I changed the fuel filter today in 36 degree weather, it was long overdue after a few seasons of auto-xing, a little over the recommended mileage to do it.
What the hell, I am not a huge guy, there is no way in hell I was going to be able to get to that filter with the Intake on.
Seriously, I'm scraping 6ft (meaning I'm a little under) and 199lb, I could barely get my hands in there to reach the thing.
After realizing fixing it was impossible I took off everything up to the TB, then no problem, but why is there no mention of this in any stickied how-to's?
I put the 300z filter in there as a replacement, any of you turboed guys change to that filter as a requirement? It seems like since the Z was designed for higher performance that would be a necessity for SC or turbo, no?

 

I took off everything up to the tb as well, It was a lot easier to reach but still the whole process was a pain in the ***. I swicthed over to the 300zx fuel filter too since it lasts 30000 miles as opposed to the maxima one which lasts 15000 miles and rather not change it twice as often.

 

Do you have a stock intake? I just changed mine last week, and it wasn't that hard. I have a CAI. I guess the stock air box would get in the way.

 

My fuel filter was easy to change. I just swapped it out last week when I was swapping engines.

 

Z32 300ZX, or does the year matter?

 

with stock intake you'll have to take it off unless you hands are the size of a 5 year olds.
Any year Z fuel filter.

 

I replaced mine without taking off anything else and my hands fairly big lol

u will need a short/stubby screw driver to loosne/tighten those bolts.

 

my hands are not real small, they are not big either and i did mine last with with the intake still on at a carwash. the hardest part was trying to get the screwdriver in there to loosen the clamps that hold it on

 

left everything on, Hey Marlyn nice sig

 

hehehe thanks.

Last meet I went too.

 

I have a POP charger but that's it. Donald, I used a regular screwdriver to loosen the upper clamp, but that was all the leverage I had in that space. I could have probably maybe got the top hose off, but I seriously doubt it.
I don't know if the cold 36 degree weather made the hoses less pliable and more difficult to get off, but either way I am going to just take off everything from now on.

 

I got the stock intake and I changed the filter without removing much of it at first. The only point I had to remove stuff was getting it to go back on and at that point I only unhooked one of the rubber hoses to fit my arm in there more as I was struggling to get it on more then halfway and got tired of getting cut on the pipes and crap.

 

You have ABS? That makes it a lot tighter workspace. I remove the entire intake.

Dave

 

Removing the intake gives you plenty of room and a straight shot at the fuel filter.

 

The hardest thing to take off were the fue lines connected to the fuel filter. What a PITA it was.

 

I changed mine three times without taking the intake out. My hands are pretty big... I guess you just need patience. It is a b!tch to get out though, especially since I replaced all my hoses, so they were extremely tight.

 

+1... those hoses are tight as hell!!