Look what was inside my fuel filter

[Craig0320]

Recently I noticed a hesitation hitting passing gear and a fuel mileage drop. Decided to change the fuel filter and found all kinds of goodies.

Water, sand, misc debris, and what looked to be gas.

 

[Shran]

Looks to me like it did its job!

 

[Craig0320]

Yeah it did but it was so bad that it was dripping out of the front side of the filter going to the injectors also. How nothing got clogged I don't know.

 

[Doofy]

Nasty! I haven't seen anything that nasty since the early 70s. Found some really filthy gas during the big gas rationing crisis. About all you could get was the crud from the bottom of their tanks.

 

[91stranger]

That's the same color mine was coming out when I changed mine. Mine had a black/grey tint to it though. Fuel at the motor was clear so my filter was doing its job thank god. Next plans are to remove bed, remove fuel pump, clean tank, put new pump in, paint frame john deer green since bed will be off then reinstall everything. Someone said the gas tanks have baffles (walls) in them so cleaning it may be hard. Will try the magnet tricks. Sucks because I still have 3/4 of a tank.

 

[Craig0320]

The only good part of it was I had it off and back on in about ten minutes.

 

[adsm08]

That's nothing. I have seen them run black, with chunks. I replaced more than one fuel filter that rattled.

One time I replaced the original air and fuel filters on a 500 at 80K miles. That was no bueno. I showed the guy his air filter, and he was amazed it even ran (so was I). He came back a week later to tell me that the car felt much peppier and had picked up about 5 MPG on the tank he had run since it was in for service.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

That's nothing. I have seen them run black, with chunks. I replaced more than one fuel filter that rattled.

One time I replaced the original air and fuel filters on a 500 at 80K miles. That was no bueno. I showed the guy his air filter, and he was amazed it even ran (so was I). He came back a week later to tell me that the car felt much peppier and had picked up about 5 MPG on the tank he had run since it was in for service.

We just replaced a cabin air filter that was still painted white from when International Harvester painted the cab in 1976.

Felt like the thing was a 3' long brick.

 

[fastpakr]

The only good part of it was I had it off and back on in about ten minutes.

I'm surprised it's not harder to get to than that. When I installed the 4406, I threw in a new fuel filter before lifting up the case since it looked like it would be awful to swap with the case in place.

 

[Craig0320]

I disconnected the rear line and then pulled the filter out with the front line still attached and took it right off.

 

[Shran]

The newer clamp style filters are pretty easy as long as the fuel line clips come apart the first time. Front driveshaft is kinda in the way but it's doable. Older trucks with the hose clamp around the filter can be a pain if the hose clamp gets rusted up but the fuel line clips are a lot easier. This reminds me that I need to change filters in a couple trucks.

FWIW I have not seen a baffled factory fuel tank yet. If you have small enough arms, you can put your whole arm in the tank and wipe it out through the sending unit hole.

 

[Craig0320]

I originally thought it was going to be a pain to get it off also. With the 4406 in there the filter and case are pretty much giving each other a high five they are so close.

 

[Craig0320]

That's nothing. I have seen them run black, with chunks. I replaced more than one fuel filter that rattled.

One time I replaced the original air and fuel filters on a 500 at 80K miles. That was no bueno. I showed the guy his air filter, and he was amazed it even ran (so was I). He came back a week later to tell me that the car felt much peppier and had picked up about 5 MPG on the tank he had run since it was in for service.

I can only imagine the stuff you have seen over the years.

 

[adsm08]

I can only imagine the stuff you have seen over the years.

Oh the stories I have.

Never put a radiator in a CR-V without a new temp sensor on hand.

 

[Craig0320]

I am going to change my fuel filter again this weekend just to see how much more got caught in the new one. They are only 6 bux at napa so what the hell.