I need help changing my fuel filter! [Archive]

-Michelle-

05-02-2003, 09:46 PM

Hey everyone I am new to the board. I have a 1997 Grand AM SE w/3.1 V-6. I was looking for instructions on how to change my fuel filter. Not that this is a hard task but I need to know how to depressurize the fuel system. I was told that pulling the Fuel Pump/Injectors fuse would do this. I was told to pull that fuse and start the car and wait for it to die. Once this is complete the system is depressurized. Only problem is, I pull the fuse and the car won't even start and then run till it dies. As soon as I pull that fuse out the car doesn't start, so I am guessing it is still not depressurized. And I don't need to go crawling under my car to pop the fuel filter off and get a face full of gas! Does anyone have step by step instructions they could give me or anything. This shouldn't be more than a 10 minute project but thanks to good old GM not just having a switch to pull or flip to depressurize the system it is taking me forever to figure that part out. Thank you. This is an awesome little site! :D

antirice

05-03-2003, 11:56 AM

turn the car on and then pull the fuse, and take the gas cap off

LoneRangers15

05-03-2003, 02:49 PM

To relieve the pressure just put a rag over the filter and hoses. Use line wrenches (also called flare wrenches I believe) to loosen the nuts. They might be rusted on so you may need to spray WD-40 on them. Not sure about the rest of the job for your particular car. If you don't have line wrenches I believe most auto parts stores will rent or loan them. Don't use regular wrenches because you COULD strip the nuts. Wear safety glasses while doing this, also stay away from any open flames.

-Michelle-

05-03-2003, 03:04 PM

I have unplugged the fuse but the car dies immediatly, and it does not seem like it has deprssurized it. Shouldn't the car run for like 10-15 seconds and then die? I pull the fuse and the car dies right away. And to me that doesn't seem like it is getting all the gas out of the lines.

-Michelle-

05-03-2003, 08:41 PM

OK nevermind. I got it depressurized and got the bolted end of the fuel filter off. But the clipped end will not come off! I broke off the outer part of the clips. I find out GM has a wonderful way of clipping the fuel filter in from the inside so you need a special plastic ring to slip in there. What a dumb f-in idea GM! So I go to the store to buy the little kit with the various assortment of ring sizes. $12.99 . Bring that home and cram a few release rings in there that are supposed to unlock the fuel filter from the line and the filter still won't come off. What a stupid way to design your cars! So here I am four hours later basically where I started! I will be taking my car to Valvoline or Jiffy Lube and having them do it. A job that should take 20 minutes turns into an impossible job, what a freakin joke. I am sure not everyone has this big of a problem but I sure did. What total BS!

Marksman

05-03-2003, 08:55 PM

I know! It's a load of bullsh*t! I tried to do it in the shop at high school and it ended up taking three hours!! We had to cut the filter off, leaving the male end in the line, then just played with it until it came off. I think we used part of that black clip that busted off. Anyway, we got it off and the new one on and it works!
PS- We just unplugged the fuel pump and ran the car until it died to de-pressurize.
-Marksman

sunrunner_pei

05-05-2003, 07:04 AM

Originally posted by -Michelle-
OK nevermind. I got it depressurized and got the bolted end of the fuel filter off. But the clipped end will not come off! I broke off the outer part of the clips. I find out GM has a wonderful way of clipping the fuel filter in from the inside so you need a special plastic ring to slip in there. What a dumb f-in idea GM! So I go to the store to buy the little kit with the various assortment of ring sizes. $12.99 . Bring that home and cram a few release rings in there that are supposed to unlock the fuel filter from the line and the filter still won't come off. What a stupid way to design your cars! So here I am four hours later basically where I started! I will be taking my car to Valvoline or Jiffy Lube and having them do it. A job that should take 20 minutes turns into an impossible job, what a freakin joke. I am sure not everyone has this big of a problem but I sure did. What total BS!

Not that it helps (and I agree it's dumb), but GM isn't the only manufacturer to use plastic clips like that on fuel filters. My only explanation is that the manufacturers don't want you changing your own fuel filter. But that's just a conspiracy theory. ;)

99GrandAMSE

05-05-2003, 07:23 AM

Originally posted by sunrunner_pei
... that's just a conspiracy theory. ;)

HAHAHA :lol:

martopg

05-05-2003, 09:55 PM

OMG, did I just see a 19 y/o girl that's trying to change her fuel filter? I think I'm in love :D

-Michelle-

05-07-2003, 01:27 PM

Originally posted by martopg
OMG, did I just see a 19 y/o girl that's trying to change her fuel filter? I think I'm in love :D

Yeah and what a ridiculous job it turned out to be. Stupid Fuel Filters. I love how a part that needs to be changed so frequently is such a pain in the ass to change. Stupid car manufacturers!

sunrunner_pei

05-07-2003, 02:14 PM

99GrandAMSE

05-07-2003, 06:26 PM

martopg

05-08-2003, 02:34 AM

Originally posted by -Michelle-
Yeah and what a ridiculous job it turned out to be. Stupid Fuel Filters. I love how a part that needs to be changed so frequently is such a pain in the ass to change. Stupid car manufacturers!

Yeah, well, there is no specified change interval for the fuel filter... just whenever it gets dirty. My car's at 70+K miles and the fuel filter is still fine. I asked my mechanic about changing it myself and he notified me of how much of a pain in the ass it is and he's a no-BS guy :D

sunrunner_pei

05-08-2003, 07:57 AM

Originally posted by martopg
Yeah, well, there is no specified change interval for the fuel filter... just whenever it gets dirty. My car's at 70+K miles and the fuel filter is still fine. I asked my mechanic about changing it myself and he notified me of how much of a pain in the ass it is and he's a no-BS guy :D

Never heard that? How are you to tell when it's dirty? If you drive the filter until it gets clogged bad enough to cause drivability problems then you have gone too long.

Change the fuel filter every year, 2 years at most. Any longer than that and not only can it become clogged, affect mileage and drivability, but it can also strain the fuel pump into early retirement and become even harder to remove when you do decide to change it.

mikem220153

05-14-2003, 09:38 AM

I agree, GM and Ford didn't do us any favors with that plastic coupling on the fuel filter. This is how I did mine:

1st. I relieved fuel system pressure at the test port fitting on the fuel rail. On the 3100, it is located just in front of the alternator on the engine. It is the one with the black plastic cap over it. I connected my fuel pressure test guage to the port and hit the bleed valve.

2nd. The plastic coupler at the filter is released by pushing the line slightly into the filter and squeezing and pulling the plastic coupler at the same time. It does take some force to get these to seperate but it wasn't to bad. Keep in mind, you should have a rag handy to catch the fuel that will come out of the filter when it is disconnected, and safety glasses are advised. The nut end of the filter is pretty straight forward.

tido_29

05-15-2003, 07:42 AM

they told me to change mine like 2 times a year. ( i guess they really dont want that thing to get cloged up.) or deffinetely atleast once a year. i guess the gas stations are pretty bad down here.

trigger113

06-05-2003, 09:14 PM

My bud said that he just changed a fuel filter on a Jimmy and it was easy, so he said he would change mine real quick.....

I take the car to the shop, put it on the lifts and what happens, he breaks the Black Plastic tabs on the filter (all of them). So, I call some more mechanically inclined friends over, and they eventually, pull the filter out, (2 hrs. later) along with whatever else flew out.

So, I manage to pick up the pieces (hopefully all of them, just in case we needed them later). We try to stick the new filter in, which already has a clear plastic piece on it and it seems to fit snugly in the fuel hose.. We screw it back on the other side, and I turn my car to the "on" position, and it LEAKS! at the black plastic end.

So, now I am in a BIND and don't know what I need to do. Do I need the parts the flew out everywhere to stop the leak, such as this metal piece that has about four arms on it, or what?

PLEASE HELP,
Mike.

mikem220153

06-05-2003, 09:32 PM

The clear plastic piece on the new filter needs to come off. The replacement filter is designed to fit several different model of cars with different connectors. How bad did the end of your plastic hose get broken? From the way you describe it, you going to have to replace the whole plastic line. For safety sake, this connection has to be completely sealed.

trigger113

06-05-2003, 10:50 PM

Completely broken. There are no tabs left on the black plastic piece. I think I tossed it because it was pretty bad off.

How much effort does it take to replace the entire hose? I think I will need to remove the tank, right? Any other tips to keep in mind as I do this.

I should just use a hose clamp (cheaper).

Thanks for your help,
Mike

mikem220153

06-06-2003, 12:11 AM

Yes, sad to say, you will probably have to pull the tank and that sucks. I don't think a hose clamp is a good idea because the plastic line won't stand the pressure of the clamp. Just keep in mind how explosive gasoline is and that a full tank will add about 100lbs of weight to the tank. Gasoline weighs about 6.5lbs to the gallon. An empty tank is lighter but it also has more gas fumes in it than a partially full tank. The vapors are the most explosive part of gasoline.

trigger113

06-06-2003, 11:22 AM

Okay, I called my pontiac dealership and they said I will need to buy everything, which includes:

- Hose
- Sender (to measure the amt. of gas)

And the total price is $471.00. I told them they were CRAZY!

I also stopped at an Automotive store and they have end pieces with the black plastic on it, similar to the ones my friends broke, but without the hose. I was thinking that I could cut the end piece that connects to the fuel filter off and place a new end piece on. And the total price for this is $7.00. This is much more in my friends price range. Do you think this is a good idea?

Mike

mikem220153

06-06-2003, 04:17 PM

You can try to install the new piece and see if it will work. I honestly cannot say if it will or not. If you have to replace the line, you might consider getting one from a junk yard. I am sure they would be a whole lot more reasonable.

trigger113

06-06-2003, 09:08 PM

Thanks for the advice, here is what I ended up doing in case you all were wondering.

We pulled the hose w/ the broken valve off and again ran out to the Automotive store and looked for a similar part that I broke (fuel valve, I think - the end with the black plastic piece in it) and I finally found the right fuel valve that I needed (3/8 inch - i think it was). I also purchased a (3/8 inch) fuel hose (for fuel injected vehicles) and used two clamps, one to clamp to the new part I purchased and the other clamp to the fuel pump. I tighten the clamps.

We put the fuel tank back up in my vehicle, and re-hooked the hoses, and started the car. - NO LEAKS. I decided to run the car for about 15min. to see if anything would blow, still no leak (knock on wood). I hope that I tightened the clamp enough on the fuel pump.

Does anyone think that this will not work? I hope I don't have any problems with it later on.

Thank you all for your help, trust me, you saved me a lot of time.

Thanks,
Mike

mikem220153

06-06-2003, 09:35 PM

What you did sounds reasonable. Keep an eye on it for a little while and make sure it doesn't leak. Good Luck

firehawk825

06-25-2003, 05:59 PM

Well, I guess I'm not very bright either and turned a 15 minute, $14 job into a lot more trouble than it is. I was in the process of replacing my fuel filter today and after about half an hour, I managed to get the one nut loose due to much rust and corrosion. Well, after I managed to get that end off, I also broke off the plastic tabs. I think Pontiac should of put a warning on those tabs saying DO NOT BREAK, WILL PISS YOU OFF. So now I am also in the process of trying to fix that one end, luckily I didn't pull the filter off so I was able to reattch the other end without having any leakage or problems yet. Tomorrow I'm going to see a friend's father of mine who is a mechanic and see what he can do, otherwise I'm going to have to do what Trigger113 did.