Do post-1994 E36 need fuel filter changed, ever?

[Delmarco]

The Chilton Manual says only pre-1994 E36s need the fuel filters to be serviced/replaced at interval milage.

I have a 1995 E36. But I just read somewhere else that all year E36 need fuel filters to be serviced and/or changed.

However, I did notice that pre 1995 E36 have a different fuel filter sizes and parts number.

(pre-1995 E36 filter container is either bigger or smaller, can't rember)

what's up?

thanks.

[Cruzin 323is]

del, i changed mine about 6 months ago.. even though i did not need it...
part number that u are looking for is...
Part # : 13 32 1 740 985

i changed mine thinking that i would get better fuel economy, but if u do the math.., when your fuel filter goes bad, then the car will be running more rich.. which would give u better gas mileage anyway....

anyways.. whatever.. i considered it maintainence... hope this helps

[Delmarco]

So a dirty/old filter doesn't mean it's clogged. It just filters out the richness of gasoline????

So you are saying we don't have to chnage the filter anyways?

[bitcore]

no, it filters junk out of the fuel, like dirt n' shit. that’s all it does. When it gets clogged, the flow rate is reduced. The engine running rich due to a lower pressure (pressure in the line after the filter, because it's flow rate is reduced from being clogged) does not make a whole lot of sense to me and someone would have to explain that. Either way, the "richness" is attributed to the air:fuel ratio. Rich means there's more fuel than air than the stoichiometric optimum that the computer calculated. Lean means there’s more air than fuel from the calculated optimum.

The ratio at sea level is something close to 1:10 (fuel:air)... I think. I could be totally wrong with that figure, and it doesn’t matter for the purposes of this explanation, but that's just an example. The computer calculates rpm, mass of air (which varries according to density due to pressure & temperature, recorded at the MAF) and a couple of other variables like throttle to determine the correct ratio of fuel to inject. If the fuel pressure isn't right, injectors get clogged, etc etc, the system gets fucked up and thus you loose power.

The fuel filter's gotta be really slogged to really start affecting power.

[Delmarco]

but if the "fuel" filter is old (meaning clogged up) why would there be more fuel going to the engine? and why would it be richer?
wouldn't it be more oxgen and less fuel?

what are the daignosis of an old filter thate needs changing?

[Furious]

one word---->yes

[bitcore]

Yep.

[BImmerN2B]

I say yes too!! I did mine and it is a 97. and by the way look at a second opinion on the Bentley that you can download.

[Delmarco]

bentley...you r right.
I spend 5 hrs downloading and printing that thing out...
the least i can do is take a look at it..
It's like 900 pages...

oucho!

[Laker]

Copy download to cd then you won't have to print all those pages.

[97alpineM3]

I look at it like this.... its only twenty bucks... it might make a mess... yea... you can get it done in an hour at a shop...

Its a filter... build and engineered there for a reason... to stop crap from making it any further down your fuel lines.... over time... that bitach is gonna build up...

Think about it this way... Say you have 100,000 miles in your car... and you get an average 24 MPG.... thats 4,166 gallons of fuel through a filter...
Change it,

Les

[Cruzin 323is]

good point les...

[Delmarco]

that's why he's the admin....
makes sense to me.
I wonder why the chilton doesn't reccoemnend it. it's odd.

[Alvarez_7]

i changed mine and it runs alot better than it did with the older one. so i agree with changing it every so often cuz if not, its like never changing your air or oil filter if you ask me.