SyberTiger
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- May 18, 2007
- Messages
- 767
- Reaction score
- 52
- City, State
- Orlando
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 2002 Limited 4x4 4.6L
I just changed out my fuel filter for the first time on my 2002 Explorer which has about 89K miles on it. It was a beatch in a sense because I had never changed out a fuel filter with the two different types of clips used on either end of the filter. It took me two hours to change it out when a more reasonable time-frame (if you know what you are doing and have the proper tools) is 30 minutes. The Chilton instructions are basically to remove a couple of shields, remove 3 fuel line clips then reverse the process but easier said than done. I thought I'd take the time here to expand on what some others have said about the procedure as well as what I learned. It seems that a lot has been said but no one really has put it all together with a more detailed explanation for the third generation Explorers. I've included a few pictures to give a better visual. Here's the process...
1. Do not change the fuel filter with the truck engine or exhaust hot. Change it with the engine cool and exhaust cool.To maximize your working area drive the front wheels of the Explorer onto ramps. This should be the only driving you do from a cold start. It is a good idea to perform this procedure outside with good ventilation because a minor amount of fuel in the old filter will drain out once it's disconnected..
2. Relieve fuel pressure in the system before attempting to remove the fuel filter. This will minimize the chance of a gasoline bath or being blinded by spraying fuel. On the 2002 Explorer the fuel pump can be disabled by removing either the fuel pump relay or the fuel pump fuse. The relay and fuse are both located in the fuse and relay black box located in the engine compartment on the drivers side and near the firewall. Open the box and remove either relay #48 or fuse #26. Double check your owner's manual if you do not have a 2002 Explorer in case of numbering differences. With the fuse or relay out, start the Explorer and let it run out of fuel which will take a few seconds. Attempt to start it a couple of more times to insure the fuel system is no longer pressurized.
3. The fuel filter is located on the passenger side in front of the fuel tank. This puts the location approximately under where the passenger's butt would be. If you look in front of the fuel tank closely you will see two fuel lines clipped to one side of the filter but its hard to see because of the heat shield and plastic cover over the fuel filter.
4. The aluminum heat shield is located between the passenger side exhaust pipe (I have a V-8 engine) and the fuel filter which helps block the fuel tank and filter from some of the exhaust pipe heat. The heat shield is held on by three 13mm bolts. Remove them, they are easy to get to and remove. Take the aluminum heat shield off.
5. Once the heat shield is removed you will see a plastic shield covering the fuel filter. It is held on by two 10mm nuts. Remove them, they are easy to get to and remove. Take the plastic shield off. You will now see the entire fuel filter and the three lines going in/out the filter. The fuel filter is held in place by friction of the fuel filter bracket.
6. First work on the end of the fuel filter with only one output line. This is the filter output side that goes towards your fuel injectors. The Chilton instructions for the "push connector" show you need to push up on the clip then use a fuel line disconnect tool. Be careful because even though pressure has been relieved you will still get a trickle of fuel when the line is removed. It is best to have a pan to catch the fuel. There has been a lot of discussion regarding the fuel line removal tool used. Some people feel the metal (two half circle scissor action) type is better while some feel the plastic tool pictured is better. Before changing out my filter I purchased both types in case I had a problem. My expectation was that the plastic version would work better so I tried that one first without any success. The plastic wasn't rigid enough considering the pressure I had to put on it to slide it in. I then tried the metal scissor type and it worked fine.
7. The other side of the fuel filter has two lines attached in a different manner than the fuel supply side. The two-line side uses red plastic "R-clips" to hold the couplers onto the filter connections. The R-clips DO NOT necessary just unlock then you go happily on your way to replacing the filter. These clips caused the most grief for me as I did not completely understand nor visualize how the clips work. You will want to make sure the clip is pointing toward the ground with the red ridged portion fully toward you. The Chilton instructions illustrate how these clips are unlocked. To unlock these you first must push the small tab to unhinge the R-clip. Since my hands are too big I used a small flat head screw driver to gently push the tab which allows it to hinge outward. The tab is shown in the picture below...it's the piece of red plastic the tip of the blue arrow is pointing towards. Once you do this note that you not be able to remove the fuel line coupling off the filter just yet.
8. With the red clip "hinged out" such that the ridged area is hinged away from its mating side you need to push both sides of the red clip inward. This isn't intuitively obvious which is why I provide the Chilton instructions and a picture. Then, while pinching inward push gently up towards the vehicle floorboard...it doesn't take much force if it is pinched together. Now, perform the same proceedure on the other line. Again, watch out for fuel drips. The filter is full of fuel and may empty on your head if you are not careful. Wear eye protection and have a catch pan ready.
8. Now, with the fuel in/out lines removed take out the entire fuel filter with bracket out (the bracket was held on by the same 10mm nuts that held the plastic shield on). Make a note of how the old filter is mounted to the bracket because when you slide in the new filter you will want to make sure it is rotated in the same position to make it easier when you reconnect the fuel lines. Using considerable force, slide the bracket off the old filter. I used a hammer and gently tapped the old filter with the back of the handle to get it off the bracket. There actually is a fair amount of spring tension in the bracket grabbing onto the filter. Once the bracket is off you should be able to use hand force to get the new filter on.
9. From here it should be clear how to perform the procedure in reverse to get everything buttoned back up. NOTE, you will NOT need the fuel line removal tool to reconnect any of the lines. The lines just slide on. Make sure both ends are clipped properly like you found them with the old filter. Once you get everything back together don't forget to put the fuel pump relay back in.
1. Do not change the fuel filter with the truck engine or exhaust hot. Change it with the engine cool and exhaust cool.To maximize your working area drive the front wheels of the Explorer onto ramps. This should be the only driving you do from a cold start. It is a good idea to perform this procedure outside with good ventilation because a minor amount of fuel in the old filter will drain out once it's disconnected..
2. Relieve fuel pressure in the system before attempting to remove the fuel filter. This will minimize the chance of a gasoline bath or being blinded by spraying fuel. On the 2002 Explorer the fuel pump can be disabled by removing either the fuel pump relay or the fuel pump fuse. The relay and fuse are both located in the fuse and relay black box located in the engine compartment on the drivers side and near the firewall. Open the box and remove either relay #48 or fuse #26. Double check your owner's manual if you do not have a 2002 Explorer in case of numbering differences. With the fuse or relay out, start the Explorer and let it run out of fuel which will take a few seconds. Attempt to start it a couple of more times to insure the fuel system is no longer pressurized.
3. The fuel filter is located on the passenger side in front of the fuel tank. This puts the location approximately under where the passenger's butt would be. If you look in front of the fuel tank closely you will see two fuel lines clipped to one side of the filter but its hard to see because of the heat shield and plastic cover over the fuel filter.
4. The aluminum heat shield is located between the passenger side exhaust pipe (I have a V-8 engine) and the fuel filter which helps block the fuel tank and filter from some of the exhaust pipe heat. The heat shield is held on by three 13mm bolts. Remove them, they are easy to get to and remove. Take the aluminum heat shield off.
5. Once the heat shield is removed you will see a plastic shield covering the fuel filter. It is held on by two 10mm nuts. Remove them, they are easy to get to and remove. Take the plastic shield off. You will now see the entire fuel filter and the three lines going in/out the filter. The fuel filter is held in place by friction of the fuel filter bracket.
6. First work on the end of the fuel filter with only one output line. This is the filter output side that goes towards your fuel injectors. The Chilton instructions for the "push connector" show you need to push up on the clip then use a fuel line disconnect tool. Be careful because even though pressure has been relieved you will still get a trickle of fuel when the line is removed. It is best to have a pan to catch the fuel. There has been a lot of discussion regarding the fuel line removal tool used. Some people feel the metal (two half circle scissor action) type is better while some feel the plastic tool pictured is better. Before changing out my filter I purchased both types in case I had a problem. My expectation was that the plastic version would work better so I tried that one first without any success. The plastic wasn't rigid enough considering the pressure I had to put on it to slide it in. I then tried the metal scissor type and it worked fine.
7. The other side of the fuel filter has two lines attached in a different manner than the fuel supply side. The two-line side uses red plastic "R-clips" to hold the couplers onto the filter connections. The R-clips DO NOT necessary just unlock then you go happily on your way to replacing the filter. These clips caused the most grief for me as I did not completely understand nor visualize how the clips work. You will want to make sure the clip is pointing toward the ground with the red ridged portion fully toward you. The Chilton instructions illustrate how these clips are unlocked. To unlock these you first must push the small tab to unhinge the R-clip. Since my hands are too big I used a small flat head screw driver to gently push the tab which allows it to hinge outward. The tab is shown in the picture below...it's the piece of red plastic the tip of the blue arrow is pointing towards. Once you do this note that you not be able to remove the fuel line coupling off the filter just yet.
8. With the red clip "hinged out" such that the ridged area is hinged away from its mating side you need to push both sides of the red clip inward. This isn't intuitively obvious which is why I provide the Chilton instructions and a picture. Then, while pinching inward push gently up towards the vehicle floorboard...it doesn't take much force if it is pinched together. Now, perform the same proceedure on the other line. Again, watch out for fuel drips. The filter is full of fuel and may empty on your head if you are not careful. Wear eye protection and have a catch pan ready.
8. Now, with the fuel in/out lines removed take out the entire fuel filter with bracket out (the bracket was held on by the same 10mm nuts that held the plastic shield on). Make a note of how the old filter is mounted to the bracket because when you slide in the new filter you will want to make sure it is rotated in the same position to make it easier when you reconnect the fuel lines. Using considerable force, slide the bracket off the old filter. I used a hammer and gently tapped the old filter with the back of the handle to get it off the bracket. There actually is a fair amount of spring tension in the bracket grabbing onto the filter. Once the bracket is off you should be able to use hand force to get the new filter on.
9. From here it should be clear how to perform the procedure in reverse to get everything buttoned back up. NOTE, you will NOT need the fuel line removal tool to reconnect any of the lines. The lines just slide on. Make sure both ends are clipped properly like you found them with the old filter. Once you get everything back together don't forget to put the fuel pump relay back in.
