Fuel Filter in Gas Tank? (best, selling, replacement, driver)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
This came as a shock to me several years ago. In fact, I argued with someone on CD - no way would they put the fuel pump in the gas tank to keep it cool, that is just incredibly stupid.
Well I was wrong. They do put them in the gas tank and they do it to keep them cool. It is a really stupid idea and it is done for really stupid reasons, even a friend who designs drive trains for GM agreed it is an amazingly stupid thing to do. They need to keep them cool because they are now made of cheap plastic and tend to overheat. They make them out of cheap plastic to "reduce mass" in order to meet requirements of some calculation for government regulations (emissions related). They do not actually reduce the mass of the car at all, because you have to carry around a gallon or two of extra fuel at all times to keep them cool, thus, you are really increasing the mass of the car, but that does not matter, It is all about meeting theoretical calculation. I am summarizing how he explained it in my words and may not be 100% in wording or precise scientific explanation, but that is the gist of it. Yes it is what they do.
On my Camaro z28, I was quoted a cost of over $1000 to replace the fuel pump. That is because they had to drop the exhaust system to drop the gas tank to get to the fuel pump and then weld the exhaust back together. Option 2 was they could cut a hole through he body of the car form the inside and make a trap door through which they could access the gar tank and replace the fuel pump. I think that was about $350. I took option 2 but it meant I had a trap door cut in the back of my car, but the carpet and padding covered it up. Obviously a dealer is not going to offer option 2. Only an independent shop will do things like that. That may not be an option for all cars, not sure.
Wait a minute. I think I just wrote this a minute ago in the no spare tire thread. Let me save time and just copy and paste it. Here it is:
Now that I don't drive anymore and these things don't matter, I can just laugh. People just love to watch corporate marketing run to the bank with their money.
Instead, I would just disconnect the fuel line, remove the gas cap and shoot compressed air through the line in reverse to the tank and call it good. If it does it again, repeat. I have done this on tractors. You can install an in line filter if you want, if you think it needs it.
Uh, no. Some of you have no clue what the fuel filter looks like in the gas tank and it's not usually replaced. It fits on the bottom pickup of the fuel pump and is nothing more than a screen looking affair. Here's what one looks like:
The only time you would normally replace this is when you replace the fuel pump itself. Yes, it's kept in the gas to keep it cool because of the pressure requirements of the injector pump, not because it's made from cheap plastic. It's generally a good idea to never let the gas tank fall below 1/4 tank of gas to keep enough gas in there to keep the pump cool. Failure is stupid and stupid costs money.
I am a retired Master Auto Technician and we used to be called Mechanics when the fuel filters were in the fuel line or at the Carb, Now the filters are in the tank and I am happy to be retired !
Well, I don't know how long ago you retired, but my 1962 Corvair van had a strainer on the end of the fuel line in the tank (a screen) and a sintered bronze fuel filter at the carburetor intake.
In other words, this is not some weird new thing, but rather it's standard practice for about 50 years.
I called Autozone, he said I have to replace my fuel pump to get to my fuel filter because it's in the gas tank? I thought it was ridiculous... thats a 700-1000 job alone I believe. is this right? I have a 2002 Dodge Ram 4.7 Liter. man this sucks if it's true...
Most vehicles with EFI have the fuel filter in the gas tank. Replacement isn't trivial, but its not rocket science either. I replaced the in-tank filter/pump in my 2003 Dakota in a couple of hours.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
