Fuel Filter

[nrs2001]

Got a fuel filter for my 2005 Subaru Forester and wanted to replace it.
Subaru does not want us to work on our own cars, they have hid the
fuel filter somewhere. If they have put it in the fuel tank as I
suspect, I will trade the car and go on a persoanl world-wide mission
to encourage people to stay away from the car brand. Does anyone know
where the fuel filter is located? By the way, I have some real
problems with my dealership. I have never been screwed like I have
with these people, thus my crappy attitude. I love my car, just the
service. They told me that my paint was chipping on the hood becuase
of acid rain, a Subaru rep. told me this!

 

[Edward Hayes]

My fuel filter is on the drivers side tower under the hood and there
is no replacement interval for normal driving. Usually if the filter
is in the fuel tank it is a no maintenance item. Why would anyone go
ballistic over a fuel filter in the fuel tank? What does the
manufacture recommend in your owners manual?"

 

[mulder]

Got a fuel filter for my 2005 Subaru Forester and wanted to replace it.
Subaru does not want us to work on our own cars, they have hid the
fuel filter somewhere. If they have put it in the fuel tank as I
suspect, I will trade the car and go on a persoanl world-wide mission
to encourage people to stay away from the car brand. Does anyone know
where the fuel filter is located? By the way, I have some real
problems with my dealership. I have never been screwed like I have
with these people, thus my crappy attitude. I love my car, just the
service. They told me that my paint was chipping on the hood becuase
of acid rain, a Subaru rep. told me this!

AFAIK the filter on your car is in the tank. Subaru is hardly the only
mfr that does this, it is very common. Those cars that have the filter
in the tank do not require it to be serviced as frequently as those
with external filters, I believe the interval for the in-tank filter
is 60K.
I understand you've had a bad experience with your particular dealer,
but there is no need to extend the bad feelings toward Subaru in
general or the car itself.

 

[Dmitriy]

I agree. There are a LOT of dealers that will screw you over, no matter
what car brand they are affiliated with. I know that around here,
Suburban is crappy, but Hodges is awesome... I've had my HG and Timing
belt replaced there and the service was great. Many people that work
there are Subaru enthusiasts you can talk to on NASIOC. If you don't
like this dealer, go find a better one. No matter what dealer you go to
though, expect to pay a lot... it's a dealer...

Subaru paint is crappy btw, no excuse for that... it's just crappy.

 

[nrs2001]

I just want to be able to work on my car myself and it seems that every
car company wants you to have to take it back to the dealer for
EVERYTHING! So I am not balistic, I just think that anyone with any
mechanical inclination should be able to work on their own car.

 

[Frank]

I agree that you need to separate car from dealer. I like my Forester
and dealer is great. My other car is an old Nissan, great car but
awful dealer. I have a foreign car specialist shop work on it. My
last US car was a Ford: piece of junk and crappy dealer. I had to sue
him and Ford over warranty and will never ever buy another Ford.

 

[Mike]

Cant be that hard to change really. Doesnt the Forester have access to the
tank from inside the car ?

 

[M.J.]

AFAIK the filter on your car is in the tank. Subaru is hardly the only
mfr that does this, it is very common. Those cars that have the filter
in the tank do not require it to be serviced as frequently as those
with external filters, I believe the interval for the in-tank filter
is 60K.
I understand you've had a bad experience with your particular dealer,
but there is no need to extend the bad feelings toward Subaru in
general or the car itself.

Well, somebody still has go inside there at 60K, and
get to that filter (a regular maintenance item) that could
and should've been located elswhere, not in the tank.

I keep my cars from new till they die. For me it would
mean doing it at least 3 times- that is having to pay someone
to do it for me 3 times.

Taking off the tank is always a very dangerous job with
huge potentially delayed liabilities. Having to do it three times,
in an average life of a car, is loaded with needles risk. On one
of my cars, a GM, I've had a faulty in-tank fuel pump replaced
several times, and messing around with the tank caused it
to finally start leaking, ....and in my garage (!). It took two
trips to the dealer, to diagnose and fix the leak itself.

I absolutely do not feel the OP is going "ballistic."

Ease of maintenance, its safety, and cost, are all very valid
concerns. Just because some manufactures don't care doesn't
mean its a non-issue for the consumer.

I would recommend not buying such cars. I know I would
never buy a car that has a fuel filter in the tank, period.

M.J.

 

[Dmitriy]

Well, somebody still has go inside there at 60K, and
get to that filter (a regular maintenance item) that could
and should've been located elswhere, not in the tank.

I keep my cars from new till they die. For me it would
mean doing it at least 3 times- that is having to pay someone
to do it for me 3 times.

Taking off the tank is always a very dangerous job with
huge potentially delayed liabilities. Having to do it three times,
in an average life of a car, is loaded with needles risk. On one
of my cars, a GM, I've had a faulty in-tank fuel pump replaced
several times, and messing around with the tank caused it
to finally start leaking, ....and in my garage (!). It took two
trips to the dealer, to diagnose and fix the leak itself.

I absolutely do not feel the OP is going "ballistic."

Ease of maintenance, its safety, and cost, are all very valid
concerns. Just because some manufactures don't care doesn't
mean its a non-issue for the consumer.

I would recommend not buying such cars. I know I would
never buy a car that has a fuel filter in the tank, period.

M.J.

From my experience, Subaru's are generally one of the easiest cars to

work on.

Mine has the fuel filter right under the hood... so that's nice.

Subaru fuel tanks are usually easy to get into since they have access
'hatches' from inside the car, where you can get at the fuel pump and
all related parts. VERY easy to do... much easier than changing the
fuel filter on most cars that have it outside the tank, since it's
usually buried somewhere behind/underneath the engine.

 

[M.J.]

work on.

Mine has the fuel filter right under the hood... so that's nice.

Subaru fuel tanks are usually easy to get into since they have access
'hatches' from inside the car, where you can get at the fuel pump and
all related parts. VERY easy to do... much easier than changing the
fuel filter on most cars that have it outside the tank, since it's
usually buried somewhere behind/underneath the engine.

If that's the case than maybe its not that bad.

I was under the impression that you have to take off the whole
fuel tank (like with many GM cars when you need to get to the
fuel pump).

M.J.

 

[Carl 1 Lucky Texan]

Well, somebody still has go inside there at 60K, and
get to that filter (a regular maintenance item) that could
and should've been located elswhere, not in the tank.

I keep my cars from new till they die. For me it would
mean doing it at least 3 times- that is having to pay someone
to do it for me 3 times.

Taking off the tank is always a very dangerous job with
huge potentially delayed liabilities. Having to do it three times,
in an average life of a car, is loaded with needles risk. On one
of my cars, a GM, I've had a faulty in-tank fuel pump replaced
several times, and messing around with the tank caused it
to finally start leaking, ....and in my garage (!). It took two
trips to the dealer, to diagnose and fix the leak itself.

I absolutely do not feel the OP is going "ballistic."

Ease of maintenance, its safety, and cost, are all very valid
concerns. Just because some manufactures don't care doesn't
mean its a non-issue for the consumer.

I would recommend not buying such cars. I know I would
never buy a car that has a fuel filter in the tank, period.

M.J.

Well, IF it requires removing the filter in the tank, I'm pretty sure
there is an access panel from inside the car under some carpet. No need
to drop the tank (I expect). Check on a Forester Forum or ask at
www.ultimatesubaru.net .

Carl

 

[nrs2001]

Thats really all I want! I want to work on my own car, not have some
robbers take my money and tell me things that are not true, Subaru
dealer in North Carolina!

 

[B A R R Y]

I just want to be able to work on my car myself and it seems that every
car company wants you to have to take it back to the dealer for
EVERYTHING! So I am not balistic, I just think that anyone with any
mechanical inclination should be able to work on their own car.

Obviously you're not as mechanically inclined as you think. <G>

1.) Many manufacturers now offer pay-as-you go online access to the
identical documents used by the dealership technicians. Subaru is one
of them, offering 24 hour, 30 day, and yearly subscriptions. You could
also pay large sums for the paper version, but @ $10 a day for the most
updated version, why?

2.) Code readers, PC based and stand alone, are now relatively cheap.
As a mechanically inclined person wanting to do serious automotive work
at home, you need to have one. As an alternative, many parts stores
will loan you the reader, or read the codes to you for free. Really
stuck? Pay the dealership a 1/2 hour of labor to get it for you, and
pursue and repair the problem yourself using the online documentation
previously mentioned.

3.) At least one manufacturer (Toyota) includes a "Self-Maintainers
Guide" in the the USA-spec manual package, clearly laying out how you
can maintain and repair your own car, and still maintain warranty coverage.

4.) Modern cars often have airbags and sensors all over them. Using the
information above, in #1, will help prevent you from damaging a
sensitive system or getting your head blown off by an accidental airbag
firing. This is why so many repair procedures now start with (remove
the negative battery cable...).

It's not at all impossible to work on a modern car, just different.
Some would say that modern "mechanical inclination" requires basic
computer literacy. Others might say that developments like OBDII make
repairing modern cars easier than they ever were. Even tiny machine
shops have CAD and CNC nowadays...

You can keep up with the times, or you can work with a hammer and axe...

 

[B A R R Y]

I would recommend not buying such cars. I know I would
never buy a car that has a fuel filter in the tank, period.

What brand of bicycle will you buy? <G>

Many cars have two filters, one in the tank, and finer screened version
closer to the engine. Just 'cause you see one under the hood doesn't
mean the tank doesn't have one as well.

Many of the in-tank filters have kind of a "self-cleaning" feature,
where the crap falls off and sinks in the tank when suction is removed.

 

[CompUser]

@newssvr11.news.prodigy.com>, (e-mail address removed)
says...

Well, somebody still has go inside there at 60K, and
get to that filter (a regular maintenance item) that could
and should've been located elswhere, not in the tank.

I keep my cars from new till they die. For me it would
mean doing it at least 3 times- that is having to pay someone
to do it for me 3 times.

Taking off the tank is always a very dangerous job with
huge potentially delayed liabilities. Having to do it three times,
in an average life of a car, is loaded with needles risk.

Or even needless.

Actually, *taking off the tank* is needless. You
simply undo a few screws, lift an access cover,
then pull the fuel pump directly from the tank.

I would recommend not buying such cars. I know I would
never buy a car that has a fuel filter in the tank, period.

Never say never. ;-)

 

[nrs2001]

Thanks Barry! Again I feel that I am not asking to much to be able to
change my fuel filter without having to download a repair manual from
Subaru! Every other car that I have ever had, and those have been
"modern" had a clear shot of the fuel filter. So....maybe Subaru's and
most cars are over engineered, or I am not as smart as I think I am. I
dunno!
Nick

 

[mulder]

I guess you can zero in on the fuel filter as a major issue if it
bothers you that much. However bear in mind that there are plenty of
other things on modern vehicles that you can't deal with yourself.
OTOH there are things that were necessary as maintenance on older cars
that you no longer have to think about- such as replacing/adjusting
points, changing caps and rotors every so often, checking and setting
timing, messing with carburetors and so on. Older cars would often be
finicky when cold starting, run poorly until they warmed up, require
frequent tuneups. Jump into any fuel-injected car made in the last
10-15 years, even the cheapest ones, and as long as it's had at least
the minimal maintenance performed it will most likely start right up
and run ok in any weather.
So it's not all bad.

 

[Ragnar]

Got a fuel filter for my 2005 Subaru Forester and wanted to replace it.
Subaru does not want us to work on our own cars, they have hid the
fuel filter somewhere.

Mine is in the fuel tank (05 WRX). Its not meant to be replaced every
30,000 miles or whatever interval.

If they have put it in the fuel tank as I
suspect, I will trade the car and go on a persoanl world-wide mission
to encourage people to stay away from the car brand.

Yes, trade your car in for that. I think the dash clock also runs a
little fast, so you can trade it for that too.

They told me that my paint was chipping on the hood becuase
of acid rain, a Subaru rep. told me this!

What evidence do you have that it wasn't caused by acid rain? His
answer, while it may sound silly, may also be correct. Have you
considered that?

 

[nrs2001]

Please, what evidence do I have. If my car has paint chipping off
because of acid rain, every car in my area should have the same
problem. Why is my car the only one that is affected by acid rain.
Look I am not trying to get everyones panties in a bunch, I just want
Subaru to be straight with me and I want a car that is easy to work on.
And yes I am trading!
And really Acid Rain.

 

[Carl 1 Lucky Texan]

I guess you can zero in on the fuel filter as a major issue if it
bothers you that much. However bear in mind that there are plenty of
other things on modern vehicles that you can't deal with yourself.
OTOH there are things that were necessary as maintenance on older cars
that you no longer have to think about- such as replacing/adjusting
points, changing caps and rotors every so often, checking and setting
timing, messing with carburetors and so on. Older cars would often be
finicky when cold starting, run poorly until they warmed up, require
frequent tuneups. Jump into any fuel-injected car made in the last
10-15 years, even the cheapest ones, and as long as it's had at least
the minimal maintenance performed it will most likely start right up
and run ok in any weather.
So it's not all bad.

Todays cars seem to a be little more 'binary' in that they can work just
fine and then stop. In the old days, the plugs would wear, the points
would wear, the carburetor would gum up, etc. Very analog allowing you
to decide when you'd had 'enough' and do a 'tune-up'. Still, OBDII and
other advances I think make todays cars a better deal UNLESS you like to
'tinker'. If you don't like difficult to replace fuel filters, good
think you never owned one of those Ford Mustang IIs that had the
impossible spark plugs to change!
I had a Datsun SRL 311 and still own the syn-carb device for
synchronizing the dual side draft carbs!

Carl