Hi guys,

I'd like to start doing more repairs myself to my '01 Monte Carlo SS. I was told I needed a new fuel filter. How hard is that to replace? Would it involve dropping the fuel tank out of the car? Should I just leave that to my local Chevy dealer?

Thanks!

Eric

 

Alright not all that hard...just make sure that u dont get anything!!!!!!!!! into the fuel lines but air and fuel VERY important!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hopefully u get the point. ur fuel filter should b mounted to the floor pan jsut before the gas tank.
first step is to disconnect the battery.
second make sure to relieve the fuel pressure so it doesnt spray everywhere to do this open the gas cap and locate the fuel pressure regulator and there should b a bleed valve on it.
next get under the car (you will probably need to have it on jack stands and remove the filter(it is a cylinder...should look like the new one u purchased) i believe there are plastic tabs that u need to disconnect on both sides.
next there are nuts on both sides that need to be loosened in order to remove the filter. there will most likely be fuel in the filter so u will need rags or a small container.
finally remover the mounting brackets and the filter should come off. there will b an o ring in there so make sure u watch where it is located and to purchase a new one with the new filter...the install is the exact opposite.

good luck

 

Wish I could replace mine, NAPA told me it was listed as Non-Serviceable which meant that it was probably in the gas tank...

I agree the absolute most important thing next to making sure the car won't fall on you while you're under it would be to keep EVERYTHING out of the fuel lines.

 

all i did was take the fuse out for the fuel pump,start it then it should stall after a few seconds then proceed to taking it off as kweef said.
VERY IMPORTANT make sure the new filter is alligned with the fuel line or you will strip the threads as i did.still wanna smack myself for such a stupid mistake[:@]

 

never thought of that...good call

 

Hello again. I just wanted to issue a huge, heartfelt THANK YOU to all of you who contributed to my question/post about fuel filter replacement. I put the rear of the car on ramps last night, disconnected the battery, and crawled under the car to replace the fuel filter. After getting hosed with fuel under pressure, I was able to swap out the old with the new and now the car finally has the pick-up that it used to!

Guys, this was my very first time replacing something on my own car besides wiper blades! LOL! Thanks to all of you, the job cost me a little over $7 for the filter whereas my local dealer wanted $54.63 to do the job for me. I smelled of gas but I saved $47. I was one happy guy last night when I took the car out for a test drive afterwards. I couldn't believe I did it.

Jay26, I definitely kept in mind the issue of stripping the threads as I reassembled the unit. Next time around, I will do what you said about the fuse for the fuel pump. That would have saved me a scary moment as fuel sprayed out and I scrambled out from under the car and pulling the halogen lamp out as well. Thank God for safety glasses.

God_Bot, I was scared the whole time as I had images of the car crushing me as I was underneath it. I made sure to block the wheels but now I'm going to invest in some jack stands. And I think the NAPA guy was wrong about the filter being non-serviceable.

Kweef, I had your instructions printed out and right next to me as I worked on the car. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

This is a great forum and thank you all again so much for helping a newbie like me out. I used to be a ticket writer when I was a kid at Sears Automotive in Washington, D.C. So I know much of the mechanics involved but I've never done anything in practice. You guys gave me the help I needed to actually do it all by myself.

Eric

 

ur welcome! jsut a question but y did u not release the pressure b4 u pulled the line apart

 

Why did I not release the pressure? The answer to that is easy. Because I'm a dork! LOL! Seriously, it was my first time ever doing this and now I have learned my lesson. Quite frankly, I knew there would be some pressure but I wasn't sure just how much. I thought opening the fuel cap would relieve some of that but I have now learned otherwise. You can be sure that I will do that the next time around.

Eric

 

no prob. any time i can help

 

It is an adventure in "Do-it-yourself" fixes. But, it's dangerous without supporting the car at two points whille you are underneath doing the wrenching and Clip undoing.
Mu O-ring didn't come out with the Filter and the New Filter didn't have the O-ring ... so, the Old one is getting its second Tour of Filtering Gas.
Order the 12-ton adjustable Jack Stands from Harbor Freight. Gets two sets of two and you can have your car right up in the air and have enough room to ride underneath on a Creeper.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=34924