98 F150 4.6L 4WD...

Attempted to replace fuel filter tonight. The connector on the fuel tank side of the filter came off just like it is supposed to. The engine side, however, will not come lose at all. I can wiggle to back and forth, but I can't seem to get the tool to compress the springs.

The engine side connector seems to be smaller than the tank side. I've done this once before on a '98 Ranger, but didn't notice a difference in connectors.

Any tips or tricks would be appreciated.

 

The front one gets a lot more dirt in it than the back.Use lots of lubricant
and compressed air if you have.
Don't force it out,just keep trying it will come.

 

I doused it with PB Blaster (which was within reach) but didn't think about compressed air. I'll give it a try.

 

The front ones really get dirty as said. Spray it like crazy and keep working it. If you wreck the little cage inside the connector you can dig it out with a pick, clean it up, ....NAPA sells little bags of those for like $4.00 bucks. If you get it out and there is a little O-ring stuck on the filter stub....the end of the connector is ruined....that is worse case and seldom happens. If it does I have a fix for that other than replacing the entire fuel line....Good Luck..

 

Still no luck. I think part of the problem is the the tool is not going in all the way. I have soaked with PB Blaster and hit it with the air compressor to clean out any crud.
The tool is junk.
What if I just cut the connector off and clamped the crap out of it?

 

It's not like an old time fuel line...it's under pressure. Mine was so wrecked I had to cut the connector off. They make repair ends for other vehicles, but NAPA had nothing for an F-150. So i bought a repair connector that was for the correct size as the fuel filter. It actually is an easier type of connector to remove in the future....it slides on and locks in place just like the OEM one. It is one of those you soak in hot water then slip over the existing line afyter you cut the OEM connector off. As it dries it shrinks onto the line. Then I also put on 2 very small clamps for added safety. It has been fine for 2 years now. I kept the bag the part came in form NAPA and can get you the part number if you want. Let me know. Just remember...once it is cut off you are commited to solve it.

 

Yeah, the part number would be great. At this point, I'm willing to try anything since this is my daily driver. For the time being, I hooked the filter back to the fuel tank side and re-pressurized the line.

 

It's in my shop, I'll get the number in the AM for you. Just remember...this was a DIY fix...proceed at your own risk.

 

I'll explain what I did but first......put the tool in place and push in and at the same time push the fuel line in towards the filter. By pushing the line in it allows the tool to get in deeper and spread those little fingers apart. Keep doing that back and forth and see if it pops out. If you can move it in and out but still nothing, what happens sometimes is the O-ring in the base of the connector is rust welded to the stub on the fuel filter. The O-ring can't get past the cage so it is just stuck. If you yank hard enough the O-ring will eventually yank the cage and all out. Hard to believe that O-ring can get that rusted on...but it happens. In hindsight if I did it again I think I would try to salvage the O-ring and reinstall it in the connector along with a new cage.

Here is what I did. At NAPA they have a little section called "fuel line repair". I bought #800-057...Dorman Nylon Fuel Line Repair kit. Basically it is a 5/16ths connector formed onto about 10" of nylon fuel line. I bought a barb used to connect that size fuel line to a liked size fuel line. I cut the existing front connector off along with about 5" of line. The line on the truck is actually nylon with a braided type sleeve over it. I slit the sleeve back about 1-2"...not cutting the nylon line though. I figured out about the distance to cut off the line on the repair end. I soaked the end in boiling water and inserted the barb. As it cools it forms onto the barb. With the filter out of the way I boiled some water in like a baby food jar. I qiuck got under the truck, stuck the line in the boiling water, then inserted the barb ( which already is fastened to the connector nylon) into the existing fuel line. Let cool...then pulled the fabric type stuff over the barb and put on 2 small clamps. No clamps were used on the nylon lead from the new connector. The front line is not as flexible as OEM now, so first I connected the line to the front of the filter...mounted the filter...then snapped on the back one.

Hope this makes some sense....please be careful if you do this...I have seen some guys say use a cig. lighter to shrink on the fuel line...I don't think i need to explain that one when working in area with dripping fuel....yikes...Good Luck!

 

"Twisting" the filter will normally break it loose.