[Bear]

I did my '96 without lowering the tank (it was tight). once I got the hold down bolt out I could maneuver the filter to get at the press together line retainers. If you do need to lower the tank, I suggest doing it with very little fuel in the tank, rear axle on jack stands or ramps, and then using a floor jack and a piece of plywood on top of the jack foot (to distribute the weight) jack the plywood up to put pressure on the tank, loosen the hold down straps on the tank and lower the tank just enough to get working room ( I did this procedure to replace a fuel pump and it worked fine).