HOW TO: Replace Fuel Filter - NA Legacy L Sedan
Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 8:55 pm
I know it seems kind of stupid for me to make a guide on how to replace the filter, but I'm going to anyways so no one will have the same problem I did.
Parts needed: Philips Head Screwdriver, Fuel Filter (FF739) - ~18 from Autozone, ratchet to undo negative terminal from battery
Time needed: 30 minutes (that's high, but gotta leave plenty of time)
Step One: Finding the damn fuel pump.
This step isn't too hard once you know where you're looking. Basically, you'll want to roll up the mat in your trunk to reveal the access hatch to the fuel pump.
There are 4 phillips head screws there. The front two are easy. The back two may require you to rig up a way to unscrew them if you don't want to remove the rear seat.
Step Two: Relieving Fuel System Pressure
Disconnect the electrical plug from the top of the fuel pump. Then, hop in your car and make it turn over for about 5 seconds. If it starts up, just let it stall out (it will really quickly). Then, remove the negative lead from the battery.
Step Three: Finding the filter
This step is fairly easy. It's attached to the driver's side strut wall. I have it circled in the picture below.
Step Four: Getting the filter out and replaced
Get out that trusty phillips head screw driver again and remove the clips that hold the lines to the filter tight. Be careful not to lose the nuts that make the clips stay tight. Once you've gotten that done, you'll need to get the tubes off. Using needle-nose pliers works very well for this, just as long as you don't beat the tubes too badly. They will take a little work to get off, but once you get them started they'll be easy. Note that when you take the tubes off, there might be a little bit of residual gas in the tubes so you might want a rag near by.
Now you have the tubes removed. Undo the clip that holds the filter to the wall and remove the filter carefully. Note the position of the plastic clip on the top that other fuel lines run through (It's like a guide thing to keep the tubes away from the engine). Once you have the filter out, be careful with it because it still has gas in it. Get out a can and pour the gas from the filter into the can. Make sure to do it through both tubes coming out of the filter just to get all of it out. Then, remove the rubber liner from around the old filter and put it on the new one.
Step Five: Reverse!
Once you have all that done, reverse the process. ATTACH THE TUBES TO THE CORRECT SIDES!!! The filter is marked with In and Out. The 'in' tube comes from the back of the car, while the 'out' tube goes straight into the manifold/intake/engine bit. Also, make sure to make the clasps tight on the tubes so that they don't go flying off or anything while you're driving. Reconnect the negative terminal and plug to the pump and you should be good to go. The car may take some extra time to start for the first time after replacing the filter, but after that, it shouldn't happen again.
Parts needed: Philips Head Screwdriver, Fuel Filter (FF739) - ~18 from Autozone, ratchet to undo negative terminal from battery
Time needed: 30 minutes (that's high, but gotta leave plenty of time)
Step One: Finding the damn fuel pump.
This step isn't too hard once you know where you're looking. Basically, you'll want to roll up the mat in your trunk to reveal the access hatch to the fuel pump.
There are 4 phillips head screws there. The front two are easy. The back two may require you to rig up a way to unscrew them if you don't want to remove the rear seat.
Step Two: Relieving Fuel System Pressure
Disconnect the electrical plug from the top of the fuel pump. Then, hop in your car and make it turn over for about 5 seconds. If it starts up, just let it stall out (it will really quickly). Then, remove the negative lead from the battery.
Step Three: Finding the filter
This step is fairly easy. It's attached to the driver's side strut wall. I have it circled in the picture below.
Step Four: Getting the filter out and replaced
Get out that trusty phillips head screw driver again and remove the clips that hold the lines to the filter tight. Be careful not to lose the nuts that make the clips stay tight. Once you've gotten that done, you'll need to get the tubes off. Using needle-nose pliers works very well for this, just as long as you don't beat the tubes too badly. They will take a little work to get off, but once you get them started they'll be easy. Note that when you take the tubes off, there might be a little bit of residual gas in the tubes so you might want a rag near by.
Now you have the tubes removed. Undo the clip that holds the filter to the wall and remove the filter carefully. Note the position of the plastic clip on the top that other fuel lines run through (It's like a guide thing to keep the tubes away from the engine). Once you have the filter out, be careful with it because it still has gas in it. Get out a can and pour the gas from the filter into the can. Make sure to do it through both tubes coming out of the filter just to get all of it out. Then, remove the rubber liner from around the old filter and put it on the new one.
Step Five: Reverse!
Once you have all that done, reverse the process. ATTACH THE TUBES TO THE CORRECT SIDES!!! The filter is marked with In and Out. The 'in' tube comes from the back of the car, while the 'out' tube goes straight into the manifold/intake/engine bit. Also, make sure to make the clasps tight on the tubes so that they don't go flying off or anything while you're driving. Reconnect the negative terminal and plug to the pump and you should be good to go. The car may take some extra time to start for the first time after replacing the filter, but after that, it shouldn't happen again.