ChickenLover

I think it's safe to say that most of us have been a little weary of this project, I know I have. I didn't feel like sticking around at work today so I cut out after half of a half day . I decided I was going to conquer this damned thing once and for all. I'd attempted it twice before and only managed to strip out the bolts, d'oh! (rust).

PB Blaster is some awesome stuff boy lemme tell ya. If you don't have any, I highly recommend getting some. I treated it twice with PB, once a couple days before then again about an hour before I got down to business.

I started by unbolting the cross member from each frame rail (8 bolts). The T-case sagged 3-4" leaving me all kinds of room to play with. I clamped my vice grips on the 14mm bolt (stripped remember) and grabbed the 3/4" part of the filter with uhhhh... a 3/4" wrench. I gave it a little twist and much to my glee it came loose pretty easily. Woooohooo! I was happier than Jim Nabors with a wheelbarrow full of buttholes. (LTCG). I did the same thing with the other side and it too put up about as much of a fight as France would have.

Note: You should come into this project expecting to get a little gassy. And I don't mean the kind that comes from eating corn dogs. Although, come to think of it, I do believe I was gassy in both respects. (Might be why the mail man gave me a funny look as he walked by). Oh, and for God's sake, don't park in the grass..

Ok, so we've cracked the sumbitch loose now just barely on each side. Go unscrew your fuel cap a couple turns to relieve some gas pressure (Haha, I won't go there this time). Now, I don't think it matters which side of the fuel filter you start on from here but I started with the side closest to the fuel tank. I did a bunch of baby turns with my wrenches until I got that side completely off. By this time, I have gas all over me (even got some up my nose). But the fact that you have loosened the fuel cap will limit the spillage to about a cup or so.

Once you have that side off, use your 14mm to hold the remaining bolt while you grab the filter with your hand and turn it. It's a lot easier this way, than those little baby turns with the wrenches. As it was coming off, I'm sure my neighbors though I'd finally snapped. I was under there laughing my ass off while saying, "I got you good you ˟˟˟˟˟er!"

While installing the new one it certainly wouldn't hurt to use some teflon tape on the threads. And do yourself a favor by remembering which way it goes in. Once you get er' tightened down, you'll probably need to dig out your jack to lift your T-case up high enough to get the bolts back in. Oh, and don't forget to tighten your gas cap.

It might take her a little while to start up at first because of all the gas you nearly choked on coming out of the lines. Amazingly, I only got hit in the head by one wrench during the entire process - and that was before I even got under the truck!

Now go give your girlfriend a big hug, they love gas.

Scofco

Great writeup
I still have my new filter in the back of my truck waiting for me to install it.

Cebby

Mine is sitting in my garage from last summer - I don't even know where it is exactly. It's rusty and I'm a afraid of it. :chicken:

splitz

I know this doesn't help u 4 runners, but if you have a PU I suggest unbolting the bed and moving it back about 8". That is what I did when I had a fuel leak. It was pretty easy, and allowed me to investigate the leak while the truck was running.

SLC Punk

PB blaster rocks! I soaked every exhaust and engine bolt I had to take off to get my Turbo out (on my Celi), and every one came out easily!

BajaRunner

Yep, PB Blaster is great. I used it on my bolts one time around before putting my suspension on, and everyone came off extremely easily.

And that was the STOCK suspension on a 96. Thats 8 years old of rust, dirt and corrosion that the PB soaked through in just one spray.

03_4x4Runner

Yeah, PB Blaster is the best, there are so many bolts that I never thought would come out, till i sprayed some PB Blaster on them, gave it a few tapps, and came right out

bike4miles

The 3.0 is a breez compaired to the 22r but great writeup anyhow.

Designsbyme

WOW what's all this about unbolting the cross member?!?! I replaced mine on the trails one night when I thought it was clogged. The only thing I removed was the filter guard and the filter.

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f2/i-got-left-behind-last-night-31669/

ChickenLover

Filter guard? Huh? Didn't see one of those. It would have been a real pita to get my hands in there without dropping the crossmemeber. Instead of pushing my temper, I decided to take the easier route. Maybe your hands are smaller than mine. I dunno. Either way, I highly recommend unbolting the crossmember.

gwhayduke

One man's filter guard is another man's crossmember.

Designsbyme

ChickenLover

Aint that the truth.

934rnr

My filter guard broke when I removed it. The bolt broke in half when I pulled it off it was too darn rusty to put back on.

gwhayduke

Hey Designs...How's your '95 since you overhauled it?