When to change the fuel filter

The fuel filter performs a very important function, since the health and durability of the car engine depends on the purity of the fuel. This is especially important for injection and diesel engines. And in Russia, as we all know, the quality of fuel often leaves much to be desired.

The fuel filter must be changed regularly. Usually the instructions indicate that the replacement should be made every 30 thousand kilometers, but this statement only applies to ideal conditions. By some signs, you can determine that the filter has already worked its resource:

• black smoke from the exhaust pipe;
• jerking of the car during engine start.

The fuel filter is located between the tank and the engine, but depending on the model of the car, its location can be under the hood, under the rear seats, or under the bottom of the car, and to replace the car, you need to drive it into a “pit” or overpass.

Immediately before replacing, you need to turn off the engine, remove the negative terminal of the battery and reduce the pressure in the fuel line. To do this, either remove the fuel pump fuse or disconnect the fuel pump power plug.

When this is done, we find the filter itself, remove it from the holders - brackets or clamps, and then disconnect it from the fuel pipe fittings. Some gasoline may leak from the fuel line, so prepare a container in advance.

A new filter is installed according to the arrow, which indicates the direction of fuel flow. In some car models, it will simply not be possible to install the filter incorrectly, since the fuel pipe fittings have different threads and diameters. When the filter is installed, you just need to turn on the fuel pump and put back on the "ground" on the battery. As you can see, the procedure is quite simple.

If you have a diesel engine, then everything happens in the same sequence, but with the difference that there may be several filters: a coarse filter, a fine filter, a sump filter. They must be changed at the same time. Special requirements are put forward for the purity of diesel fuel, and even more so in the conditions of Russia, where paraffins can crystallize in diesel in winter. It is for this reason that diesel engines cannot be started at low temperatures, and filters clog faster.

Loading…