Fuel Filter

I’ve seen big improvements in gas mileage with everything I’ve done so far. It only made sense to replace the fuel filter too, since I had no idea when/if it had been replaced before. What could go wrong?

The FSM suggests disconnecting the fuel pump and running the engine until it quits to purge fuel and pressure from the line. Instead, I removed the gas cap, wrapped a shop rag over the nuts attaching the fuel line to the filter and broke them loose. The rag served as a wick, allowing the fuel to drip into the oil pan. After about 90 seconds I was good to go.

It turns out I didn’t have a 19mm open end so I used a crescent and a 14mm flare nut. After breaking it loose, the front nut took the wrench the whole way out but the back nut came out by hand. Both went in by hand without difficulty and I tightened them up with the 14mm flare nut. Started the engine and let it run in the driveway for several minutes and checked for leaks. There were none. 45 minutes start to finish, including packing up my tools and taking a quick swim after to cool off.