Hey guys, ChrisFix here! Today we're gonna do something awesome. We're gonna cut open a fuel filter that has 300,000 miles on it.
For those of you who don't know, this is my 95' Ford Windstar.
My family's owned it since it's been brand new.
And the cool thing about this van... check out that odometer - 305,000 miles on it and it's still running strong.
Since I have had this car since brand new, I know all the service that's been done to it. And it's never had a fuel filter change.
300,000 miles on the same fuel filter is crazy. And I cannot wait to cut it open to see what it looks like.
So not only are we cutting open a 300,000 mile fuel filter in my van,
we're gonna open 130,000 mile fuel filter from my pickup truck
and then a 30,000 mile fuel filter from my Corvette.
So these three fuel filters should really neat idea of what a fuel filter looks like
at 30, 130, and 300,000 miles
Now the fuel filter on this van is located right in front of the rear driver's side tire.
and to get under there I am going to use some ramps
Now that she's up with the engine running we are going to pop the hood
and go over the fuse box and remove the fuse for the fuel pump so the engine will stall out just like that
and just to be safe always block off your tires so if the car does try to roll it'll stop
now we can go slide underneath the van because all the fuel pressure has been released
that way is the front of the van and tucked right on the inside of the frame rail is where the fuel filter is hiding.
Another safety tip- anytime your're working on the fuel system, wear your goggles; you don't want fuel in your eyes
and have a fire extinguisher ready, just in case. Better to be safe than sorry.
Now get your quick-disconnect tool and let's disconnect these fuel lines.
I'll pop that clip up. Good.
And I'm using a flat head screwdriver to help give me leverage as I help wedge this quick-disconnect tool into the fuel line.
And now the fuel line should slide right off, and it's that easy. So let's go do the other side.
If you want more information on how you remove the fuel filters, I have a video specifically for this and I'll leave that video in the description.
Now I'm gonna take out the filter out of the holder. Good— and the hose will come right off.
Out with the old, in with the new.
You want to pay attention to the flow direction because it's important you orient this correctly
Installation is even easier
you just slide the fuel line over the fuel filter fitting, don't forget to push the clip back in, and when you hear it click, test the connection by giving it a little wiggle, beautiful
now one last step, I like to write the on the filter so if you forget the last time you changed the filter now you can check it
I don't know about you but i'm pretty excited to see what the fuel filter is gonna look like after 20 years and 305 thousand miles
lets cut this baby open
Alright, so here's everything we're going to be looking at.
We have the 300k mile van filter
We have the 130k mile truck filter
And we have the 30k mile Vette filter.
I also have a brand new filter that I cut open for you guys.
So that you could see what a new filter looks like.
So that we actually have something to compare against.
So this is a brand new filter.
You could see how it works:
The fuel comes in this way,
And then it gets blocked here and has to go through the filter.
in order to come out this way.
So we are going to all the dirt and stuff in these pleats.
And in order to cut this open, I can't use a cutoff tool I normally would.
Instead, I'm gonna have to go manual, and use a hand saw. And hopefully this won't create any sparks.
Because any sparks next to fuel filters, which are filled with gasoline, is not gonna be a good thing.
So I have to be super careful.
Now I'm gonna move everything out of the way, and we are going to start with our van 300,000 mile fuel filter.
So the first thing to do, is I want to empty the filter and see if anything comes out.