Disclaimer: Please note that I am not a mechanic nor a car specialist. This page is not for instructional use. Rather it is an accounting of a personal experience and/or process. Any information used from this page is solely at your discretion and I can not be held liable for any resulting action and/or damage.
Symptoms: According to Honda, the fuel filter should be replaced every 60,000 miles or 4 years, which ever comes first or when the fuel pressure drops below the set specifications.
Cause: Well, it's a replaceable part and it gets dirty.
Tools Needed:
Fuel Filter with 3 washers (2 for the filter and 1 for the service bolt in step 3)
Socket wrench
10mm socket
12mm socket
17mm socket
10mm box end wrench
12mm box end wrench
14mm box end wrench
17mm box end wrench
Long extension for sockets
Elbow/pivoting socket adapter
Flash light
Several shop towels (at least 3)
click to enlarge
Difficulty Scale: On a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being very difficult) this is a 2. You will be dealing with some tight spaces.
Replacement: (note - these instructions are from pages 11-104 and 11-96 of the factory Honda Accord Service Manual amended with my comments.)
Disconnect the negative cable from the battery.
These next 2 steps deal with relieving the fuel pressure.
Release the fuel door and remove the fuel cap.
Use a 12mm box end wrench on the service bolt at the fuel rail (don't loosen it just yet), while holding the special banjo bolt with the 17mm box end wrench. Place a shop towel over the service bolt. Now slowly loosen the service bolt 1 full turn. I wound up having to use a 12mm socket on the service bolt to get enough leverage.
Now on to the filter. I found it MUCH easier to work on the fuel filter by loosening the PGM-FI control box and letting it sit off to the side. To do so, simply loosen the 2 10mm bolts (see red circles in picture below) enough to lift the control box off the firewall.
Now the fuel filter is accessible.
Place a shop towel under and around the filter.
Using a 17mm socket, loosen and remove the banjo bolt. I had to use a pivoting elbow and extension pole between my 17mm socket and socket wrench. I was on there tight! Wrap the fuel line in a shop towel and this line will leak all over the place!
Next, using a 14mm box end wrench, loosen the fuel feed pipe from the filter.
Using a 10mm box end wrench, remove the fuel filter clamp and then remove the filter (take care not to spill any gas - use the shop towel from step 5 to keep this from happening).
Loosening and removing the bolt that hold the Fuel Filter Clamp is probably the most difficult part of the process. It is a very tight space and you are hunched over the engine (not comfortable).
Insert the new fuel filter into place and secure with the fuel filter clamp but only barely hand tighten the 10mm bolt as you may need to move the fuel filter around to line up with the fuel pipe.
Reinstall the Fuel Feed Pipe and secure by tightening the 14mm nut.
Refer to the picture in step 6 and replace the 2 washers. Then reinstall the the fuel and and banjo bolt.
Once the the two fuel lines are secured to the fuel filter, tighten the fuel filter clamp..
Reattach the PGM-FI Control Box.
Replace the washer on the service bolt back on the fuel rail and tighten the service bolt.
Secure the gas cap.
Reconnect the negative cable of the battery
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Last updated 26 Jul 2005 10:44:16 PM