Your vehicle has a few filters you might be somewhat familiar with.  There’s the oil filter that removes impurities from your engine’s oil, and a couple of different kinds of air filters that prevent contaminants from getting into the engine and the cabin. But you may not know that your vehicle also has a fuel filter.

The fuel filter keeps contaminants such as particles and other foreign substances from making their way into the engine.  They can result from using lower quality fuel, driving in dirty or stop-and-go conditions, or simply what happens after many weeks and months of travel. 

At some point, your fuel filter will start to get clogged up and won’t let the fuel get to your engine easily.  You might notice some signs of that: your engine doesn’t have the power it used to, it may misfire when you accelerate, it may be harder to start, or it may stall while you’re driving.  You may notice your vehicle vibrating a lot when you’re idling.  

If you notice any of those symptoms in your vehicle, you should bring it in for us to take a look.  We can run diagnostics such as a fuel pressure test that will let us know if your fuel filter is finished or still has a little more life remaining.

Even better, it’s a good idea to replace the fuel filter BEFORE you start seeing symptoms.  Each vehicle’s manufacturer recommends an interval at which you should change your fuel filter.  Older vehicles may recommend it be changed fairly frequently, such as every 30,000 miles/50,000 km.  Newer vehicles from different manufacturers have much longer intervals, and that’s something we can check so you can stay on schedule with regular maintenance.  

Make sure your fuel filter is doing its job so your engine can keep doing its job. 

Tuffy Tire & Auto Service Center Appleton
2940 E. College Ave.
Appleton, Wisconsin 54915
920-954-8500