I also ran into the Vaico o-ring being too large, I hadn't read this full thread and spent a very frustrating hour trying to get the assembly together.

Also for anyone not betting fuel pressure, make your this same i-ring didn't fall off as mine did the first time. I thought I killed the car or the fuel was too low to fill, turns out it was the missing o-ring.

 

Great write up! I have a question though. 1 day after I did this, the car threw a few codes. p0442 and a p0456 which referenced a pressure issue with possible gas cap, or fuel vent something or other. Though, I didn't touch any of those items, just followed the directions as stated above...Any suggestions? Thanks
If it helps, it's on a 02' Cooper S.

 

Any fuel smell? I didn't get the gasket installed quite right the first time I tried to change the filter. Anything that keeps the tank from being perfectly sealed will have an effect. There's also a cross-feed line between the left and right fuel tank modules.
Or, a vent hose could be pinched or the cap gasket may be bad.

 

No fuel smell. I had the codes erased and then today a light came on showing "check cap" which would obviously be related to the gas cap. I know that's on tight so I'm assuming it must be with the seal somehow not letting the pressure build to spec. I'll have to dbl check the seal, which I had a heck of a time getting the metal ring to clamp down properly...Needless to say, I don't think it's that serious of an issue but I don't want it messing with the gas mileage, etc....I'll post an update as soon as I check the filter seal again. Thanks for the info!

 

Quick update. Turns out the rubber seal on the top part of the fuel unit was sitting on TOP, which is why the metal ring was so D*mn hard to get to stay clamped tight. The rubber seal sits between the hard plastic, not above it!! I just reseated the seal and finished so I'll get the codes erased again, and HOPEFULLY the issue will be resolved! I don't remember the DIY photos showing the seal seated the "correct" way so I was not aware...My own fault still. If a problem persists, then I'll be back to trouble shoot!

 

Does the top just rotate "lefty loosey" to come off? I've been trying for 2 hours and nothing so far! Very irritated. :/ Do I need to pull up and twist? Do I need a magic fairy wand? Unicorn hair?

 

You need to twist, "lefty loosey" about 1/2in or so then CAREFULLY use a flat head and pry up a little on each side to pop it off. It was a pain in my A*(* but finally got it. You really need to get a good grip on the bottom part and you should be good.

 

Thanks. I gave up for today after about 3 hours of trying to get it apart. I couldn't get the old gasket to reseal either! Today was not my day for car maintenance I guess! Oh well.

I'm going to get one of those old school style oil filter wrenches tomorrow and fashion something to fit into the top and see if I can break it loose. Had zero movement out of it today. I've done a lot of other work on her, I'm sure I'll eventually get this too. She's got about 90k so I imagine that seal/gasket is pretty stuck.

 

Ok!!! I went and got some strap wrenches today and it was easy peasy to get the canister apart. Highly recommend some strap wrenches.

But... now she won't start. I should have printed out the pictures.

Since that large o-ring was in the bottom of the canister that's where I put the new one in at! DOH!!!

Back to the garage...

 

Big o-ring sits about halfway down on a little ledge in the bottom half. I also had a hard time getting the two parts apart. I was able to get it to turn but the little o-rings in there had a heck of a grip. I used a flat blade screwdriver and carefully pried the two pieces apart. That part figuring out took longer that everything else. Now that i know it will be easy the nest time.

 

Did mine yesterday, nasty stuff in there! '03S with 79,000 miles on it.

100_0253.jpg?t=1339967395

 

I just did mine. Some observations:

DEFINITELY difficult to separate the two halves, I used an oversized set of pliers on the bottom and tight grip on the top. I'll use strap wrenches next time.
My filter was NASTY, but, for a '05 with 81,000 miles, i guess it's okay.

My car ran rough for a few minutes, threw a code, then smoothed out. I cleared the code with my scanguage II and now all is well.

Thanks for the great writeups.

 

I did my filter today on my 2006 MCS with 114k. First time to change the filter. I've owned the car since it was new. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be by looking at it but what a difference it made in performance. A simple process as well thanks to these forums.

It felt like the car I knew 3 years ago. It was 104 here today when I finished the filter. With the A/C on full, in 4th gear going 60mph, the car pulled to red line at 110mph without a hesitation or a stumble. I'm amazed!

The car has felt tired and struggling to get to red line for quiet a long time. Today it got there like it was second nature.

Now I hope it helps with my mpg. I've been running 22-23mpg for 3 years. We shall see.

These forums have been a great resource.


Update: Last night I took my car out again but before I left the driveway I noticed the rough idle, horribly rough so I reset the ECU through the gauges. Fired the car up and it ran worse then it did before I changed the fuel filter. I got back and parked it in the garage feeling quiet defeated. In between the many cocktails and friends stopping by I was perusing the forums and basically staring at my car.

I plugged in the code reader as I sat in the garage and went to live data. Straightaway I noticed the Short term fuel trim #'s were all over the place. I was seeing -35%, -22%. +15% etc. I turned the car off and sat there when I recalled another person in a forum about OBD Code 2096 I think. Similar problems just a slightly different code and this person stated the he bought a new oil cap for his car and solved all his problems.

I had put a new o-ring on my oil cap last week. The O-ring I used had a bit more girth then the OEM o-ring on the oil cap . I pulled the oil cap and installed a smaller o-ring and all my issues are now gone!! It runs even better then it did after the fuel filter replacement!!

 

Where exactly does the big thick o ring go? I just did this and now the car won't start, I have to have it running tomorrow for a trip. Any help would be appreciated!

 

After reading as many threads as I can find, I did my filter and offer a short list of suggestions (these may be here already, just didn't read them)

1. Mark the position of the steel ring so you will know how tight to put it back.
2. Unless you have very strong hands and grip, get two strap wrenches to remove the cap from the filter body.
3. Get some silicone or other lube for the o-rings and filter openings
4. A turkey baster, or siphon pump or something to remove the old, existing gas from the housing
5. Instead of putting the new large o-ring down on the little ledge inside the canister, put the o-ring onto the cap. It will all fit together much better this way.
6. Put a liberal amount of lube on the two small o-rings, the large o-ring on the cap, the inside of the inlet and outlet holes of the new filter and the inside of the extra large rubber gasket that seals the top to the body.
7. Once the cap is pushed in and turned the one inch or so clockwise to lock the lid on the housing, set the canister down into the tank then work the large rubber gasket into the top of the tank (inside of this gasket already lubed), align the tab and push it down into place. It should slip right in. Hold the assembly down tight while fitting and hand tightening the steel ring. Tap it all the way tight until your original marks line up.
8. With the cover still off and the gas fitting attached, turn the ignition key on and off several times to fill the housing. It should then start right up with no leaks. I hope this helps someone a little bit.

 

Great DIY. Thanks to the OP. I just did my fuel filter today after ordering it from Way Motor Works.



Thanks for posting that. I was wondering why I had an extra part.

 

 

[QUOTE=Bond06;3672362]I used a big C Clamp to hold the bottom half of the fuel filter container, as the bottom half of the container was raised about 3-4 inches up from its normal position. I was able to twist the top part of the filter container off with a open ended oil filter tool.

 

I changed out my filter and gaskets and tighten everything back up. Now my car won't start. I checked to make sure everything was tight and even tighten the metal ring up a little bit more and it started to sputter and crank for a few minutes but now it won't even do that anymore. Any suggestions on what it could be?

 

see if you can find the shrader valve that looks like a tire valve on the injection line and see if you have any fuel pressure there , if not check the fuse for the pump.

 

Used this guide to replace my filter today, 2004 MCS with 65K miles. Old filter was black and fuel in the canister was black. Everything went very well indeed, all the O-rings were the correct size but the only problem I had was the big seal that sits on top of the tank lip.

When I removed it all following the first post the seal came up away from the tank with the assembly, so I assumed wrongly that the new seal just sat back up the top of the canister. Eventually I gave up trying to get the metal clamping ring back on and came inside for a brew and read the post again, this time reading more of the thread and posts and saw that the seal goes on the top of the tank first. Sorted within 2 minutes and back up and running. I had run my fuel until the warning light came on and after 3 primes she was up and running again, you can hear the difference when priming the lines when they go from empty to full

I would suggest that the original post is updated with a sentence that explains the problem with the big seal, as it seems this is missed quite often.

Otherwise very good guide,

 

hey guys, great write up...i have a big problem i think. i followed the instruction accordingly but i can't get the car to run. i can hear the fuel is going in but after 5 or 6 times of priming. here's what i get:


i hope someone know whats up, im really dissappointed, could be the battery? after each try to run, the computer reset the trip distance, it's like cutting off power. Any idea? :(

 

Definitely sounds like the battery to me, do you have a booster pack or know somebody who does?

 

I had same issue tricky...

 

This happened to me too. Does anyone know how the float is supposed to be attached to the unit? Having trouble figuring out how to reattach the thing...

Help...
Thanks