First of all, if you have a fuel filter that has never been changed, do it now!

As yo can see, the stock oem filter has no built in bypass valve, it has over 90k mile on it, and so clogged I could barely blow through it.
This will cause fuel pump failure, hard starts, and the regulator valve in trunk to come off, requiring tank removal=sucks ! !


NO BYPASS VALVE, FILTER ELEMENT GLUED -PERMANENTLY.

NO FUEL WOULD EVEN COME OUT, NOT ONE, DRIP ! IMAGINE YOUR FUEL PUMP
STRUGGLING

BEEN ON HERE SINCE 1998

 

Thanks for the very compelling evidence. I admit that I have rarely changed fuel filters during the past ten years because the general perception is that today's fuels are much cleaner and do not tend to clog up and destroy the filters as they did decades ago....

I changed our 2005 S-Type's fuel filter at 60,000 miles a couple of years ago simply because I happened to see a Purolator fuel filter sale in a local auto parts store so I purchased one. I have not changed my wife's 2006 XK8's fuel filter yet (now at 72,400 miles). You have convinced me to do so....

 

I change mine every 30k miles. Can't say any of the old ones have ever been clogged, or even restricted. Is that because I've been buying clean gas, or because 30k miles isn't long enough for restriction to develop?

I dunno.

I guess I can go longer between changes.... but probably won't. I'll categorize it as one of those feel good things

Cheers
DD

 

What interesting, I noticed very intriguing YOU ALL NEED TO KNOW, something doing a fuel pressure test.The OEM FILTER IS FROM THE UNITED KINGDOM, it will say it

1.My fuel pressure would continue to climb with the KEY OFF.
Why -the filter was clogged and after the key was off, the fuel came through in a SURGE.


2.My fuel pressure was normal 42lbs.

3.Once the fuel pressure gauge was put on the windshield to monitor inside the car, while turning the key forward, I noticed the pressure climb from 0-42psi a little slow/skimpy.One time it hung at 39, then jumped to 42.

4.Suspecting my gauge was faulty, I monitored pressure on a car with a new filter, and did not have these results.

This concluded I had a fuel pump issue,so my first inspection is the filter, and bam, the first inspection failed.

 

Its for all of the reasons in the OP's first post and more that I change my filters every year.

On my A6 Audi recomend that the air filter & fuel filter can go 40k miles, so these are NOT done as part of a service even done by the dealer.

Having suffered from a few issues that possibly " could " have been fuel filter related, I now change mine with the regular service every year.
The same goes for the air filter.

To be honest, we're talking seriously cheap preventative maintenance here guys.

We all have different views and can maintain our cars as we see fit as individuals, so each to their own.

 

Is there a good trick to reaching the fuel filter easily on these cars or is changing the filter without a lift a real struggle? Has anybody paid an indy to do this, if so, what did they charge? This seems like something that might benefit greatly from a lift.

 

The filter is on the driver side in front of the rear tire, easy to get to, pain to remove the rear line.

A shop will charge just .5 hours to do the job. So your looking at just $100 bucks or so.The filter is $11 bucks at autozone, so that was my grand total.

I did this myself, but the reason I recommend to take to a shop,

the rear fuel line was seized in the back of the filter, don't know if the dealer used loc-tite like they are known for or what!

But I had to take a grinder and grind off metal material of the filter fitting where the rear line goes into the filter.

A torch cannot be used, as the filter WILL EXPLODE in your face, as I have tried that before.
And penetrating oil wont save you. TRUST ME

 

Uh, I hope this was an exaggeration on your part.

 

nope, younger years, trying to undo a old fuel filter on an old GM and man, I tell you, it didn't take but 15 seconds of heating that rusty rear fitting and boom!!

However, I was shielded up and put a little extinguisher on the small firework show.

Those rear lines love to rust into the filters when you have the screw in type-worst design and you know your only option is to use heat because most of those lines are discontinued and cannot be modded without risk of future leaks or issues.

The worst one ive seen in the shop, a tech was welding a custom exhaust up, didn't know the fuel tank had rust holes in the top, and a big boom ! That took a fire blanket and 3 extinguishers, a new fuel tank,wires, and lines.

 

I had an indie do it for me. I had the filter, he charged me $42 labor.

 

Thanks for the good fuel filter info.
I'll be changing mine tomorrow.
I'm not sure it's ever been changed.
Not by me anyway.
1998 XK8 w/135,000 miles

 

you'll be glad you did vs a new fuel pump or valve in the tank

 

Where is sam at?

I want to instal a in line valve and need to know the size of the rubber fuel line to buy.And a source for the valve.


Im not replacing a fuel pump only to have the same issue over and over again down the road, when I can just have my valve in the rear of the car like sam did.

 

Reverend Sam sold his XK8 last year. Replaced it with a Saab ragtop and regrets it. He rarely stops by the forum now....

 

ok,

i found the post.

Its called a fuel line check valve for 3/8 lines.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/331020106816...witem=&vxp=mtr

You take a tubing cutter, cut your 3/8 fuel line in trunk or near rear of car, install it with 3/8 rubber line and clamps.

I coat my metal lines with some black rtv gasket maker before sliding the rubber lines on the metal ones and clamps, then let dry, to ensure a way better seal, with no future problems.

I have a car that I did this two, been fine 12 years, no leaks. You can even remove the clamps lol, experimental, no leaks.Fuel will eat through anything else,unless epoxy is fuel proof.

 

another xk8 came my way, same issue

 

I replaced the fuel filter in my '97 last week when I did the oil and oil filter change. It looked like the original but it wasn't plugged yet but I didn't want to take the chance.


Dave

 

My XKR is 9yrs young and i replaced the fuel filter this year with 52000 miles covered so far. The fuel filter on mine is the "press the tabs and pull off" type, unsure if the part had been replaced before, my guess it had not as it was an original part and just looked 9yrs old!
Only process i did do was to spray PLUS GAS on both push connections 24hrs before i attempted to remove it, had no issues apart from a small spill of fuel, just a tip....remove the higher of the 2 connections 1st and then tip the contents into a container to save spilling over yourself.

 

FYI the 1998 XK8 use threaded connectors. The longest part of replacing my filter was finding the correct sized wrench! If you ever need the exact size do a search - I included it in a previous thread about fuel filter replacements.

 

Took your advice and changed my filter yesterday. Tried blowing through the old filter today and it was blocked solid. The new filter had no resistance at all. I'm going to cut the old one in half just to see what's going on. It's stainless and looks brand new on the outside.