Tip of the day: Fuel filter change made easy

[mr_goat]

I've read a couple of posts from people having serious problems removing the fuel filter with hand tools:

http://nsxprime.com/forum/showthread.php?t=62785&highlight=4+hour+fuel+filter

This job is easy with an impact wrench, but for us who doesn't have those, we are stuck with trying to get the bolts off with breaker bars. The problem is that when you apply torque to the bolts, the filter will twist since it is mounted to the firewall with rubber bushings that will compress, so all the force applied will be wasted compressing these instead of breaking the bolts free.

Solution, courtesy of Prime user Paul:

http://nsxprime.com/forum/showpost.php?p=791752&postcount=10

Here with images from me:

Use a 21 mm open end wrench placed just under the mounting surfaces for the banjo bolts. Use it as a counterforce, holding the filter in place when breaking the banjo bolts free. Mine just popped of like it was nothing. I had to remove the fan that sits on the passenger side air intake in order to fit the 21 mm wrench.

Pictures taken with cell, sorry for the bad quality but I think you get the picture :smile:

 

[shawn110975]

show us pics of that wrench in the engine bay hol ding those bolts while the fuel filter is still monted to the firewall

then show us pics of how you got the bolt off while both hands are in the engine bay under all of that.

great idea if you were working on a Ford F-150 that has tons of room

 

[mr_goat]

show us pics of that wrench in the engine bay hol ding those bolts while the fuel filter is still monted to the firewall

then show us pics of how you got the bolt off while both hands are in the engine bay under all of that.

great idea if you were working on a Ford F-150 that has tons of room

Well I did it so it is possible :smile: I had to remove the fan that sits to the right of the fuel filter in order to find the space needed. One hand holding the wrench, and the other on the breaker bar attached to an extension (so the breaker bar is actually up above the engine bay, with 360 degree free turning angle)

More space can be found by first unbolting the filter from the firewall, letting it stay i place by the tension of the fuel lines and then unbolting them using this method.

I got my filter off after about 20 minutes of labor, of which 15 were spent removing the fan. Install of the new filter was accomplished in about 5 mins.

 

[mr_goat]

BTW, what is the purpose of that fan? I removed it and do not intend to put it back, seems really unnecessary.

 

[shawn110975]

Honda thought that the heat of the engine would be to great in the small space of the engine bay so they added that fan. Later on they figured that it wasn’t needed so they stopped putting the fans into the NSX’s. so after 1993 ( I think ) they stopped the fan. So any NSX after 93 ( I think ) will not have this 7 lbs useless fan
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I have not taken mine out cuz its all original but will take it out one day to install an engine oil cooler

 

[BTL3.0]

My 93 came with a fan. Must be the late model 93 that doesn't have the fan.

Ok so which of those two ports do you put the fuel pressure gauge on? I'm thinking about adding one. I'm guessing the left one, the one with the banjo bolt right???

 

[Spaz]

What about crows feet? Ever try that for the tight space in the engine bay?

 

[Ryuji]

It's exactly the solution I used 2 weeks ago and the bolts came loose almost
immediately. And it's what is shown in the service manual to remove the filter.

I have to say that I removed 2 years ago the engine fan.

 

[pgilliam1]

My 93 came with a fan. Must be the late model 93 that doesn't have the fan.

Ok so which of those two ports do you put the fuel pressure gauge on? I'm thinking about adding one. I'm guessing the left one, the one with the banjo bolt right???

Have a looksy:

http://nsxprime.com/forum/showthread.php?t=133870

 

[Xetronic]

I agree with doing it by hand is not easy. I just a small long nose vise grip to hold the fuel filter when I changed my 2 weeks ago. (didnt have any large open ended wrenches available. I have a 99 so I'm unfamiliar with the fan. You can change it in 30 mins. Just remember to disconnect the battery before you start.

I used the maintenance manual as a procedure and it worked just fine.

 

[BTL3.0]

Have a looksy:

http://nsxprime.com/forum/showthread.php?t=133870

Perfect. Thanks

 

[I_M_Legend]

Is this the best way or is using an impact wrench better?

 

[Larry Bastanza]

Is this the best way or is using an impact wrench better?

Both ways work fine, but I can tell you the impact gun takes 2 minutes.......

HTH,
LarryB

 

[Jerry@Mobile]

Use the impact wrench if you have it. Larry is better then me. It took me three minutes Jerry