What Does a Fuel Filter Do?

Video Transcript

"Hi my name is Nate McCullough on behalf of Expert Village. In these following clips we're going to talk about removal and replacement of the vehicle's fuel filter. In this clip, I'm going to show you exactly what your fuel filter does. When you go the gas station and fill up with gas, you get it out of a great big underground tank which is made of steel, and that steel does rust. I have the inlet side of the filter plugged and it's full of gasoline. I'm going to drain it out into this coffee can and show you exactly what your fuel filter is catching. As you can see, what we have inside my coffee can here is a real dark nasty looking liquid. I wouldn't even call it fuel anymore. It looks more like iced tea, just about coffee to me. It came from the inlet side of the filter, so the filter was doing its job; it stopped that contamination from getting into the rest of the fuel system. Like your fuel pressure regulator and fuel injectors. This contamination came from old fuel tanks that are buried in the ground beneath where you get your gas at. Over time they degrade, begin to leak, and can become contaminated with water and rust. That's why you have to have a fuel filter. As you can see, this is not even really near clear, it's not the nice amber, maybe even a bluish color that gasoline should be. This is more like iced tea or coffee, it's highly contaminated rotten fuel. This wouldn't make it through one trip in your engine; this would actually damage or destroy your fuel injectors."