How do you tell if a fuel filter needs replacing?

[Ducaire]

Whenever my truck hasn't warmed up yet, when you give it the gas, it takes off. It picks up speed fast, and the gears change smooth as silk (it's an automatic). But when it gets warmed up, there is a decrease in acceleration, the gears struggle to change, and the motor makes has a "dirty" noise to it (kind of like a rattling noise). It does not make this noise in 4th gear, and the top-end speed is unaffected, it's just the acceleration that's hurting. Do you know what needs to be replaced?

(Note: The truck has not always done this)

[dmbrisket 51]

when was the last full tuneup done?

[xtrememeasures10]

replace it every 36,000 miles along with your PCV valve. If i hasnt been done it wouldnt be a bad idea to change it. located on the driver side frame rail. make sure you take the gas cap off to relieve a pressure.
and the pcv it depends on if you have the 2.2L or the 4.3L
- On the 2.2L it is on the one and only valve cover lol on the passenger side right under the throttle body
- On the 3.4L it is on the driver side valve cover toward the back of the motor.
Your problem, could be a number of things. Provided that you have a fresh air filter. disconnect your air hose from the throttle body. Have someone hold down the gas pedal. Check for carbon deposits. If your throttle body is coated black spray some carb/tb cleaner down in there. get her shining. good luck.

[OverBoardProject]

xtreme, I think that you meen a 2.8L not a 3.4L.
They are bolt for bolt the same motor, but they have a different bore (and I think a different stroke)
GM didn't actually put the 3.4L into the S-10 or S-15, although they really should have.

Your right about the maintence.

If you think that your fuel tank is rusty, or that your getting dirty fuel replace the fuel filter more often.

And although it's tough try to keep the gas tank at least 1/4 full. Then your less likely to suck dirt into the filter

[xtrememeasures10]

OverBoardProject
Yeah dude i meant 2 say 4.3 didnt even realize that i typed it backwards until now.
Do the fuel filter and like overboard said keep at least a 1/4 tank in there. Normally you dont want to do that cause of microbial growth. but if the tank is rusting keep it as full as possible and change your filter more often.

[brosko80]

i have noticed that in the past two years i have had to replace my fuel filter like evry 8k miles i guess do to the rust in the fuel tank. it is an 87 with the 2.8 and 260,000 miles and by the way when the motor starts losing all power mostly during accleeration and feels like you have to almost baby it to get up to speed it is time to replace the filter. sometimes it can almost seem that the tranny is dying but is reall y just a clogged filter i gues since a poorly running motor affects tghe automatic tranmission more .

[OverBoardProject]

That'll be rust in the tank all right.

When I got my Blazer (an 85) I was told that they only 1/2 filled the tank because it would leak if they filled it more.
I figure that there was 1 or more little rust holes in there.

[herkyhawki]

Remember the Hurricane last year in New Oleans. I've heard that if you are in the eastern half of the US you have good chance of getting lots of dirty gas since the hurricane because of all the changes to the piplines and gas coming out of long-term storage tanks. Alot of people also claim the ethanol blends have more dirt because when it runs through a pipe that was only straight gas before, it loosens the dirt and carries it along. I don't know how true any of this is, but I do know it's cheap and easy to change the filter so Just Do It.

[OverBoardProject]

This is an old thread that someone brought up, although with a legit question.

We can probably safely let it slip back into the archives