New Fuel Filter sure made one heck of a difference

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Before I get to the pics let me give you a quick heads up: Just bought this 1996 Ford Escort LX hatchback about 2 months ago. So far I am loving the thing for a little daily driver/beater.

One thing I noticed on the car was some really hard shifts between 1st and 2nd. I figured this was just early signs of a slipping tranny. I also thought about the idea that this was from the fuel filter too. I noticed that the car felt "puttery" from a complete stop to about 2k RPM. I figured this could be an issue with the fuel filter being so clogged up too.

Anyway, we changed the filter today and man was it disgusting. Here are the pic:

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Particles of dirt were flowing out with the filter and didn't stop flowing until the filter ran dry. I am 99% sure this was the stock filter (116k on the car).

Anyway with the new filter that puttery feel is completely gone and there are no hard shifts whatsoever. I am really surprised a fuel filter could make that car feel so beat down.
 
ALWAYS on the top of my list when I buy a new car. I tend to find the OEM/dealership filter much better in fit & performance than aftermarket units.
 
How was the media damaged?

Dirt particles often flow out of the inlet side. The fuel coming from the outlet should be clean or you have a problem.
 
Media was damaged from me ripping it apart. And it had particles when the fuel in the filter was draining it's last bits after it was pulled. I assumed from the beat up and clogged filter media.
 
The fuel filter is the most neglected filter to change for one reason: underneath the car.Always replace it when a tune is done.It makes a big differance on the fuel pump too,a plugged up fuel filter will put a strain on the fuel pump and kill it.This was the cause of a fuel pump that went bad I replaced in an Oldsmobile.Could not blow through it,plugged up solid.
 
Another auto trans fixed by a fuel filter change
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btw, I wonder if I should scour some $300 Craiglist ads for a beater with a "rough shifting" trans and see if a $10 fuel filter change would do the trick. It's a gamble though.
 
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I always thought a bad fuel filter would be most noticeable at full throttle and high revs, when the highest flow of fuel is required. Is that incorrect?
 
Originally Posted By: wafrederick1
The fuel filter is the most neglected filter to change for one reason: underneath the car.Always replace it when a tune is done.It makes a big differance on the fuel pump too,a plugged up fuel filter will put a strain on the fuel pump and kill it.This was the cause of a fuel pump that went bad I replaced in an Oldsmobile.Could not blow through it,plugged up solid.
This is an excellent reply.Clogged fuel filter is tuff on a fuel pump.Changing fuel filter is a cheap and easy way to avoid a costly repair.My fuel filter gets clogged very easily for some reason.I'm changing mine this weekend.
 
Good thread, Fuel Filter is too easy and cheap to overlook. My brother has 35K on his 07' F150 w/ the 5.4, I need to tell him to change it soon and every 30K or so. That's what Ford recommends anyways. Same for my other bro's Taurus.

The Corolla's are in tank though.
 
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