Replacing fuel filter

[househead]

My car is a bit fuel smelly and I figured the fuel filter has probably never been replaced. As such, I've snapped up a replacement and plan to swap it in soon. And if that's not my fuel filter smelling then it can't do any harm anyway, right?

Has anyone on here done this before? Any gotchas to look out for? I've read a few howtos and the repair manual and watched the odd video. Seems pretty straightforward. Just one question on "depressurising the fuel system". How best to do that? I'm thinking to remove the fuel pump fuse then start the car and run it until it splutters to a halt ... will that do it?

Thanks.

[ooch]

Never done it on an MR2 but did it on my FN2 civic type-r . Try and run your petrol tank as low as possible before doing it. I got mine low but the car still stank for weeks afterwards. Get some jerry cans of fuel for afterwards as well. I ran mine low but didn't realise how much evaporates while you are doing the change. When I came to restart nothing happened so I ended up removing everything and rechecking about 4 times over before figuring out it didn't have enough fuel.

[thetyrant]

Fuel filter wouldnt make car smell of fuel that will be a leak somewhere or breather issue so worth trying to pinpoint that, check for leaks around injectors and fuel tank vent to charcoal canister etc which are commmon areas.

 I guess if you change filter it will enable you to check access panel on top of tank etc for leaks but it not usual unless someone has been in there already and not put it back right.

Fuel filter is not a standard service item on these cars like some others cars with external filter, on these its located within the fuel tank deep inside the fuel pump housing, think there is also a sock filter on outside of housing/pump to trap larger particles that might get into fuel tank, condition of this sock will be a good indication of crap in tank as if that is a mess then probably will of been small debris that got past into the main filter.

Just add i found this thread when searching about uprating fuel pump but it shows both the filters situation as well - https://www.spyderchat.com/threads/how-to-install-a-walbro-fuel-pump-change-the-oem-fuel-filter.39508/