Fuel Filter Change...

Hi there,

I was reading about the additive change in New York to Ethanol in
gasoline. One of the things that I read was that one should change the
"fuel filter". This is basically so that all the rust and other
particulate matter that the ethanol removes does not clog up the
injectors. Atleast this is what I read.

How true is this? How necessary is this step? How much would it cost.

Also was wondering if this filter is diefferent from the oil filter
that is replaced when you do an oil change. I have a feeling it is but
just want to know from you guru's out there.

Thank You.

Pravin Nair

 

Fuel filters should be replaced according to your car's owner's manual's
maintenance schedule. For my 1991 Civic, it's every 60k miles or four years,
whichever comes first. Your Honda's may be different.

About the cost of an oil change. It's about as difficult/easy.

I do mine myself and I'm no mechanical wizard. (Well, maybe I am "for a woman.")

Yes, the oil filter and fuel filter are very different. Go to an Autozone, Napa,
or other auto parts store. They'll have a book or little computer into which you
enter your car's model. It will spew out the correct oil filter, air filter,
fuel filter, etc. All different filters.

 

Is this a recent change to the fuel formulation for New York? Other nearby
states (NJ, Conn.) have been using oxygenates in the fuel for several
years.

Where did you read it? It's the kinda reasoning that dealers would be
happy to feed you to get you to spend extra $$. OTOH it's not impossible
that the ethanol might pull some extra residue from the fuel tank but I
doubt that there'd be enough to cause problems. Your fuel system has to be
pretty clean anyway even without the ethanol and I don't think that there'd
be enough extra "dirt" to overwhelm the fuel filter.

Yes it's a different filter - it's an in-line filter in the fuel line - and
on models where it is in the engine compartment, the change used to be
scheduled for 60K miles though even there, recent models dropped the
requirement. On some recent models, it's inside the fuel tank next to the
fuel pump and has no scheduled change and would be more expensive to
change.

Rgds, George Macdonald

"Just because they're paranoid doesn't mean you're not psychotic" - Who, me??

 

MTBE is also an oxygenate. NY has recently rejected MTBE for ethanol.

http://www.aaany.com/press/where_stand/986where_we_stand_stories.asp

 

This is true *IF* the auto has never had any ethanol in it's fuel
tank. Otherwise, it's nothing to worry about. The filter should be
changed whether or not it's had ethanol in the tank, as one cannot
prove that some crud ends up in the gasoline at the gas station.

Depends on the car.


Vuarra

Quid quid latine dictum sit altum videtur.
(That which is said in Latin sounds profound.)

 

Yeah but I'd thought that some of the companies were using ethanol in the
N.E. already - maybe not. BTW the ethanol is problematic for storage of
the finished gasoline - it draws water in from the moisture in the air.

Hmmm, more bureacratic fumbling and bumbling on top of the usual chemistry
heresy. I'm sure Mr. Daschle will be most pleased.

Rgds, George Macdonald

"Just because they're paranoid doesn't mean you're not psychotic" - Who, me??