Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2005 7:39 am Post subject: not that easy.
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I changed the fuel filter in the 02 liberty last night. It took about 2 1/2 hours. I have changed fuel filters on all sorts of different vehicles before, this one is the hardest yet.
1) My access panel was located where the instructions stated that it would be, but it was covered in a Rhino lineing type of spray on coating. I had to take a puddy knife and a hammer to chisel it off before I could begin to use the heat gun to loosen the panel. (the heat gun will soften the rhino coating also, if you have the patience and time to wait.)
2) The nuts that hold the access panel are also covered in this Rhino lineing. I had to use a small screwdriver to chisel the lineing off of the nuts, then force a 3/8 socket onto them to get them loose. They came off without alot of effort, but they are very thin, so be careful.
3) Once you remove the panel, it really only gives you access to the two lines that connect to the top of the tank. There is a nut that holds the filter to the front of the tank that is next to impossible to access. At one point I had flashbacks of putting a clutch in my toyota pickup, no room for my hands.
3.5) YOU MUST RELIEVE THE FUEL SYSTEM PRESSURE. I followed the instructions by removing the fuel pump relay and then trying to start the engine until it would no longer run. This did not relieve all of the pressure, so be sure that you have a towel or a few rags to soak up the fuel that will shoot out of the first line that you remove.
4) overall, I think that I will drop the tank "AND" remove the access panel the next time I have to work on this area. The access panel is a great idea, but it needs to be extended about 6 inchs to the front of the vehicle to make it truely effective.
5) I did this in a shop with a creeper, heat gun, drop light and all the tools that I could ever ask for. The first time that you do this job is somewhat trying at times, but now that I have done it, I would attempt it again. Hopefully with more time to spend. This jeep is our daily driver.
My Jeep has 100,000 miles on it and the fuel that ran out of the filter was full of dirt. I noticed a difference in how it ran this morning coming to work, alot better and smoother.
Sincerely typeing at work with dirt under my fingernails,
Copenhagen6
