jonbad
Member
I know that this has been covered a lot in respect of recurring questions like, "where is the fuel filter" and "how do i change it" but I've not seen a complete guide for the 1.4 petrol - at least for a 2003 petrol BBY powered car. So, here's my guide…
Instructions
1. Locate your fuel filter. Looking at the offside (that means furthest away from a UK kerb) rear wheel, the fuel filter will be located under the car just in-front of the rear offside wheel.
2. Make sure you have inspected what type you have. There are effectively three types… which I'll explain as this is actually the most complex bit!
a). Do you have a filter with only two pipes going to it? If yes, move on to step 3.
b). Do you have a filter with three pipes going to it? If yes, there are two types - one with an in-built pressure regulator and another without it built in, but it is attached to the filter itself. Allow me to explain.
explanation). The simplest way to tell is if you can see a horseshoe pin (looks a bit like a hair clip) close to the edge of the filter. If you see nothing, just smooth metal curving toward the central hose, then you have the in-built type. If you have the type with separate pressure regulator, you now have a choice. You can purchase a new filter without the pressure regulator and you'll need to swap it over - or - you can buy a filter with the regulator in-built, saving you from having to change it over. To make matters a touch more complicated, there are three pressure standards so you need to be certain you buy the right one. To my knowledge, there's no easy or quick way to tell what return pressure your car will have. Perhaps someone else can advise on this? For me, I called my local VW specialist and they did some digging that I was not privy to and found mine to be 3 bar pressure standard. From memory, the options were 3, 4 and 6 bar. It is important you have the right pressure!
3. Having identified which filter you need, buy the right one. Sounds obvious, but is a critical step!
Under the car - refer to pic below
4. You "can" do this job without raising the car, but it is far easier if you do. I'm not going to get into how to lift a car as that's for others to describe, just be safe as a priority!
5. You will need:
- Small pair of needle type pliers
- flat screwdriver
- thimble (from a sewing set - only needed if you have weedy fingers)
- torx screwdriver (unfortunately I forget what size it is but I think 5 or 6 - if you really don't have one then you can use a hex/allen key that fits)
- disposable cleaning cloths/paper towel etc.
- replacement filter
6. Looking at the filter, press down on the button on the hose connector. It is a "quick release" type that has a single button on one side. Don't use a screwdriver, you should be able to do this with your thumb/finger. If you find it stiff to press, use a thimble. With the button pressed down, pull the single ended pipe off and over the locating flange. Don't pull it all the way off yet, as you'll get fuel everywhere if you do. However, fear not - your entire fuel tank wont run out.
7. The order for removing the fuel hoses is the single ended side of the fuel filter to the engine (No. 2), the inlet from the tank (No. 3) and lastly the return hose (No. 4) - the central one on the filter beside the inlet.
8. With all the hoses released but not removed, you can undo the filter clamp with the torx key. Take note of its alignment as there is a small metal pin (No. 5) that protudes from the back of the filter beside the inlet hose. Thise must be in-line with the filter shield, as indicated on the image below.
9. Swap the hoses to the new filter. There is enough flex in the hoses to do this with the new filter either in or out of the clamp. The hoses simply "snap" onto the new filter, do not press the release buttons. Of course, if your car was particularly grimy you might want to clean up the hoses a little before putting them on, just give them a wipe with a cloth and as some fuel comes out of each, this will act as a cleaner.
10. With the hoses now on the new filter, redo the clamp with the torx screw. Make sure the filter is aligned as per the image shown below, of the little pin (No. 5) lining up with the edge of the filter housing. For those of you bothered, the correct torque for the clamp screw is 2.5Nm - which means just tight, not overly so or you'll strip the thread.
11. Done! Now you just need to make sure all the hoses are on correctly once more, in case any were dislodged when fitting the filter. Likewise, check for leaks after starting the engine and running it for a little while - just to be on the safe side.
The three types of filter
2-hose type
3-hose type without pressure regulator (you must reuse your existing one, using the new supplied o-rings)
3-hose type with in-built pressure regulator. Note that there are three variants of this type, so if replacing the 3-hose filter type above with the in-built type, you must be sure of the return pressure that your car requires.
Before and After
Before - notice this filter was the type without in-built pressure regulator.
After - notice the filter has been replaced with in-built pressure regulator type (in this case, 3 bar). Also notice the small locator pin is level with the filter housing.
Instructions
1. Locate your fuel filter. Looking at the offside (that means furthest away from a UK kerb) rear wheel, the fuel filter will be located under the car just in-front of the rear offside wheel.
2. Make sure you have inspected what type you have. There are effectively three types… which I'll explain as this is actually the most complex bit!
a). Do you have a filter with only two pipes going to it? If yes, move on to step 3.
b). Do you have a filter with three pipes going to it? If yes, there are two types - one with an in-built pressure regulator and another without it built in, but it is attached to the filter itself. Allow me to explain.
explanation). The simplest way to tell is if you can see a horseshoe pin (looks a bit like a hair clip) close to the edge of the filter. If you see nothing, just smooth metal curving toward the central hose, then you have the in-built type. If you have the type with separate pressure regulator, you now have a choice. You can purchase a new filter without the pressure regulator and you'll need to swap it over - or - you can buy a filter with the regulator in-built, saving you from having to change it over. To make matters a touch more complicated, there are three pressure standards so you need to be certain you buy the right one. To my knowledge, there's no easy or quick way to tell what return pressure your car will have. Perhaps someone else can advise on this? For me, I called my local VW specialist and they did some digging that I was not privy to and found mine to be 3 bar pressure standard. From memory, the options were 3, 4 and 6 bar. It is important you have the right pressure!
3. Having identified which filter you need, buy the right one. Sounds obvious, but is a critical step!
Under the car - refer to pic below
4. You "can" do this job without raising the car, but it is far easier if you do. I'm not going to get into how to lift a car as that's for others to describe, just be safe as a priority!
5. You will need:
- Small pair of needle type pliers
- flat screwdriver
- thimble (from a sewing set - only needed if you have weedy fingers)
- torx screwdriver (unfortunately I forget what size it is but I think 5 or 6 - if you really don't have one then you can use a hex/allen key that fits)
- disposable cleaning cloths/paper towel etc.
- replacement filter
6. Looking at the filter, press down on the button on the hose connector. It is a "quick release" type that has a single button on one side. Don't use a screwdriver, you should be able to do this with your thumb/finger. If you find it stiff to press, use a thimble. With the button pressed down, pull the single ended pipe off and over the locating flange. Don't pull it all the way off yet, as you'll get fuel everywhere if you do. However, fear not - your entire fuel tank wont run out.
7. The order for removing the fuel hoses is the single ended side of the fuel filter to the engine (No. 2), the inlet from the tank (No. 3) and lastly the return hose (No. 4) - the central one on the filter beside the inlet.
8. With all the hoses released but not removed, you can undo the filter clamp with the torx key. Take note of its alignment as there is a small metal pin (No. 5) that protudes from the back of the filter beside the inlet hose. Thise must be in-line with the filter shield, as indicated on the image below.
9. Swap the hoses to the new filter. There is enough flex in the hoses to do this with the new filter either in or out of the clamp. The hoses simply "snap" onto the new filter, do not press the release buttons. Of course, if your car was particularly grimy you might want to clean up the hoses a little before putting them on, just give them a wipe with a cloth and as some fuel comes out of each, this will act as a cleaner.
10. With the hoses now on the new filter, redo the clamp with the torx screw. Make sure the filter is aligned as per the image shown below, of the little pin (No. 5) lining up with the edge of the filter housing. For those of you bothered, the correct torque for the clamp screw is 2.5Nm - which means just tight, not overly so or you'll strip the thread.
11. Done! Now you just need to make sure all the hoses are on correctly once more, in case any were dislodged when fitting the filter. Likewise, check for leaks after starting the engine and running it for a little while - just to be on the safe side.
The three types of filter
2-hose type
3-hose type without pressure regulator (you must reuse your existing one, using the new supplied o-rings)
3-hose type with in-built pressure regulator. Note that there are three variants of this type, so if replacing the 3-hose filter type above with the in-built type, you must be sure of the return pressure that your car requires.
Before and After
Before - notice this filter was the type without in-built pressure regulator.
After - notice the filter has been replaced with in-built pressure regulator type (in this case, 3 bar). Also notice the small locator pin is level with the filter housing.
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