i just bought a 300zx fuel filter from autozone. i 300zx filter is much wider, but the same length. is this the right one? they said that it was from a 95 300zx and they are all the same filter sizes (between the 300zx's) this true? should there been a specific year of fuel filter that i should get?

 

that should be fine, they said to get the same year as your car, but 95 96 are the same.

 

why go with z filter over just a max. filter again?

 

Longer life span.

 

the max's filter rated for 15k miles while the 300z rated for 30k mi.

 

The OEM filter is also recommended to be replaced @ 30K not 15K. I replaced my original filter @ 35K and still have the second one in @ 58K and don't plan on replacing it for another 7K.

 

I guess the bigger Z filter still fits in the clamps, but I just went with the stock Maxima one. I have one tip if you have ABS.... the clamps are hard to take off from the filter due to limited space. I removed the hose where it enters the throttle body area and jacked up the car, removed the wheel, and took the hose clamps off from below. They you can get them off easy. Good luck.

 

Also, I read a post where there was someone who said that he saw an increase in fuel efficiency when he switched to the Z filter.

 

That's not really necessary (in fact you just made more work for yourself), use pliers or vise to remove the clamps and apply heat (using a heat gun or a hair dryer) to get the rubber hoses off. Yes, the space is very limited indeed, my hands were all cut and bruised after this procedure and I have small hands!

 

anyone have a write up on how to change the fuel filter?

 

Does he have any proof to back up his claim?

 

I'm definitely disagreeing with anyone that says the 300zx is a tight fit if you have ABS, it's just not true. We put one on a 97 yesterday and it wasn't any worse than putting a stock max filter on. There are no ABS lines in the way, the metal bracket fits fine, the clamps fit fine and as long as you get the top clamp off you're home free. You can just tip the filter upside down to take off the bottom hose clamp. Yes, the filter does give better MPG, only cause it's a new filter, just like all other filters it works great when it's clean. Of course for me, it didn't make any difference at all.

 

the only 1 of you that was right was dave, I just installed mine 3 days ago, all it does is add better MPG,

But yeah that crap is hard to get to, (Stupid little small clamps!!!)

 

no ABS for me... GXE.

fuel filter replacement writeup

http://vbxmaxima.8m.com/fuelfilter.html

 

what are the signs that the fuel filter needs to be replaced besides bad mpg?

 

Not happening. If the old filter was partly clogged, sure, it's nothing to do with the Z filter performance.

The Z filter is probably designed larger to help feed the larger fuel injectors.

Dave

 

Yea, the gas economy increase was due to the new filter, not that it was a Z filter. As for installing one in a car with abs, it DEFINATELY is a tight fit, if you don't remove the intake up to the throttle body. I tried getting at my FF w/o taking off my intake, and had no luck on the bottom clamp.

 

well i have a 96 maxima gle with abs
and this is wat it looks like with a stock ff


to me, being a noob and all looks crowded as hell, but im gonna remove the tb clamp to the intake thingy to get a better reach, i got 5 hrs to blow on saturday so ill use it on figuring out how to get to the screw on the ff clamp which is pointed on the opposite side, im gonna need a stub screwdriver cause i doubt i can just rotate that ****,,,if any1 asks me, thats crowded as hell but it looks like theres no difference if i install a z fuel filter or not

 

hmm, I have a 96GLE with ABS also. The ABS line didn't bother me much.

First tip:

REMOVE intake. You will have tons of space to work on the filter once you remove it. Pull the fuse under the dash (#32 slot). I use the tip of a phillip screw driver to lose the bracket. Took me 20 minutes to change it. I replace it with a 300z filter.

 

Looks like I might have Saturday free now to try this. Some people say it is tight and difficult some say it is easy with plenty of space, sometimes this is due to peoples opinions and experiences working on other cars. If you have worked on a ford you might think this is tight, due to the large empty spaces under most ford's hoods. However if you have ever worked on a honda, you may think there is plenty of space to work, since honda's are packed tighter than a can of tuna and to get to anything the first four steps are, first remove your air intake, next remove your water pump, then remove your master cylinder, then remove your tranny, now you should be able to see your fuel filter, simply pull it of and replace it and Vwala! you are done, just have fun putting your car back together.

 

so the 300zx fuel filter DOES fit the stock bracket? it is at least 1.5x bigger in diameter.


btw, is the PCV valve different from the IAC valve? if so, where is the pcv valve located?

 

i dont know jack **** about the valve, and i dont know if its 1.5X bigger, but it is significantly bigger by the picture i saw of some1 else posting a comparison...im in the same boat as u, im just gonna make a gut decision when im looking at both at canadian tire, lol

 

Steam clean the engine bay while you're at it, mrgeek.

 

Yes, 300zx filter does fit the stock bracket. It's not touching the ABS line. Taking the intake out will give you more visual of the filter. I left the intake on the car and I have to feel my way around the filter. Taking the intake out, you can see where the screws are located. Just my 02 cent.

 

i also did the 300zx fuel filter swap and did away with the maxima fuel filter, in looking at the photo above of the maxima fuel filter i thought i would post up some images of the 300zx fuel filter for this thread.

 

So rather than change the Maxima filter at 30K, which is the recommended interval, what is the change interval of the 300ZX filter?

 

ya i should buy one of those bottles to clean my engine, that can be done in a month when im done school, it should take me im guessing 3 hours

 

recommended maxima filter change every 15k, 300zx filter is every 30k.

 

I thought that would be the response I would get. According to the Nissan owner's manual and Haynes, the recommended OEM interval is 30K or 24 months. My first fuel filter was in for 35K and over 5.5 years and the second one has been in for 23K and almost 5 years. I have had no problem with the car whatsoever and get better fuel economy than 99.99% of the owners on this Board.

I think some of us get a little too **** when it comes to their cars.

 

yes those 2 vavles are different. iac is idle control valve andi cant remember right now what the other ones stands for. i think positive crankcase ventalation os soemthing aroudn there.

 

i just did it. the 300zx does fit in the bracket. the clamps are a pain to get at. the hose refuses to come off, but a hair dryer did the trick on that.

while i had the intake out, i TORE THAT THING Up.

HACKED AIR BOX RULES. wow, it sound deep and throaty. really good tone. i love it.

 

I agree that some people are alittle too **** about their cars imo. But whatever floats their boats right. I have had mine on for at least 42k and the last 3 years, but i guarantee you that it is robbing some of my mpg. I heard something about this a while back (last summer?) that when you do change it if you want to see what is really going in, cut it open after you remove it and you can see how dirty and clogged it gets. (oil filter/fuel filter)

 

ima give this a try!! once i can find it lol how much for the 300zx filter from autozone?

 

I did it this weekend, 300z filter from autozone was about 12 bucks. It was easier for me to take off the intake from the tb up to get to the old filter and I definetly didn't let enough pressure out of the lines, cause I got sprayed with fuel, but for next time, if you get the new filter ready to stick on as soon as you pull the old one off you can avoid a lot of extra clean up.

 

so would the 300zx fuel filter fit in a 97 Maxima SE??????

 

it will fit in maximas from 95-99.