Fun day today (fuel filter change)

[Rich_NYS]

2nd weekend of DeLorean ownership, changed the fuel filter today and installed a check valve in the fuel hose. Fuel filter....ya, that was a whole lotta fun -LOL!

I got the filter from DMCMW; came with washers, a new foam pad for the bracket and was well packaged....very happy with it.


I read a lot of posts about what to expect, so I planned the whole day so I could take my time and also become familiar with the brakes & suspension while the wheels were off.


Brakes look pretty good, PO had them done before the car went into storage in 2001:

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I PB Blasted the fuel filter fittings last night. Notice the burn mark on the frame....whoever got in here with a torch has bigger balls than I do.

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I removed the filter by spinning it off the lower fitting & left the line on top (that goes to the fuel distributor) attached.

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I want to coat this line with something soon, I don't want it to keep rusting.

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Teflon tape on the fitting

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New filter in place

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On the first try I had a leak, so I took a break & installed this check valve (thanks Josh.) It had the fringe benefit of relieving the pressure in the line for when I got back on the filter job.

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So, the fuel filter change was a bit of a PITA and just I finished I noticed the accummulator hose is just now starting to leak, but if it's a good litmus test for continued enthusiasm, I passed for sure. When I got done I still sat in the car & thought: "this is totally awesome." :cool:

[opethmike]

Where in NYS are you? I'm in Rochester, and DustyBarn is near Rochester as well.

[Rich_NYS]

Where in NYS are you? I'm in Rochester, and DustyBarn is near Rochester as well.

Near Lake George.

[NightFlyer]

Brakes do look quite good.

Nice job on the fuel filter!

That hard line running from the accumulator to the filter looks pretty corroded. I'd sand the rust off as well as I could and treat with an anti-rust product, but I'd be afraid of coating it with anything in it's current condition, as it would probably act to seal in the rot and exacerbate/accelerate the condition. As long as you're keeping the car away from salted roads from here on out, you shouldn't have to worry too much about additional rot to that line.

The tank area, new feed/return hoses, and in-line check valve look GREAT!

Once you get the accumulator leak squared away (hopefully just the hoses), your fuel system should be ready to rock and roll!

[Jimmyvonviggle]

Near Lake George.

I love lake george! I'm there quite a bit. So how long in total do you think it took for the fuel filter?

[Rich_NYS]

I love lake george! I'm there quite a bit. So how long in total do you think it took for the fuel filter?

Cool....very nice area!

I took all day to do the filter, check valve, a little poking around the car, and a lot of breaks. I'm guessing the filter alone was 4-5 hours, BUT I was taking my time and I'm not really familiar with the car. I also had trouble with the banjo fitting and took plenty of time addressing that issue and making an alternate plan. If I needed to remove & replace it again, I could probably do it in an hour.

[NightFlyer]

Cool....very nice area!

I took all day to do the filter, check valve, a little poking around the car, and a lot of breaks. I'm guessing the filter alone was 4-5 hours, BUT I was taking my time and I'm not really familiar with the car. I also had trouble with the banjo fitting and took plenty of time addressing that issue and making an alternate plan. If I needed to remove & replace it again, I could probably do it in an hour.

Sourcing copper sealing washers for future changes would probably be best - I don't like how much torque is required to get those aluminum washers to provide a good seal. And contrary to the opinions of many, you can reuse the copper washers - I've changed the fuel filter 5 times now on my car (it's a little extreme and not required to change it as often as I do - I do it every driving season merely because it's cheap and relatively easy/quick to do) and have always reused the copper sealing washers that came on the car from the factory. Never had a leak and don't have to over torque that hollow bolt, which I'd be scared of breaking.

[Bill6298]

I removed the filter by spinning it off the lower fitting & left the line on top (that goes to the fuel distributor) attached.


Hi Rich... did you spin the filter off without disconnecting the upper soft line from the filter or from the fuel distributor? I tried this a few weeks ago. I didn't have enough slack or clearance to rotate the filter without a sharp bend of the hose against the frame. Was that a problem for you? Thanks

[Rich_NYS]

Hi Rich... did you spin the filter off without disconnecting the upper soft line from the filter or from the fuel distributor? I tried this a few weeks ago. I didn't have enough slack or clearance to rotate the filter without a sharp bend of the hose against the frame. Was that a problem for you? Thanks

I disconnected the soft line from the fuel distributor and pulled it down to get it "alongside" the filter as much as possible. I ran into the same issue of getting sharp bends, but just kept "threading" & pulling the hose around stuff to avoid getting tight bends in the hose as I slowly spun the filter.

[Bill6298]

I disconnected the soft line from the fuel distributor and pulled it down to get it "alongside" the filter as much as possible. I ran into the same issue of getting sharp bends, but just kept "threading" & pulling the hose around stuff to avoid getting tight bends in the hose as I slowly spun the filter.

Good to know. You were probably more gentle than I was or maybe my hose was already damaged. I ended up with a big crack a few inches from the end of the hose. Did you reinstall the same way? e.g. reconnected the hose before reattaching the filter to the elbow?

[Rich_NYS]

Good to know. You were probably more gentle than I was or maybe my hose was already damaged. I ended up with a big crack a few inches from the end of the hose. Did you reinstall the same way? e.g. reconnected the hose before reattaching the filter to the elbow?

I reinstalled it differently: I first put the hose back in place and re-attached it to the fuel distributor. I connected it to the top of the filter last & used two wrenches on both the top & bottom fittings. The "filter housing nut" on top of the filter I replaced seemed to be a different size than the bottom and I didn't have a wrench to fit it, otherwise I probably wouldn't have pulled the hose out.....I would've gotten the top fitting loose.

[Rich_NYS]

Nice job on the fuel filter!

That hard line running from the accumulator to the filter looks pretty corroded. I'd sand the rust off as well as I could and treat with an anti-rust product, but I'd be afraid of coating it with anything in it's current condition, as it would probably act to seal in the rot and exacerbate/accelerate the condition.

Thanks!

Any product recommendations? Some type of spray that I could use in other areas would be good to have.

[NightFlyer]

http://www.fluid-film.com/