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I know there are several other posts on here about fuel filter replacement/problems and i'm not discrediting any of them because they helped me, but i just wanted to throw my 2 cents out there for anyone who's had a similar problem.

so i attempted to get my original fuel filter off my 2000 v6 once before with regular box wrenches and it wasnt coming off. i then looked at midias' post and decided i had to try harder to get it off before cutting the line. i went out monday and dropped $30 on a set of craftsmen flare nut wrenches which are definitely a must have for anyone who works on their own car. anyway...once i had the wrenches getting the filter off took 5 minutes. the disastrous part was with the installation of the POS $18 purolator filter i had bought. after i installed it it was leaking EVERYWHERE. after putting it on and take it off 5 times it would not seal. i now had a nice puddle of gas making me nauseous inside my garage. so i gave up, went to the toyota dealer the next day and dropped twice as much money on a toyota fuel filter which conveniently comes in a new bracket. went home and it went right on leak free. anyway i figure i might as well make this a how to/tutorial for anyone planning on changing their filter soon.

0. remove the fuel cap to relieve fuel system pressure.

1. remove your entire factory airbox and hose or intake if you have an aftermarket one. a 10mm socket should take care of all of this.

2. with the intake out of the way you have plenty of room to access the fuel filter from the drivers side on the engine bay.

3. at the top outflow hose of the filter there is a plastic cover that needs to be removed to access the quick disconnect fitting. squeeze the side of it and wiggle it and it should come off. you can use a small flat head screwdriver to help pop it off if necessary.

4. you will see two white tabs on the "plug" going into the top of the filter. squeeze them together and the hose should slide off. be prepared for a small amount of gas to come out.

5. now for the stubborn part... take a 19mm box wrench or flare if you have it and put it on the nut at the bottom of the filter. then take the 14mm flare nut wrench and put on the fitting on the incoming fuel line at the bottom of the filter. next take a use the 19mm just to help support the filter. pull the 14mm toward the fender to loosen the fitting. it will probably be difficult. if need be hook another wrench over the end of the 14mm for more leverage. finally, be prepared to bust your knuckles.

6. once the fitting is lose unscrew it. some more gas will leak out. now loosen the 10mm nuts on the filter bracket that attach it to the side of the engine bay. also, disconnect the wire harness attached to the bracket. pull out the old filter assembly.

7. install is the reverse procedure. only thing is put the button fuel line on first before attaching the filter and push up on the line against the filter while tightening to make sure it is properly seated. give alltrac92 credit for that tip.... finally bolt up the bracket, snap on the outgoing hose and you're done.

moral of the story, its better to pay $40 for something that works than $20 for something that doesnt....

your lucky it came off that easy. i've had 3 places try to loosen mine with no luck. someone told me to try heating it up.

well, u could have used teflon tape to make it seal just right...but u got it fixed with the toyota one....so i guess all is good.

nice write up.

thanks, preciate it and i saw your tip on that as well. but this was no small leak, i dunno think the tape couldn't held it. its was really pourin' out.

Teflon tape really works for small leaks. I'll never change the filter again w/o it.

My line was so frozen that I had to cut it and replace the whole tube back to the gas tank. Not even a flare wrench would do the job.

For me flare wrenches just stripped the bolt the only way I ever got it free was to cut it off put the whole assembly in a vice and nail it with a huge pipe wrench. But by then I had made my replacement.

yeah... I'm in the same boat as Corlon when it comes to the filter. the bottom bolt on my filter is stripped round. I already have a new WIX filter just can't put it on.

Jakecallun20 wrote:yeah... I'm in the same boat as Corlon when it comes to the filter. the bottom bolt on my filter is stripped round. I already have a new WIX filter just can't put it on.

This may help

http://www.solaraguy.com/viewtopic.php?t=37263

Jakecallun20 wrote: I already have a new WIX filter just can't put it on.

take it back and get the toyota one... especially if you are able to get the old one off somehow.

I had no leaking problems with my purolator filter.

Dawgz wrote:well, u could have used teflon tape to make it seal just right...but u got it fixed with the toyota one....so i guess all is good.

nice write up.

Inverted flare is a single nut that uses a 45 degree double flare. This flare is lapped over so the tube is double thickness at the end. An inverted or double flare has a tube nut that pushes the flare against the brass seat to make a leak proof connection. For a leak to stop the flare must seal against the brass seat. Using Teflon tape does no good because the thread is not what seals the line to the flare. The tape seals the thread but the fluid will still leak between the tube and the hole in the fitting. When sealing newly flared lines to old components the line must be tightened then loosened and the process must be repeated until the leak stops. If component brass seat is used, you are trying to seat over the existing crush ring, this may take a few tries but repeating the process will form the line flare to the brass seat. To form the end of the tube it requires a 45 degree double flare tool.

Midias wrote:I had no leaking problems with my purolator filter.

same

i dunno... 1 worked 1 didnt. that's just my experience...

Yep my bolts were frozen and rounded off even tho I was using flare nut wrenches so I ended up just cutting the fuel line. I cut it a couple of inches down from the filter and then used a rubber fuel hose (high pressure), then tightened the crap out of it with a clamp. No leak, and I used some autozone filter.

Why did the toyota mechanic tell me that the fuel filter does not get changed on my car since its inside the engine? i have a gen 1... 1999 manuel