Project #11-The Fuel Filter

We've gone to great lengths to discuss the Zuki fuel filter. It's always been a "bear" of a job for me and I don't like it at all. I made a little progress in coping with this job but not much. The next time around, though, I think I will have a much better "grip" on it. No matter what I've done, I've always been covered with gasoline during this R&R. Not only does it stink but it's dangerous, too. The thought of a static electricity spark scares the daylights out of me. You can look at the slideshow above to see how I handled the latest fuel filter swap. If you can't see the slideshow or can't get Adobe Flash to load, click here to see the individual photos.

The little hose things I made sort of worked. The one I used on the outbound gasline worked great. I couldn't get the tubing to fit on the inbound line.
Meanwhile, I should have figured a way to use the chopsticks (as shown in the last photo) this time around. Next time, I guarantee you will be using at least FOUR chopstick pieces. I think the tapered chopsticks will work a lot better than the tubing. I definitely will be able to plug the filter barbs quickly. That will help on the total amount of gas that escape containment. The most difficult aspect is the incoming barb and hose. It's impossible to plug them both at the same time.

One thing I'm thinking about is replacing both of the shorty pieces of gas line tubing with something a little more pliable. Maybe I could put a big clamp on each piece of hose. That would help. Right now the hoses are rigid and brittle and a clamp would do anything.

Back in the day, I salvaged a clamp and bolt off a junkyard Zuki. I then could put the clamp onto the new filter to I wasn't under such duress trying to swap the clamp while gas is spewing every which way. This helps a LOT. I think it also helps to have a space bolt, too, just in case the existing bolt decides to "bolt" and hide out someplace where you can't find it. I'm gonna keep messing with fuel filters (pun intended)until I figure out how to do this job without getting covered in gasoline. I'd like to be able to look forward to this job instead of approaching it with fear and loathing.

In the meantime, I hope my notes on the above slideshow help you understand what you are getting yourself into when you decide to swap out the fuel filter.

Thanks for reading & cheers, jp

PS--A fuel filter generally costs about six bucks but that can go as high as ten. I've never seen them cheaper than five. If you find a good cheap source, buy a few of them and then you won't have to go looking around for one when the time comes for a swap.