How To Change Fuel Filter

Here's Everything You Need to Know Near Replacing Your Fuel Filter.

Your engine requires a constant supply of expert clean fuel to keep running at optimum power and efficiency. Your fuel filter is a critical component of your fuel system that helps make this happen. Information technology doesn't last forever, though, and needs to be replaced occasionally. Here's what you need to know about it.

What Is the Fuel Filter?

Your fuel filter's function is basically the same as other filters in your car, similar for air, oil, and inside your manual. Fuel can sometimes get contaminated with particles or random gunk. This could happen because of rust inside your fuel tank, though most tanks are plastic these days to prevent that. Information technology could also come from the gas station if their tanks and filtering systems aren't upward to snuff.

Every car has a fuel filter somewhere between the fuel tank and the engine to capture these stray particles and keep them from getting into your engine.

When to Replace the Fuel Filter

Any particles the fuel filter captures sit there and don't go anywhere. Over time, if it captures besides many particles they may outset blocking the flow of fuel to your engine. In addition to causing non plenty fuel to reach your engine, information technology besides makes your fuel pump work harder to push button it there, which tin cause premature failure. Replacing the filter from time to time prevents too much crud from building up within and restricting fuel menstruation.

The manufacturer's recommended maintenance schedule will tell you how frequently to replace the fuel filter in your particular car. By and large speaking, you usually perform this service every 30,000 miles or so. If the manufacturer recommends a particularly long service interval, similar 100,000 miles, consider replacing your fuel filter more than frequently. It does no harm to take a clean filter, and information technology could actually extend the life of other components.

What Are Common Symptoms Indicating You lot Need to Supplant the Fuel Filter?

The engine cranks, but won't start
Rough idle
Reduced power
Engine turns off while driving or idling

Can I Supervene upon the Fuel Filter Myself?

That depends entirely on where it's located in your car, how easy (or not) it is to admission, and how much work you're willing to practice.

On older cars, such equally my 2003 Ford Crown Victoria, the fuel filter bolted to the frame of the machine near the gas tank. The filter cost $xv, and I easily replaced it myself.

Other cars, such equally my 2004 Volkswagen Jetta, integrate the fuel filter into the fuel pump, which sits inside the gas tank. This prevents sediment from even entering the fuel lines in the first identify but makes it more difficult to access the filter. Fortunately, VW provides an admission panel under the back seat that enables y'all to remove the fuel pump without dropping the gas tank out of the car. I'd consider this an intermediate job.

Nonetheless other cars put the fuel filter inside the tank, but do not provide an access panel every bit VW does. This ways you lot have to remove the gas tank from the machine, which can exist peculiarly difficult in northern climates where rust accumulates nether your automobile. This could be a case where it's worth the cost to have a shop exercise it.

Our recommendation would be to research how to supplant the fuel filter on your particular vehicle, and decide for yourself whether it's worth doing it yourself or taking it to a shop. You lot should exist able to detect a YouTube video that shows you how it's washed. Based on that, you can decide whether the job is inside your fourth dimension and capabilities or non.

Decision

Whether it's an easy job in your car, or somewhat more invasive, brand sure your machine has a good clean fuel filter. It'll not only keep your auto running smoothly, it'll also maximize fuel economy (of import with today's loftier gas prices), besides equally horsepower.

Recovering autocross and track solar day enthusiast. In one case turned a VW Jetta into a pickup truck. Lives in a van downwardly by the river. Dream automobile: 2001 Subaru WRC rally car.