Defeated by the &^%$ Fuel Filter Clips

[73Elsinore]

I give up. I have worked for over six hours over the last two days to remove the fuel filter, but those ^%$#@ clips won't release. No matter what I do, no matter what I have tried, they won't let go. Neither one of them.

I have done this job twice before on the Ex and also a few times on my '02 F-150 so I know the tricks to do this. But this is the first time I've ever had this much trouble.

I thought my tool was worn out (I have the plastic one from AutoZone) or maybe it had a little burr on it so I went and bought another one. Didn't help. Then I read on here how one guy used a needle noser Vise Grip clamped on the filter tube end to hold the tool in place while pushing the hose against the tool. Didn't work. I give up; it's off to the dealer.

I almost took a hack saw to cut the two ends off the filter body. That would let me drop the hose down out of the frame rail where I could get a lot more mustard on the clip and make sure it is all the way in there. But I shouldn't have to put that much mustard on it in the first place to release the clips. Plus I didn't want to take the chance of making a spark.

I used a Carquest (Wix) filter this last time and I am wondering if the dimensions for the upset on the male tube ends of the Carquest filter are just different enough dimensionally from the Motorcraft filter to make the clips not want to let go, or jam them up somehow.

Any of you all ever been up against this? Thanks in advance for any ideas. I wonder if a high-quality tool would make the difference, like a Snap-On. Thanks!!!

 

[Gadget X]

Had the same problem! turns out the little "fingers" in the hose ends had gotten bent somehow. I could get the one towards the rear out, but not the one towards the front. I ended up "ripping" it out of there, and putting a new lock clip from a donor hose in it's place. I don't know how the fingers could have gotten bent, but they sure do make life miserable for you when you try to get them loose! Good luck!

 

[Anime]

I've found that the finger-releasing clip tools (including the metal KD tools version) are sometimes ever so slightly too short to fully release the fingers, and the only way to get it to work with them is to jam the tool in as far as you can, pulling the hose/clip towards the tool, and sometimes giving the tool just a bit of an angle and a twist so it releases one finger, then the one next to it, and you get just enough pull that it finally releases all the clips. This is on both the fuel filter and the fuel pump.

The anodized aluminum clip tools that are just for individual sizes might have slightly longer fittings, or just the thicker aluminum pushes the clips farther away from the filter/pump when inserted.

I'd buy every filter tool on the block at every parts store, or make my own longer version from a piece of pipe cut in half before having a dealer do it. It'd probably be cheaper, too.

 

[ExploringNC]

I had the same problem, fought and fought trying to get it off, gave up several times. Finally I was going to just cut the filter and leave enough of the old filter to attach tubing and hose clamps to the new one. Well after cutting it off with a hacksaw I was able to get a good view inside the hose at the bent prongs. I was able to bend the prongs straight enough with a tiny screwdriver for the tool to work and the piece of the old filter came right out. Straightened the clip back out installed new filter and one more thing on the to do list checked off.

 

[SuRrEaLNJ]

spray a litlle lubricant, like pb blaster into the clip. pull the line intowards the filter as much as you can, and hold it there. take the tool insert it into the clip and use a screwdriver to leverage it in there from the fuel filter, while still puling the line in. usually works for me. i have to change alot of these things with the fleets we work on. tool dosnt matter normally, its the technique.

 

[Robrt32]

Best thing I ever done was doing away with that nonsense.

 

[94Sport5Sp]

Best thing I ever done was doing away with that nonsense.

Hi:

Curious how did you do away with that nonsense?

Thanks
PaMnd