changing fuel filter

I am back home and i got my oil changed so i do not have my haynes manual with me. I was wondering if someone could tell where the fuel filter is and how to change it. i have a 98 2.2. thanks guys

I believe it's under the rear of the car, near the gas tank, looks like a little cylinder, like a small can, as to changing it, i couldnt tell ya.

thanks. we got the one side off with the bolts, but we cant get the other side. was hoping for some advice thanks

Haynes manual basically says to 1) Relieve fuel pressure Says loosen gas cap, raise vehicle & secure on jack stands, disconnect fuel pump electrical connector, near the fuel tank, start and run engine until remaining fuel is consumed and engine stalls. Fuel Pressure should now be relieved. Twist the quick-connect fitting 1/4 turn in each direction to loosen the seal. Push fuel line into the the filter, depress the white tab and pull filter from fuel line. Use a flare nut wrench to loosen the flare-nut fitting. Wipe up the gasoline that will spill out. Remove fuel filter from the clamps. Basically install in reverse, lining up the arrow in the direction of fuel flow.... Im going to do mine soon. I never had relieved the fuel pressure- explains lots of fuel spilling. but this time Ill at least remove the cap..... Hope this helps?

thanks. we couldnt get that one side off so i am just going to take it into a shop and have them deal with it. we tried to squeeze in the tab but part of it was broken so we couldnt get a grip on it. thanks for the help anyways.

I have a '99 Cavalier. I just climbed under mine to see. Before this post, I assumed that it would be a typical gas filter change. Oh no.
What is wrong with GM !!! Every other car Ive had, been Toyotas, Subaru's, VW's and Isuzu's I could easily change it. Either it was under the hood maybe a little awkward or right underneath, down the main frame in easy reach. This one is buried under all kinds of stuff. I see why you're having the problem. I may just pull mine off and retrofit to one under the hood. What's wrong with GM !!!! Are they that hard up to insure that their customers take it in for a $$$$ filter change !!

thats why i am going to take it to my mechanic and see what he can do. i hate the way these companys put cars together. i five year old could set them up better.

Its all done to ensure that the dealers get to see the customers AFTER the sale.I bet GM was PO'd when the aftermarket came out with TORX tools after they teamed up with the TEXTRON corp and hoped to "screw" the public.

And GM scratches their a** wondering why their sales are down. Not only is it difficult to service these little items, they become more costly $ because of the same reason. I tell you its only by luck I own a Cavalier. My Isuzu Trooper blew an engine and it was MY fault, not the car. I blew a hose and didn't notice it. Oops, too late. Anyway, Long story but a friend sold me this '99 Cavalier with only 11,000 miles on the engine. Basically another mechanic messed up the car and blew the engine.
My friend got the car from his daughter-in-law who owned the car at the time, waited to find a rebuilt or used engine. And he found one just in time when my car died. I needed a car now and this "Chevy" was available. I was almost gagging buying it. But I needed a car to go to work. Turned out decent gas mileage too. Paid $2500 with a shudder up my spine hearing stories about Chevy's . Bought it now 2 years ago. Turns out it was a good buy. I figured it would be a throw away afterall it isn't a Japanese car. I have been pleasantly surprised. I like the car and so far only a few things needed. Except when I run across changing a fuel filter is a nightmare and other typical maintenace items.

So far in 2 years
Water pump went out Major headache, mechanic did the work
Alternator went out, I did the work.
2nd set of New tires just put on.
Im still surprised, I still like the car.
Only work so far with nearly 85,000 miles on the car in 2 years. I am surprised but I hear transmission noise. That will be the next thing to check. Any advice on what to use in the transaxle. Its automatic.

Yeah thats pretty low when a car company does shit like that to make you come to them or let a mechanic do it. I picked up a chiltons the other day and i bought my filter also, im gonna do it in a few days here, hopefully i can get it..

1. Park the vehicle on a level surface and safely lift and secure your vehicle with the jack stands.
2. Using the creeper/blanket, slide under the back of the car with the 2 wrenches within easy reach.
3. Loosen the side of the filter that wrenches down, and remove the filter from the bracket.
4. Next, put the smaller wrench between the black quick release and the filter. Push the fuel line toward the filter as hard as you can with the wrench in place. This will cause the quick release to stay put, and the tabs inside to loosen. You will have to apply a VERY generous amount of pressure to get the tabs to release, but with the wrench forced against the filter body, it should be fairly easy.
5. Once the fuel line is pushed as far as possible, and the tabs have released, grab the black piece and push it away from the filter body. This should slide the line and filter apart.
6. Remove any kind of plastic locking tabs on the replacement filter.
7. Push the quick disconnect connector onto the new filter until it clicks
8. into place. Screw the metal fuel line into the new fuel filter.
9. Make sure everything is secured, and check for leaks after starting the car.

i can do the first steps but when it comes to pushing the other side in and removing the clips. i can push it into the filter all day but i cant grab onto the clips to release them.

I got mine today, it didnt seem to hard at all, of course i didnt have the right size wrench so i had to use an adjustable wrench but none the less i got it. I dunno if this was normal but i had to let the engine run for like almost 10 minutes with some revving and it still didnt stall! so i just went thru with it anyway, it leaked some gas but it stopped thankfully. Feels good to have new filters on ur car.

Ps i didnt even need to jack it up to get at the filter.. :)

i can do the first steps but when it comes to pushing the other side in and removing the clips. i can push it into the filter all day but i cant grab onto the clips to release them.

I did my daughter's car the other day. It wasn't too easy to get it off, but I used a needle nose pliers to get the pinch-ring off. I cracked the black plastic cover on the ring and removed it, making the ring easier to remove from the gas line. The new filter just snapped right into the gas line.

The old snap ring was metal and has 4 pinch fingers, while the new filter snap ring only has 2 fingers.

Lol maybe they were just so old that they rusted/crusted on there, mine took a few minutes of jimmying to both ends and it was off, new one clips tightly and cleanly :)

we tried everything and could not get the thing off. i guess we are going to have to spend the hundred bucks and have the dealer relplace the whole line

Why did u break the line? Urs must have beeen really rusty for u not to be able to get it off with a lot of force..

the line is fine its the clips that are broken that i cant pinch to get off. so the whole line has to be replaced cause of it.

umm. just to let you kno, you dont pinch the clips. you lift them outwards because there is a lip on the fuel filter that they have to lift over in order for the line to slide off. Its their "easy clip" system. Obviously its not as easy as it seems. It did take me a little while to figure it out myself.

well now somebody tells me. i guess i can try that

haha. sorry i didnt see this post earlier. i'm pretty sure it says in the haynes manual under fuel filter. I know it does for my 93.

Yeah its under basic maintenence like 4 pages in, its real easy.

I've run into the same problem. Unfortunately, I needed to replace the tank pressure sensor(done) but for the life of me I cant get the damn filter off. i have three different trypes of quick disconnect tools and none of them can fit. The black plastic ring is toast so here is my question: If I cut the filter off at the connection before the larger part of the filter, do you guys think I can then slide my tools in to remove the remaining piece from the damn hose?

I've run into the same problem. Unfortunately, I needed to replace the tank pressure sensor(done) but for the life of me I cant get the damn filter off. i have three different trypes of quick disconnect tools and none of them can fit. The black plastic ring is toast so here is my question: If I cut the filter off at the connection before the larger part of the filter, do you guys think I can then slide my tools in to remove the remaining piece from the damn hose?

I'll ask a few more questions before you attempt this.
1.) Is it the plastic ring on the filter, or the plastic cap on the fuel hose?
If it's the cover on the filter pinch housing, just remove the plastic, and you'll see 4 metal clips that are for the retainer. Use a needle nose pliers to pull on the 4 clips/tabs to get the filter off. It's kind of hard to do, but you need to push the filter towards the fuel line while you try to release pressure on the clips. (3 hands work best in this situation)
If it's the transparent (2) squeeze fittings, then you probably ruined the fuel line.

2.) If the plastic ring is the actual fuel feed line, you'll need to get a new hose (They're available at specialty parts stores like Napa, not at chain stores like Autozone).

It is the black collar on the fuel line itself. i dont see any clear pinch retainer on the filter which stumps me because my new filter has one. So do you think I would be successful if I cut the fiter to expose more area to get the tool on? BTW are the plastic fuel lines available for replacement. I though I would have to replace the entire assembly which has made me VERY cautious. TIA

Look at the collar very closely. Is it completely solid plastic all the way around, or does it have slots for the pinch clips for the new filter to fit into.

If the collar is completely solid, pry it off with a small screw-driver. You'll then see the 4 metal clips I talked about in the above post.

If it has slots, you'll probably have to purchase a new receptacle (available at NAPA), or a whole new fuel line (maybe at a parts store, but most likely at a dealer)