Relocating fuel filter - any negatives?

[eddd]

I've read and re-read all posts I could find on changing the fuel filter (leaving it in the stock location) as well as all posts on modifying its location to outside the tank for future easy of access.

 

I am due for a filter replacement (It has been 12,000 miles, if shop records can be believed) I'm leaning very heavily towards doing the modification. In particular, I like this method of modification.

 

Before I jump into this...Is there any downside to moving the filter? Any downside to the particular way of doing it that I am considering?

 

Thanks

[Ken H.]

Quote:

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Why do you no longer encourage this modification?

 

 

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Well what I think it boils down to is that it’s a solution looking for a non-existent problem.

 

Think about all the millions of cages and 10s of 1000s of bikes on the road with their filter in the tank, that have gone millions of miles with no fuel filter relate issues. Sure there’s always the one antidotal story of the biker who had to change their fuel filter along the side of the road, in the middle of Kansas, in the winter, at night, but the odds are just pretty darn small.

 

Heck, in most of the new hexheads the filter in the tank is not separately replaceable at all. And in the couple models where it is not inside the tank, such as the R1200ST, it is because of tank shape considerations.

 

Add into the equation the additional failure points; clamps, joints, hoses, you are adding with the mod, and increased venerability in say a low side, and I think it all adds up to leave it where it is.

 

 

(Isn't cut & paste a wonderful thing?)

[Stan Walker]

It has been 12,000 miles

 

Unless you are running some known dirty gas, the BMW specified replacement interval is 24,000 miles, and even that is way conservative!!!.

 

Stan

[Lineareagle]

I just did a similar mod and in retrospect if I was not planing on riding about 12k in some out back country I would not have done it.

Same reasons as above.

The BMW filter is by far and away much more restrictive then the after market filters I have seen, thats a good thing I don't know for sure but I would bet there is 100 times more filtration surface in one then in the after market filters, I cut mine open just to see.

I would agree the thought of fuel spraying all over your legs is not a happy thought.

After the trip I'll probably go back to OEM.

[smiller]

I'm with Ken 100% on this, don't really see the need but some do I guess. With regard to safety risk, I've seen pictures of everything from a very professional installation using Adel clamps, proper hose routing and protection, FI-rated clamps, etc., to installations using tie-wraps and worm clamps. The former probably doesn't increase risk significantly while the latter is a disaster waiting to happen. If you decide to go ahead then at least make sure that you do it right.

[NoHeat]

The possibility of a fuel spill leading to a fire after a crash is a good reason to not mess with a stock fuel system IMHO. Adding a fuel filter in an accessible location would be just a new weak point in a crash.

[eddd]

It has been 12,000 miles

 

Unless you are running some known dirty gas, the BMW specified replacement interval is 24,000 miles, and even that is way conservative!!!.

 

Stan

 

The 12,000 figure is from a shop work order prior to when I bought the bike. I have always done all my own work on all my vehicles. I am the only one I really trust. I want to start with a clean slate before some extended summer trips. As long as I'm in there anyway, I figured I'd fix it so I don't have to return. It doesn't look like a fun job.

 

Sure makes you wonder what the engineers were thinking.

[Urban Surfer]

Every year you have to take the tank off to do the brake bleed. Changing the filter is no big deal after you have done that. I may win a lottery sooner than I buy a bad tank of gas.

[DavidEBSmith]

I have this sense of deja vu . . .

 

I relocated my fuel filter externally when I was installing the fuel cell before the 2005 Iron Butt Rally. Under rally conditions, the time it would take to replace an in-tank filter, especially by the side of the road, would be disastrous and unacceptable. Under rally conditions, you can't always pick and choose where to fill up, you get fuel wherever you need it, and if that happens to be from a rusty tank in Dogtrot Alabama, you run the risk of picking up bad fuel. For my needs, I thought the decision to make the fuel filter externally accessible was a no-brainer.

 

You need to evaluate this for yourself, you can't depend on a bunch of other people to tell you what to do. That's why the same questions get asked over and over again. There is no absolutely correct answer to this and most other questions in life.

 

Here are the factors you need to consider:

 

- There is a small but finite chance of getting bad gas. It's probably a smaller chance than in the past with most stations replacing old tanks because of EPA mandates and because of increased use of filters on pumps.

 

- If the fuel filter gets clogged and you keep riding, you will burn up the fuel pump quickly. How clogged and how quickly? Nobody can say. But I do know the fuel pump is expen$ive.

 

- If you need to change an internal fuel filter, it is a complex process. You need to remove the tank, drain the gas, remove the fuel pump plate carefully to avoid damaging the low fuel warning float, replace the filter, and get everything together without disconnecting any lines or connectors or bending the warning float. If you don't have a spare o-ring for the fuel pump plate, you will almost certainly not be able to get everything back together until the old o-ring has dried out for a day. So figure on a several hour job, if you have the tools and the spare parts.

 

- On the other hand, there is a finite chance of screwing something up when you move the filter outside the tank. The bypass line inside the tank can come loose, the external fuel lines can get kinked or interfere with your throttle cranks, causing your bike to run poorly.

 

- There is a potential safety issue. It is a significant issue if you don't use fuel injection-rated hose and clamps. It is a lesser issue if you do the modification right. To those who worry about deviating from the engineering wisdom of the Fatherland designers, there are a lot of vehicles with fuel lines running here and there and they hardly ever go up in flames.

 

- If you do your own maintenance, you will be tempted to skip replacing the internal filter because it is a PITA. This may or may not cause problems. The fuel filter replacement interval is probably conservative. As long as you get good gas. I suspect that fuel filter-related problems are less commonly due to the filter getting slowly clogged and more commonly due to one tank of bad gas.

 

- If you never leave the Interstates, you have little chance of getting bad gas and needing to change a fuel filter. If you go to the wilds of Canada or Alaska, you should think about it. If you go to Mexico or beyond, I think you'd be foolish not to do it.

 

You could probably go a long way toward alleviating some of the issues with the internal fuel filter if you carried a spare filter, o-ring, and clamps, and made sure you had the right tools. Then it is a job that can be done relatively quickly in any shop, or even on the side of the road.

 

I won't tell you to do it. I won't tell you not to do it. You're probably an adult and can make your own decisions. I can tell you that it works for me, but if I didn't have special requirements, I would be less inclined to do it.

[Jim Moore]

I got a clogged fuel filter on my R1100RT 100 miles north of Vegas on a 110 degree day. I relocated it to the outside after that.

[Paul Mihalka]

A trick I used when I moved my fuel filter to the outside: Run a drill through the old filter to open it up completely and replace it inside the tank. It avoids improviseing with extra fuel lines and you use the pre-bent lines that are already there.

[Zot]

A trick I used when I moved my fuel filter to the outside: Run a drill through the old filter to open it up completely and replace it inside the tank. It avoids improviseing with extra fuel lines and you use the pre-bent lines that are already there.

 

I would be very worried that the drilled out filter would be releasing contaminates into the system for some time after.IMHO..

[Bob Palin]

I would be very worried that the drilled out filter would be releasing contaminates into the system for some time after.IMHO..

Then get a new one and drill that...

[Jerry Johnston]

I'd take an air compressor and blow it out thoroughly after drilling it. Or maybe just use a stright piece of pipe the same diameter and length as the filter.

[Zot]

I'd take an air compressor and blow it out thoroughly after drilling it. Or maybe just use a stright piece of pipe the same diameter and length as the filter.

 

I would agree with the piece of pipe. Blowing out the filter after drilling it, even if using a new filter will probably not get rid of all the jagged pieces of element created by the drilling process. once again IMHO.

[Paul Mihalka]

Any junk coming out of the drilled filter would be caught by the active outside filter.