Trouble replacing fuel filter

[THVGJP]

Today I am replacing the fuel filter, however I hit a snag. I am having trouble getting the conical fitting of the hard line off the elbow nut. The filter rotates fine around the conical joint but I cant get it seperated, any ideas. I dont want to mess up my hard line.
Thanks
Glen

[Jack]

I just did this two weeks ago.
Have you tried rocking the filter back and forth, or just taping the old filter with a wrench while you do that?
Mine popped out fairly easy, but of course it had fuel coming out around the fitting so i doubt it was as stuck as yours.

[Jonathan]

I thought I would post a picture here for future searches of fuel filter. It is from KrustyDMCs thread on his restoration. I hope he is okay with me copying it over here. I just thought it was a most excellent picture of the fuel filter installed, but from a view without the transmission in the way.

16322

[THVGJP]

Finally got the sucker seperated, had to gently tap the 90 deg connection with a tack hammer, Now My issue is I replaced the 90 Degree con nector with a brand new one connected all connections tight , now it leaks at this join t only when car is running. Any ideas as to why, I may use the old connector seeing the male part of the pipe probably conformed to the shape of the female hole in the connector. Any opinions why it leaks is appreciated, will report back after I try my idea.
Glen

[DMCMW Dave]

Where did you get the new one? It is not a common fitting. If it is the right one you just need to go tighter, or put the original back on. It is a steel-to-steel compression fitting so it needs to be pretty tight.

[THVGJP]

Dave, got the fitting from you guys at DMCMW, I have the fitting pretty tight now, I have the new fitting on, will try original
Glen

[jawn101]

I had a similar issue where I thought it was tight enough but it leaked anyway. I had to really put my weight into it and get that extra quarter-turn on the fitting. After that it was no problem. But that last crank is scary since you're probably worried about kinking the hard line. I know I was!

On a related topic, how often should we *realistically* be changing the fuel filter? It's such a crap job I don't relish the idea of doing it yearly.

[THVGJP]

I had a similar issue where I thought it was tight enough but it leaked anyway. I had to really put my weight into it and get that extra quarter-turn on the fitting. After that it was no problem. But that last crank is scary since you're probably worried about kinking the hard line. I know I was!

On a related topic, how often should we *realistically* be changing the fuel filter? It's such a crap job I don't relish the idea of doing it yearly.

My biggest fear in tightening the nut. I am afraid of snapping the fuel line. I wouldnt want to relpace the fuel line, talk about a bitch of a job.
Glen

[jawn101]

My biggest fear in tightening the nut. I am afraid of snapping the fuel line. I wouldnt want to relpace the fuel line, talk about a bitch of a job.
Glen

Yeah no joke. Are you holding the nut on the line with one wrench and the elbow with another? That should help keep you from putting too much stress on the hard line and give you the leverage to get that little extra snug that it needs.

[Silverbullet]

Yup... you need to use 2 wrenches... and I agree it is a pain... they COULD have put the filter on the fire wall, to make it easy to replace.

Craig :screwy:

[Jonathan]

Yup... you need to use 2 wrenches... and I agree it is a pain... they COULD have put the filter on the fire wall, to make it easy to replace.

Craig :screwy:

What is the recommended way to replace it? Is there a how-to available? I would be working at home with ramps or jack stands but no lift. Is there a better way to go about reaching it? I have a hard time even making visual contact with it much less know where to stick my arms in to get a wrench on it. My fuel filter is the one that came on the car in 2007, so that question about how frequently it should be replaced I would be interested in too (I have the filter from a previous order, just haven't yet installed it).

[Citizen]

Big ditto on just about every entry in this thread. I replaced my fuel filter a few months ago when I installed the new style fuel pump. I was expecting an easy job with the filter because the new FP went pretty well. GEEZ was I wrong. What a hassle it was. I had all the problems everyone talked about in this thread, and more.

Yes, I broke the fuel line (the rubber one), cause I couldn't get the fitting out. I didn't know it at first, and so when I put it all back together the first time, and started the car to test, gas sprayed everywhere in the engine compartment. I was lucky not to have had a fire. I immediately shut it down. Then I had to buy a new fuel line from DMC in Houston. Even then, getting the fittings back on tight enough was a problem due to the proximity of the filter. I was scared to put a lot of strength on it, as I might destroy the new line, the new filter, or something. How could such a simple job been such a big disaster? I've seen fuel filter replacement jobs in other cars taking under 5 minutes.

Anyway, here are my recommendations:

1-Don't force the fitting out by pulling too hard, you might damage the rubber fuel line (as I did).
2-Consider removing the upper fuel line along with the filter as one piece. You'll have to disconnect the upper end at the top of the engine to do this. No big deal because it's easy to work on. Then once out of the car, it should be easier to disconnect the filter from the fuel line.
3-Wear safety glasses (goes without saying), both when under the car and after putting the new filter on and starting the car to test. When the engine is started, the fuel in the line is under a lot of pressure, and a small crack in the rubber line could literally spray fuel all over the place (think high pressure water hose), including in your face.
4-Have a fire extinguisher handy.

Good luck.

Thomas

...

[davidhamblyn]

When changing my fuel filter it initially leaked everywhere. Had to use threadtape and tighten as hard as i could.i checked every day after this and thus far no more leaks.

[Silverbullet]

It is a REALLY BIG filter, and I am not sure how often you should replace it, My car had 42,000 miles on it, and the filter had never been changed, in 31 years is my guess. I did take the time to cut it open and look inside, and it was pretty clean.

Craig

[DMC-81]

Recently, I had my own adventure changing the fuel filter as part of also replacing the fuel feed line. I thought I'd share my experience.

I tried several times to separate the hard line from the 90 degree fitting. I was not successful. I had to unscrew the filter off the fitting.

41630

This is the 12mm hollow bolt on the top of the fuel filter. When I took it off there was a 12mm copper washer on the bottom as normal, and a larger 13 mm washer because this earlier design has a larger upper section. I couldn't find the 13 mm washer anywhere and both DMC and Rob Grady confirmed that there shouldn't be a need to use a washer on the top of the bolt... Just the bottom. I took that advice and used a 12 mm washer on the bottom between the banjo fitting and the filter.

41631

I decided to wrap my new fuel filter with self-adhesive aluminized heat barrier to try and keep the fuel as cool as possible since it is about 2 inches away from the crossover exhaust pipe. :shocked: I just needed a strip 3 3/4" high to wrap around the filter.

41632

Here is the heat barrier all installed.

41633

I got the Stainless Steel braided fuel feed line (102365) from DeLorean Club-UK, and it comes with bare SS braids. My DMC S/S injector hoses have a black cover on them, so I decided to get a black heat shrink tube for this hose to match my other SS lines from DMC. It was a perfect match. I also added 2 layers of heat shielding to the lower portion of the line.

41637 41635 41636

Here is the new filter and line, with optional heat abatement, all installed. The top bolt called for 17 ft/lbs in the manual, but it weeped fuel until I gradually tightened it to 22 ft/lbs. My 17 mm crows foot that I bought for the fuel accumulator job saved the day again on torquing this bolt. I slid the outer heat shield down the the fitting once I was satisfied that there were no leaks.

41634

Cheers,