1998 Corolla - Where to buy the fuel filter that's under the hood?

[Anthony1]

Good Day,

Our car is a 1998 Corolla with just over 76,000 miles. It hesitates at random moments so the first thing to do is replace the fuel filter. Oh, that sounds so simple. I talked with a local mechanic. He said the fuel filter is in the gasoline tank. And he said the fuel filter has a screen mesh that almost never clogs, and if it did clog, the filter has a bypass.



But, under the hood there is something that looks a lot like a fuel filter spliced into the gas line. It’s a black plastic cylinder about an inch and a half long and an inch in diameter. It has a factory clamp on each end, the same clamps that are on the other small hoses, so it must be an original part.



The mechanic and a clerk at the local auto parts store both said they have no information on this filter. I checked out a Haynes manual and it does not mention this filter. Does anybody have one of these it-looks-a-lot-like-a-fuel-filter things in their Corolla? And do you know where I can buy one?

If I can’t find any info on this filter, my thought is to find a fuel filter that’s about the same size, for a 4 cylinder engine, and give it a try.



Thank you for your thoughts. Good driving to you, Anthony

[REN69]

Dealer.

[OmarR]

Your mechanic is correct. There should only be an in-tank filter. Do you have a digital camera that you can take a picture for us?

[stubborn1]

I have a 98 Prizm and noticed the same filter you were referring to last weekend. It looks like a cheap plastic inline filter similar to what you would see on carburated engines of old.

I have factory service manuals, so I'll try and look it up tonight and see if I can find more info.

[BLUEMEANIE]

yeah, its not a fuel filter ... my old Camry had one, I forget what it is tho.

[stubborn1]

Well,

I checked the factory manual and it's called out as a fuel line "quick connect coupling". You use a special tool to separate the fuel lines at that location.

[Anthony1]

I separated the black, plastic thing that looks like an old fuel filter from its lines. There was nothing in it but air! I wonder what it's job is? I traced the lines and discovered the actual fuel line runs right next to this one.

I chatted with a clerk at an auto parts store. He said the fuel filter is in the tank. So changing the fuel filter would be a project, but the way the filter is designed it will probably never be a problem.

[01FIERA]

So then the Fuel filter is designed with a bypass valve in case it gets clogged? If it does cool