Any wisdom on removing the front line, I have the tools but the thing seems stuck.

Maurice

 

They can be a bear to remove, you may need a helper. Push the line toward the filter and as best as you can push the tool into the line away from the filter while twisting the tool and pulling the line at the same time. If you wind up having to destroy the locking fingers you can get replacements at the dealer for sure, maybe even local auto parts store, I have had to do just that on many occasions because of dirt and crud getting jammed up in there preventing the tool from doing it's job.


Good luck.



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Thank you, I'm about to yank this SOB out and put in something easier to service.

I question the brilliance of placing return lines and vapor return lines jungle gym style right where you need to have room to work.

To think they could manage to make so many serviceable items so hard to get to on a vehicle nearly twice as large as I don't know...I'll use my very crammed for space Mazda MX-6 LS for example (Ford Probe GT), its bad to do a lot of things but one would think the truck would be far easier.

I'll take a stab at it again tomorrow.

It looks like the front fuel line fitting is a bit buggered up. Maybe the previous owner tried to change the filter without the proper tools and jacked it up...

I do not want to replace the entire line.

Maurice

 

make sure your using the proper size tool also...theres different size tools.. is it flex fuel ??

 

I did check tool fit on the replacement motorcraft fuel filter (front and rear are different sizes) and used the correct tools. The rear line was a non issue but the front line refuses to let loose (this is the one that looks a bit jacked up.

It is not a flex fuel vehicle, at least the window sticker and lack of flex fuel badges lead me to believe it isn't one.

Still no luck today. This is rather frustrating, and looking at the forward line placement I'm imagining that if it needed to be replaced I'd have to pull the engine at the very least. Not cool.

Maurice

 

If you pull hard enough you will bend those locking fingers backwards to allow for filter removal, then you just use a small flat blade screwdriver to dig it out, needle nose pliers will help as well, the replacement locking fingers slide right in the line with no special tools needed.

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The good old, when all else fails apply a liberal application of brute force. ;-) Will do.

First though I have to get the new insert.

On a side note I got around to checking vacuum, she only pulls 15" of vacuum, if its not one thing its another. Its steady, but that's a topic for another thread.

Maurice

 

What's 15 inches of vacuum ?

 

Had read through the various threads (thanks for all the tips!) relating to replacing the fuel filter (mine is a 2005 F-150 XT, 2WD, 5.4), got under my truck today and wrestled with the thing until I realized it's much easier if, once the tool is slid into place, you pull on the filter, not the tube. Hold the tool in place and the tube with one hand and pull the filter off with the other. I used the tool on both ends and never had to worry about pulling out the upstream orange (sometimes blue) clip at all. Once the downstream (engine-side) clamp was off, the tool worked the same way.