Ok I changed the filter yesterday, here's a few extra tips for those who haven't changed one before (like me!)
- Make sure you have a good big set of pliars to loosen and move the hose clamps off of the 2 single hoses attached to the filter. They can be very hard work to remove so a bit of WD40 sprayed around the end of each hose might
help to loosen the hoses, especially if they've been on for a long time (like mine had) and are on very tight.
- There is a T-piece with a fuel pipe attached to each side of it, you'll need to remove this by taking a spring clip off first -
BE CAREFUL WHEN REMOVING THIS SPRING CLIP! - we spent 20 minutes fishing the clip out from in the engine bay using a long drill bit with some blu-tak stuck to the end after my dad had been a little too hasty and pinged the clip off. Just be careful and take your time, saves a lot of swearing and headaches
- When loosening the clamp around the filter itself, you only need to undo the screw until you can no longer see the very end of the screw inside the bottom part of the bracket. Don't remove it completely! You should just be able to loosen the top part of the bracket (a V-type clamp) and with a little persuasion and maybe a bit of WD40 again to
help lube around the filter, it should twist and pull out of the bracket.
- Installation is obviously the opposite of removal, all i'd say is, if you have some spare diesel in a jerry can or whatever that you can pour into the top of the filter before you replace all of the pipes then, it might make the bleeding process a little easier.
I didn't - I refitted all of the pipes and started the car which ran for about 10 seconds before cutting out, which led to me turning the car over for a good while to get fuel into the filter again to fill it up before it would start again.
Another thing you could try is to keep the revs up at around 2,000rpm when starting the car for the first time after fitting to try and
help get the fuel pumped around the system faster and possibly avoid the engine dying.
As said in previous posts above though, its a relatively easy procedure for anyone willing to give it a go