Fuel Filter Replacement

[>$3<]

Hi guys, how do you take out the filter in an older E36 ie 1992?
Its the fat fuel filter. what is it held in place by?
i just cant get it released...
Ive already read the pelican parts article and i still cant get it out :(.

[m0rbid_e36]

oh my god you are in a for a world of pain! me and my neighbor just replaced my fuel filter this morning and it was such a b1tch! i've got a 1992 also... basically there is a bolt that you need to loosen that's on the side closer to the engine, to get the fuel filter out. it's much easier to get to it from the top if you remove the the intake pipe that's connected to the throttle body. i'll try and take a picture of it if i'm not too lazy to remove the intake pipe tomorrow. oh and since your gonna be disconnecting the intake pipe from the throttle body now would be a good time to get some carb cleaner and clean out the throttle body.

[m0rbid_e36]

me and my friend were talking and sometime this summer we're gonna try and relocate the fuel pump to somewhere more accessible. if it ends up being successful i'll post pics and create a DIY thread.

[>$3<]

how often do you guys replace your fuel filters?? mine was replaced by the previous owner on the 10th of may 06.
10000 kms ago.
Should i replace it?
the thing just wont come out, its so annoying.

[m0rbid_e36]

i read somewhere to change it roughly every 10-15k miles, which should convert to roughly 16-24k kilometers, either that or once a year. i could be wrong though so you might want to do a bit of searching. the previous owner on mine changed it last at 69k miles so it was pretty much extremely necessary for me to change mine.

[Nline6]

yea I am with you on this one, I have a 93 325i and I got everything out except the top hose clamp (was facing the engine) and I was working solo so it was kinda hard, I ended up just clamping the original one back down untill I can find a better way to get this done.

[klassik]

i dont know i just chnaged mine it'/s little be uncomfortable but now problems and i did.it form the bottom! what i did is taking the filter with the hoses and put it back the same way! was easy
no the fuel filter u have to changer every time u are doing the tune up because it comes with tune up package ! or every 100000km recommended bin was still original! and its 215000km IT WAS BLOCKED!

[Andycapps]

I dont think 10-15k miles is really necessary, i'd say more like every 30k or 2 years for a fuel filter.

[Nline6]

so you left the hose's on the filter and unhooked them on the other end? and then just replaced it? strange yet so simple, I never thought of that, was it easier then tryin to just take the filter out alone? And on another note did anyone notice a change in there cars performance? I have yet to get mine out and I have dont every thing else for my tune up minus the fuel filter, and my car seems to bog sometimes and seems slow, and some times it just takes off and flys, do you think changing the filter will rid me of this problem? I have a very strong feeling that the filter has not been changed in a long time due to the amount of engine grime that is on the filter, and the fact that the Lady I got it from kinda only changed the oil every 3 months and had dont nothing else as far as a tune up goes.

[Andycapps]

so you left the hose's on the filter and unhooked them on the other end? and then just replaced it? strange yet so simple, I never thought of that, was it easier then tryin to just take the filter out alone? And on another note did anyone notice a change in there cars performance? I have yet to get mine out and I have dont every thing else for my tune up minus the fuel filter, and my car seems to bog sometimes and seems slow, and some times it just takes off and flys, do you think changing the filter will rid me of this problem? I have a very strong feeling that the filter has not been changed in a long time due to the amount of engine grime that is on the filter, and the fact that the Lady I got it from kinda only changed the oil every 3 months and had dont nothing else as far as a tune up goes.

You might notice a difference in peformance, it all depends. If the one thats on theres now is even partially clogged then you'll definately feel a difference. WHen i changed mine last fall the old filter actually had a label and it had been 5 years since itd been replaced. I didnt really notice a difference in performance persay. The hardest part for me was getting the bolt on the bracket that holds the filter in place. That was a pain!

[Nline6]

last time i tried doing this i got the bolt off, and the lower hose clamp on the filter, I just couldnt get the top one, so i am going to give it another shot today and hope i have better luck.

[jason_recliner]

And on another note did anyone notice a change in there cars performance?
Normally no change in performance from replacing a fuel filter.
It's all about moving maximum air. That air will then select the right amount of fuel, which should have plenty of reserve.

If the filter's blocked to the point of not getting enough fuel for the air, you will know about it: a lean mixture, lack of power and/or brown exhaust smoke at high RPM, burned plugs, frogs, locusts, dead firstborn, etc.

Change your fuel filter to keep your fuel clean and rocks out of your engine.

[stephenslyman]

if your filter was changed 10k ago dont bother. mine had 200k and i changed it. even at that high mileage it was still fine so i wouldnt advise changing it after 10k unless is clogged.