Fuel filter question...

bowtie_pasta · May 15, 2002

I'm getting ready to change the fuel filter on my 97' S10 Blazer real soon. I crawled under today and located it. They sure didn't leave much room to work did they?

Anyway, looks like it won't be too bad. Just wondering how the filter comes out of the retainer/bracket? Does it just snap apart or is there a fastener to remove?

The Haynes manual really doesn't go into too much detail. Not to mention it's probably a good idea to remove the transfer case skid/center skid plate to get a tiny bit more working room.

Sorry for the long post. :sideways:

westex39 · May 15, 2002

If the mount is like most Chevys, you should be able to work the filter out of the mount. However, I had one model of Chevy that the clamp had to be loosened before you could get the filter out. Be careful with this job. You will have some fuel drainage when you unscrew the lines. ALWAYS A FIRE DANGER. Hope this helps.

bowtie_pasta · May 15, 2002

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Just slide it out of the mount. Does anyone know for sure on these S-10's?

I'll try to be extra careful and keep the fire extingiusher handy.

Thx :sideways:

bassdog · May 15, 2002

I'll try to be extra careful and keep the fire extingiusher handy.

LOL! You wouldn't even get a chance to reach for it!!! BOOM!

I just did mine...the filter slides out of the clamp. I did take out the two bolts that hold the bracket to the frame for a little extra play.

bowtie_pasta · May 15, 2002

Man, you must have some room to work! I can barely feel the fastener for the mount with my fingers, much less get a tool up in there. What a PITA!!

carguru · May 15, 2002

FS pickups will sit a little higher than the Blazers. They have a tiny bit more wiggle room.

bowtie_pasta · May 15, 2002

Ok another couple questions:

What about brands of filters? AC Delco, FRAM, Purolator, off- brand? What's the best, does it matter, should I just grab the cheapest?

Also, I checked today for the open end wrench sizes I'll need. The fuel line fitting nut (smaller one) is 5/8, but what about the larger nut on the filter? The closest open end wrench I have is a metric 19mm and that's a hair too small. So I'm going to pick up the right size wrench when I buy the filter.

Thanks for the help guys.

bassdog · May 16, 2002

I do have extra room under there, only thing in the way was the torsion bar.

I used a set of clamping pliers to hold the larger nut, so I don't what size it was. They loosened very easy, only took about a 1/4 turn, then I could loosen by hand.

After the line nuts were loose, I pulled the back line out of the filter and moved it out of the way. Slide the filter out of the clamp...slide new one back in.

One step here...use anti-sieze compound on the line threads if there isn't already some.

I used a Fram filter...I don't see any difference in fuel filters...

bowtie_pasta · May 17, 2002

Hey, hey, hey, I got this job done today!!!

First off I want to say thanks for the responses I got. I really enjoy having a forum like this.

Once I dropped the center skid the job wasn't too bad at all. I even managed to rip open the old filter and to my suprise it was really dirty. Black and dirty, the element fins leave black crud on anything they touch. I really expected it to be a LOT cleaner.

I purchased this truck from a previous owner. I took ownership right at 80,000 miles. The truck is in beautiful shape and I've been doing my part to keep it that way with routine maintenance like this.

So bottom line, I'm really glad I changed this filter, I had no idea it would be so cruddy.

Maybe I'll notice some better performance, we'll see...