Hi everyone. I have a 2009 Focus 1.8 TDCi, I have done my own 'servicing' for several years which was mainly just oil and filter change, now I am facing the consequences... the fuel filter was changed 55k miles ago and since then hasn't been touched. I am getting problems when accelerating more than relatively hard, after a couple of seconds it hesitates / loses power, I'm thinking likely engine is being starved of fuel and could be blocked fuel filter.

A local garage quoted £98 for new fuel filter so I thought worth doing, when I took it in they said casing and clips etc looked in a bad state and too risky trying to open as it might break then would need a £150 part from Ford, more labour plus up to 2 weeks to get part....

So now unsure what to do. The car has 201k miles and in 'well used' condition, however passed MOT less than a month ago so reluctant to get rid of it, and am not going to sell without telling them about engine hesitation problem. Do you think the garage is being too cautious? Should I try to do the job myself? (I have Haynes manual). Is draining fuel filter less 'intrusive'? Any advice appreciated.

Without knowing the specifics of doing the job etc I’d say it would be worth getting the new part first then either trying the job yourself or letting the garage change it. Hopefully the car can limp along till the part comes - if you wait much longer to order it you will bump into delays with the Xmas bank holidays etc

Draining the filter only removes water.  It doesn't remove the wax that's stuck in the paper.

At 201k I don't think the garage are being too cautious.  I wouldn't want to touch it either.  But if it needs doing there's not much choice.  You could try to find a good used filter casing to have at hand in case yours does break. 

There should still be quite a few 1.8 TDCIs in breakers yards.

Thanks for comments. I've found a used fuel filter housing on Ebay for about £20 so think worth getting and going back to the garage to see if they'll do the job. Possibly with the housing they can do as easily as replacing just the filter? On a related point, what cost would you expect for fuel filter change? The normal replacement filter (not the housing) is less than £10, so £98 for the job seems quite a lot. Main dealer quoted £148. Maybe I'm in the wrong job?!

The garage may have a minimum labour charge of 1 hour regardless of the work done.  It shouldn't really take longer than 30 minutes though so that quote is a bit more than I'd expect.

These can be a pain to bleed afterwards.  It's not as simple as just changing an air filter in 30 seconds for example.

the slaves getting dirty and cold get 11 quid an hour, the pretty crooks round the front offering posh coffee and a smarmy persona (from all the training courses you pay for) charge £290 plus VAT

11 months M.O.T. and I'd be getting the used fuel filter housing on Ebay and taking the gamble.  No way I'd get rid for a £20 gamble on a part that may get the job done.  If the garage does the job in 30 days, without needing the housing, you could always return it on ebay.

If you get a good used  housing and change the filter in it then the risk is getting the pipes off and back on with a good seal and without damage.

55k is well over my personal recommended change time of 2 years regardless- would have expected trouble long before?

Is this a rear mounted filter subject to possible corrosion etc or?

On 12/6/2024 at 10:07 PM, Shearers said:

If you get a good used  housing and change the filter in it then the risk is getting the pipes off and back on with a good seal and without damage.

55k is well over my personal recommended change time of 2 years regardless- would have expected trouble long before?

Is this a rear mounted filter subject to possible corrosion etc or?

Thanks for the further comments. Seems I did well going 55k without touching it (if I mention which brands of fuel I stick to, it may spark off-topic comments 😀) Filter is mounted on the side, easy to reach.

I'm not worried about spending £20 on a part I may not need, I'm worried something breaking and costing £100's to fix! Now I am a little worried about the pipes, maybe that's what garage was concerned about. See photos, inlet on the top looks fine, the outlet pipe clip looks broken. Although on a youtube video I just watched, that clip was also broken, annoyingly he removed the clip off camera so couldn't see how he did it.

Peugeot's use the same - mates on the right in this video was broken 

left you just press in the white bit

the right one in the video is the mad one if you don't know you'll only break it

 

Whilst there is a risk of breaking something, you may want to investigate the following fittings that are available:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/383667710321

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/130646946563

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/164492914906

Need to be certain of getting correct sizes etc.

I have bought fittings to connect flexible pipes to test fuel filter but haven't used them on the rigid pipe (check You Tube?

Fittings have two O rings to seal.

Get some flexible to go over the rigid and new fittings for the filter housing?

Again, check sizes carefully?

Thank you Botus for that video, and Shearers for those links. I won't be making my own pipes using a heat gun, as I don't own one, or a vice (let alone one with the rounded jaws!) but I read you can put pipe end into boiling water to soften to join the connector.

I am thinking I'll try changing the filter and hope the connector doesn't break, and deal with it if it does (I can manage without the car for several days).

Now I'm a bit concerned about the small gasket/o ring I've read about, the Wix filter I've just bought only has the large gasket, from what I've read most filters don't come with the small one? Anyone know if this is likely to be a problem? 

tractors run on "light oil" usually O-rings are OK - get the grit and filth out of the quick release coupling and you have a good chance

a lot of the breakage is heat aged plastic pushed over the limit by ham fisted morons trying to squash dirt grit and detritus - get the gunge out and get some lube in and do when 45C not -10C winter and it should go to plan - the other connector is already broken and hard to decipher how bad or which type it is - might be as per the video I already posted...   the white bits on that type are pathetic and unless following his simple knowledge most cars will have it destroyed - but the black major part of the coupling is OK, its the retention bit that's broken - so keeping in place is the risk

NOT saying either has the right bit - might...  

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/305405586724?

Fuel connector replacement clips. The fuel connector clips used on Citro�n, Peugeot, Ford and Volvo diesel engines over time become brittle and are easily broken. The fuel connectors are integral of the fuel pipe and are expensive to replace. The Connect 34295 clips allow the clip to be replaced without the need to replace the whole connector and pipe assembly.

• Clip for 5/16" (8mm) pipe connector.
• Applications include: Citro�n, Peugeot, Ford & Volvo diesel fuel pipe connectors.
• Equivalent to Ford OEM 7L3Z9S317A. Clips for larger 3/8" (10mm) pipe also available, Part No. 34297.
• Clip dimensions: 20.8mm long by 16.2mm wide (see images). NOTE: multiple sizes of connector clip available, please check your clip before ordering.

OR a kit of various ones

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/145906699335?

Hello all, update report, I did the job today. I was very nervous taking the outlet clip off, I pushed what remained of the edge bits in but connector wouldn't pull off. In the end I removed the broken 'central' bit of the clip, and pushed the remaining bits on each side in, and got the hose off (wondering what would happen when I tried to reconnect).

Removed the filter housing, luckily it unscrewed easily, took out old filter (pretty dirty after 10 years and 55k miles 😃) cleaned out the housing, pre-filled new filter with some diesel, put the gasket/O-ring on first, also partly prefilled the filter before fixing into lid (with old small o-ring as no new one supplied) and refitted and tightened.

Then spent a while filling the filter (housing) with a 20ml syringe (doing the job in my oil change washing-up bowl to catch the split fuel), this took surprisingly long despite pre-filling, and was quite messy. The syringe fitted nicely into the housing inlet/outlet pipes so I could even 'suck' to check for bubbles. I was very thorough with this, until both pipes had fuel visible.

With syringe again I refilled the pipe to the pump, allowing time for air bubbles to rise up, and refitted - it seemed to re-attach ok despite broken clip. Then I pre-filled the feed pipe from the tank, this bit I couldn't work out if I was just slowly refilling the fuel tank.... I parked the car facing downhill which might have helped (tank higher up) and then topped up the inlet to filter before quickly reattaching pipe.

Checked for fuel leaks, couldn't see any. Then the moment of truth.... started it up....and waited.... it ran and kept going. Didn't glitch once, took it for a 3 mile test drive - felt like a new engine! Made me realise how bad state the old filter was...  

I'd hesitate to recommend the job to anyone as it was messy and took a while, and there is a risk of breaking a clip, but fundamentally wasn't that hard. Obviously had to take old filter and a small qty of diesel from it to the local tip. I had to buy a diesel can and some fresh diesel plus the syringes (a few quid on ebay) plus of course the filter. 

Well done. 🙂

If you do it again, just buy a hand pump for a fiver, saves all the mess and hassle of trying to fill with a syringe.

Those garages can be wimps! 😉

2 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

Well done. 🙂

If you do it again, just buy a hand pump for a fiver, saves all the mess and hassle of trying to fill with a syringe.

If I did it again I would. Cheapest I could find was £10. Not sure why I didn't get one, maybe being tight, or subconsciously I fancied the challenge 😆 I dont expect to do it again on that car, last filter did 55k and the car is now at 201k... 

On 12/5/2024 at 9:47 PM, Jim_Cambridge said:

 Main dealer quoted £148. 

 

On 12/6/2024 at 5:30 PM, Botus said:

 the pretty crooks round the front offering posh coffee and a smarmy persona (from all the training courses you pay for) charge £290 plus VAT

You're going to the wrong places - it's half what you say at the main dealer - see above.

On second thoughts, maybe they haven't paid for the training courses so that they can keep their prices more reasonable by employing untrained staff???

19 hours ago, Jim_Cambridge said:

 I was very nervous taking the outlet clip off, I pushed what remained of the edge bits in but connector wouldn't pull off. In the end I removed the broken 'central' bit of the clip, and pushed the remaining bits on each side in, and got the hose off (wondering what would happen when I tried to reconnect).

 

if only someone posted where to buy the clip before I did the job - Oh hang on, they did in post #13 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/305405586724?

 

 

I couldn't wait that long for delivery of part before doing the job. Would have ordered if required, guess I could have ordered anyway as backup. However I am curious, if new clip is a quick fix for hose why the garages wouldn't keep a stock (used on various makes). My local one "lost" my job and wasted their time inspecting etc. I would have happily paid a bit more than quoted if they showed me the clip broke and they replaced it saving me £££ on new hose.

people that work on cars are underpaid and years of drudgery saps the will to live, let alone think straight - plus every day some halfwit manufacturer invents yet another trim clip, fastening or quick release madness no one needed - so its almost impossible to keep up with the insanity or hold every part that might break...