No luck with a fuel filter removal

[carterspeed30]

Got the truck on the lift, nightmare getting the two lines disconnected. Was using the plastic rings I bought, another mangled ring/clip from the shop, was pulling on the rear hose (inlet) when the front hose (outlet) releases! Go figure, fuel shot out all over the place even though I pulled CBs and let the vehicle die while at idle.

Finally get both hoses off, second one was no easier, and the damn replacement part is not the correct filter! The inlet from the tank is a larger diameter than the outlet side going to the engine!

The week prior, my son went to Auto Zone and came home with at Motorcraft FG-986B fuel filter (also says F89Z-9155-A on the box); that had both the inlet and outlet tubes were the SAME size.

Naturally the car is on the lift and not in any shape for a trip to the auto-parts store. Quick call to the Housing Director and she is near by, takes the old filter to a nearby CarQuest. The old filter had 33233 imprinted on it, they do a cross reference and give me an 86233 CarQuest that fits just fine. They did a quick check on the Motorcraft as listed above and it is "supposed" to fit the Explorer Sport 2001 6 cyl. What is up with that.

The Shop foreman and I look at the fuel lines coming from the tank and by all indications they look original and nothing looks amiss under the car. Clearly the two hoses were different sizes. You think the different sizes is to prevent you from putting the filter in backwards?

Has anyone ever run into this or have an explanation as to why the OEM part does not fit my car?

how come an OEM part does not fit your car? OEM parts always compliment its specific car. Maybe the part is for other model or trim?

I also want to ask if i could apply the steps that I've seen here on how to replace a fuel filter. It's easier to comprehend since the instructions are given in a simple way. I'm still coping with automotive terms.

Thanks.

 

[waskly]

Has anyone ever run into this or have an explanation as to why the OEM part does not fit my car?

miss packaged, wrong part?

 

[F15E_WSO]

miss packaged, wrong part?

Could be miss-packaged. When my wife did the emergency run to the Car Quest store the guy there looked at the one in hand (OEM) and said it SHOULD fit?! But then he ran the part number on the one that came out of the truck and gave us a replacement for that which of course fit?

I have yet to take the ill fitting part back to the store where my son picked it up, I have a good relationship with the staff there so they may help me figure this out. I don't have the receipt so I may have to eat the $13-15 part, not the end of the world.

 

[F15E_WSO]

how come an OEM part does not fit your car? OEM parts always compliment its specific car. Maybe the part is for other model or trim?

I also want to ask if i could apply the steps that I've seen here on how to replace a fuel filter. It's easier to comprehend since the instructions are given in a simple way. I'm still coping with automotive terms.

Thanks.

In principal this is a VERY simple job. In principal. I was lucky and had little to no rust in the area.

I pulled circuit breakers to kill the fuel pump and let the car idle until it died yet I still HAD lots of pressure in the lines and it squirted everywhere. YOU MUST WEAR GOGGLES FOR YOUR EYES. If you do this on the ground or short lifts you will have trouble staying clear.

Getting the damn removal tool into the "clips" was VERY difficult, I think I was too gentle at first and afraid to damage something; either the plastic removal tool or the lines. I was very afraid to pull too hard and ruin the fuel line couplings on a Saturday; suspect you would need dealer parts to replace the fuel line.

I will say that getting the filter on and clipped in took less than 3 minutes! In other words it took like 2 hours to get this thing off and 3 minutes to put back on. Clearly an experienced mechanic could do this in a fraction of the time.

 

[carterspeed30]

how come an OEM part does not fit your car? OEM parts always compliment its specific car. Maybe the part is for other model or trim?

I also want to ask if i could apply the steps that I've seen here on how to replace a fuel filter. It's easier to comprehend since the instructions are given in a simple way. I'm still coping with automotive terms.

Thanks.

You were right,getting the removal tool into the clips was extremely annoying and hard. I wasn't able to finish it because I need an assistant.