Hey, i need to change the fuel filter on the corsa. Looks any easy job, just the hayne's manual talks of pressure in the fuel lines. I take it that it just means open the connection slowly? Also i take it wrapping a cloth over the end of the fuel line will stop petrol pissing every where? Tanks almost empty anywhere… 🙂

It might be high pressure, but hardly anything will come out. It'll just come out quick! Open slowly and wrap a cloth round it, you'll be reet. Try not to set too much air into the pipes though

Take the fuse out for the fuel pump and run the car till it stops, fit the filter, refit fuse and prime (turn on the ignition) for a while, then start.

What does Haynes actually say to do? I'd follow that to the letter, taking this into account.

🙂

Thanks for the advice so far! The haynes manual is very vague – it just says to do it…

"…wipe the dipstick on an oily rat…."

With my fuel filter ( Land Rover Defender ) it was just a case of unscrewing it, spilling diesel down my arm, and screwing the new one in place.

After that I had prime the fuel system, and eventually get the engine to fire – producing enough white smoke to hide half of the car park, my neighbour and her children.

Easy really.

Thanks everyone! Job done! 🙂 in the end i didn't bother with taking the fuse out, i just went for it! Despite the haynes books suggestion there was a chance of a huge jet of petrol squirting any where, just a wee dribble. I feel like a car fixing god now, done the switch on the gear box for reverse, changed the rear pads, checked the front and done the fuel filter so far this year… Spark plugs and oil change soon! 🙂

Fixing/maintaining your own car saves a fortune. I have been doing it for years now and really begrudge taking car to a garage, when I know that most jobs I do better myself, in the knowledge that anything I snap will be replaced. Mostly garages botch up any trim or missing clips.

Just a reminder for those that do this, make sure you take more care with a commonrail diesel if opening the rail side, the pressures stored there can be sufficient to hypodermically inject diesel through your skin, even through a rag. On a normal petrol car you're safe to just crack it with a rag over it, but it can get messy, and some fuel filters are below fuel-tank height so you may need to watch for it syphoning the tank!