Where is the fuel filter located?

 

driver's side, toward rear of engine compartment

 

Not on the V10 it isn't. It's directly behind the oil filter between the cylinder heads under the plastic engine cover (sat in the middle of the "V")

 

RIght my 04 right smack in the middle of the engine between the heads and there were two of them though I understand different VINs come with either double or single in 2004 per my local VW dealer all he needs is your VIN and he can tell you which setup you have.

Very easy to do yourself and you can buy the filters at NAPA for $65 instead of the $110 my VW dealer wanted. Took me like 20 minutes that's going very slowly...

 

My instructions are specific to the 06V10. If you have a different year V10, the fuel filter may not be located in the same location...

 

CsTDI is correct, the 04's possibly early 05's had them in a different location. AFAIK 06 and later had them driver's side near rear of compartment. They also have a different fuel filter element, went from 2 to 1.

 

I stand corrected.........

 

Write up is excellent and comprehensive. This is very handy when I decide to change my fuel filter next month as a part of preventive maintenance.

 

my '04 V10 Touareg stumbled and died. Hearing that it could be due to fuel starvation... I went a head and followed the steps described above. The explanation is perfect. Save for the fact my rig has two filters, located top middle of the engine, behind the oil filter/cap.

The filters were pretty dirty, but the diesel on either side of the filter is clean, but there was some residue in the bottom of the bowl. I suspect that the seal at the top of the filter may have started to dissolve, because when I wiped it off, black residue came off onto the shop rag. The previous owner claimed to have performed all services intervals... hmm...

I replaced the filters etc -- I can't do the automatic bleed sequence because I do not have the factory test computer. So I attempted to do the key on/off 12+ times method that I read elsewhere on this website. The engine tries to start... no luck.

I even verified there a ton of pressure at the water separator port. So I know that at least a few of the pumps are working upstream.

Before I have it towed to the dealer, are there any suggestions? Perhaps a failed fuel pump somewhere downstream? I hear there are 8 pumps...

Thanks in advance.

 

did the key on/off method fill both filter housings to the top? (is there fuel at the top of the bleed screws)

 

I may be referring to the wrong bleed screw(s), I checked for diesel at the water separator.

How do I check to see if both housings filled? On my '04 there's one housing holding two filters (top middle of the engine). Note: I filled the housing to the brim before putting the cover on. Now there's pressurized fuel coming out of the water separator up-tube when I remove the screw. Pressure is high that it blew the screw out from my fingers and now I have to go get another one...

I wonder if there's a way to force the "guided function" automatic bleed program to run via VAG-COM? On some VWs I've read that you can turn on/off individual relays (fuel leak relay?) via VAG-COM. The guided function in the OEM test system might simply sequence *something*, that can be done using a VAG-COM...? I digress.

 

definitely a different set-up then mine, so I will watch for other posts.

I was thinking you may have had air pumping through the system causing the no start if the housing wasn't refilled to the brim prior to resealing.

Faulty pump is reasonable or a loose/cracked hose in the fuel system could also hamper startup, although you have pressure in the housing unit

 

Yep, fuel is all the way to the top of the bleed screw, indicated by the arrow in the picture. Is it a good idea to turn on the pumps for a couple of seconds with the bleed screw removed (and attached to a drain hose) to get any bubbles out?
I have a replacement bleed screw coming tomorrow (I lost mine! These are hard to get as it turns out).

 

Here's my experience with changing the Fuel Filter for the first time on my 06 TDI.

I followed the above directions exactly and everything went smoothly except for three things. The first problem caused the 2nd and 3rd.

The first problem was the filter would not go down as far as the old one. Even though I lubricated both the top and the bottom inner gasket, it would only go so far being an extremely tight fit. The top inner gasket would come down to the top edge of the housing post, slide onto it about 2mm and go no further. If I pushed down on the filter really hard the housing post itself would go down about 10mm but would come right back up when I stop applying pressure. It feels like the housing post has a very strong spring in it. The filter element has 2 knobs on top opposite the handle and are the same height as the handle. It appears to me that when you reinstall the lid and tighten the 4 torx screws evenly at the same time, the lid pushes the filter element down using the 2 knobs and handle, thus making the filter element go where it needs to. (Side note, I did make careful note of where the old filter was and duplicated it's location.) I put everything back together and started the engine, let it run for 5 minutes and everything was fine.

Any feedback on the filter not going down would be much appreciated.

The last two problems were minor. I lost one of the torx screws due to a mildly magnetic torx bit that picked up one of the torx screws by accident and then let it go over the engine.

The third was the the new aluminum washer for the bleed screw disappeared as it was on the Craftsman case in my garage and when I went to get my Craftsman flashlight to look for the missing torx screw in problem 2 I opend the case and the washer went flying. I never found it.

Not a biggie.

Again, if anyone can let me know about the filter, please post. Cheers.

 

Here's my experience with changing the Fuel Filter for the first time on my 06 TDI.

I followed the above directions exactly and everything went smoothly except for three things. The first problem caused the 2nd and 3rd.

The first problem was the filter would not go down as far as the old one. Even though I lubricated both the top and the bottom inner gasket, it would only go so far being an extremely tight fit. The top inner gasket would come down to the top edge of the housing post, slide onto it about 2mm and go no further. If I pushed down on the filter really hard the housing post itself would go down about 10mm but would come right back up when I stop applying pressure. It feels like the housing post has a very strong spring in it. The filter element has 2 knobs on top opposite the handle and are the same height as the handle. It appears to me that when you reinstall the lid and tighten the 4 torx screws evenly at the same time, the lid pushes the filter element down using the 2 knobs and handle, thus making the filter element go where it needs to. (Side note, I did make careful note of where the old filter was and duplicated it's location.) I put everything back together and started the engine, let it run for 5 minutes and everything was fine.

Any feedback on the filter not going down would be much appreciated.

The last two problems were minor. I lost one of the torx screws due to a mildly magnetic torx bit that picked up one of the torx screws by accident and then let it go over the engine.

The third was the the new aluminum washer for the bleed screw disappeared as it was on the Craftsman case in my garage and when I went to get my Craftsman flashlight to look for the missing torx screw in problem 2 I opend the case and the washer went flying. I never found it.

Not a biggie.

Again, if anyone can let me know about the filter, please post. Cheers.

OEM filter?

 

It is an extremely tight fit. IIRC I was able to work it down farther on the post by twisting (rotating) as I pressed it down. Was your old one stained black?

 

Yes that's exactly how it did it too. I twisted the filter while pushing it down but as soon as the top inner seal made contact with the housing post, that's as far as it would go. Also once the filter is in that far, the top of the filter is even with the outer canister and I'm not able to grasp it anymore to twist it in.

What technique did you use to twist it further once in that far?

The old filter had a blackish tinge to it and there was no water at all in the canister or hosing post.

Cheers.

 

OEM Mann filter, yes.

 

Hate to burst you bubble here but you can get a copy of ELSA from here for about $20 and know every proper procedure for about doing anything on your Touareg and not only. Get this and you will know more than the dealer service adviser .

See attachments.

 

BTW do not try to save money on a cheap filter. Diesel injection components are very expensive. Purolator or Fram is not going to cut it here OEM, Knecht or Mann only.

RS.

 

Agreed to above statement v10 are pumpa technology and yes injectors are fonominaly exspecive not including the insallation requires dead on measurement. Do not cheap out on fuel filter items.

 

A few notes, additions and confirmations regarding the removal and installation of this filter on a 2066 V10 TDI, after having just completed this procedure.

1) Depending on how old your filter is, the green handle may be very brittle. Mine snapped after moderate tugging. Make sure to account for any pieces that might be loose if it breaks. I had one small piece fall into the housing can but was able to suction it.

2) You will need a few screwdrivers to assist with upward force, especially if the handle gives way. I used two on opposite sides of the filter with gentle prying force. However, BE CAREFUL with the prying. The filter housing is aluminum and will probably deform easily if you over do it. If you can place a clean shim under each side, you will be better off.

3) The center filter plenum/chamber stays with the housing and is NOT part of the filter. DO NOT PRY in this area.

4) You will probably end up with diesel EVERYWHERE despite your best efforts. Have plenty of shop supplies handy for cleanup and have a bucket or pan ready for the old filter and suctioned diesel.

5) Have clean spare diesel ready to fill the filter housing after installation. DO NOT OVER FILL. If the diesel is at the top of the filter, suction some back out. When you tighten the cover down, it will compress the filter and cause some to spill out the sides.

6)Leave the bleed screw off until all cover screws are tightened down. A small amount of diesel will collect in the cover recess.

Other observations:

I primed the fuel pump twice before starting by using a key on/off method. This probably want necessary since I had diesel bleed out as I was tightening the cover, indicating the filter housing was fill. The vehicle started right up.

Torque values are 10nm for the cover bolts, 5nm for the bleed screw with washer.

 

Any idea on how to get the filter and that center plastic bit back into the housing? That spring requires almost 50lbs of force to compress fully, I can't push it down with one hand and start the screws at the same time. I've had some luck starting one corner, and compressing the other corners in turn, but doing this doesn't seat the seal very well. I found that out the hard way. Any help would be appreciated.

 

The filter is pretty easy to remove and replace by using a slow twisting motion with the handle as you work it around the center post. The problem is likely that the fuel filter is not low enough around the post. Try using a twisting motion to put the filter lower and you should be able to close the lid. This has worked well for me, I've replaced the filter three times without breaking the handle.

 

I used the same twisting motion you've described to get the filter out and the center post came with it. Now I have to recompress the spring underneath the center post to lock the post back in place. Any idea how to do that?

 

My V10 is different (two filters) so I'm taking a totally wild guess at this.

I'm assuming the post wasn't supposed to come out. If you remove the spring, can you see how to reattach the post correctly? Does it stay in place without the cover?

I would put the spring under there, set the post over it, then put a little block of wood on top of the post. Then get a pulley puller and hook the two arms over the edge of the filter housing and run the puller screw down onto the piece of wood. Then continue cranking it down until the post seats however it's supposed to and you can twist it into the locked position (if that is indeed how it works). Then back off the pulley puller and hope the post stays in place.

A while back I changed my oil and found that the non-OEM filter I had bought wasn't the same size and didn't have the same parts and notches as the real OEM filter. So with the warning above, I only get OEM gas and oil filters to make sure they fit exactly as promised.

So that's my wild-assed guess. Maybe that'll spark an idea that'll really works.

 

It's out of the box I like it lol. The only problem with a pulley puller is that the center piece is plastic, if it cracks or gets marred up by the point on a puller I'll have to replace it too. Suppose I could cover the point somehow but it still means I'd have to go get a puller, I don't have one handy.

 

Okay for anyone who reads this in the future. If the center plastic post that I've described comes out of the filter housing and wont stay in, I have a solution. As it turns out, the only thing holding the post down are three plastic catches on the bottom. If one of them breaks off while your trying to get the filer on, it won't stay clipped to the bottom any more. That spring is massive for the job it does. Anyway, if you replace the four screws that hold down the filter cover with longer ones of the same size, (M6 x 1.0) which I found at Lowes, you can get all four started with minimal effort and then use the screws to compress the spring. Worked great, and I won't have to mess with it again.

 

I found this video on the fuel filter replacement of a V10 but noticed he skipped several steps, notably on removing the old fuel and adding fresh diesel. Any thoughts?