Causes of unchanged fuel filter

[J92GSR]

Hi all, i own a 92 GSR. My car has been over reving and going no where and i cant seem to find the problem, i first thought it was the cat, so i changed the cat and got a airflow then i thought it was the intake(thought it was delivering hot air to my engine, i then thought was the rotor and cap, which i replaced it runs better but it still has a little rev, i was going to change the fuel filter, but the thing i believe was never changed, cause this be a problem and what kind of effects does having an old fuel filter cause or can cause.

Thanks
J92GSR