WHY should you change your fuel filter?

I have read on many occasions that fuel filters should be replaced and I have thought "Ok. When its been on there for a while I guess it wouldn't do any harm I suppose". But then another voice in my head says "Hey. We are talking about petrol here. There can't be anything cleaner outside the passenger area than the fuel tank and the petrol you pump into it. So where's the advantage?". Right? So where would the alleged crap come from to block up the filter?

Anyway. I went out and bought a new filter. Exactly the same as the old filter. Got it home. Took it out of the box and, just out of curiosity, blew through it. There was absolutely no resistance to me blowing at all. Like it wasn't there.

Its now on the car and I have the old one in my hand, drained of petrol of course. So I have blown through that to see if there is any difference.

Knock me down with a feather!!!!! Have you ever tried to blow up a balloon? You know that tough bit where you have to get it to start off and the air goes everywhere except into the balloon? Well not as bad as that but not far off. So there is a CONSIDERABLE resistance to air flow in the old one. So much so that I wouldn't like to be the fuel pump having to push fuel through it towards the injectors. That's got to be hard work.

I am suddenly aware that this must inevitably have an impact on performance. In fact, having been for a run, it now goes like sh*t off a shovel. (That's a British expression. Means FAST. It comes from the olden days. Days of terraced houses and untethered dogs what used to roam the streets sh*tting at liberty. The solution was to scoop up the crap on a shovel and flick it into a the realm of the dog's owner. Preferably so that it hits the front door keyhole. I was an expert. Its all in the wrist action!)

I suppose it will be injector O-rings next (the ones on the inside of the injector not the outside) unfamiliar, as they must be, with having to confront an unrestrained fuel pump. I shall keep an eye on them. Dribbling may be imminent.

So there you go. Mine eyes have been opened. Change that fuel filter guys. This still doesn't explain where the crap comes from. I am going to try and split the old one open and see what's in there. I will post some pics of the guts of the old one in due course.

The crap comes from the petrol tank at the station.

It wouldn't hurt to clean the pick up on the pump if you change it again in 60k and find the same amount of resistance.

You will find next to nothing in the pump pick up screen. The screens are far more coarse than the fuel filter element.

I am a firm believer now that you really need to change the fuel filter every 30k miles as the paper element is rather fine and picks up all sorts of crap.

If you bother to cut open a fuel filter, you will likely find the inside element caked in a black sludge. Depending on how dry the filter is, the black will be an ultra fine powder that you can scrape off.

You will be surprised how thick this black gunk will actually get.

Originally Posted by jfoj

You will find next to nothing in the pump pick up screen. The screens are far more coarse than the fuel filter element.

I am a firm believer now that you really need to change the fuel filter every 30k miles as the paper element is rather fine and picks up all sorts of crap.

If you bother to cut open a fuel filter, you will likely find the inside element caked in a black sludge. Depending on how dry the filter is, the black will be an ultra fine powder that you can scrape off.

You will be surprised how thick this black gunk will actually get.

I will leave it a day or two to dry off then take a hacksaw to it.

...and a couple of other reasons to change it:

I read here that one fanatic had a no-start issue because of an original fuel filter not being changed up to 130K miles.

Also, when I did mine after an indefinite period of time (got the car as third owner), I got an extra 1.5 mpgs., so even if you pay someone to do it, you get a pretty short payback time.

If you don't know when it was done, start logging your mpg/mph data, change the filter, and compare the difference...bet you'll find a noticeable one.

Jfoj, I'm not sure about the 30K mile interval though...I'm thinking it's an Inspection II item, which I believe means 60K miles.

Originally Posted by RayPooley

I will leave it a day or two to dry off then take a hacksaw to it.

I'll do the same to mine and post pics in this thread. Will be changing it at 140k in a couple months, I am on my second filter I imagine.

Mine is from late 2009 so I'd assume it has about 60k on it

Mine has 67k on it. I might keep it around to cut it open as well. I imagine mine is ****ed. I need new pressure regulator vacuum fittings as well.

This guy is starting to see the PM light.

Originally Posted by E46Mango

This guy is starting to see the PM light.

Indeed.

It's funny that this is overlooked so often. There is a filter there for a reason, and that is gas is actually pretty dirty. Anything that's a filter, fluid, or moves/rotates a lot will always wear out at some point.

Originally Posted by E46Mango

This guy is starting to see the PM light.

I can't figure out how to respond to this. tell me waht the PM light is and I will let you know if I starting to see it.

It's both a night light to help you find your way to the bathroom at night, and it's the light you see, when your car is properly preventatively maintained...and you can bask in the glow from the security it gives you. Kind of makes me cry what a warm feeling that is!

This, btw, is not to be confused with the Mango light, which spells doom and foreboding, especially if you ignore it. We've lost many e46s because of failure to see 'this' light...aka the low coolant warning light.

The PM light is a spiritual light--only believers can see it!

Originally Posted by RayPooley

I can't figure out how to respond to this. tell me waht the PM light is and I will let you know if I starting to see it.

In a manner of speaking, it's also a kind of a Kool Aid light, if you're old enough know what that reference is about. It's pink, and it only comes on once, usually rather late in life.

Originally Posted by dmax

It's both a night light to help you find your way to the bathroom at night, and it's the light you see, when your car is properly preventatively maintained...and you can bask in the glow from the security it gives you. Kind of makes me cry what a warm feeling that is!

This, btw, is not to be confused with the Mango light, which spells doom and foreboding, especially if you ignore it. We've lost many e46s because of failure to see 'this' light...aka the low coolant warning light.

The PM light is a spiritual light--only believers can see it!

Yes there was even a short-lived thread about it!

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=937253

Originally Posted by Wolrab

In a manner of speaking, it's also a kind of a Kool Aid light, if you're old enough know what that reference is about. It's pink, and it only comes on once, usually rather late in life.

You sure its not brown? This PM light. You know. The color of bullsh*t?

Gas isn't perfectly clean, of course you'll need to change it every 60k or during Inspection II.

Also I wouldn't put my mouth on it

Originally Posted by RayPooley

You sure its not brown? This PM light. You know. The color of bullsh*t?

No. That would be the color of your fuel.

Originally Posted by Zell

Gas isn't perfectly clean, of course you'll need to change it every 60k or during Inspection II.

Also I wouldn't put my mouth on it

Its ok. I don't have any infectious diseases!!!!

Originally Posted by E46Mango

No. That would be the color of your fuel.

Preventative maintenance? Oh good heavens NO. Not at all. I replaced the fuel filter because I have an intermittent problem that I am trying to fix. Started Thursday last week. According to the Mango school of car maintenance I would have to replace the filter, the pump, the injectors, the petrol, in short, everything between injectors and tank on a just-in-case basis. In fact, if I remember correctly, isn't that the advise you gave to some poor unsuspecting schmuck last week? Can't remember what his problem was. A leaky 23 cent injector O-ring or something like that. The mango solution would set him back about $700 in parts alone. So certainly no hint of a conversion here and never will be.

As it happens, I also replaced the crankshaft position sensor today. And here's the rub. The one I replaced has only been on the car for 7 months. Why's that you ask? Well. Its because in March this year I had a misfire situation. Codes lead me to suspect intake camshaft sensor. So I replaced the intake camshaft sensor AND also replaced the exhaust cam position sensor and the crank position sensor. The very definition of your PM principle wouldn't you say? IF IT AIN'T BROKE, FIX IT! Isn't that your mission statement? Yet here I am 7 months later replacing the crank position sensor. Chances are, had I left the original one in place I wouldn't have had to do that today. So all in all I reckon that takes your IF IT AIN'T BROKE, FIX IT PM strategy firmly by the throat and gives it one straight up the backside. Its nonsense. And I really do wish you would stop pushing it on people who know no better.

Originally Posted by RayPooley

Preventative maintenance? Oh good heavens NO. Not at all. I replaced the fuel filter because I have an intermittent problem that I am trying to fix. Started Thursday last week. According to the Mango school of car maintenance I would have to replac the filter, the pump, the injectors, the petrol, in short, everything between injectors and tank on a just-in-case basis. In fact, if I remember correctly, isn't that the advise you gave to some poor unsusupecting schmuck last week? Can't remember what his problem was. A leaky 23 cent injector O-ring or something like that. The mango solution would set him back about $700 in parts alone. So certainly no hint of a conversion here and never will be.

As it happens, I also replaced the crankshaft position sensor today. And here's the rub. The one I replaced has only been on the car for 7 months. Why's that you ask? Well. Its because in March this year I had a misfire situation. Codes lead me to suspect intake camshaft sensor. So I replaced the intake camshaft sensor AND also replaced the exhaust cam position sensor and the crank position sensor. The very definition of your PM principle wouldn't you say? IF IT AIN'T BROKE, FIX IT! Isn't that your mission statement? Yet here I am 7 months later replacing the crank position sensor. Chances are, had I left the original one in place I wouldn't have had to do that today. So all in all I reckon that takes your IF IT AIN'T BROKE, FIX IT PM strategy firmly by the throat and gives it one straight up the backside. Its nonsense. And I really do wish you would stop pushing on people who know no better.

I needed a laugh today. Thank you!

Originally Posted by RayPooley

Preventative maintenance? Oh good heavens NO. Not at all. I replaced the fuel filter because I have an intermittent problem that I am trying to fix. Started Thursday last week. According to the Mango school of car maintenance I would have to replace the filter, the pump, the injectors, the petrol, in short, everything between injectors and tank on a just-in-case basis. In fact, if I remember correctly, isn't that the advise you gave to some poor unsuspecting schmuck last week? Can't remember what his problem was. A leaky 23 cent injector O-ring or something like that. The mango solution would set him back about $700 in parts alone. So certainly no hint of a conversion here and never will be.

As it happens, I also replaced the crankshaft position sensor today. And here's the rub. The one I replaced has only been on the car for 7 months. Why's that you ask? Well. Its because in March this year I had a misfire situation. Codes lead me to suspect intake camshaft sensor. So I replaced the intake camshaft sensor AND also replaced the exhaust cam position sensor and the crank position sensor. The very definition of your PM principle wouldn't you say? IF IT AIN'T BROKE, FIX IT! Isn't that your mission statement? Yet here I am 7 months later replacing the crank position sensor. Chances are, had I left the original one in place I wouldn't have had to do that today. So all in all I reckon that takes your IF IT AIN'T BROKE, FIX IT PM strategy firmly by the throat and gives it one straight up the backside. Its nonsense. And I really do wish you would stop pushing it on people who know no better.

There is a good middle ground b/w Mango and doing nothing.

I am an extreme moderate. I believe all those not in favor of moderation ought to be hanged.

My strategy of waiting for a mild issue and then replacing everything that's convenient while I'm there works fairly well if you're not made of money.