Fuel filter

[Clover2010]

Hello Everyone

I just need an opinion. I was billed for a fuel filter replacement in Nov 09. I know that mileage will usually determine when it needs replacing. A couple of months ago I went for my oil change and was told the fuel filter was looking "dirty" and needed replacing. I said no as I could not remember exactly when it was done. I checked my paperwork and saw that it was replaced in Nov 09 and I that I was billed.

Today I went in to get some things topped up at my local lube shop and asked them to check it again as I now knew that I was billed for a new fuel filter in Nov approximately 6K miles ago. The manager showed me the filter and what they "believe" to be rust/dirty etc and that the filter is in need of replacement. I had it replaced as it is not "that" expensive.

I called the previous garage and they advised that if they billed me for the replacement then it was done (who knows) and that it is quite possible having driven my car for approximately 6K miles that it would need replacing again. The manager there advised that it should be replaced twice a year. What do you think? I have the old fuel filter from my car as I asked to take it with me.

Thanks!

 

[2000StreetRod]

replacement interval

Ford suggests replacing the fuel filter every 30,000 miles. Most people exceed that. I think replacing a fuel filter more often is justified if there is crud in the tank. However, the real solution is to have the tank cleaned. I also think that not replacing the fuel filter every 30,000 miles shortens the life of the fuel pump. In my opinion replacing the fuel filter twice a year is excessive.

 

[ranger7ltr]

Mileage interval is just one criteria...

If the tank is rusty or dirty inside, the mileage would seem insignificant...My truck would lose fuel pressure and start running badly and throwing random misfire codes thanks to the decrease in fuel volum/pressure under load...I can tell you that my truck sat for a couple of years with fuel in it and that along with age helped to corrode the inside of the tank and that rust and corrosive garbage flows into the fuel, fuel pump, and the inlet side of the fuel filter...Frankly, until I replaced the fuel tank, I should have bought stock in the fuel filter company because I was replacing these damn things every 2-3 months thanks to them being clogged...

When the service center said the filter was dirty/rusty, did they show you the fuel that came out of the inlet side? Anything like this? And this is what my tank looks like...This is after this tank was boiled out and lined with POR-15 tank liner...My solution was to replace the tank...

 

[bluestream1]

FWIW, my 91 Explorer was bought new, and I keep it 12 years and 225,000KM and never changed the filter. Owners Manual said filter was good for the life of the car. It had a plastic tank. My Daugther's 99 Grand Am had a rusted steel tank, and I got a plastic tank from an 02 Malibu and installed that. I took out the fuel pump to inspect the tank, and I cleaned out some grit the size of a penny. As result I am in the "once" in the life of the vehicle for fuel filter changes. Maybe we just have clean fuel in my area. Most gas pumps have a screw-on filter on them from what I see

 

[ranger7ltr]

I don't believe the fuel has anything to do with this...

I thought I was getting dirty fuel as well and started actually filtering the fuel at the pump as it went into the tank...Over the next six months, I found very little in the filler neck filter and still had rust/dirt in the filter...

The fuel and air in a metal fuel tank will eventually start a corrosive process and, in my trucks' case, sitting with the same fuel for over 2 years did not help matters...If i had a plastic tank this rust issue would not have been present...Dirt and varnish would have the scrubbing action of repeated filling/draining of fuel would have pulled most, if not all, of that garbage out through the main filter...And since plastic doesn't corrose/rust like metal there would have been an end to the filter contamination...This was my assumption as well and even after radiator shop boiling the metal tanks' rust issue continued as though it had not been processed... In fact, I could have saved the $80 in getting the tank boiled out and the $50 getting the liner for the tank and just bought a new tank...

Unfortunately the new tank will develop rust at some point even though the metal used has an anit-corrosive coating...Gasoline eats through the coating and the bare metal starts to rust...But it did take 10 years to do that the first time...Too bad Ford didn't use a plastic tank for this generation of truck...

My Charger not only has a plastic tank but its only fuel filter is the sock on the bottom of the fuel pump... And this has been the standard on new vehicles I have owned since 2002...

 

[Clover2010]

Thanks

Thanks Guys for taking the time to post your opinions. No I was not shown the fuel but I did have to have the DPFE sensor replaced in 2008 and again recently as it was throwing error messages and I was told it had "gone bad" again. I had a fuel injection service after the DPFE sensor was replaced.

So this may be the issue that there was/is a build up in the tank itself. Bare with me here , can I get a plastic fuel tank replacement for my 2002 Mercury Mountaineer? Can I take the vehicle to have the tank "cleaned out?".
Should a fuel injection service take care of this or not?

 

[bluestream1]

A fuel injection service can mean a lot of things. Most places will hook up a cleaner and force it in through the fuel rail. This will clean some things, but it is not a real test. Best thing is to take them in to a fuel injection shop (most diesel injection business will do gas injectors as well) and have them tested on a machine like this:

http://www.kwfuelinjection.com/index2.html

(click on "our new gas injection machine" at bottom of page)

Not sure if youcan get a plastic tank or not. All of the steel tanks I have had were fine on the inside, but rusted through from the outside. I think they corrode only if let to sit for a long time. A visual inspection is the only way to know.

 

[2000StreetRod]

Plastic fuel tank

I believe that the first Explorers were produced with 6 layer HDPE plastic type fuel tanks. Ford considered investing over $100 million to expand their plastic fuel tank manufacturing capability but switched back to metal tanks instead. The disadvantages of the early plastic tanks were high costs and limited recyclability.

 

[ranger7ltr]

Thanks Guys for taking the time to post your opinions. No I was not shown the fuel but I did have to have the DPFE sensor replaced in 2008 and again recently as it was throwing error messages and I was told it had "gone bad" again. I had a fuel injection service after the DPFE sensor was replaced.

So this may be the issue that there was/is a build up in the tank itself. Bare with me here , can I get a plastic fuel tank replacement for my 2002 Mercury Mountaineer? Can I take the vehicle to have the tank "cleaned out?".
Should a fuel injection service take care of this or not?

Since the fuel injection service didn't involve the DPFE sensor, I doubt one would affect the other...Unless one of the hoses was knocked off or the electrical connector was damaged somehow...

I know the Explorer Sport in 2002 has a plastic tank so your Mountaineer probaby already have a plastic tank...Whether a radiator shop would clean it out for you is a question I can't answer...And even the best fuel injection services will not involve the tank and its cleanliness...A proper fuel injection service will remove the injectors and service them on a dedicated machine used to evaluate fuel flow, solenoid function and physical damage...The service that uses a chemical in the fuel rail will supposedly remove deposits and grime but neither impact any debris in the tank...

Some have used Berrymans' B-12 Chemtool or Seafoam in the tank to clean the insides of the tank but these chemicals only get to where the fuel can get splashed into and might miss some areas inside the tank...Plus remember that anything they do remove from inside the tank will only flow into where???
Through the fuel strainer, into the fuel pump[which doesn't like pumping solids], and into the inlet side of the fuel filter to eventually restrict the fuel flow through the filter...

 

[BlkSquad]

Sorry to revive a dead thread, but I noticed at a JY that the plastic tanks attach differently than the metal tank. I am interested in replacing my metal tank with a plastic one but a new fuel pump will be required on top of a way to connect the tank in a way that it won't fall off on the trails. Anyone with an idea or definitive solution here? I have a 98 sport btw.