Wow, that was absolutely horrible. I knew it was gonna be bad, but that was terrible. Maybe if I had the right tools (I only used 2 of those cheapo crescent wrecnhes) it would have been better, but still. I even pulled the fuel pump electrical connector and ran the car to drain the lines, but I still lost a good solid 3 gallons of premium gas. Not to mention, I almost entirely stripped the bolts on the fuel lines trying to reconnect the fuel filter. And to make it worse, I did the work on my painted driveway (gas = super solvent...thins paint and now I am covered with paint and my right arm burns thanks to it being soaked in fuel for an hour or 2). Well atleast I did it, and the car definitely feels smoother and more responsive. But for anyone thinking of doing this on your own....dont, seriously dont. If you still insist on doing it...then get the right tools!!

Thanks for listening to my venting, and feel free to share your fuel filter experiences.

PS. My arm still burns...2 hours after chaning the filter

P.S.S. While loosening the fuel filter bolts...my big 12" Stanley crescent wrench slipped and nailed me right in the head leaving a nice big bump/bruise

 

Did you hacksaw the old filter apart to see what was inside of it?

 

hmm...no I did not. But that sounds like fun, I think Ill go dig out the filter out of the trash and do that later. I just gotta be careful not to make a spark. Ill post a pic of what was inside

 

I don't know how an SC3 fuel filter compares to an SC4, but I changed my old SC4's filter and it was a bitc* and a half! I had it up on a rack and the fuel was dripping down my arm pit for close to an hour. The bolts on the fuel lines were stubborn on mine as well and I nearly stripped them. Didn't notice much of a difference afterwards, either.

I just took my new SC4 to have the fuel filter changed along with the caps/rotors/plugs/wires and they called saying they couldn't get the fuel filter off without stripping the fuel line bolts and having to replace half the lines. But, the peace of mind is worth it to me, so I'm takin it to Lexus because I'm a lazy-a$$ and don't want to screw up my stuff.

Anyway, I feel your pain, brother. . .

 

haha thanks. It definitely sucked, but Its worth it. And I dont really care about the stripped bolts, Im not gonna have to change the filter again for a long while.

 

the lines have interferance fit threads and like to lock up. the fuel filters are supposed to be lifetime filters according to Lexus.

 

I just have trouble buying that. . .

 

I believe the intereference threads but not the lifetime filter.

 

We never had any problem with the fuel filter on Lexus at all. I've seen some of the 90 LS40 with almost 300K with original fuel filter and the car runs fine.
Hint: If you have to do any work that require remove the fuel line, remove the gas cap to release the pressure in the gas tank. This way the pressure inside the tank won't push fuel out.

 

Yes, they do have interference threads that the cool gas will freeze up quite nicely. And what was that about a lifelong filter?? I dont buy that AT ALL. Here, I just took some pics of the inside of my filter element. Enjoy









This is from a 1992 SC300 with 109,700 miles on it. I have always given this car premium fuel and never let the fuel guage drop below the 1/4 mark (now this is for the past 3000 miles, I have no clue what the previous owner used/did). Now granted, this filter does have some more life in it...but not much. Id say going past 150k miles without a fuel filter change is plain stupid.

 

I was going to say something like "wow, that filter looks like crap". But, the truth is, I have no idea how it looks, besides "used".

 

I was going to replace mine a while back. I called Carson and was told, "nah, you don't need to replace that" So I didn't.

Ed

 

Hacksawing it on the inlet side, rather than the center, would have allowed us to see what the filter trapped.

This is slightly off-topic, but you mentioned that you have "always given this car premium fuel", as if that had anything to do with cleanliness. I used to work for Texaco and we make a lot of money off of drivers with that impression (premium only costs a few cents more to refine than regular).

The fact is that all grades (regular, mid-grade and premium) of fuel is processed and distributed in the same tanks, pipes and trucks. At no point is premium fuel given any preferential treatment or extra filtering. The only reason to buy premium fuel is if you need the higher octane rating.

 

Sorry?

And I guess I just assumed that the premium fuels are "cleaner", but I guess not. Still, Im going to continue using only premium

 

i was thinking about changing my fuel filter? which filter did you guys use aftermarket or lexus/toyota? ne one have the part # for fuel filter for sc300 thanks.