Changing my '94 fuel filter, or How I Nearly Lost My Mind in No Easy Steps. | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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Changing my '94 fuel filter, or How I Nearly Lost My Mind in No Easy Steps.

scott.475

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City, State
Washington State
Year, Model & Trim Level
'94 4wd Explorer
Famous last words: "This shouldn't take long."

I readnumerous articles and forum posts, watched numerous videos. I even took the time to pull the fuel pump relay and run the engine dry. I was being patient, and doing things right!

My first mistake, I suppose, was buying the Performance Products brand disconnectors, instead of the better quality looking Lisle ones. The line going to the engine came off with a little difficulty, the real trouble started when I tried getting the one coming from the tank off. I tried and tried, worked and worked, but the stupid thing would not come off. "Quick disconnect" my...anyway, nothing I tried seemed to work. Repositioning the tool, pushing, twisting, pulling, cussing, yelling, nothing. One of the little tabs started to separate from the tool, then I started to worry the tool might break off down in the collar and I wouldn't be able to get it out, so I ran back down to the store and bought a metal tool.

Returning home, working in the rain, I tried to make the metal tool work and, still, no luck. Finally, after much, much work, it started to give. Slowly, slowly it campe out, and then...HOLY CRAP!!!! PART OF THE FILTER TUBE BROKE OFF IN THE FUEL LINE!!!! I'm not proud of it, but much cussing followed. Lying there on the ground, looking at the fuel line, I worked through the five stages of grief. "What now? Am I going to have to drop the tank and replace the whole fuel line, all for the sake of a freaking fuel filter????"

Then, I saw it, the little, mangled cage with the one-way fingers sitting in the end of the line. "If I can get that out, I think I can shape back the way it should be, and it'll give me access to the broken tube piece." Using a little screwdrive and needlenose pliers, I was able to carefully turn the little cage in on itself and remove. I then used an easy out carefully grab the broken filter piece and pull it from the fuel line. I then used the pliers to carefully bend the little cage teeth back into position, reform it into a semi-circle, and pushed it back into the end of the line. Things were finally looking up!

I pushed the new filter into position, gave it a tug, and it held! Snapped the front in, no problem. Everything went back together without issue, then I had a terrifying thought, "What if, despite checking numerous times, I put the filter on backwards?!" Spinning the filter, the arrow came into view, pointing the right direction. YAY!

I replaced the relay, started it up, and boy, is it running easy now. I'm embarassed to say, at 140,000+ miles, I'm sure this is it's first fuel filter change. I honestly can't believe how much quiter and smoother the engine is now.

I still have no idea what caused all the trouble with removal on the back end, and I'm terrified to tackle it again, but for now all is holding, and no leaks.

Out of curiosity, I broken open the old filter to see what it looked like inside. Looks pretty bad, but I don't know what one would like like at 30,000 miles.

Pictures of the filter, crappy, chewed up tools, and broken tube piece.
 

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Crappy little tools:
 

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Broken tube:
 

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Glad you got it all back together! I had almost an identical experience changing my filter, too. Only difference with mine was that even with relieving the pressure, and cranking for a couple of minutes to make sure, I still got a gas bath when the damped thing finally came loose! The rear was definitely harder to remove that the front, and I too ended up with a mangled "cage" that had to be re-shaped in order to put the new filter in. Maybe it's just the 94s that do it? :p
 






I did all of the cussing, but nothing actually broke. It was just a PAIN to get off. Those plastic tools are a joke. It was worth the $8 for the good one.
 






I certainly felt moments of utter desperation. Researching later, I found this is not an uncommon problem, and that the replacement cages are easily available. Next time I'll grab some of those before I start, just in case I bugger one up bad enough I can't bend it back into shape.
 






Many here know my despise of "quick connects" that said, auto parts sells those connectors, and while you need to borrow the special tool, it's pretty easy to make a line. If push comes to shove, you could move the filter back some, and make a new line to the front.
 






I know this discussion has been on '94s.

On my '99 it was a piece of cake (seven minutes total including having to find where the filter was mounted!) on my first attempt ever to replace one of these filters. I had purchased a set of Harbor Freight aluminum tools.

It was so quick that I decided I'd jump over to my '00 and replace it at the same time, I had picked up two filters about a month earlier but the weather kept getting in the way. The front connection came off so easily I thought I was really getting good at this! I struggled with the rear connection for 45 minutes and ran out of time, had to go to work.

Over the next few months I tried a few more times. I even bought a boxed set of Lisle fuel line disconnectors that had several different styles of tools. No luck.

Last December I had to replace the fuel pump on my '00 so I figured I REALLY have to replace the filter, still no go. I'm seriously thinking about going to the local Ford service department to have them do it, I'm just waiting for one more 'warm' dry day to try one last (7th or 8th) time . . .
 






I've always had hard time getting at least one Fuel line apart using the quick disconnect tools. The problem I was having was that I couldn't press the tool into the fitting with enough force to release the garter spring inside. What helped a lot was using needle nose pliers to force the tool into the fitting. The pliers were able to exert much more force than just using my hands alone.
 






Here's the secret:

When you press the line into the filter it releases the grabbers. The tool is then inserted. (no real force necessary) the tool then "holds" the grabbers open allowing the tube to slip out.

The tool is not intended to be used to "force" it to disconnect.. ..this is why they are plastic.

Finesse fellas, not brute force on this one.
 






Finesse won't save them all. Half the time I have to scrape the mud an rust out first, then soak it in my acetone/ATF mix. After all that it's a crap shoot whether they connect again. I just had that problem with my fuel line to my fuel rail. A trick I found is to twist as you push in. For some reason this works great. The hf aluminum tools is all I use. The plastic ones are a one use tool, and you can't twist them.
 






Here's the secret:

When you press the line into the filter it releases the grabbers. The tool is then inserted. (no real force necessary) the tool then "holds" the grabbers open allowing the tube to slip out.

The tool is not intended to be used to "force" it to disconnect.. ..this is why they are plastic.

Finesse fellas, not brute force on this one.

I think this is probably a good observation/suggestion. It was the furthest thing from my mind while mired in despair, but after getting everything apart and looking, and really just thinking about it when I was calmed down later that night, I started thinking I was probably trying to force the tools in too far. Probably, too, if I had moved it out a time or two and slightly roatated it, maybe it would have been in a better position to depress all the fingers.
 






I know this discussion has been on '94s.

On my '99 it was a piece of cake (seven minutes total including having to find where the filter was mounted!) on my first attempt ever to replace one of these filters. I had purchased a set of Harbor Freight aluminum tools.

It was so quick that I decided I'd jump over to my '00 and replace it at the same time, I had picked up two filters about a month earlier but the weather kept getting in the way. The front connection came off so easily I thought I was really getting good at this! I struggled with the rear connection for 45 minutes and ran out of time, had to go to work.

Over the next few months I tried a few more times. I even bought a boxed set of Lisle fuel line disconnectors that had several different styles of tools. No luck.

Last December I had to replace the fuel pump on my '00 so I figured I REALLY have to replace the filter, still no go. I'm seriously thinking about going to the local Ford service department to have them do it, I'm just waiting for one more 'warm' dry day to try one last (7th or 8th) time . . .

I don't know if you're dealing with garter springs, or the internal, squirrel cage type fingered springs. If it's the internal type, you might just go grab some new ones from an auto parts store, then simply cut through the tube of the filter. Once you do this, and get the filter body out of the way, you can pull the spring out with a little screwdriver, a pick, or maybe needlenose pliers. Then pull out the tail of the tube out of the line, insert a new spring, and then you'll be able to get everything buttoned up in less than 10 minutes. This is how I'll do it next time.

http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/d...ap?ck=Search_N1706_-1_4940&pt=N1706&ppt=C0142
 






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