Replacing a Fuel Filter

While lifting my 6 cil 4L 98 Cherokee sport today (it went great, only broke the rusty beat-up sway linkages!), I was told by a car guy who is always there refurbishing cars to sell that I should replace my fuel filter every 70000 miles; it is the simplest and cheapest investment besides the oil change you can do, he said.

So, I figured, it'd be a cheap and easy fix, but the parts stores around here all say it isn't buyable or replaceable and is supposed to last forever.

This can't be true. Other fuel filters are like 2.50 a piece, why can't I do this one?

Anyone have a how-to and a place I could buy one cheap?

Thanks!

B

I'm sure someone much more knowledgeable than I will confirm, but the 97+ models have the fuel filters are in the tank with the fuel pump and you have to drop the fuel cell to get at them.

the pre 97 models have them inline along the drivers side rail and takes ~10 minutes and $10 to change.

good luck!

With newer models.. it is IN THE TANK.

Why the hell is it in the tank AND in the freaking pump? Why wouldn't they make this replaceable? That sounds like a real big hassle to do...it doesn't sounds worth it to me.

B

i had a grand several yrs ago, had to replace the pump....yes it did suck. Mainly b/c i had a full take of gas!

It's designed to last the life of the pump. Don't sweat it.

So, what is preventing you 97+ owners from putting a fuel filter in-line?

I have wondered about that- would that create any pressure problems down line?

Seems to me installing a fuel filter down the line would be ineffective. Essentially filtering filtered fuel. Once the in-tank filter clogged up, replacing the inline filter would still leave you with a clogged in-tank filter.

Now if you were to remove the one in the tank and install one inline, you might be on to something. But then you'd have to go through the hassle of dropping the tank and removing the fuel pump anyways...

because the in tank filter would clog first, thereby causing the same problem.

It could work if you deleted the in tank filter, but I have never had one apart, maybe someone else can can chime in.

Your 98 fuel pump assembly is located on "top" of the fuel tank and yes, the gas tank has to be removed to access this part.

It is generally NOT serviced as a preventive maintenance item until symptoms and fuel pressure testing points to it.

If and when you do have problems, it is highly recommended that you replace the entire "assembly" which consists of pump, regulator, filter, check valve........as long as you have the gas tank out. Stay away from "el-cheapo" fuel pump assemblies unless you like doing the job twice! Buy a high quality OEM style assembly; they are worth every penny.

So, the answer to your question is: Don't worry about it for now. Dig in if and when you have troubles.

Yeah I get the fun joy of having to replace my fuel pump assembly once I get back from this Deployment due to my fuel level sending unit not working any more... Four days after buying my 98 it went stupid... I just stick with running 300 ish miles on a full tank before I fill up again...

I get about 280 miles/tank in my Jeep. Is that normal for someone not offroading and just driving to work and using highways? What should I be getting under normal good conditions?

I have definitely got to get inside one of these 97+ tank and fuel pump assemblies.

Looked up the assemblies and fuel strainer/filter parts on rockauto.com.

Seems like some kind of bean counters wet dream to move a serviceable fuel filter--with a large filtering capacity--to some kind of "Depends" inspired panty-liner contraption, inside of a redesigned fuel tank that requires you to remove the tank to get to it.

Renix and other pre-97 XJs have an externally serviceable filter, and there is a strainer (sock) in the tank, a fairly normal arrangement for pump-in-the-tank FI vehicles.

If it was my vehicle, I would drop the tank and loose the two filter/strainers, convert it to a earlier style strainer/sock and put an external filter in-line where it can be serviced.

Both 97+ and pre-97 have the "sock" on the pump inlet, on the pre-96 it's more like a sock, on the 97+ it looks like the absorbent baggie/packet they put under the cuts of meat in those foam trays and sits flat on the bottom of the pump assembly. The 97+ pump assembly is pretty retarded...

It is cylindrical, and spring loaded so the bottom is always pressed against the bottom of the tank (otherwise the sock could fall off easily.) It's held in with a roughly 6" diameter nylon nut/lock ring/horrible disaster, and surrounded by a large nitrile rubber gasket which likes to harden and stick to the tank lip, the top of the pump assembly housing, and the nut, making it fairly difficult to disassemble. The "in tank filter" is actually the stainless steel muffin like thing clipped to the top of the pump assembly, outside the tank but sandwiched between the floorboards and the pump assembly... I am pretty sure it also has the pressure regulator in it, but I could be wrong.

An enterprising person with mechanical assembly/manufacturing experience/ability would design a straight-through unit that drops in place of the 97+ regulator/filter assembly, and then would sell this in a kit along with an external regulator/filter assembly. Wish I had skills in that area instead of electronics... speaking of which, per Joe's post to me from another thread, the resistive fuel level sender switched coefficient sign from pre-97 to 97+ - on pre-97s the resistance goes up as the fuel goes down, on 97+ the resistance goes down as the fuel goes down (I may have this switched.) Other than this and the regulator/filter assembly, you can bolt a 97+ tank into a pre-97 - I did so. I'm actually running both fuel filters inline right now :dunno: guess I'll deal with it when it becomes an issue. My gas gauge does not work, and it took a little bit of work to get the rubber hoses from the fillspout to go onto the barbs on the newer tank as one or both of them are larger in diameter and my hoses were old and dried out.

What's the big deal about dropping the tank to change the pump? About the only thing some might not have around is a floor jack. Put the jack under the tank just enough to make contact. Unbolt the straps and balance the tank as you let the jack lower it. There is a need for caution with the next step. Because none of us want any sparks that could ignite things make sure that a BRASS punch is used to unscrew the pump! Reverse the removal instructions and you're good to go. I know at the start it seems as you're stepping off a cliff but once you've done one you'll realize it was'nt a cliff but a street curb.

ogrerick said:

What's the big deal about dropping the tank to change the pump? About the only thing some might not have around is a floor jack. I know at the start it seems as you're stepping off a cliff but once you've done one you'll realize it was'nt a cliff but a street curb.

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Well, when you factor in that many or us have gas tank skid plates that share the nutstrips inside the unibody frame rails with hitches, recovery points, bumper tie-in brackets, etc., it becomes a time consuming and labor intensive project to try to tackle trail-side, especially if your pump/filter should happen to fail when your tank is full. Now if you're at home, have a floor jack (or a container to off load the fuel into), and don't have any aftermarket accessories preventing the tank from being lowered, then it probably isn't that big of a deal... just a bigger deal than changing a fuel filter on a pre '97 model!

why not cut an acess hole while you have the tank out, make it easy on yourself for the next time