howdy all ,


I have a buddy who's got a 97 f150 with the V6 and whomever owned the truck before him somehow pushed the two lines snug against the fuel filter on both ends ( making it damn near impossible to get the old one off ) . They left the two little spring clips just hanging there and pushed the lines snug against it !!
Does anyone have any ideas on how to get that sucker off ? He claims to have tried everything from the scissor type removal tool to two screw drivers and it just won't budge . i am new to these trucks so I am no help at all so any help would be hot !!

 

Would a hack saw, rubber tubing and hose clamps work?

 

it requires a special tool... you can get one at your local auto store for cheap, it's called a "high pressure fuel/Air conditioner removal tool" I got mine for $5 which comes with a variety of sizes. I found it much easier if you stick the tool in the line and push the fitting towards the filter first then slide it off, if that makes any sense.

edit: oh yea, make sure you relieve the pressure in the fuel line first!

 

Not sure if I am reading your post correctly, but it sounds like the previous owner might have used the wrong filter. Some have a shorter nipple end that doesn't let the removal tools get in between the straight part of the line and the body of the filter. If that is the case it's probably hacksaw time.

If there is room and the proper filter is on, it might just be a matter of the right line tool. The "X" type usually work well, the plastic ones work sometimes. I had a tank fitting kick my tail one time and tried several, but this little baby below popped it off the first time.
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Note that the one shown is not the proper size for a filter. IIRC the one on my truck is a 5/16 fitting.

 

He already has the right tool , the problem is that the lines were pushed flush against the filter ( or as was stated the wrong filter was used ). I will reccomend he try that other tool and if not , I guess it's hacksaw time . But , heck , if you are just gonna trash the old filter I guess it doesn't really matter just a PITA .

Thanx for the help !

 

in that case just cut it off

 

alright , so i tell him to just hacksaw it off and his response is basically that he is paranoid that he will mess up the coupling ( when he tries to force the old filter ends out after cutting ) and have to pay the expensive dealer prices to fix it . Is this a possibility or is he overly cautious ?

 

If he already has the tool he should be able to get the nipple out after he cuts the filter body off. PITA for someone picking up the wrong filter.

 

I haven't seen any mention of fuel pressure. He did release the fuel pressure didn't he?

 

yea, just use the tool after you cut it out and use pliers or tweezers or something to pull it out, just try not to damage the hose coupling

 

if he has to cut it and the connections are broken, napa sells a fuel line splice kit that works well. My one connection was completely rusted out and wouldn't work so i had to splice it, i've been running it for 2 years without a problem.