail on the motor.....a fuel pressure regulator maintains a fuel pressure....opening up to send fuel back to the tank in another line.
So the load on the fuel pump should be about the load of the fuel pressure that the fuel pressure regulator is requesting.
This s a "2 line" fuel system.

HOWEVER, add in a dirty fuel filter that is restricting the fuel flow.....and there will be additional pressure between the fuel pump and the fuel filter.....that engine does not get (pressure).
THIS is what places the additional work load on the fuel pump....

 

[andyd]

I dunno if I would change an external filter at 30k. I got 100k out of an aftermkt filter. There was no degradation in performance , but the filter was full of black crud when I blew back on it. I changed a filter on my new car that only had 117k on the odometer when I bought it. I changed the filter which was 10 yrs old and prolly put in at 60k miles. It was a tad restricted. So I would say that if you buy clean fuel, you can stretch the interval. And the manufacturer's spec is a worst case scenario.

 

[MrCritical]

Wow. I've seen them so clogged at 45k, they burned the fuel pump up. You couldn't blow through them. You must have some excellent quality fuel.

 

[andyd]

Up Nawth all the gas stations have fiber glass tanks set in concrete containment basins that prevent groundwater contamination. No water in the gas, no gas in the water. No steel to rust. I try to buy gas from high volume locations, I pass 'em by if there is a tanker unloading

 

[NYEngineer]

I change my fuel filter annually. I figure the size of the filter, how many miles I put on the truck annually and how much gas goes through it. When I take it out and blow through it, it is a little restricted.

 

[Thermo1223]

Originally Posted By: andyd
Up Nawth all the gas stations have fiber glass tanks set in concrete containment basins that prevent groundwater contamination. No water in the gas, no gas in the water. No steel to rust. I try to buy gas from high volume locations, I pass 'em by if there is a tanker unloading


Why? Why do people still think there is sediment in the tank that will rush right in and clog your engine solid.

There is a stainer on the pickup for the actual gasoline pump then a screw on type filter before the actual pump. Not to mention yet again, your gas tank's filter sock and your own fuel filter.

So why do people think gasoline tankers stir anything up is beyond me.

 

[NYEngineer]

Haha!! My mom thinks that.

 

[andyd]

Hey, all I know is that I got 100k miles and 8 yrs out of a 15$ gas filter. I'm not so much worried about sediment as I am water. Yrs ago, that was an issue. Prolly less of an issue today, but old habits die hard.

 

[Thermo1223]

Originally Posted By: andyd
Hey, all I know is that I got 100k miles and 8 yrs out of a 15$ gas filter. I'm not so much worried about sediment as I am water. Yrs ago, that was an issue. Prolly less of an issue today, but old habits die hard.


Nah water still is an issue because some stations ignore their tank alarms, with the new big chain Super Gas Stations like Wawa & Sheetz at least you know there is one company behind it all. Especially Sheetz since they transport their own fuel.

 

[Shovel Head Ted]

I change ours, car and truck once a year. About 14-17,000 miles.