Im trying to replace the primary fuel filter (the one by the tank) on my 89 Accord (LX, carb.) and I cannot for the life of me get the filter to seperate from the case it sits in. I'm following the Hanes manual and it leaves a lot to be desired. I pulled all the clips back (there are 3, right?) and the filter will not budge. The underside of the car is coated in mud and dirt from living on a gravel road and that is probably part of the problem. Any ideas?

Heres what I'm looking at:
http://img110.imageshack.us/im...8.jpg

 

get the hoses off and get it to a work place so you can grab the filter and pull it out of the bracket, 2 10mm bolts hold the bracket on.

 

That's what I was thinking but the line coming into the filter from the tank is so hard to reach. It's also freezing cold outside so I probably won't try again until tomorrow.

 

I feel your pain; 7 degrees here this morning. Hell I might as well be a damn yankee and move to New York or some such state, if I'm gonna be this freakin cold.

 

This won't help you at all, but I changed the fuel filter on my '93 Volvo a few weeks ago. The instructions called for, get this, a 27mm open end wrench as well as a 22mm open end wrench (to get a hold of the filter), they specifically said to not use adjustable wrenches. The 27mm wrench was $19 from Sears, couldn't find any cheap brands that size. I was able to get the 22mm wrench for about $8 (Craftsman).

Oh yeah, I also busted a small hose that runs between the filter and the fuel pump (which are adjacent on this car) but of course you can't just walk into an auto parts store and pick up parts for a Volvo. Ordered it online but it took three days while my car was on a ramp in my driveway. And a cold front came through in those three days, temps dropped from the mid 60s to the upper 30s.

Even after spending $27 on wrenches and $35 on that small hose, I still came out cheaper than if I would have taken it to a mechanic, plus I now have a couple more Craftsman wrenches.

 

Yeah, I really don't want to get shafted by having to take it in. If I recall, it would have been close to $100 for both filters. So far I'm at $12 (I did the secondary filter easy enough) and I'd like to keep it that way. Also, the tubes are hard as heck to pull off in this cold weather. Oh well, tomorrow is another day.

 

You might consider getting up there with a bucket of warm, soapy water and an abrasive sponge (like you'd use for dishes) and an old toothbrush, and just start cleaning everything around there. Then, after it looks dry, spray some WD-40 on anything that looks like a connection.

Once you get it cleaner it might start to make sense on how to get it apart.

As for specific help, sorry, can't help you (never changed the one on my '99 Honda).

Good luck!