yeah, rather then pay out my *** just for a fuel filter replacement, i'm tackling it myself. I figured the previous owner would have replaced it every now and then but i've come to find that it looks like the fuel filter the car rolled off the line with . I'm not even sure which way to wrench the lines to get it off... or even if thats how i'm supposed to get it off. I don't have a haynes or anything handy and i'm flat broke.

so by this picture if anyone wants to scribble on it with mspaint to show me what to twist that would help. I soaked it in liquid wrench overnight. Is PB Blaster any better?

Fuel Filter - http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...s/IMG_0808.jpg

Second problem i'm not too worried about.
I've had this wire hanging down near my tranny for a while and I can't figure out what it is or where it goes. Pic included

Hanging wire - http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...s/IMG_0810.jpg

And I went ahead and grabbed a new PCV valve while i was at VIP because they were cheap and I figured i needed one. Pulled out the old one and just kinda laughed. It sounded like it was full of dirt compared to the metallic jingling of the new one when shook. That too was slightly rusty and stained :P.

PCV comparison - http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...s/IMG_0805.jpg

Flaming appreciated, i can take a joke .

so far so good.

good thing you asked, if you had went ahead and removed your fuel filter, you'd now be rinsing your eyes for 15 minutes.

So you have fuel injection (for god's sake put your car info in the side bar, man that's a pet peeve to me...)

so start up the car, and find your fuel pump fuse. Where your left knee is, there should be a fuse panel, it might labeled "fuel pump" or something like that. Pull it out with the car running. If it keeps running fine, then you got the wrong one, put it back and try another. It should run ok for a few seconds, then start to stumble and die. Crank it over for 10 seconds maybe. That'll drain the pressure in the lines.

Now, if you have line wrenches, use them. Otherwise, lefty loosey, righty tightey, remove the fuel filter. If you were looking at the fuel filter from either line, you want to turn the line nut, counter clockwise. Hold the filter still with your other wrench. Very good idea to change that filter, along with your PCV. doing the air filter too?

i just recently put in a chrome open element (made sure it doesn't touch the coils or anything else) so that's taken care of. Just slapped in a crankcase breather too, i didnt have the cash for a push in chrome round filters so i just went with the fram thing to replace the old fram filter that looked like black oily steel wool.

As far as fuel line pressure goes, I thought that taking the gas cap off released most of it, i hear the pressure hiss when i do. I know enough to not try to smell my fuel filter while i'm attempting to remove it. I've got a spair oil pan and a ton of rags ready for whatever comes out.

I thought the fuel pump fuse was under the hood somewhere though but I'll give the fuse box under the steering wheel a shot.

Thanks.

The wire by the tranny - 2 connectors or 3 (I can't tell in the pic)?

If you have no fuse for the fuel pump, don't panic - cars after 1987 or so didn't have them. Just release the pressure by opening the gas cap and leaving icap off while working. No matter what you do, fuel is coming out of there - keep your face out of the way. There are rubber connection lines close to the tank - you can temporarily crimp them with vise grips, but be gentle, and don't break the rubber hoses - this may reduse the amount of fuel that spills. Then, just get a pile of rags below the filter, and BE READY!

PB Blaster is the best - if it doesn't come loose today, it will tomorrow, or the next day - just keep spraying 2 times a day, and have patience.

it's two connecters. I thought the green would help identify it too .

hah, the battle is half over. Those screws are giving me a fight. Gas only steadily dripped out and stopped though. I guess just undoing the tank cover was enough.

What are you using for a speedometer? That should be the wire that connects to the speed sensor on the trans.

where's the speed sensor on the trans :P? I'm fairly sure the speedometer is stock... but from time to time i hear a ringing and the speedo goes crazy.

and also, gas is still coming out of both the filter and the fuel line... slowly. How long will/should it take to stop -.-? I just screwed back in the one i unscrewed so i could start tackling the second one. how much gas should I expect to see come out of the lines too?

Speed sensor is just to the rear of the governor which is under hubcap looking thing. It should have a two terminal wire plug plugged into it.
Fuel system under pressure - should get about a cup or cup&1/2 out of it with gascap loosened. That's why people were saying "be ready".

i let the pressure out via gascap and then put it back on tight. The gas didnt come out very fast, just started dripping a lot, then slowed down and kept that pace for a while. I'm sure i got more than a two cups in my pan though. Let it drip for roughly half an hour and it was keeping it's pace roughly. I'll just have to be quick about putting the new filter on if i can wrestle the other side off it.

And I'll go poking around for that thing on the trans then too.

back, the wire seems to be spliced off and that goes into where you might be saying, it's a little less than a foot away from the end of the hanging one. I poked around for a bit and didnt see anywhere else I could possible plug it in.

As for the second nut on the fuel filter, i got agressive and cracked a piece off it somehow. So i'm just gonna wait till i get into the school shop again and have my buddies lift it and unscrew it that way. I've got no room underneath there anyway since i just have it jacked up on my side (yep, i know, unsafe). Ohwell. Fuel Filter 1, me 0.