That’s it… that my question. I have a 2002 Chevy Silverado 1500 4.8 liter V-8.
I suspect that the dealership is lying to me about a repair and I would like to see for myself. I would like to inspect my fuel filter(or better yet, the gas that has passed through it) before the next time I bring it in.
I have checked in the owner’s manual and is not in the index, and even looked page by page. It is also not in the under-the-hood diagram. Years ago, I had an old Toyota truck and the fuel filter was behind the body panel just above the rear wheel. Is it maybe in that area somewhere? And what does it look like? Is this something I could inspect without disrupting other things?
Well I own a 1999 Silverado and a Haynes Manual for it (which states it is for 1999 and 2000 models. Unless they have changed its’ placement, and I believe most everything has stayed the same on the 1500s, it says it is on the right frame rail near the fuel tank. There are screw in fittings on each end of the cylinder type filter.
There is a lovely company that puts out books called Haynes manuals, which are great for auto repair, they write in fairly easy to understand language and have pictures. I have found many components in my cars by looking at the picture, and then looking under the car, rotating the book, until what I see is what is in the book. Sometimes they are off or show an older model, but it’s pretty good. For under 20 bucks it’s a good investement.
Follow the fuel line, that’s where I’d start. You might be one of the unlucky folks who have the filter INSIDE the tank. (Thats the last time I sell weed to those Chevy design engineers)
Out of idle curiosity, what kind of repair are you refering to? I used to work at a Chevrolet dealership, which is why I ask. With the vehicle being a 2002 model, it couldn’t have too many miles on it yet and unless you get your fuel at a cut rate gasoline station, I would really doubt that you have a plugged fuel filter. (Assuming that is what they told you.)
Your assumption is correct. Let me start from the beginning:
Since day one, if I were barely rolling(0-20mph) and tried to accelerate, the engine would rev up(in neutral) and suddenly shift into first gear. This was mild in the beginning. It got to a point where, if I got down to that speed, I would have to come to a complete stop before trying to accelerate. This was a great way to avoid getting a ticket for a stop sign violation for a “rolling stop”. However, it was also dangerous as sometimes it would take too long to shift and I would now have to wait for a car or two to go by before pulling out. At times even after I let off of the gas, it would suddenly shift and thrust me out into traffic.
A friend of mine had a similar problem. The dealership told him that the computer had no information in it(it was never even programmed). I thought this might also be my problem.
I took my truck in for what I thought would be either a transmission issue or a computer(that controls the transmission) issue. I explained how the truck acted and asked them to check the transmission.
I was told that it was the fuel filter(not covered by warranty). I had just over 3000 miles which I believe is just over the filter warranty. They told me I got some bad gas somewhere.
Eventually, after I insisted that I speak to the manager, they agreed to call it a warranty repair and sent me on my way. But, they also told me that it would happen again if I got some bad gas. I don’t dispute that this could happen, but I am not convinced that this was the problem here.
Here’s why I think they lied:
They engine performance was fine. It never bogged down, or sputtered or missed a beat in any way. At highway speeds, it would refuse to shift when I needed it to, but the engine delivered great power when it finally got into gear. I am not a mechanic, but it seems that I would have had at least a slight indication somewhere along the line of engine performance problems if the fuel filter was as bad as they said it was.
They would not show me either the old filter or a sample of the gas that passed through the old filter.
I believe that they fixed whatever the problem was(perhaps programming or reprogramming a computer or something else) and then tried to pass it off as a fuel filter problem, which is not under warranty. If it was in fact the fuel filter, then I guess technically I would bear responsibility and should pay for it rather than have it covered by warranty. Except that, even if it was the fuel filter, it had problems since day one and the first tank of gas came from the dealership. I don’t see how this could be my fault.
to inspect your fuel filter, crawl under your driverside door, lie on you back with feet sticking out underneath the door. gastank will be to the left and engine to the right. on the inside of the frame there will be a cannister looking device attached to the frame by a plastic holder it looks like a small beer can, it will have a metal fuel line coming out both ends of it. you should be able to tell if it was replaced by is it shiny and clean and everything else is dirty.
from the way you describe the problem, there was nothing wrong with the fuel filter. for cost comparison, a new ff would cost less than $10.00 at an auto parts store, it would take a mechanic less than 10 minutes to replace it.