Yoda

If it is a lifetime filter, how come the dealer has it in stock?

MTL_4runner

All gas has some impurities in it, either from processing, transport, pumping, etc.
I doubt one station or even a few are to blame, you just have to change it as regular maintenance.

Good point, same with spark plugs.

GSGALLANT

The dealer had to order it in for me (but that doesn't surprise me in the least considering they also didn't stock enough ATF for me to do my tranny flush, so they had to order some of that for me too.

elnip

Here is my cruiser at 84K. I do the truck every 20-25k

Ironmike4x4

I've posted my peice up before on this. That's why the fuel pumps usually goes out on GM trucks and SUVs. I've seen it too many times and when I was replacing my own fuel filter on my 4Runner, I called to order the filter at the dealership and they told me it was really unneccesary to replace it just because it was "lifetime" BS I told them and just wound up getting it from Advance. When I took it out and blew on the end, of course there was a good bit of resistance. How much harder was it for my pump to push it constantly? Excellent write up GS!

rimpainter.com

Some gas stations, like Costco, filter their gas extensively. I try to fill up there every time if possible. That's according to my dad anyway, who works for Costco. I would imagine superior filtration at the source would only prolong the "life" of the "lifetime" fuel filter, or at least the performance of it.

aowRS

I just replaced mine last night - what fun.

Stopped by the local dealer a few days ago and was told that this was a special-order item. Pick the filter up yesterday and then pulled the old one. Lo and behold, the filter I received did not have compression fittings

Hop in the other car, go back to the dealer, drop the dripping filter on the counter and explain my plight. The same parts guy shakes his head and then announced that they stock the correct one.... He guesses that he must have ordered the 4-cylinder version for me.

Fifteen minutes later I had the correct filter installed and flowing fuel. I just love it when people have a such a cavalier attitude about their jobs and just shrug off mistakes like this.

Andreas

GSGALLANT

Yeah... That's always a pain in the a$$. Sounds like it worked out OK for you though. How old was your filter? Notice any improvements yet?

aowRS

It was the original filter from when I purchased the truck new in June 2001. Seems to run fine, but I've only driven 4 miles or so.

Andreas

hillbilly

I just replaced the filter on my '01 (74K) yesterday evening. Needless to say a snorkle & mask would've been handy. I was prepared for the ensuing mess, and all was going quite well, that is, until I fumble the old filter. As it fell into the small plastic ice cream bucket I was using to catch the gas, it smacked the lip/side of the bucket, splashing at least half of what was in the bucket onto my shoulder/face. JOY! And yea, as flying skunk dog mentioned, gas in the eye really does burn like fire (not to mention all the other added goodies that were dissolved into the gas like undercoating, BP Blaster, dirt, and filter sludge).

One thing I did find really handy was a plastic golf tee with a small quart size piece of duct tape wrapped around the shank to plug the fuel line from the tank. When inserted into the tank supply line, it created a really nice seal to stop the onslaught of fuel, which is especially nice when a few extra minutes are needed to run to the utility sink to rinse the GASOLINE OUT OF YOUR EYE.

Since I was already a walk fuel bomb, I decided to lube the drive shafts and U-joints too. As a side note, anyone know any tricks to reloading a grease gun?? I can NEVER seem to insert a new tube, compress the spring, and reseat the guns collar without feeling like I'm struggling with a greased pig.

mt_goat

LOL, ok here's the trick. First you pull the t-handle all the way out the back and lock it into a little slot in the rod. That will fully compress the spring, THEN you unscrew the front of the gun (end the grease pumps out of) and remove the old cartrige and pop in a new one. Piece of cake. Oh yeah then you screw it back together and lastly you release the spring. I bet that was hard to compress the spring and push the new cartrige in at the same time, I'd have paid money to see that.

seanz0rz

guess ill be doing this one pretty soon. any increase in power, fuel mileage, throttle response?

habanero

Our yota dealership didn't stock one either, told me it was lifetime, ordered one in for me without a hassle. Wix aftermarket would have cost me the same anyway.

hillbilly

I'll be sure to charge for ear plugs next time... my wife really appreciated all of the obscenities.

Not yet... the roads were pretty snow covered on the way to work this morning so I was trying to stay off the throttle, more than on.

SteveD0603

So is just any filter from a good auto parts store OK, or is the original Toyota part best? Same with oil filters? I've been buying the stock Toyota filters over WIX or any other brands with the anti drain back design.

That's a real eye opener and probably explains why mine has had rough starting issues lately!

GSGALLANT

I took a quick try at loosening the fittings on the fuel filter of my '93 4R yesterday, before I buy a new filter. They are rusted a lot more than the ones on my '02 4R were when I did it. I didn't want to put to much force on them and break the lines or strip the fittings.

Has anybody had to replace sections of fuel line when they tried to replace the filter on an old rig with quite a bit of rust on it? On mine, there is a short section (14 inches) of hard fuel line going towards the fuel tank, then it ties into a rubber fuel hose with a couple of hose clamps, so that one would be easy to replace. The hard line going towards the front of the vehicle ends up at another fitting that's screwed in, I think, so that may be a bit harder to get apart.

YotaFun

I am sorta in the same boat you are...
I went to change the fuel filter on mine and ended up putting the old one back on....
Apparently the last time it got changed someone threaded one side on wrong and cross threaded the nut...
So now I need to either replace the entire line or figure out a way to fix that thread... the filter has close to 75K on it... so it is about time for me...

hillbilly

As long as you go with a rebuttable manufacturer, and it'll accept the Toy compression fittings, you should be OK. From what I've seen, there's nothing particularly 'special' about these fuel filters.

As a preventative measure, I used a Yellow Teflon tape on both compressing fitting threads, then sprayed each with a bit of undercoating from a can once they were assembled to hopefully prevent corrosion.

mt_goat

Yeah I replaced that hardline from the filter forward to the highpressure flex line while I had the engine and tranny out of my 93 ext-cab. The fitting nuts had gotten rounded off too much after changing the fuel filter a few times. Not sure how hard it would be to do with the engine and tranny in though. Going back together I used anti-seize on all the threads.

Also I'd had problem before where you can get the nut started off but then after about a half turn off it gets harder and harder to turn. I've been told that's from over tighten the fitting to the point you deform the flare.

toy283

They never say who's (or what's) "lifetime" it refers to. Sounds to me like they're saying the filter's lifetime which is apparently over