I just got through changing the fuel filter on my FD, for the first time. I was all ready for the job to take me ~2 hours from all the horror stories I've been hearing about it, but it only took me about 45 minutes! And that includes backing the car into the garage, putting it on jack stands, changing filter, washing all the gas off of my arms and changing my shirt, letting the car back down and starting it up.

It really was not THAT hard! The lines are a *little bit* hard to get to, but once you take out those two bolts holding the filter on, you can pretty much maneuver it to get at the clamps. And I was able to get a very good hand hold on the filter and the hoses to pull the hoses off.

The Mazda engineers definitely had a sense of humor when they put the filter above the differential... but in my opinion, changing the filter is not nearly the bitch that everyone makes it out to be.

One word of advice (I'm really stupid for not doing this). Make sure you relieve the fuel pressure! I remember a few people on here say that they did not relieve the pressure, and didn't have any problems. When I got my first hose off (I had a rag wrapped around the hose too, and I loosened the gas cap), gas sprayed all over the place, and pretty much soaked the front of my shirt. When I took the second hose off, the remaining gas in the filter spilled all over my other arm, and onto the front of the new shirt I put on after the first one got soaked.

Just thought I'd share this story will you all.

Paul

 

fuel filter replacement is on my schedule for this coming weekend on both R1s...
i plan on clamping the lines prior to removal of the filter to minimize the spills...providing there is enough room in there to use clamps...

 

Not sure if there's enough room to clamp the lines... just make sure you relieve the fuel pressure and take off the gas cap. Also, don't forget about the residual gas in the filter, which will spill even if you clamp the lines. Those things hold quite a bit of gas.

 

if you want, you can bend it and put a zip tie on it. that is what i did....that is, IF you want to. i did not see too much gas come out after i had releived the pressure though....

-louis

 

will most likely swap out the charcoal canisters as well with new ones after this project....

 

How do you relieve the gas pressure?

 

In the relay block under the hood, you have to remove the fuel pump relay, start the car, and let it run till it dies. The main reason I didn't do it is because I can't get the relay to come out of its socket, and didn't want to break anything.

 

Yeah, how do you relieve the fuel pressure? I would like to know also.

 

I think it's the green relay next to teh battery. You start the car and let it run, pull out the relay, the car stalls when the fuel runs out. You switch off the key, do your filter change, replace the relay. You then put the car in diagnostic mode by jumping the GND and TEN terminals and leave the key in ON position.

http://www.scuderiaciriani.com/rx7/fuel_filter.html

 

I think you got lucky.

 

is there any reason not to use a discount auto parts fuel filter for the 3rd gen as opposed to the more expensive mazda filter?

 

Yeah, peice of mind that comes with knowing that you didn't save $35 on a filter only to have it clog up and cost you several thousand on an engine rebuild.

 

I jumped the GND and F/C terminals (see the Workshop Manual, page F-96)

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pedalpusher