Okay, so.....once you get EVERYTHING just right, yeah, you can do the filter change.....
But........
I would almost rather be kicked in the ***** repeatedly by midgets, before attempting it again!
Seriously, that is about a 9.3 on the bullshit/hassle factor.
Do-able, but not fun.
Definitely not fun.

 

Would you say, "Everyone should do it at least once, just for the experience." or would you say, "Don't be an idiot, take it to the dealer."? If you don't know, I'm hell bent on learning how to work on my own car.

-Jon

 

I say it's a rite of passage. Do it once, then relocate it to the engine bay.

 

Its not that damn hard, come on now. Once you get it down it shouldn't take more then 1/2 an hour. The relocation to the engine bay is another idea, but some people worry about vapor lock.

 

I'll let you know how the vapor lock issue works out in a couple weeks. It's hot as hell down here in FL, and if it's gonna happen, it's gonna happen here.

 

I changed mine about two weeks ago. It was a huge pain in the *** but I figured out how to lay down to be able to get my hands in there. The hardest part was getting that damn clamp off of the hose. I'd do it again.

 

It was pretty easy for me i justtook the diff out. ok so the drivshaft PPF rear tires and most of the suspenion were already out but it was still pretty easy

 

I was about to do it tommorow at my friends body shop 'cuse he has a lift, but you guys ain't boosting my confidence after saying how hard it is to do. I don't want to put in the lift and not be able to do it or break somethingl.

 

There really isn't anything up there to break. Maybe a hose clamp. Be prepared to curse alot and leave the shop with a couple of busted knuckles.

 

If you have access to a lift you should have no problems. Most people do it on their backs with very little light. Trust me, since my old man put a lift in our shop it makes a world of difference when it comes to making **** a lot easier than it used to be!

 

Just to help those that have yet to do it, some tips:

Take off both the plastic (driver's side) and the metal (passenger side) cover plates. This gives you much more room to get both hands around the differential, and you WILL need to do this.

A standard 10mm socket on a small extension is about 1/2" too short to really get to the bolts that hold the bracket from the rear of the crossmember, you need to extend the total length by adding a u-joint to the extension, not socket, end or maybe use one of those little palm-speed deals.

The spring clamps that hold the hoses on are the second worst thing to have to remove. These are truly a bitch, as you have to get the filter assembly turned just right to get to the clamps, and you have VERY little room to get a pair of pliers up there. It is REALLY tight!

The hoses are the worst thing to remove, once you have the clamps off. But with enough twisting and turning and cursing, they will come off.....just in time to give you a gas-bath!

Definitely run the tank low on gas prior to starting this. I got mine down to about a gallon or so.

Follow all the other hints and suggestions that are in the Forum and in the various sites.

Use stainless screw type clamps and get rid of the spring clamps.

When you have left a few layers of skin on various parts of your undercarriage, repeat like a mantra how much money you are saving.

And lastly, it wouldn't hurt to power wash the area you are going to be working on. My car is VERY clean, yet there was just enough dust and dirt here and there to fall........right in my eyes at every turn!

Have fun!

 

OOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM... I'm saving money..... OOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM... Fair warning, but it's not the money I'm after. Who here works on their own car and finds it personally fulfilling and pretty cool, for that matter?

 

ME! Heh, I love working on my car! I completely rebuilt a '70 'Cuda which I sold to buy my FD. One of the happiest moments I've ever had was turning the key and hearing that big 440 roar to life after a complete rebuild. It took damn near a year to do the whole car (EVERYTHING came off), but it was totally worth it! However, I can honestly say that the FD is even more fun for me! You will develop a much closer relationship with your car if you do labor yourself. It also helps you diagnose problems better. I say go for it!

 

yeah I like working on my cars to, im still learning but i'm not scared to take anything off of my cars if it needs to be fixed. The only thing with the FD is I don't have the ca$h to fix it 'cuse Im not working right now because of my back.

 

I took the twin turbos off over the weekend getting ready for an engine transplant(I took the turbos off witht the engine in place for a couple of reasons).

I have looked at the loaction of the fuel filter but I have never changed it. It can't be any more difficult than taking the turbos off?

Ed
93 Type Arrgh

 

I was going to change mine my self lifted car put on jacks looked for filter saw it attempted to go at it and stoped becuase i had hard time reaching with my big arms and saw i would maybe waste lots of time or break something... so i took to dealer for them to struggle with it