OEM VW 1JO 201 511 A Fuel Filter - cut open

[RooflessVW]

Cut it with a high-speed, so ignore the glitter. I've never opened a fuel filter before.

The entire media had a layer of fine black silt/mud. Definitely past time to change it at 146k miles.

 

[Jimzz]

That's actually not that bad for over 140k. When I first started working on cars you usually had to change them every 30k or so. But now gas pumps have filters built into them so very little gets into a tank. Hence why most cars do not have fuel filters any more.

 

[UltrafanUK]

Yep it looks good for a filter with so many miles. Most filters on petrol jobs should be changed every time the cam belt service is done (Around 60 to 100K miles), BUT as you say some smaller petrol cars do not have a seperate fuel filter, they just rely on a screen filter in the tank pump or pick up screen. They can be a pain to change in comparison to a seperate filter unit.

Be careful using a cutter to open up a petrol filter can as it can result in sparks!

 

[RooflessVW]

Originally Posted By: UltrafanUK
Yep it looks good for a filter with so many miles. Most filters on petrol jobs should be changed every time the cam belt service is done (Around 60 to 100K miles), BUT as you say some smaller petrol cars do not have a seperate fuel filter, they just rely on a screen filter in the tank pump or pick up screen. They can be a pain to change in comparison to a seperate filter unit.

Be careful using a cutter to open up a petrol filter can as it can result in sparks!


Danger is my... middle name.

There wasn't anything exciting inside, just years of filth. No rust or crud; it's a well-cared for car.

 

[UltrafanUK]

Famous last words ??

 

[RooflessVW]

Originally Posted By: UltrafanUK
Famous last words ??


Not really.

Not much to worry about when the aluminum filter was blown out and sat for a week before cutting into. And I was wearing gloves and a face shield...

It's not like the thing was made out of angle iron and filled with a half-gallon of fuel, either.

UK really is a nanny state, isn't it? Thanks for worrying about my safety.