1st Gen Fuel Filter How-To

Just finished my first change of a fuel filter on my 1997 2.7L. I'm not set up to take good photos, but I'll just post what tools I used and a few things that I wish I'd known to start off with.

All I needed used was a regular socket, stubby socket, 10mm, 12mm, 17mm, and a combination of extentions.

Start by opening your gas cap to depressurize system.

Loosen the lines while the filter is still bracketed down. Gas will come out, maybe a few ounces. I did the front first because it was easier to reach. There's a sensor bracketed to the block directly in front of it, I just bent it out of the way. Both of these I did with a stubby socket, they're 17mm. The bolts for the lines have two washers each, one below the head like any bolt, and one between the line and the filter body.

Then you can use a the stubby again, 12mm and a small extension to get the top-most bracket bolt. All the way out. Then, and this would have saved me an hour, loosen the bottom bracket bolt slightly with the same setup. That should allow you to wiggle the filter out. If you can avoid it, don't mess with the middle bracket bolt that sits vertically. That screws up the alignment of the bracket and top bolt, which was a pain to reset.

Slide your new filter with the U-shaped line guides in as close to the same position as the old ones. Crank down the bottom bracket bolt, and then put the top-most one back in. Now you have something to torque against for the line bolts. The 'in' side of the filter (fatter one) goes in front, and makes a nice hand hold also.

My new filter came with 4 new copper gaskets. I'm sure it's fine to use the old ones if yours did not. Put those back and retighten your lines, pretty snug but not too tight (so I hear). I used stubby in front, and had room for regular length rachet in back.

Crank it up and check for leaks. All in all took me about 2 hours. Could probably do it in 45 next time. My old filter came out pretty clean, but it's hard for me to put a price on peace of mind. That's it. The auto gods were with me today...no leaks!