Maini

Thanks !! to all the information on this forum and in Tech articles I had an uneventful change.
Here is what I did

1) A day before the change spray the infamous bolt on the clamp with a lot of WD40 spray some on its threads too. Took a toothbrush to apply the WD40 on both sides of the bolt
2) Next day start slowly and turn the bolt, be slow and be patient.. spray more WD40. I managed to loosen this bolt about 3-4 threads.
3) Undo the fuel pipes on both the sides. Spray the filter with WD40, put some vaseline on it and used a rubber mallet to slowly tap out the filter
4) Installing a new one was simple.. applied some WD40 and vaseline tot he filter and slipped it in very very easy. Bolted on the fuel pipes with new washers.
5) I also let the car sit overnight so there was no pressure left in the fuel system and very little fuel came out which was caught easily in a trough kept under the car appropriately. No need to jack up the car.
6)Start the car and let it run while you check for leaks.. spend 5 minutes at least on this..

Did not tighten the infamous clamp bolt.. no need.. as the clamp is fairly tight plus it is held up well with the the inlet and outlet pipes. In addition future changes will be easier.

BTW - The fuel filter changed after 40000 miles and the fuel which came out of the filter was very dirty.. and full of particles.. the "blow" test did not show much blockage but the old fuel filter was much heavier telling me there was a lot of dirt in the filter.

Flint'sA6

how the hell did you work under there not on ramps/jackstands?

Maini

not very comfortable but definitely workable.. I am 36..180lbs and 5'7" And yes no jacks or ramps...

MTS4

Didn't seem like I had to- but a large tie wrap where the bolt was keeps the clamp nice and closed.

vertigo.67

End bolts are off but I can't seem to get the filter to slide out all the way - do I have to remove center clamp completely? I'm doing this -of course - on the coldest day of the year to hopefully alleviate the noxious fuel smell in the car. I can't even put my kids in the car for a 5 minute drive...
I'm starting with what I think will be the cheapest solution to the (obvious?) problem.
any comments?

Zaphodb17

If you're getting a fuel smell in the car, you better check that pretty carefully... I seem to remember that on some models/years, there was a recall for the possibility of a broken pipe on top of the fuel tank. I think it was the vent return, but I may be wrong. You might try a search on this site for a related post as I read about that problem here. Good luck, let us know what you find and you are actually starting the diagnostic process right, simple items first.