The "best" lessons are the ones that hurt. They stay with you.

I learned mine with a 89 Trooper. Didn't change fuel filter on that at all. Went to the store one day and when I came out, the truck would not start at all. After the tow truck deposited my truck at the shop, the guy told me it was clogged fuel filter. Fine, change it please.

He shook his head and said your trouble has only just started. You see, the fuel pump gets it's lubrication from the flowing gas going to the engine. When the filter clogs up, the pump gets no lube and seizes. Toyota, Isuzu, whatever, that is the basic design if the fuel pump is mounted inside the gas tank like Tacoma's are.

A replacement fuel pump is around $400 and requires the gas tank to be dropped to replace. If this sounds like something you too would like to spend time and money on, by all means, DON'T change the filter.

BTW, there will NO warning when the pump fails, beyond the truck not being able to crank. Wherever you might happen to end up.

 

I just replaced mine about 2 weeks ago. This is on my '99 with 98K miles, first time ever changing it. It was really quite easy; just have a full roll of paper towels and/or lots of rags handy. Even though the pressure was released, I think me banging on the darn thing to get it loose caused bubbles to creep up the line and release more gas on to me. Not sure if it is psychological or what, but it does feel like it has more pep to it. That, or the new spark plugs I did at the same time.

I don't understand why they call it a 'lifetime' filter. Like others have said, the whole point of the filter is to keep crap out of the engine; it WILL get dirty. If it is lifetime, then why does the parts dept even sell it, hmmm? The parts guy kept turning me away from it too; I just kept asking and he finally gave in and sold me one.

The service schedule for my gf's WRX mentions filter replacement at 30K as well; that one looks even easier than the 4Runner, as it is in the engine bay.

 

A fuel filter is only as good as the fuel that passes through it. Theoretically, a fuel filter, any fuel filter, should last forever. The current standards of cleanliness for gasoline nowadays accounts for this. If the fuel is perectly clean, the filter never clogs and lasts forever. That said, a lot can happen to gasoline between the refinery and your gas tank. Some gas stations out there are nototious for dirt in their undergound tanks that eventually ends up in vehicle fuel filters. As a general precaution, never fill up your tank while a station is taking on a load of gas, go somewhere else. The process of filling the tanks stirs up any contaminates that normally would be on the bottom of the tank and harmless.