As a store man in a garage I had to I had to attend a lesson on filters given by the manufacturers where I learned that a filter let's through less dirt the more use it gets. It's like when leaves block a drain; the water builds up. It does not let the dirt through. You're household sink works the same it gets blocked with the remains of food or otherwise: it does not let the water through. The micro holes in the filter catch the dirt and become smaller still, or totally blocked until it restricted the system.
Old filters especially metal ones under the car rust due to their location, on petrol cars this is bad because it will rot and leak ! Not only that but long before that it will damage fuel lines,injectors ,sparkplugs,coils ,lambda sensors,list goes on!
The fuel filter turns black due to asphaltenes, a naturally occurring substance in diesel fuel. They don't restrict the filter, so in effect, they only change the color. Perfectly safe and normal.
This needs to be at the top and visible to all. Just because it's black doesn't mean it's clogged up and not working. Same with engine oil, in a diesel engine, brand new oil will go black within a few hundred miles of driving. It doesn't mean the oil is now bad
Thanks for a great video. most people would never have thought that a fuel filter could get that clogged, especially after just ten or 12 thousand miles. very informative!
Nice vid - But I'd add a technical point - When filters are beyond end of life, they don't stop filtering. What happens is they restrict flow. A filter doesn't suddenly let bad things through. E.g. with air filters in rallying or Paris-Dakar, they will quickly reach end of life, but they don't suddenly start letting sand into the engine, they block flow....... Air filters, oil filters and fuel filters have the same behaviour. The fuel filter will start to restrict flow. The video is great, but it's misleading to say that this filter "cannot be filtering any more", unless there's evidence. The best way to test would be to fit that filter to a rig and pour dirty fuel in one side and see what comes out the other. The fact that the paper is discoloured merely means it's doing its job :)
MegaAlchemist007 true that, it's best to change your fuel filter before it does some damage to your fuel pump that's something you don't want happening especially if you have to drop the tank just to get to the fuel pump, it happened on my car luckily access to pump is just under back seat
+Bill Door not completely true, oil filters (engine oil filters) have a built in bypass, as the filter gets dirty it causes resistance witch builds pressure, when the pressure gets too high, it trips the bypass, allowing unfiltered oil through, and if the bypass should fail, the pressure from the oil pump will force the oil through the filter sometimes tearing the filter element in the process, and because modern cars have the fuel pump in the tank before the filter, and because modern e.f.i. fuel systems have high pressure fuel pumps, a fuel filter that is clogged can be ruptured by the pressure from the fuel pump allowing unfiltered fuel through the system.
I have been putting off changing the fuel filter on my 2004 Tundra for a couple of years. The truck only has 92k miles but it seemed worth doing. I struggled getting it out and a new one in. After seeing your video I thought it would be informational to open up the old original filter. I was amazed to see white filter paper inside, no grit at all. Gasoline versus diesel???? I'm also a big fan of cheap "supermarket gas."
I agree the fuel filter should be changed often - possibly even every year. However, the fact that the filtering material is black does not mean is not doing its job. It becomes dark very quickly after installation. One should clean this material in a solvent to recover the impurities, to quantify how much it is "dirty". Then, one should do the same comparatively after one month, six months, a year. This will help quantify how the filtering capability has degraded.
This is one part most people never think about changing! I just changed mine in my 21 year old car I’ve had the last year and it looked like it was never changed before and my car runs sooo much better and stronger bc of it, the fuel in the bag I put the old one in was black as night!!
Just hanged my vectra c fuel filter the car is 12 years old. It was pitch black inside. Look like the original filter from new. Yet the garage tells you they are long life. Show what they know . I changed it after watching your video. Thanks the car seems to be running better
Great video! It's also good knowledge to use gas stations that are reputable. Some even have water in their tanks because they refuse to do the maintenance. The major problem is that it will cost YOU the consumer, the money and time. Knowledge is power, people.
Injectors are not "extremely" expensive to replace. I get them all the time from the wrecking yard for $10 each. Just because one goes bad a new one isn't required when a good used one will do. Pumps the same... even some wrecked cars even have new parts on them. Recently found a new alternator on a wrecked car I paid 1/4 vs what they sell for. ;)
Diesel fuel filters always turn black pretty quickly, the reason you change them is the paraffin wax will build up inside them as the diesel fuel is heated and cooled passing through the fuel system, as it builds up it restricts fuel flow. Most secondary fuel filters(primary is on the lift pump in your tank) should be changed every 25,000km if you're on a severe service schedule, or twice that if you treat your vehicle nicely. The colour in no way reflects the dirtiness of the fuel filter.
I always change as part of a service. Every 6000 miles or 6 months, whichever comes first. Oil flush & oil/filter, diesel filter, air and pollen filters, turbo filter. All washed down with a Forte diesel treatment in the tank
I recently acquired a 2003 Buick LeSabre LT in excellent condition with low mileage. Looks like a fairly easy job. Careful with the gas that drains from the fuel line, when the old filter is removed.
most, if not all petrol (gasoline) cars these days do not have a fuel filter you can change. the filter is often built in to the pump module, to change the filter you change the pump. my car is on 108k now and still drives very well with a non-serviceable filter, the car wont last too many more years sobut hopefully the pump will last until the car is knackered anyway
I own a 2005 Mk.3 Mondeo 2.0 TDCi. Somewhile ago I was plagued with the engine stalling after covering about 200 yards from a cold start. The fuel filter was replaced in October 2015 and the problem went away, until today. Since the filter replacement the car has barely covered 5,600 miles (9,000km approx). I do a lot of very short journeys which I presume is taking its toll on the filter. So regular replacement seems to be the solution.
Thanks for this, great video. It's only now that I realise how important it is to change the fuel filter regularly. I wish I'd realised before now, Vito fuel pumps (there are two) are expensive!
Want to fix that? I set up my dedicated pickup fueler truck for a fleet of heavy diesel equipment with 3 giantic Gresen filter housings in line. Those little auto oil filters on the 12v pumps are plugged and in bypass after a few hundred gallons. Also these three housings trap water at the bottom and every 300 gallons or so I drain a good quart from them. If I was filling a tractor with cans or from a stock pickup tank, I would change that fuel filter on the tractor every 100 hours. Injection pumps have no tolerance for dirt.
I changed the diesel filter in my VW after 65,000 km and I split mine. The filter paper inside was a light yellow/beige in colour. The new filter paper was white. You should perhaps have a talk with the gas stations and ask them to clean their tanks..
ha I bought a service kit from gsf and left the fuel filter as i thought it would be too messy/smelly/hard but i'm soo going to do this on my day off. cheers for the vid bud.
always change it with every service with a quality one, for the sake of a tenner, will save you a lot of money in pumps injectors also better mpg etcc!
It's the same for diesel, petrol or gasoline :) But the easiest to filter is natural gas as they use in Thailand. Can't wait when it comes to Canada. Almost 10 times cheaper We drove a week for $12. Their new cars come already converted and older can be converted for about $400. Small tank with gasoline is still needed to start the car but soon as you go it switches automatically to NG. Interestingly not in motorcycles yet.
Fuel filters should be changed more often than most people think. And yes, dirty filters do cause more problems than folks think also. 35 years as a mechanic and shop owner has proven this.
When I bought my 2008 Citroën C4 Grand Picasso the first thing I did was to change the engine oil and all the filters. I don't think the diesel fuel filter had been changed for a long time so it wasn't a moment too soon. I'll be changing it as part of the annual service.
I finally changed the fuel filter on my car. I bought the car new in 1991. It has 221000 miles on it now (not kilometers, miles.) The fuel filter had been changed once at 50000 miles. The filter I changed out had then 170000 miles on it. Very little dirt in the old filter. If the fuel filter in your car is full of dirt at 10000 miles or so, perhaps you need to change where you purchase fuel for your car. It doesn't have to be that way.
K, most of the color comes from the dye in fuel as well. Check out a similar example. Oil gets black in a regular gas car. Most of that is from the fuel dye. Check out the same oil in a vehicle that runs on natural gas. Its as clear as the day you put it in. Now, admittedly you do need to change your fuel filter regularly
I change my fuel filter once every year, which in my case is about every 12-13 thousand miles. I think it's better spend a few quid every once in a while on a new filter, than spend a fortune on injectors or on an injection pump. And the fact is that I never had any sort of problems with my diesel injection system, save for leaky injection pump seals (which have been promptly replaced to avoid major problems).
I’ve got an Audi 2007 tdi sline Auto. I’m experiencing an intermittent limp mode issues that is getting on my nerves. There is no light on dash but the car see to do its thing when it’s ready. One minute it will cut power then the next it goes back to normal. I’ve changed turbo? VGR valve, MAF and lots more.
Really informative, I've just subscribed. If I could make a suggestion though, it seem as though the EQ/Gain on your intro and outro music are at a higher level than the video itself. Might not be an issue for all, but I use headphones so it's more noticeable and have to keep lowering the volume only to raise again when the video starts. Hopefully you keep the TDI long term, as I've seen about 4-5 videos of how-tos on your channel that I've been meaning to do, and I'm sure there'll be more!
Alex Vik Well yes, but that is not a Mercedes filter from austria, and coming in the mail means if I dont like the condition of it, I can't return it easily. the extra 60$ is worth it to me to have those conveniences
@@Firelife3 Mann Filter makes fuel filters for Mercedes, they just put Mercedes's Name and logo on it. You are just paying for the same filter but at a higher price for just the Pack and Logo.
+BundysGarage my fuel filter was just as dirty as this one after 30,000 miles and i have a gasoline car, i admit diesel burns a lot more dirty usually, but gasoline is still very dirty
I would replace it every 50-100k miles regardless if it needs it or not, it's a cheap filter and it prevents your fuel pump from getting worked harder than spec which will easily save you over $100 and even more if you can't install the pump yourself. A simple and cheap preventative maintenance plan that will help you save cash long term.
It's incredible to think Volkswagen at one point claimed these didn't require replacing at all. Insane. I need to change mine now. It's got 30,000 miles on it and it's probably why my car is topping out at about 85mph :D I think I'll run some veg oil through it before I do. It can massively clean the gunk and filth in the bottom of your tank. I don't think I'll prefill though ;) just use some fresh diesel.
***** Well 50k is the interval but it's really the latest you should leave it. Your car will eventually start losing power because the filter is saturated and if you leave too long, your car will be starved of fuel then it won't start at all. Very worst case scenario, the filter starts to break down and you actually start letting it bad particles. Just change it mia. It's so easy.
So glad i this video. Hope you can help me here, i have a Renault megane expression vvt 2008. There is no pwer in my car when goung up hills or when going in 1st gear, could the fuel filter be the issue? I took it to the garage they did a diagnosis on it and said it could be the injections. I paid £72 just for a diagnostic also he gave me fuel cleaner and told me to put supreme fuel in the car instead of normal unleaded fuel. I dont know much about cars. Hipe you can advise me. Thanks.
My 2014 GM Chevy Cruze diesel has an fuel filter life monitor. Here in the USA, it requires a change at ~30,000 miles. I drain the water valve 3x a year, or whenever it said "water in fuel". It is an amazing car and we get 49mpg on the highway. Much simpler and environmentally friendly to manufacture and own vs. the batteries in a hybrid. The fuel here is a yellow green. So that black residue in the filtration membrane must be bad contamination from the fuel suppliers.
I changed the fuel filter in my car at 167,000 miles (not sure if it was ever changed before) and the fuel that poured out on the filtered size (should be clean) was black and looked like dirty motor oil.
Hi, very informative, I am replacing my diesel filter this week, my brother is a car mechanic and say's I should use Bosch or premium filters only. Just curious but what car is that filter off? I presume its off a golf?
I do not know where you live or which vehicle is that filter but it is very easy to say change it regularly and already, my 1994 toyota pickup with 311k thousands miles , try once to change it and I could not because you have to remove the intake and decide to change it only if it gives me problems .
+Spawn223311 - If you don´t even know there is a fuel filter then you sure as hell shoudn´t try to change it, because then you will most probably just fuck up everything :-) Go to a garage and then let them change it.
Hey not everybody is a car person but doesnt mean they should attempt to do their own basic car maintenance. Probably better they ask a friend or someone who knows to do it first whilst they watch but even then, watching tutorials on youtube is good as well. Plus changing a fuel filter is one of the easier tasks to do.
As for the blackness of the filter media, chalk it up to algae, service station dirty tanks & some even dump used engine oil in their tanks. Also, OLD diesel fuel will darken quite a bit. Ryder was famous for this.
That black stuff is a form of algae and other microbes, a little biocide in the fuel tank will keep it under control. I am in USA and its a real problem here. Great Video on a simple maintenance item.
Everytime you change your fuel filter, you need to do a fuel injector cleaner through the Intake of your vehicle. This keeps your pretty fuel injectors clean :D
you would've thought that they used filters at our fuel pumps especially how we pay a lot of fuel duty, I don't think they do it here in the UK but they do in other countries in Europe... we should sign a petition on this
What about the in tank fuel filters? How often should those be changed? I have never changed mine. I hardly keep a car longer than 4 years anyways, so.....
Thanks for the informative video. How do you know the filter material was initially yellow? Did you open an unused filter to verify its color? If not, there is the possibility the manufacturer used dark filter material.
love ur videos mate, im a number one fan, i watch ur videos and do as u say! lol i have a problem now, i bought a golf mk4 1.6 16v last week, been fine and drives great, but yesterday my RED oil light came on, so i went to halfords and got some 5w30 oil and half filled it up while engines running, then i remember oil expands when hot or not hot cant rember what one, so i turn the car off let it cool down and then went bk couple hours later to fill the rest, now my dip sticks says oil is full to the max, so i thought my problem was sorted was i wrong, i drove down the road less then 1mile and it came back on, but now itis flashing red light! i am so baffet and kinda shook!! need your help mate, i was thinking it can be oil senor or maybe oil filter is faulty, also car is 97,000 miles but last service stamp i had was at 60,000 miles why i bought it off said it was done 600miles ago, but im not so sure if i can trust someone that just wants a sale, this is my 1st car so i don't want to to mess up, i haven't reply got money to keep replacing parts as u know vw parts are not cheap. can u email me direct to jjfisher@ovi.com pls what sud i do now?
i study and work in Northampton, but im always in London at my mums house. my oil is fill. i check it today before work, and easier said then done mate i work 21miles from my house, so ive got to drive it, the oil is not burning fast, since i top it up its still full, so i feel the light is just faulty. ive googled it and most ppl are saying its the oil senor..
Amylia Johnson If the oil levels is ok I would start with a oil pressure test, if you have the correct oil pressure I'd say it's the actual (oilpressure transmitter)add the correct the name for it if you know a better one, it's a direct translation from swedish. Good luck!
Many new cars designed the fuel filter built inside the fuel tank and life time free maintainence . My 2013 Ford Fusion is. Avoid vw ,it need every 30000KM to replace the fuel filter.
okay to all the comments saying this is diesel etc etc. not necessarily. I just changed the fuel filter on my 01 golf and it was so bad that when i took it out it leaked fuel everywhere that had so much black filtration material in it that it made the fuel practically brown (i bought the car with 200k and have no service history so unsure how many miles were on the filter)
10 minutes? Just picked up a filter at Pep Boys and out of curiosity, asked them how much it would cost for them to put it on for me. $95!! I drive a Montero and the fuel filter is easily accessible in the engine compartment.
This is normal for a Diesel filter. The filter is in good condition and still doing its job. If it was as extreme as you say it is, you wouldn't be able to see the top of the filter for muck and debris - this filter shows next to none of that. Maybe this is your first time doing a Diesel filter change?? Even when you opened it all up, again I expected tons of muck to be coming out of the filter..but nothing. That filter could have stayed on the vehicle for another 15,000 miles..
Thanks for the info BMAC VAGS. My mk6 ford transit cut out in town today, and the AA man got his diagnostics on it and said it is likely the fuel pump. Could he be wrong, and all it needs is a new fuel filter? I ran the tank very low (silly me) and as soon as I filled up yesterday, i could feel the engine choking, and today it cut out. Is changing the fuel filter something a non mechanic with good common sense could do at home? Can you direct me to somewhere that would show me how? Cheers mate.
GoPro Edit Room Cold-shocked the fuel pump; it's dead, Jim. :( It's quite a common thing, especially out here in Southern California in the US, with these crazy-hot summers we get. Folks run their cars down to nearly empty, leaving no fuel in the tank to cool the pump, then pump in cold gas after driving the car around all day in the heat. It'll kill an aging pump in an instant; you're lucky it even started! I tend to recommend to my customers that they not allow the fuel level to drop below a quarter tank on the gauge. This typically leaves enough fuel in the tank to keep the pump submerged and cool. Much less likely to damage the pump filling up. :)
One way to think about it is if you change your filter at 30,000 miles assuming your car gets roughly 20 miles per gallon, your filter will have filtered about 1,500 gallons of fuel.
I was expecting you to outline specific effects a clogged/dirty filter could have on your vehicle, i.e. fuel economy, power fluctuations, anything......
W/ my 2002 Honda CRV when ever I start it there is a little bit of a Smokey smell. You can't see smoke frm the muffler, but it can b smelled. Do u think this might be a sign that it's time to change the Fuel filter?
If parts of the filter glue is coming off on a filter that is not that old that would lead me to believe the either that is a really crap filter or that they are using a additive in the fuel that is not agreeing with the filter well. My question how restrictive that filter was?
axenz axtiz This is a diesel filter. I have cut apart a gas filter and it is the same thing. The white or yellow media looks like it was dipped in tar.
I don't really think you can judge the state if it just by the colour,you should actually take it apart and inspection it carefully looking for debris and such that actually should let you know how much the filter has filtered and roughly how much it can still filter and work properly.
I have metal shavings on my Volvo S 40 . 2006 190k I don’t have the metal housing and just the filter I can’t find any videos on metal shavings in the filter it’s a diesel
As a store man in a garage I had to I had to attend a lesson on filters given by the manufacturers where I learned that a filter let's through less dirt the more use it gets. It's like when leaves block a drain; the water builds up. It does not let the dirt through. You're household sink works the same it gets blocked with the remains of food or otherwise: it does not let the water through. The micro holes in the filter catch the dirt and become smaller still, or totally blocked until it restricted the system.
Old filters especially metal ones under the car rust due to their location, on petrol cars this is bad because it will rot and leak ! Not only that but long before that it will damage fuel lines,injectors ,sparkplugs,coils ,lambda sensors,list goes on!
The fuel filter turns black due to asphaltenes, a naturally occurring substance in diesel fuel. They don't restrict the filter, so in effect, they only change the color. Perfectly safe and normal.
This needs to be at the top and visible to all. Just because it's black doesn't mean it's clogged up and not working. Same with engine oil, in a diesel engine, brand new oil will go black within a few hundred miles of driving. It doesn't mean the oil is now bad
Thanks for a great video. most people would never have thought that a fuel filter could get that clogged, especially after just ten or 12 thousand miles. very informative!
Nice vid - But I'd add a technical point - When filters are beyond end of life, they don't stop filtering. What happens is they restrict flow. A filter doesn't suddenly let bad things through. E.g. with air filters in rallying or Paris-Dakar, they will quickly reach end of life, but they don't suddenly start letting sand into the engine, they block flow.......
Air filters, oil filters and fuel filters have the same behaviour. The fuel filter will start to restrict flow.
The video is great, but it's misleading to say that this filter "cannot be filtering any more", unless there's evidence. The best way to test would be to fit that filter to a rig and pour dirty fuel in one side and see what comes out the other. The fact that the paper is discoloured merely means it's doing its job :)
Point noted here. But lesson is, clean filters prevent stress damage to other important functions of the car.
MegaAlchemist007 true that, it's best to change your fuel filter before it does some damage to your fuel pump that's something you don't want happening especially if you have to drop the tank just to get to the fuel pump, it happened on my car luckily access to pump is just under back seat
+Tony Tapuro what kind of car do you have?
+Cameron Potts 07 2.5l new beetle
+Bill Door not completely true, oil filters (engine oil filters) have a built in bypass, as the filter gets dirty it causes resistance witch builds pressure, when the pressure gets too high, it trips the bypass, allowing unfiltered oil through, and if the bypass should fail, the pressure from the oil pump will force the oil through the filter sometimes tearing the filter element in the process, and because modern cars have the fuel pump in the tank before the filter, and because modern e.f.i. fuel systems have high pressure fuel pumps, a fuel filter that is clogged can be ruptured by the pressure from the fuel pump allowing unfiltered fuel through the system.
Nice job, Thanks for saving me the work of cutting up my old filter myself to see what it looks like inside.
I have been putting off changing the fuel filter on my 2004 Tundra for a couple of years. The truck only has 92k miles but it seemed worth doing. I struggled getting it out and a new one in. After seeing your video I thought it would be informational to open up the old original filter. I was amazed to see white filter paper inside, no grit at all. Gasoline versus diesel???? I'm also a big fan of cheap "supermarket gas."
Great tip and something that gets overlooked a lot when cars are being serviced.
I agree the fuel filter should be changed often - possibly even every year. However, the fact that the filtering material is black does not mean is not doing its job. It becomes dark very quickly after installation. One should clean this material in a solvent to recover the impurities, to quantify how much it is "dirty". Then, one should do the same comparatively after one month, six months, a year. This will help quantify how the filtering capability has degraded.
This is one part most people never think about changing! I just changed mine in my 21 year old car I’ve had the last year and it looked like it was never changed before and my car runs sooo much better and stronger bc of it, the fuel in the bag I put the old one in was black as night!!
wow
Just hanged my vectra c fuel filter the car is 12 years old.
It was pitch black inside.
Look like the original filter from new.
Yet the garage tells you they are long life. Show what they know .
I changed it after watching your video. Thanks the car seems to be running better
Great video! It's also good knowledge to use gas stations that are reputable. Some even have water in their tanks because they refuse to do the maintenance. The major problem is that it will cost YOU the consumer, the money and time. Knowledge is power, people.
Changed mine a few months back it was a pain in the ass but the car feels so much smoother well worth it
Injectors are not "extremely" expensive to replace. I get them all the time from the wrecking yard for $10 each. Just because one goes bad a new one isn't required when a good used one will do. Pumps the same... even some wrecked cars even have new parts on them. Recently found a new alternator on a wrecked car I paid 1/4 vs what they sell for. ;)
Diesel fuel filters always turn black pretty quickly, the reason you change them is the paraffin wax will build up inside them as the diesel fuel is heated and cooled passing through the fuel system, as it builds up it restricts fuel flow. Most secondary fuel filters(primary is on the lift pump in your tank) should be changed every 25,000km if you're on a severe service schedule, or twice that if you treat your vehicle nicely. The colour in no way reflects the dirtiness of the fuel filter.
I had just changed all the gas filters in my cars before watching your vid. I had no idea how much crap goes through one of these.
Good, clear,concise demonstrations. Thanks for your explanations and efforts.
I always change as part of a service. Every 6000 miles or 6 months, whichever comes first. Oil flush & oil/filter, diesel filter, air and pollen filters, turbo filter. All washed down with a Forte diesel treatment in the tank
I recently acquired a 2003 Buick LeSabre LT in excellent condition with low mileage. Looks like a fairly easy job. Careful with the gas that drains from the fuel line, when the old filter is removed.
most, if not all petrol (gasoline) cars these days do not have a fuel filter you can change. the filter is often built in to the pump module, to change the filter you change the pump. my car is on 108k now and still drives very well with a non-serviceable filter, the car wont last too many more years sobut hopefully the pump will last until the car is knackered anyway
I own a 2005 Mk.3 Mondeo 2.0 TDCi. Somewhile ago I was plagued with the engine stalling after covering about 200 yards from a cold start. The fuel filter was replaced in October 2015 and the problem went away, until today. Since the filter replacement the car has barely covered 5,600 miles (9,000km approx). I do a lot of very short journeys which I presume is taking its toll on the filter. So regular replacement seems to be the solution.
Thanks for this, great video. It's only now that I realise how important it is to change the fuel filter regularly. I wish I'd realised before now, Vito fuel pumps (there are two) are expensive!
Want to fix that? I set up my dedicated pickup fueler truck for a fleet of heavy diesel equipment with 3 giantic Gresen filter housings in line. Those little auto oil filters on the 12v pumps are plugged and in bypass after a few hundred gallons. Also these three housings trap water at the bottom and every 300 gallons or so I drain a good quart from them. If I was filling a tractor with cans or from a stock pickup tank, I would change that fuel filter on the tractor every 100 hours. Injection pumps have no tolerance for dirt.
i have not one of those at the moment but keep reminding me and I will see what I can do
I changed the diesel filter in my VW after 65,000 km and I split mine. The filter paper inside was a light yellow/beige in colour. The new filter paper was white.
You should perhaps have a talk with the gas stations and ask them to clean their tanks..
Thanks for taking it apart... I'm always curious of inner liners of parts... Good video!
cut a golf ball in half
ha I bought a service kit from gsf and left the fuel filter as i thought it would be too messy/smelly/hard but i'm soo going to do this on my day off. cheers for the vid bud.
good to hear
always change it with every service with a quality one, for the sake of a tenner, will save you a lot of money in pumps injectors also better mpg etcc!
It's the same for diesel, petrol or gasoline :)
But the easiest to filter is natural gas as they use in Thailand. Can't wait when it comes to Canada. Almost 10 times cheaper We drove a week for $12. Their new cars come already converted and older can be converted for about $400. Small tank with gasoline is still needed to start the car but soon as you go it switches automatically to NG. Interestingly not in motorcycles yet.
Fuel filters should be changed more often than most people think. And yes, dirty filters do cause more problems than folks think also. 35 years as a mechanic and shop owner has proven this.
When I bought my 2008 Citroën C4 Grand Picasso the first thing I did was to change the engine oil and all the filters. I don't think the diesel fuel filter had been changed for a long time so it wasn't a moment too soon. I'll be changing it as part of the annual service.
I finally changed the fuel filter on my car. I bought the car new in 1991. It has 221000 miles on it now (not kilometers, miles.) The fuel filter had been changed once at 50000 miles. The filter I changed out had then 170000 miles on it. Very little dirt in the old filter. If the fuel filter in your car is full of dirt at 10000 miles or so, perhaps you need to change where you purchase fuel for your car. It doesn't have to be that way.
K, most of the color comes from the dye in fuel as well. Check out a similar example. Oil gets black in a regular gas car. Most of that is from the fuel dye. Check out the same oil in a vehicle that runs on natural gas. Its as clear as the day you put it in. Now, admittedly you do need to change your fuel filter regularly
I change my fuel filter once every year, which in my case is about every 12-13 thousand miles.
I think it's better spend a few quid every once in a while on a new filter, than spend a fortune on injectors or on an injection pump. And the fact is that I never had any sort of problems with my diesel injection system, save for leaky injection pump seals (which have been promptly replaced to avoid major problems).
Yet another brilliant and informative video that can save us £££'s on preventative maintenance. Many thanks :-)
EEK!!! I don't remember when my filter was last changed, if ever. It's a 22 year old truck.
Change it
I’ve got an Audi 2007 tdi sline Auto. I’m experiencing an intermittent limp mode issues that is getting on my nerves. There is no light on dash but the car see to do its thing when it’s ready. One minute it will cut power then the next it goes back to normal. I’ve changed turbo? VGR valve, MAF and lots more.
Someone told me get a mechanic to take out the boost pressure sensor from under the O/S light and have it cleaned??
that is normal for me it did its job. what I look for in the old filters when I replace are metal particles that would mean fuel pump problems.
Really informative, I've just subscribed.
If I could make a suggestion though, it seem as though the EQ/Gain on your intro and outro music are at a higher level than the video itself. Might not be an issue for all, but I use headphones so it's more noticeable and have to keep lowering the volume only to raise again when the video starts.
Hopefully you keep the TDI long term, as I've seen about 4-5 videos of how-tos on your channel that I've been meaning to do, and I'm sure there'll be more!
+Grae Fawks I appreciate that feedback, Thank you for taking the time to comment.
hi bmac vags can you post video on how to change egr valve in vw polo 1.2 2002 petrol please thanks
Great video mate. About to change mine
it is a very good practice to change your filter to prolong the life of any vehicles fuel system and may i remind everyone that they're like $12-$20.
Fuel filter for Mercedes om642 engine is 100 dollars where I'm from... a 12 dollar fuel filter wont save your injectors from anything.
samus989 just order one online then, 40$ for the mercedes (mann-filter)
Alex Vik Well yes, but that is not a Mercedes filter from austria, and coming in the mail means if I dont like the condition of it, I can't return it easily. the extra 60$ is worth it to me to have those conveniences
samus989 Nope, it´s a mercedes filter from Germany, same country that the car is made in. When you say austria i guess you buy mahle?
@@Firelife3 Mann Filter makes fuel filters for Mercedes, they just put Mercedes's Name and logo on it. You are just paying for the same filter but at a higher price for just the Pack and Logo.
This filter is from a Diesel Engine. Diesel is a lot more dirty than Gasoline.
+BundysGarage Actually no its not.... Diesel is more pure the Gasoline.
+BundysGarage my fuel filter was just as dirty as this one after 30,000 miles and i have a gasoline car, i admit diesel burns a lot more dirty usually, but gasoline is still very dirty
+Brandon Perkins diesel requires far better filtration than petrol
+Dylan Clay diesel burns dirty, but the fuel passing through the filter has not been combusted yet
TheRealestEver and thought I was the only one
Thank you for supporting the channel
I would replace it every 50-100k miles regardless if it needs it or not, it's a cheap filter and it prevents your fuel pump from getting worked harder than spec which will easily save you over $100 and even more if you can't install the pump yourself.
A simple and cheap preventative maintenance plan that will help you save cash long term.
It's incredible to think Volkswagen at one point claimed these didn't require replacing at all. Insane.
I need to change mine now. It's got 30,000 miles on it and it's probably why my car is topping out at about 85mph :D
I think I'll run some veg oil through it before I do. It can massively clean the gunk and filth in the bottom of your tank. I don't think I'll prefill though ;) just use some fresh diesel.
Can't trust these people. Remember when Asbestos was good for every thing?? Can't trust these people.
*****
Well 50k is the interval but it's really the latest you should leave it. Your car will eventually start losing power because the filter is saturated and if you leave too long, your car will be starved of fuel then it won't start at all.
Very worst case scenario, the filter starts to break down and you actually start letting it bad particles. Just change it mia. It's so easy.
volkswagen are liars. hennce the publicity they now get.
juan def
Yawn.
InvisibleYetVisible go to bed then
So glad i this video. Hope you can help me here, i have a Renault megane expression vvt 2008. There is no pwer in my car when goung up hills or when going in 1st gear, could the fuel filter be the issue? I took it to the garage they did a diagnosis on it and said it could be the injections. I paid £72 just for a diagnostic also he gave me fuel cleaner and told me to put supreme fuel in the car instead of normal unleaded fuel. I dont know much about cars. Hipe you can advise me. Thanks.
Excellent and very informative one.
245k miles on my car after 12 years still havent replaced it and I just had the entire motor and transmission out. Runs great still too lol
Guessing petrol . Diesel need to be changed regularly
My 2014 GM Chevy Cruze diesel has an fuel filter life monitor. Here in the USA, it requires a change at ~30,000 miles. I drain the water valve 3x a year, or whenever it said "water in fuel". It is an amazing car and we get 49mpg on the highway. Much simpler and environmentally friendly to manufacture and own vs. the batteries in a hybrid. The fuel here is a yellow green. So that black residue in the filtration membrane must be bad contamination from the fuel suppliers.
I changed the fuel filter in my car at 167,000 miles (not sure if it was ever changed before) and the fuel that poured out on the filtered size (should be clean) was black and looked like dirty motor oil.
Yeahh.... mine has done 110k miles, gonna go change it......
I've just changed mine today - 105k miles. I will put it this way...the car accelerates and it feels way better...
Hi, very informative, I am replacing my diesel filter this week, my brother is a car mechanic and say's I should use Bosch or premium filters only. Just curious but what car is that filter off? I presume its off a golf?
thx, good idea to show inside.
thanks for your help(from john in Dublin Ireland)ps keep the vids coming.
I do not know where you live or which vehicle is that filter but it is very easy to say change it regularly and already, my 1994 toyota pickup with 311k thousands miles , try once to change it and I could not because you have to remove the intake and decide to change it only if it gives me problems .
didnt even know there was an fuel filter!! gonna change that now!
+Spawn223311 - If you don´t even know there is a fuel filter then you sure as hell shoudn´t try to change it, because then you will most probably just fuck up everything :-) Go to a garage and then let them change it.
Hey not everybody is a car person but doesnt mean they should attempt to do their own basic car maintenance. Probably better they ask a friend or someone who knows to do it first whilst they watch but even then, watching tutorials on youtube is good as well.
Plus changing a fuel filter is one of the easier tasks to do.
thank you for letting us know.. i appredicate all your hard work keep it up with your good work.
As for the blackness of the filter media, chalk it up to algae, service station dirty tanks & some even dump used engine oil in their tanks.
Also, OLD diesel fuel will darken quite a bit.
Ryder was famous for this.
That black stuff is a form of algae and other microbes, a little biocide in the fuel tank will keep it under control. I am in USA and its a real problem here. Great Video on a simple maintenance item.
Yes and what must we do if it breaks down and goes to the engine?
Everytime you change your fuel filter, you need to do a fuel injector cleaner through the Intake of your vehicle. This keeps your pretty fuel injectors clean :D
you would've thought that they used filters at our fuel pumps especially how we pay a lot of fuel duty, I don't think they do it here in the UK but they do in other countries in Europe...
we should sign a petition on this
rite im changing it now,class vid,,
great work mate
What about the in tank fuel filters? How often should those be changed? I have never changed mine. I hardly keep a car longer than 4 years anyways, so.....
Great video, i had no idea honestly that they got that bad
Thanks for the informative video. How do you know the filter material was initially yellow? Did you open an unused filter to verify its color? If not, there is the possibility the manufacturer used dark filter material.
Because i have seen the inside of them before. Why would you think it was any other colour?
love ur videos mate, im a number one fan, i watch ur videos and do as u say! lol
i have a problem now, i bought a golf mk4 1.6 16v last week, been fine and drives great, but yesterday my RED oil light came on, so i went to halfords and got some 5w30 oil and half filled it up while engines running, then i remember oil expands when hot or not hot cant rember what one, so i turn the car off let it cool down and then went bk couple hours later to fill the rest, now my dip sticks says oil is full to the max, so i thought my problem was sorted was i wrong, i drove down the road less then 1mile and it came back on, but now itis flashing red light! i am so baffet and kinda shook!! need your help mate, i was thinking it can be oil senor or maybe oil filter is faulty, also car is 97,000 miles but last service stamp i had was at 60,000 miles why i bought it off said it was done 600miles ago, but im not so sure if i can trust someone that just wants a sale, this is my 1st car so i don't want to to mess up, i haven't reply got money to keep replacing parts as u know vw parts are not cheap. can u email me direct to jjfisher@ovi.com pls what sud i do now?
I wouldn't drive it too much if the warning light is coming on. Where are you located?
i study and work in Northampton, but im always in London at my mums house. my oil is fill. i check it today before work, and easier said then done mate i work 21miles from my house, so ive got to drive it, the oil is not burning fast, since i top it up its still full, so i feel the light is just faulty. ive googled it and most ppl are saying its the oil senor..
Amylia Johnson If the oil levels is ok I would start with a oil pressure test, if you have the correct oil pressure I'd say it's the actual (oilpressure transmitter)add the correct the name for it if you know a better one, it's a direct translation from swedish.
Good luck!
we are talking about fuel here,not oil
As always, fantastic video and advice. I do have a question though, how often should we be changing these filters?
Every 10k service on VAG
Many new cars designed the fuel filter built inside the fuel tank and life time free maintainence . My 2013 Ford Fusion is. Avoid vw ,it need every 30000KM to replace the fuel filter.
my fuel filter has been in car for 200,000 kilometers and no harms been done still drives great
okay to all the comments saying this is diesel etc etc. not necessarily. I just changed the fuel filter on my 01 golf and it was so bad that when i took it out it leaked fuel everywhere that had so much black filtration material in it that it made the fuel practically brown (i bought the car with 200k and have no service history so unsure how many miles were on the filter)
10 minutes? Just picked up a filter at Pep Boys and out of curiosity, asked them how much it would cost for them to put it on for me. $95!! I drive a Montero and the fuel filter is easily accessible in the engine compartment.
Paid 10 dollars and installed mine myself. It's super easy . I can do it in 5 mins lol my bud timed me
Paid 10 dollars and installed mine myself. It's super easy . I can do it in 5 mins lol my bud timed me
cool stuff
thank you for science experiment. Good
This is normal for a Diesel filter. The filter is in good condition and still doing its job. If it was as extreme as you say it is, you wouldn't be able to see the top of the filter for muck and debris - this filter shows next to none of that.
Maybe this is your first time doing a Diesel filter change?? Even when you opened it all up, again I expected tons of muck to be coming out of the filter..but nothing.
That filter could have stayed on the vehicle for another 15,000 miles..
Just changed mine out, and what resembled muddy water drained out of the inlet. Who knows when it was last changed.
Thanks for the info BMAC VAGS. My mk6 ford transit cut out in town today, and the AA man got his diagnostics on it and said it is likely the fuel pump. Could he be wrong, and all it needs is a new fuel filter? I ran the tank very low (silly me) and as soon as I filled up yesterday, i could feel the engine choking, and today it cut out. Is changing the fuel filter something a non mechanic with good common sense could do at home? Can you direct me to somewhere that would show me how? Cheers mate.
GoPro Edit Room Cold-shocked the fuel pump; it's dead, Jim. :(
It's quite a common thing, especially out here in Southern California in the US, with these crazy-hot summers we get. Folks run their cars down to nearly empty, leaving no fuel in the tank to cool the pump, then pump in cold gas after driving the car around all day in the heat. It'll kill an aging pump in an instant; you're lucky it even started!
I tend to recommend to my customers that they not allow the fuel level to drop below a quarter tank on the gauge. This typically leaves enough fuel in the tank to keep the pump submerged and cool. Much less likely to damage the pump filling up. :)
Well put.
love the intro. Just wish mine wasnt buried on the back of the firewall....
@BMAC VAGS can you post a video how to chnage EGR valve in vw polo 1.2 2002 petrol hatchback thanks
Thank you for upload this video we appreciate the information
Great Video, keep sharing
One way to think about it is if you change your filter at 30,000 miles assuming your car gets roughly 20 miles per gallon, your filter will have filtered about 1,500 gallons of fuel.
I was expecting you to outline specific effects a clogged/dirty filter could have on your vehicle, i.e. fuel economy, power fluctuations, anything......
Omar Davis
Omar Davis
Good job buddy thanks
W/ my 2002 Honda CRV when ever I start it there is a little bit of a Smokey smell. You can't see smoke frm the muffler, but it can b smelled. Do u think this might be a sign that it's time to change the Fuel filter?
Thanks Boss for this video....
Great vid. Bad to see the state after just 12000 miles. Most manufacturers advice every 40000 for ff. That's way to long.
I think the people who made the car know more about it than you do
How many miles before.you change your.fuel.filter in your diesel engine?
I change mine every year as part of a more detailed service ( I service 2x per year )
Sometimes, it's not a "simple change" if you have to drop the gas tank and pull the fuel pump to change a damn filter!
Good video thanks.
If parts of the filter glue is coming off on a filter that is not that old that would lead me to believe the either that is a really crap filter or that they are using a additive in the fuel that is not agreeing with the filter well.
My question how restrictive that filter was?
It did its job
diesel or petrol ? Thanks for the video
This looks like a diesel fuel filter but both types of engines have a fuel filter that should be changed.
axenz axtiz This is a diesel filter. I have cut apart a gas filter and it is the same thing. The white or yellow media looks like it was dipped in tar.
great very educational
I don't really think you can judge the state if it just by the colour,you should actually take it apart and inspection it carefully looking for debris and such that actually should let you know how much the filter has filtered and roughly how much it can still filter and work properly.
...good job...
Is this a filter for a diesel motor or gas motor?
what type fuel filter is, I like it
I have metal shavings on my Volvo S 40 . 2006 190k I don’t have the metal housing and just the filter I can’t find any videos on metal shavings in the filter it’s a diesel