Hey folks!. This is my first post (and guide) but Ive been lurking for a while and have found a lot of useful info buried in these pages that has helped me save a tidy sum by doing maintenance myself.

So….. since I couldn’t find any complete info about replacing the fuel filter, I thought I would do my own full guide. Sorry if this is a bit long, I wanted to be thorough!.

Disclaimer: This is the first time Ive changed a fuel filter and I'm far from an experienced mechanic - most of the names of parts and what they are/do are just educated guesses.

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First of all the manual says the filter should be replaced at 54k miles and my car is now on 68k! so it was long overdue. The filter is an ‘in-tank’ type and I got mine from mark at Fordprobestore. (He also has an engine bay type available, but I haven’t a clue where this is located and from scattered bits of info on this forum it’s seems the BJ doesn’t have one, so that’s still all a mystery to me)

This is a pretty easy task and took me a couple of hours with a break for a brew. The part that takes longest is removing and refitting the seats, but since my car has got the sliding rear seats I’m guessing the job will be even easier for those of you who don’t

Step 1:
To start with - remove rear seats (my car has sliding rear seats, yours may remove differently). On my car this consisted of undoing a load of plastic b*****d things that get all mashed when you take them out (they hold in the carpet) then unscrew the metal base panels.

Remove some plastic covers on either side of the rear seats (you will no doubt break the tabs on these in some way as I did, but they go back on fine).

This reveals four 17mm bolts. Undo these. There are four more 17mm bolts holding down the ratchet slider rails. Undo these too.

Take out the rear seats.

Here’s a few photos of the first step:
[img]http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd216/jascook/Fuel%20filter%20BJ/IMG_5850.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd216/jascook/Fuel%20filter%20BJ/IMG_5851.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd216/jascook/Fuel%20filter%20BJ/IMG_5852.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd216/jascook/Fuel%20filter%20BJ/IMG_5853.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd216/jascook/Fuel%20filter%20BJ/IMG_5854.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd216/jascook/Fuel%20filter%20BJ/IMG_5855.jpg[/img]

The seats out!:
[img]http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd216/jascook/Fuel%20filter%20BJ/IMG_5856.jpg[/img]

Step 2:
Lift up the carpet flap to reveal the access panel to the fuel tank.
[img]http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd216/jascook/Fuel%20filter%20BJ/IMG_5857.jpg[/img]

Remove the four screws on the access panel and lift away.
[img]http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd216/jascook/Fuel%20filter%20BJ/IMG_5858.jpg[/img]

This is the top of the fuel pump unit (the fuel filter if inside). This whole area was covered in dust and bits, so I got out the dyson and gave the whole area a good vacuuming. This is a must!. As soon as you take out the pump unit all that dust and crap would fall into you fuel tank if you don’t vacuum it away first.
[img]http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd216/jascook/Fuel%20filter%20BJ/IMG_5859.jpg[/img]

Undo the two fuel hoses by pressing in the side buttons and wiggling them off. Only the top hose in the photo will actually have fuel in it. Be ready for any fuel dribbling out - have a rag to hand. I bunged this hose up with a scrap of cloth to stop it dribbling out while it was unhooked.
[img]http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd216/jascook/Fuel%20filter%20BJ/IMG_5862.jpg[/img]

Undo the small screws that hold the pump in place. There is quite a few of them and after 11 years outdoors they were delicate on my car. Take care not to round off the heads. I used a small 12v drill on a low torque setting with lots of body weight ontop of it.

One head I almost ruined
[img]http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd216/jascook/Fuel%20filter%20BJ/IMG_5861.jpg[/img]

Undo the connector and remove the fuel pump unit. Let the fuel dribble out, then flip it over and let some more dribble out from the hose connector at the top.

Here is the unit
[img]http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd216/jascook/Fuel%20filter%20BJ/IMG_5864.jpg[/img]

and here is the empty hole
[img]http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd216/jascook/Fuel%20filter%20BJ/IMG_5863.jpg[/img]

at this stage I laid out some rags and continued the job on the garage floor, so that I didn’t stink the car out with fuel.

Undo the connector on the side of the unit ( there are two, one behind the other, but the second it easier to undo later)
[img]http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd216/jascook/Fuel%20filter%20BJ/IMG_5865.jpg[/img]


using a small flat head screwdriver undo the 4 plastic clips that hold the bottom of the unit onto the top. This bit is tricky, take your time and don’t split the plastic. Here it is separated.
[img]http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd216/jascook/Fuel%20filter%20BJ/IMG_5866.jpg[/img]

Then undo the second connector

undo the orange bit on the bottom to free the filter
[img]http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd216/jascook/Fuel%20filter%20BJ/IMG_5876.jpg[/img]

take out the filter and push out the pump
[img]http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd216/jascook/Fuel%20filter%20BJ/IMG_5869.jpg[/img]

If you are lucky the pump will bring the rubber seal with it. But for me it got left behind!
[img]http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd216/jascook/Fuel%20filter%20BJ/IMG_5871.jpg[/img]

So I had to invent a new tool to retrieve it. Get a piece of stiff wire and bend the end over to form a hook, cover this all with some electrical tape (so that the wire end doesn’t damage the rubber seal). Poke it up into the seal and hook it out.

Ta-Da! (patent pending)
[img]http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd216/jascook/Fuel%20filter%20BJ/IMG_5873.jpg[/img]

Put the rubber seal on the pump and refit it into the new filter
[img]http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd216/jascook/Fuel%20filter%20BJ/IMG_5874.jpg[/img]

Reverse all the stages, remembering to reconnect all the connectors as you go and take care not to strip those screw heads when putting the unit back in the car.

When putting the fuel hoses back on, make sure they ‘snap’ back into place. If they don’t snap then you haven’t pushed them back on far enough.

Before refitting the seats, try starting the engine. It should take a couple of chugs for it to suck some fuel through the new filter then start up as normal.

Refit the seats and you are done!

Good luck & I hope this helps!. It should be an easy job for virtually anyone out there after you have gotten over the intimidating factor of working on the fuel system and will save a fair bit on labour at your local garage.

Mine is well overdue with this as well, Excellent write up its very hand to have some pics! Thanks!

Excellent write up, good work fella

Good work

I've sticky'd this

wow, what a pain to remove the back seats on your car! it's very easy on the fixed seat! just pull it off (on salon, which UK didn't get), or just "flip" the seat cushions flat/forward and it's right there!
I'll add more information here:
mazda part numbers for this filter....
ZL05-20-490A filter
ZL05-13-ZE1A pickup sock
ZL05-13-ZE5A o'ring kit
B6BF-13-ZE4 retaining clip for pickup sock (I recommend getting it in case you break your original... why "nickel and dime" over a cheap part that might leave your car down?)
B25D-42-166 fuel pump housing gasket
I recommend buying/replacing all of those parts as they are wear & tear items... the above information applies to EDM BJ *petrol* models only (EDM includes UK and Ireland)... a torn old seal can lead to low fuel pressure issue, not good! Probably the best way to install the new o'ring/seal is to spray it down with some wd-40 before slipping it in... that way they don't get torn up as you refit the parts!

if you happen to own a Japanese *FWD* import, you will have this filter instead (for the few aussie members here, follow this also):
http://www.msprotege.com/forum/showthre ... =123750237
to avoid unnecessary clutter and confusion in this thread (as imported BJs are rare as I come to conclude), the part numbers for that filter are on my website (it will eventually be updated to include the EDM filter)
ONLY Japanese 4WDs have an externally located fuel filter on the firewall... the mazda part number for that is ZL03-13-480... there are no 4WD diesel models



there is no US or European *petrol* fuel filter service interval, but the closest thing I was able to find was from Japan... it is 100k miles or 96 months (whichever comes first)... seeing as the cleanliness quality of fuel is similar to Japan in both North America and Europe, I think it makes sense to follow that.

Wow! Thanks guys, Im honoured that my first guide & post gets stickied!

Anyhow heres a little follow up to the guide:

Before binning the old filter I decided to hack the top off of it and have a look at how well its done its job for the last 11 years.

The plastic casing its tough stuff. I guess it has to be since its got to survive being submersed in petrol for 54k+.

The top hacked off:

[img]http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd216/jascook/Fuel%20filter%20BJ/IMG_5880.jpg[/img]

The empty casing:

[img]http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd216/jascook/Fuel%20filter%20BJ/IMG_5884.jpg[/img]

You can see that the filter is pretty filthy. It has much larger particles of crap (sand and grit etc) stuck in it than I was expecting. From the edges it looks like the paper was originally a bright red colour, but that is long gone.

[img]http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd216/jascook/Fuel%20filter%20BJ/IMG_5881.jpg[/img]

Overall, this just reassures to me that its well worth replacing the fuel filter (better late than never )

[img]http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd216/jascook/Fuel%20filter%20BJ/IMG_5882.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd216/jascook/Fuel%20filter%20BJ/IMG_5883.jpg[/img]

did you look at the pics of the one I cut open? yours is pretty nasty! might want to do a 45k interval if that persists!
I guess what we see is why mazda decided to use a larger/different filter design for europe!

Yes I had a look, mine was certainly alot worse! but then I had let it overun the service schedule by 14k and its been in there for 11 years.

Its probably down to a combination of age, supermarket petrol and the occasional running on a very low tank of fuel. Plus Ive no idea what the previous 2 owners driving habits were like.

To be honest I think it probably looks worse in the photos than it really is. As alot of the big chunks will be from me hacking the plastic casing open with a saw.

the filter that came out of the car I worked on had used lots of cheap branded petrol most of its life, definitely not big names like shell... after he saw the sediment and rubbish inside his tank, he was convinced that he should be using good petrol like shell
but yeah, I think age plays a role in this because you know what old petrol turns into


oh and I used an impact driver to remove those soft screws... not a single one got stripped! it is the best way to remove stubborn screws!

The screws weren't stubborn at all, infact they came out very easily. They just seem to be very soft and delicate and therefore worth concentrating on. The thin layer of rust wont have helped either.

you're lucky then... lots of cars here have seized up screws (especially the ones up north where rust is prevalent) , so I take no chances!


I also noticed your fuel line couplers are a lot different than ours...
[img]http://www.image-hosting.net/images/messageboard/gotzoom/Protege%20030.jpg[/img]

we have to use a "ford" fuel line "quick disconnect" tool, or damage to them is very easy
(the extra harness connector you see is for the evaporative emissions monitoring system that's part of the OBD2 system... since non-US BJs don't have real OBD2, you don't have it)





one more thing... before starting work... you can actually purge the fuel system by removing the fuel pump relay and just cranking the engine over for a good 10 seconds... this will get rid of most of the fuel from the lines and also to remove pressure... less mess to work with!
the relay is inside the fuse box under the bonnet... it is at the "12 o'clock" position, meaning it is the rear most facing one (furthest one away from you when you are standing in front of the car)

Thanks for the extra info. There wasnt actually much fuel came out of the hose, only a small dribble but my driveway is actually sloping, so the engine was downhill. I guess if I'd been parked the otherway around it would have poured out more - in which case the fuse idea will be a good tip for anyone using this info to do it themselves.

Excellent write up jimbob, nice one mate, and welcome to the forum.
Thanks also THE MAN for your contribution.

@jimbob - this is a great post. my 99 GSi is at +94K and i'm not sure if the last owner changed out the filter. Definately going to print and use once the tank is nearly empty! well done

Just to be ubersure, as I'm not a native english speaker: this is also valid for the Diesel version, right?

no.

im pretty sure i could follow those instructions without messing it up, job for a sunday me thinks!!
is this same for the 2002 BJ 2.0 Sport?

looking at that makes me wonder if anything in ym car has ever been changed - gearbox

next months i think a well due FULL flush is needed!

gearbox oil
engine oil
washer fluid
fuel
fuel filter
oil filter
raidator fluid
brake fluid

anything else ?

Thanks for this guide. I'm going to be changing mine tonight.

I copied your guide into a word document resized some images and removed others so I could print it on a double sided A4 (easier to read as your working, rather then flicking though several pages).
Encase anyone else wants a smaller print out to use I've converted it to pdf and uploaded it [url=http://mattjj21.co.uk/dump/FuelFilter.pdf]Clicky[/url].

[img]http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd216/jascook/Fuel%20filter%20BJ/IMG_5853.jpg[/img]

Just attempted this today but these bolts in my car are right under steel bar.

I might be able to get them out with a spanner but its going to be a minute turn on the bolt.

Am i doing something wrong ?

Glad i tried this myself the garage would be humping me for labour time on this job

do you have a socket set? just spanners alone won't get anything done quickly!

Yeah i do but these isnt a socket thats going to reach this

[url=http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/263/imag0399v.jpg/][img]http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/496/imag0399v.jpg[/img][/url]

Uploaded with [url=http://imageshack.us]ImageShack.us[/url]

can you slide the seat further back or forward to expose the bolt?

Nah the seat would not move at all.

Bough a set of ratchet spanners from halfords and managed to get it off quickly.

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... RRWidgetID


Wondeful things

i rang around our parts suppliers at work today and all of them said that the fuel filters dont need replacing, damn if they were ever mechanics i feel sorry for their customers..
doing a full overdue service this wednesday at work, cam belt all fluids and filters, putting performance air filter in istead of standard tho

mine is completely different!!! just fold the double rear seat bottom half up and there is the flap. i cant get any of the little screews out tho :/ what do the threaded bit of the screw go into?

get an impact screw driver... they will come off
if they're rusted, replace them after you take them off... if you can find stainless steel equivalents, go for it!

Anyone know what length and thread I need? Don't want to have to go an buy some more screws with the fuel tank exposed

I tries eurocar parts for this filter and it was the wrong one ! Mega bummed about it!