DIY - 2.4L / 2.7L fuel filter relocation mod

Thanks for the write up - worked great. Did mine while the intake was off.

 

Got a link for that?

Roy

 

Excellent write-up, @keakar! I used 1/4" fuel injection line and fuel injection clamps just to be safe. I also got 2 new washers for the fuel rail banjo nut. Anyone who does this, get 2 or 3 spare fuel rail banjo nut washers, the bottom one is a bitch when you're trying to reassemble and you WILL drop one into the engine bay netherworld. The OEM fuel filter comes with 4 new washers for the banjo fittings on the fuel filter. There is no scheduled replacement interval for the fuel filter, which is stupid. My truck only has 90,000 miles and the gas I dumped out of the old filter was dark brown with visible sediment. Once I got everything put back together, the idle was noticeably smoother, the engine cranks less before starting and the butt-dyno is measuring a 5 HP improvement. It's also a huge relief that fuel filter changes will be fast and easy now.

 

glad it helped you and sounds like you really needed it changed

PS - that's where Toyota should have put the damn fuel filter on both the 4 & 6 engine trucks

now that I own a v6 taco I figured changing the fuel filter on it sounds easy and its right there under the drivers seat on the frame rail, but its not that easy to do even if it is easy to get to, the gas keeps draining out all over you and you have to literally pull the fuel lines loose to release them from the fuel line brackets that are cheap plastic and I was scared as hell they would break off but I managed to do it without breaking anything but I was covered in gas even after releasing all fuel pressure in advance of doing it. no need for a write up on the v6 filter change except to say wear a frickin rain coat and old clothes you don't mind throwing away after being soaked in gas

 

Nice write-up and some great info from everyone. Thank you.

Looks like I will be doing this very soon.

 

I just ended up remounting mine in the factory location because it'll be good for another 175k..

 

I thought about just going back to the factory mount because its really not that hard, after second thought I did the re-locate ,
I also found the fitting size for the hose extension to be 1/4" , NOT 5/16" hose like the OP suggested
I got everything ready to go and the 5/16 hose was loosey goosey and could cause catastrophic failure
I had to make another run to the auto parts store
critical safety item to avoid injury or death:
use only 1/4" fuel injection hose and special fuel injection hose clamps, insure routing is not rubbing anything sharp
and because I have a 4x4 and travel gravel roads I found a relaxed position on the fender and drilled holes and bolted it through at both clamp locations with fender washers and nylock nuts
I also carry a round point shovel for firefighting. As long as there is a good supply of soft mineral dirt it makes an excellent fire extinguisher. ( also comes in handy for snuffing abandoned campfires)
I have put out underhood car fires before they consume the entire vehicle with a shovel and dirt long after a fire extiguisher is spent

 

don't know what to tell you, but the 5/16" hose fit very snug on my reused stock fittings but just for the sake of safety I will edit the first post accordingly

 

oh yeah thanks
sometimes factory parts can vary slightly sorry for all the drama just want to be sure no one has a fuel leak
thanks for the mod idea

 

I was going to attempt this but let a local shop change mine. I bought the oem filter for 31$ from camelback and he installed it for 45$. He said it was the original so I'm glad I changed it.

 

seems like the hose closer to the fire wall is to short to make this happen......this filter is somewhat of a PITA to rerplace.....

 

I can relate when I first got my 97 I couldn't find the fuel filter ,when I traced it down ,i called Toyota shop and asked how they attack changing it. Believe it or not they told me they drop the starter for access. I thought ,no way got to be a better way , then i found the inner fender irremovable plate for lack of a better word . I could go straight into the filter and using Braille change it with out dropping the starter.Not too bad ,but is a poor location ~~OBT~~

 

Well Ive had the truck for bout 40k mikes and never changed the fuel filter so i thought it was about time to get'er done... Wasnt nearly as bad as i was expecting thanks to this thread... I just put her back where i found her this time but next time i will doing the relocation mod.... them mounting screws were a bit of a bitch to get into but once i found the path for my right arm it was clear sailing, no need to take off the tire as suggested in the video...Hardest and most frustrating part was locating the dropped banjo screw i knocked into the engine like an idiot... Lots of brown nasty came out so im glad i did, the truck is purring much smoother now...

Thank you keakar and to all those who contributed...

 

I am doing mine now. '96 2.4 I4. The bottom mount bolt is easy from below with the tire off, and a long extension; no u-joint required on mine. The upper bolt is a PIA; I did mine from above and from the front. Broke it loose with a 3/8" ratchet and 2" extension. Then, switched to a stubby 3/8" ratchet with the same extension to get it the rest of the way out.

Roy

 

Done! With same loosening method as Roy. I'll never go back.

 

One just needs to understand you will never see that top bolt. Just reach in, and feel for it.

 

And, the bottom bolt.

 

@tcBob please un-sticky. Too many stickies in the first gen section.

 

I have a 2.7L with the filter also "buried" under the throttle body. I am not relocating mine.

That location was likely chosen to protect the filter in the event of a side impact collision. Locating it on the inner fender panel makes it much more likely it will be crushed between the UCA or strut and the TB.

I know the fuel lines run through that area, but if you think about what would happen to a fuel line in a crash, it is likely to be bent and mostly pinched shut. Even if not, it will only output a small stream of fuel. The filter, on the other hand, is like a tiny tank and will be ruptured and instantly spread fuel.

Don't kill the messenger. Just something to consider.

 

Damn you, @Wsidr1, you are so right. At first I just glanced over your post, but the more I thought about it over the last few days, the more paranoid I got. So I put my fuel filter back in the original location. It's a whore but doesn't have to be done that often. The top bolt on the fuel filter bracket is no big deal, but the bottom bolt is a S.O.B. I used every 3/8" extension on hand to reach it without taking off the tire. I used a couple drops of superglue to hold the bolt in the socket so it didn't fall into a black hole. The bond breaks easy once the bolt is started in it's threads.


The lower fuel filter bracket bolt is reachable like so:


...aaand the fuel filter is back in its OG location so hopefully I won't perish in an excruciating inferno if I'm ever hit in the front left fender: