It is time to change my fuel filter.

Why?

I have checked the maintenance guide and there is no mention of an interval to change out the filter.

That is correct.

They do not stock the filter and were unsure how to order one. The parts guy said that it is very unusual to change the filter on this van.

That's also correct.

Does anyone have experience with this? Is this a lifetime filter on the 2006?

Unless you're experiencing some sort of driveability problem, and have conclusively tracked that down to a bad filter, there is very little need to change the fuel filter, especially on a regular interval. It's simply not necessary. As I understand, it's above the fuel tank, and not very easy to get to. Thoughts of changing a headlight in a Nissan Maxima come to mind. It's simply not an item that needs regular replacement, and it's not easy to get to. Fuggedaboutit and drive on!

Welcome to the forum!

 

A 2006? Geez, how many miles do you have on that beast? A quarter of a million?

Seriously, like Jason already said, there's no interval specified in the manual and dealers don't stock them simply because they typically last the life of the van. FWIW, the original factory filter on our 1998 is still working perfectly well after 10 years and 155,000 miiles.

 

This whole fuel filter notion that you don't have to change the filter because it lasts the life of the van seems so counter-intuitive.

How do they know what the fuel I buy will contain? Or, is the fuel filter so porous that it lets everything in?

As a filter gathers dirt, doesn't it start to block? Doesn't this have an effect on the fuel pump?

I changed it on my 2002 with 85K miles, just because I believe in periodic maintenance, and a fuel filter has always been on my list.

Once I resigned myself that you have to lower the fuel tank to replace it, it was an hour job.

Just my $0.02 worth.

 

This whole fuel filter notion that you don't have to change the filter because it lasts the life of the van seems so counter-intuitive.

To be sure, "the life of the van" is a bit of a stretch for some, however, my bet is that the vast majority of these vans find a boneyard well south of 250,000 miles, and as such, the filter will last the entire time the van is on the road.

How do they know what the fuel I buy will contain? Or, is the fuel filter so porous that it lets everything in?

Fuel stations (and the oil companies that service them) are required to meet certain purity standards. Unless you are constantly filling at some hole-in-the-wall station that sees a very low turn-over in fuel, you're probably good to go.

As a filter gathers dirt, doesn't it start to block? Doesn't this have an effect on the fuel pump?

Yes, eventually a fuel filter will become more restrictive, however, I rather doubt that it will affect the pump much (if at all). If these pumps were so affected, I'm quite sure we'd be hearing about lots of fuel pump failures, and to be quite honest, I've been tracking automotive related boards for nearly ten years now and I think I can count the number of fuel pump failures I've read about on the fingers of one hand (and that's for all makes and models that I track combined).

I changed it on my 2002 with 85K miles, just because I believe in periodic maintenance, and a fuel filter has always been on my list.

I understand that once a maintenance habit is established, it can often be hard to break. That however doesn't mean that said maintenance is necessary.

Once I resigned myself that you have to lower the fuel tank to replace it, it was an hour job.

Just my $0.02 worth.

Good to know, if/when one of my cars gets to the quarter of a million mark, I might just be inclined to swap the filter too. :thumb:

 

I agree with Paul Jones. I changed my 2002 filter when it had 50,000 miles on it. Ran the tank down to a quarter of a tank and she dropped easy. It was a piece of cake to do.

Is the filtration at the pump really that much better?

 

197,000 miles and still running great with the original fuel filter and pump. Oh, and the only time I buy a named brand gas is on a trip.

 

Wouldn't a fuel pump filter sock tend to be self cleaning? After all, the fuel/solvent sloshing around would tend to wash off containments. In addition, based on the filters large surface area I doubt suction would ever approach the point of pulling particles past the filter media.

I'm just thinking out loud...

 

Helpless

"Unless you're experiencing some sort of driveability problem, and have conclusively tracked that down to a bad filter, there is very little need to change the fuel filter, especially on a regular interval. It's simply not necessary. As I understand, it's above the fuel tank, and not very easy to get to. Thoughts of changing a headlight in a Nissan Maxima come to mind. It's simply not an item that needs regular replacement, and it's not easy to get to. Fuggedaboutit and drive on!

This is exactly why I hate trying to find information on forums. It's next to impossible because of ******** like this. The man wants to know how to change a filter? Either help, or stay out of it. I agreee with jtc001 in that "why" is not important. It's the "how" that some people are looking for.

As for me, I do have a driveability problem, and I do need to change the filter on my 2006 Grand Caravan. No help here!

I need to change my filter, and this forum was only helpful because

 

This is exactly why I hate trying to find information on forums. It's next to impossible because of ******** like this. The man wants to know how to change a filter? Either help, or stay out of it. I agreee with jtc001 in that "why" is not important. It's the "how" that some people are looking for.

..Directions for which, once you understand that the filter is part of the fuel pump assembly, are included in any moderately decent manual like a Haynes or Chilton.

Your reaction: complain that you didn't find a turn-key answer on your first search result from an 8 years-old thread, and then complain. Hmmm.

 

The ultimate irony of this thread is the 2006 vintage vans, as I understand it, do NOT even have a fuel filter. Oy vey!

 

I replaced the fuel pump assembly on my 2007 this summer because of a cracked top flange, not because of fuel flow. The Shop took less than an hour to drop the tank, replace the pump assembly and put things back together.

2007 GC Fuel pump: http://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/dodge,2007,grand+caravan,3.8l+v6,1433760,fuel/air,fuel+pump,6256

http://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=2503878&cc=1433760&jsn=513 SPECTRA PREMIUM / COOLING DEPOT SP7008M assembly

A strainer is included in that assembly per:

Fuel strainer included for smoother installation process and ensures a clean fuel system upon replacement

I don't know that the strainer can be purchased separately, apparently the fule pump itself, can be.

 

I replaced the fuel pump assembly on my 2007 this summer because of a cracked top flange, not because of fuel flow. The Shop took less than an hour to drop the tank, replace the pump assembly and put things back together.

2007 GC Fuel pump: http://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/dodge,2007,grand+caravan,3.8l+v6,1433760,fuel/air,fuel+pump,6256

A strainer is included in that assembly per:


I don't know that the strainer can be purchased separately, apparently the fule pump itself, can be.

Ahhh, but a strainer does not a filter make, errr, or something like that.

 

Fuel pump and strainer set: http://www.thewrenchmonkey.ca/auto-parts/dodge/grand-caravan/2007/fuel-pump-and-strainer-set/

It's referred to as a fuel sock per: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHZ98YY9ZzI Not a regular maintenance item but should be replaced when a fuel pump is replaced. The fuel pumps and the fuel pump assembly have the strainer included. I think that is a typical "in tank filter" setup.

 

Look like your fuel filter is in the tank. See this video as to how to change it. Its really not that hard to do, just make sure you have a good floor or trans. jack.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ehUu6QXY1A

 

There is a fuel filter in the tank of your 2001, it is a pretty sure bet there is no fuel filter on the OP's 2006, just a strainer.

 

For what it's worth, I don't think it does any disservice to kindly advise against replacing an item in a thread like this, and it's my impression that's what has happened.

Many owners of later 4th Gen vans think they have an inline fuel filter like the earlier models but they're just having a tough time locating it. I was one with this question once upon a time, and I was relieved to know that I didn't need to look a little harder and hold my tongue just right in order to find it.

192,000 mooing the original as of right now and if the fuel pump goes on the fritz, I will replace it. Other than that, I will keep driving and doing scheduled maintenance.

 

For what it's worth, I don't think it does any disservice to kindly advise against replacing an item in a thread like this, and it's my impression that's what has happened.

True. You will find two types of people on this forum. Those that what for stuff to break, then fix it. Those that are proactive and replace stuff before it breaks. I for one hate break downs and will do whatever I can to prevent them. The way I see it, you will pay now or later. usually the later you pay more.

 

Anybody know why they did away with the in-line fuel filter? It would seem that a in-line filter is better then just the screen on the bottom of the fuel pump.

 

Saves 0.00001+/- gallons of gas between fill-ups, sort of like the savings with 20 grade oil.