Technician A says a partially clogged fuel filter can cause a vehicle to stall and have reduced power.
Technician B says the fuel filter could be inside a fuel tank.
Who is correct?
They are both correct!
A common symptom of a clogged fuel filter is loss of high-speed power caused by a restriction in fuel flow when engine demand is high. If the filter becomes completely blocked, it will starve the engine for fuel, causing the engine to die. Technicians will often cut open a clogged fuel filter to find out what caused it to clog up.
Most late-model vehicles have no factory-recommended service for the fuel filter. It’s a “lifetime” filter that is part of the fuel pump assembly buried inside the gas tank. The only recommendation is to replace it if it is clogged or if the fuel pump is already being replaced. New fuel pump modules usually come with a new filter as part of the assembly.
On vehicles that have inline fuel filters, there may be a recommended service interval (typically 50,000 miles). But if the filter becomes clogged with dirt, rust or sediment from the fuel tank, it may have to be replaced sooner. Frequent fuel filter clogging would tell you the fuel tank is being contaminated with outside dirt. This video is sponsored by FRAM.