fuel filter how to change

[James23]

Me and my dad did this on his and mums a2 a few weeks ago, elsawin said nothing about clamping the hoses, so after about 30 secs of v-power diesel pouring away we stopped and I had a look on here and found this helpful thread.. big thanks to skipton for the hints. We did however use a 27mm bi hex but were very careful so the operation was a success. we used two huge clamps that we had in the garage so it looked like a right pikey job!! but it worked never the less.


the goo was a perfect circle like the shape of the cap but when i tipped it out onto the heat shield to take a pic it folded over on itself.

on the cap that you take off from the bottom of the filter there was a layer of 'goo' that was like skin on top of a tin of paint when its been left. will try and attach a pic. any ideas what it was? his is an 04 tdi 90 with 65k thats been run on v power diesel since it came available and bp standard before that (dunno about the previous owners) my mothers is an 03 tdi that has 125k and that was clean as a whistle iside.

I was surprised at the cost of the element... £17.95 plus vat... is that about right?

cheers

 

[Will]

You can clearly see the front clamp and the rear one is just poking out from behind. This step is essential to avoid loss of prime and airlocks in the system and also to minimise fuel loss. If you don't have clamps, get some otherwise if you proceed beyond this point without, you'll be in a world of pain later!

When the trickle has stopped, undo the main cover of the filter housing, using a 27mm socket. Do not use adjustable spanners, mole grips, 12-point (or bi-hex) sockets or anything else. You MUST use a 27mm hex socket, as the nut is plastic and easily deformed unless pressure is applied evenly all around to all surfaces. If you ruin the nut, you will have to buy an entire new housing, as it isn't available separately and it costs £55!

Tail well and truly between my legs......I stupidly over tightened the small 10mm nut. So now I need to contact Audi first thing Monday and buy a new housing!

Even though I clamped the fuel hoses I suspect I have lost prime,as the engined stalled soon after starting. Is there a recommend routine to re-establish this?

Many thanks......

 

[spike]

Providing you have no fuel / air leaks I think the filter should eventually self prime.

Not sure if it happened but A2sumo was thinking of making a batch of metal drain plugs.

Cheers Spike

 

[Will]

Thanks for the reply Spike. There's hope yet.

2Nm.....you hardly have to breath on it. Oh well, old and now a little wiser.

 

[spartacus 68]

Is this an older or newer fuel filter? The filter on my wife's A2 (2003) TDI is completely different. No hassle with losing fuel, simply disconnect the fuel lines (after marking with tape what goes where) Undo from filter housing and it drops down. Disconnect filter top (safety push clip), replace with new filter (already filled with fresh diesel), etc. The only problems I've encountered is the heat shield screw caps disintegrate.