My fuel filter

Has any one changed the fuel filter for a small inline one before,
Can this be done ?
Is there any reason that I have to have that great big one siting in the engine bay???



would a small in line filter work ?

Hello Lee,

Very inadvisable unless the specification for your proposed inline filter has the same filtering capability of the Efi item.

The Efi item has to prevent particles above 2 micron getting to the injectors.

Normal inline filters are not that fine so they will let larger particles thro' with the result that the injectors may get clogged.

As it happens there are more filters (filter baskets) inside the injector feed pipes but as I recall they are not particularly fine so they are probably there as a last line of defense for any particles of debris that may get dislodged in the fuel rail and pipes, over time or during maintenance etc.

By ignoring the need for a 2 micron filter the end result will be clogged filters on all the injectors and probably contaminated injector pintles as well.

Before that happens the injector performance will fall considerably with inefficent spray patterns or a spray that has thin jet liquid streams, that will not burn properly with the following symptoms.

Lack of Power, Poor Fuel Economy, Excessive Exhaust Emissions, Hard Starting, Rough Idle and Poor Driveability.

I bet you wish you never asked since it makes you feel like you were about to commit murder or something?

Read about injectors here

Only registered users can see links on this forum! Register or Login on forum!

and fuel supply

Only registered users can see links on this forum! Register or Login on forum!

Ramon

OWWW MY GOD

I am glad I asked as normaly I would just do it, I am glad I did not this time.

I know it is not keeping the car standard but I would love to get rid of that fuel filter from where it is. I just want to clear the engine bay a bit (around the wheel arches) because I want to have a nice paint job done in the engine by and so on....

Any ideas where I could move it, e.g. under the car like the Ford granada or something like that,,,,,
Not sure what to do now???

Hello Lee - lots of possibilities to clear the engine bay?

There is definitely room to put the filter adjacent to the SD1 pump but on the granny (scorpio shape) it was right near the back so easier to get at for renewal.

Then you could move the wash bottle to the boot and run the main W/W pipe forwards.

Also the battery could go in the boot - My P5b had that.

K&N air filter takes less room too.

My son had the whole cooling system for his Rover V8 Powered Lada Coupe in the boot and his exhaust system too.

But then he is mad.

Yours could be the only SD1 engine bay containing just the engine.

On the other hand the VW beetle ------! Nah - dont go there ramon.

I have put the Battery in the boot already, I need to use the wash bottle that is for the front head light washer jets (that is under front wheel arch) as the window washer bottle.
The washer pipers are like Garden Hoses on the head light washers, so I need to get around this problem...
Also I need to come up with an idea to move the header tank for the rad..

I thought about using a rad that has the water filling on the top of the rad, not sure if this will work???

Garden hoses! I was looking at mine and was wondering if a previous owner had been a-bodging with the pipes - obviously not Are the headlamp washers supposed to work in tandem with the screen washers? Mine don't.

With the inline filter, I think those are only suitable for carb applications. I don't think they'd be rated to take the 40+ psi of pressure in an EFI system. If the return pipe is blocked I think pressure will rise to 4 bar before the pump's relief valve opens!

The headlamp washers are only supposed to work when the lights are turned on, and yes, they work in tandem with the windscreen washers...
It's very hard to notice them working though, but you can sometimes just notice the headlights go dim when they are working! Normally the relay burns out, or the washer pump gets covered with crap & fails......

I was going to change the pipes for the window washers instead of the head light washers, and use the bottle instead of the origanal water bottle as it is out the way.

Talking of fuel filters, I've replaced the in-line filter in my carb-fed engine several times now, I've bought about three or four from Rimmers which come with all the olives and nuts etc in situ, but upon fitting them the blooming things leaked as though they weren't there which necessitates me refitting the old one which is 100% fuel-tight, but looks very dusky and dank within....

Anyone else had similar problems, or any tips?

I've just had to do my fuel filter. I purchased a universal in line unit, it was a Fram G12-1 fuel filter. It had 1/4" and 5/16" stepped pipes which were a little longer than some of the other brands. I cut off the 1/4"piece and 5/16" flare with a stanley knife. I reused the factory union nuts that I removed from my old filter - the old filter had to be destroyed to get them off, they won't come off with the olives. I bought 2 new brass olives 5/16" ID to suit nylon tubing andslipped these over the new fuel filter ends. Make sure there is enough length of fuel filter tube to extend past the olives. Put the fuel filter in place, tighten the union nuts and you're away. Hope this helps you out. On the ones you have had leaking, check that the olives have compressed around the fuel filter tubes, may give you some idea of what went wrong.

Thanks dmb for the advice...

There's more to fitting these than I thought.

I'll let you know how I get on, I'm DESPERATE for a new fuel filter

Jay