freezerman

Is it possible to change the fuel filter from the top using regular wrenches. The instructions in the faq section say to use crow foot wrenches from the bottom of the car. Has anyone had any luck doing it a different way from the top? I'm just wondering if I can do this without buying special tools?

professorman

Man, even with the right tools, that is a PIA to change. It does need the crow foot wrench for the bottom.

sobey

How critical is it to change the fuel filter as preventative maintenance? This is the one maintenance item I havent done since the car was bought (1994!). Last time I took the car to an "independent" and he said not to bother.

TheMuffinMan

iTrader: (1)

The manual has a "REPLACE" at every 24,000 miles. Not an "INSPECT" which replace if damaged.

I would just bite the bullet and go for it. It's on the list of things to do with my car.

freezerman

I would definately do the filter if I were you. I got stuck at work yesterday when my car wouldn't start due to the filter being clogged. It was a royal pain changing it in the parking lot at work today. It was filled with brown rusty gas. It was easier to do the bottom fitting with two people. One person on top with a wrench and the other person under the car with a crow foot wrench. It's a simple thing that can leave you stranded.

justfurebay

i'm looking for a diy.

professorman

Look in the Accord FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions), and look for the link titled "94-97 Accord Fuel Filter Replacement"

sobey

Did the fuel filter replacement. Wasnt replaced in 15 years. Tech showed me all the dirty (black) gas inside! Glad I did it.

CRZ1

sobey,

How many miles on your car if you do not mind? My car is 97 accord with 84,000 miles, never changed the fuel filter, not sure how dirty it is. I bought OEM fuel filter and all the tools needed, plan to replace it myself.

justfurebay

sobey, you paid to have it changed? how much did you pay? i still can't get my lower bolt off...lol.

sobey

CRZ1,

I have 150,000 miles. I am diligent about not letting the gas go below 1/4 tank.

Its not an easy process. Two person job as well you have to lift the car up and down a few times.

It took about 40 minutes and cost $40 labour. Well worth it....

Any idea why Hondadude says to use the original aluminum washer?

http://www.freewebs.com/hondadude/95...l%20Filter.htm

CRZ1

sobey,

I guess Hondadude meant do not use copper washer. I fuel filter I bought come with 3 aluminum washers.

Some areas of Hondadude paper are not clear to me. For example, why use a 14mm line wrench, how can he bump 14mm line wrench with impact. I am wondering maybe it make sense to use 14mm crowfoot and you can bump that with impact.

aasaa666

the fuel filter is the same as the 97+ prelude. you'll need some swivels, extensions, 19mm crowfoot, 14mm flare nut crowfoot, and 17mm socket. If you're doing it on the ground, it is a real pain. I got some fuel under my arm pits and it hurt like hell. whatever you do, dont loosen the bracket first. crack loose the banjo, and then the line from the bottom. reason is because the the bottom is hard line so everything has to sit perfectly. dont forget to replace the 2 washers for the banjo and torque everything to spec. good luck.

CRZ1

aasaa666,

I read somewhere, people said loose the bottom first but not completely unscrew it. Then remove banjo from top and remove the bottom thread from top. I got the idea, but the fuel filter is in a difficult location, I am not sure I can work from top. My plan delayed due to my other can altima CV boot cracked, I need got it fixed first. I am new to do job on cars so am afraid to screw up the accord. My landlord also replace my kitchen and bathroom and I can only work on sunny weekend. I am afraid I only can get time to replace the filter in June.

Thanks

CRZ1

Hi,

My car is accord 97 4 door LX, the engine is F22B2. I did not find the fuel service bolt. The service manual said it is on the fuel rail, the Haynes book has photo, I am pretty sure look at the right the area, but just can not find it. Is it possible no fuel service bolt? This car is imported from Japan.

tamadrummer1120

I did mine about a month ago at school. We had the car on the lift and it took about 2 and a half hours. The problem we had was getting the bracket on the new one barely in the mounting hole so that the we could screw the bottom line in. First we thought we cross threaded it because we tightened the mount completely and it pulled the fuel filter a little to the left and not straight. All good though.

FTW_Accord94

yeah its impossible if your trying to get the filter off from the top! i just switched mine and i had to get to it from the bottom with the cross member dropped! ! ! so irritating! but i would definitely replace it if you havent since 94 lol....pb blaster is a great thing to have while you do this

K-Sto

I just changed mine - car is at 165k miles, it had about 115k when I bought it and I'd never had the fuel filter changed. It *was* a pia! I'm small, so I was able to get my arms down where the bolts are - I still had to be under the car with crow foot wrenches on extenders to get the fuel line bolt - but I had a hard time wiggling the old filter out and the new one in once I got the bolts undone.
The Mann filter I bought has a longer "bolt" on the bottom of the filter, where the fuel line comes in, which meant the bracket no longer matches up with the hole in the body that it should clip into. I screwed the bolt on the fuel line into the filter with the bracket loose from the body, to hopefully avoid misaligning the bolt...I'm a little concerned because the 14mm bolt on the fuel line isn't sitting flush against the filter. As I said, I was careful to line the filter and that bolt up correctly, and it's as tight as I could get it, and I didn't see any leaks when I primed the system and then ran the engine for a couple minutes...
Has anyone else found that that bolt won't screw all the way in? It was a little stiff sliding up the line sometimes, so maybe it's stuck? I spent three hours on this job (too much of that trying to line up that bottom bolt in the first place!), and it's cold and about to get dark, so I left it as is for now...should I go back to it in a few days and see if I can seat it better?

MAD_MIKE

The bottom bolt is a compression fitting, if the threads are are not as long/deep in this filter than the previous one, it will show more threads. If it is seated correctly/not leaking/with a tight fit it should be fine.

K-Sto

Thank you for that peace of mind, Mad Mike, I'll still keep an eye on it, but I'm less worried now

Brayan Esquivel

Has anyone tried to get the aftermarket Washable filter? I have 2 just for the cause of if it's dirty I can just replace it, wash it and let it dry and still be able to drive my car without waiting on the one that is washed to dry.

GhostAccord

Are you asking about washable fuel filters or air filters?

Unless you are running your car on gas out of a Jerry can or dirty container, you really shouldn't have to replace the fuel filter all that often. I have seen them go 150k+ without needing to be changed.

Also, I am not a fan of washing a fuel filter with soap and water any way, a good soaking of carb/throttle body cleaner and a couple blasts of compressed air pushing from the inside out is really all you would need. Then put it back in, no need to let it dry.