fuel filter

[R50 Nick]

Hello guys. What is the interval we have to replace the fuel filter? Is it an easy job? And what is the cost of the filter? My car is an 02 Cooper.

[R50 Nick]

No answer??? Noone???

[Tigger, Eeyore & Roo]

My Haynes manual mentions nothing about fuel filter replacement and I've certainly never come across a fuel filter in the engine bay

[oldnell]

The service schedule document specifies it only for the MINI One D (the document I have predating any other diesel MINIs).

It's something I wondered about getting done as proactive maintenance, but it's not something that's in the manual or part of the regular servicing schedule.

Oli

[Tigger, Eeyore & Roo]

It was the petrol MINI (R50 Cooper), I was referring to as that's the MINI R50 Nick said he had

I'm wondering why it doesn't have a filter now, especially having recently replaced the fuel filter on a ride on lawn mower, with a bigger one, after the original had been completely blocked by crud.

[oldnell]

Oh, it does have a filter. It's just that the service schedule doesn't give a time when you should replace it. So, unless it's faulty in some way it should last the lifetime of the car.

Oli

[beken]

As I understand it, the fuel filter is inside the gas tank. Theoretically, you don't need to replace it for the life of the car. But realistically, I would say replace it somewhere between 50,000 and 100,000 Kms. It would probably be less expensive or about the same price to just not replace it until your fuel pump goes and replace the entire module, though that is just an opinion.

[Dave Elliott]

When I carried out a service on my R53 I got all the parts from the MINI dealer. I asked for a fuel filter and was told they don't normally need replacing and that it was a special order from Germany/UK.

Seemed a bit weird to me having changed filters on other cars on a regular basis and noticing how much crap they had accumulated. Perhaps being in the tank and suspended in fuel all the time they are sort of self-cleaning and the crap falls to the bottom of the tank?

Dave

[ASTON]

ive change the fuel filter on a oneD. Its under the rear drivers side wheel arch. you need to remove the rear wheel and innner wing cover. Its behind there. Not sure if its in the same place as a petrol thou,but worth a look.

[Randall Raines]

Here is a pic of the little elusive beauties . (for the petrol R50s, R52s & R53s).

The pic on the left is a complete fuel pump, sender unit & filters, the disk / filter on the bottom actually detaches very easily (I did have a pic but it wasn't usable), and comes of as a disk .
The pic on the right is the actual body of the unit that the pump sits in (the centre part), this actually has a filter at the bottom of it not very clear on the pic but it is there (you can just make it out), this is approx 3cm from the bottom up but is part of the actual body, you would have to break the unit to get it out, so if you had to replace this you would have to buy the replacement casing or a complete pump unit?, I have just tried looking for a fuel filter on the RealOEM website and it looks like you have to buy a pump rather than a filter , unless I've missed it.

The actual filters themselves are actually the type that if they were blocked you would just clean them rather than replace them.

Also the fuel tanks on modern cars are plastic so they (modern cars) will need less filtering (old fuel tanks used to rust and the rust used to float around in the tank) .

So I know that the filters should last the lifetime of the car but I knew someone who had a fuel station / pump, and from time to time he had to check the condition of the fuel in the tank because of the gunk in it .