How To Change Scion Tc 08 Fuel Filter

Ane of the worst problems that tin happen to your Scion tC is a bad fuel filter. When the filter goes bad, it tin limit the amount of fuel that enters the engine. Without fuel, the vehicle will not run at all. With that in mind, most of the symptoms of a bad fuel filter revolve around the vehicle stalling out.

Bad Fuel Filter Symptoms Scion tC

Fuel filters have been making a rearward progression for the last l years, literally. For a long time, you'd detect it under the hood. It looked similar a little pill, and it would be quick and easy to supervene upon. This was in the era of carbureted vehicles.

Things began to alter in the 80's. Fuel injection requires higher fuel pressure. Higher fuel pressure meant that a more than robust fuel filter would be required. This meant the fuel filter was no longer left under the hood. It was put in the steel fuel line, between the gas tank and engine bay.

These fuel filters were more than reliable, only they too were tougher to change. Repairing them means getting under the vehicle and disconnecting steel fittings. It actually still isn't that difficult to deal with, as long every bit you give the vehicle a few minutes for the fuel force per unit area to go downwardly.

The good news is, no matter how onetime your tC is, the symptoms of a bad fuel filter are universal. It doesn't matter if it's in-tank or in-line. And, fuel filters are cheap.

Signs of a Bad Fuel Filter: Scion tC

Scion tC Bad Fuel Filter Diagnosis — Typical Fuel Filter

There are physical signs that you tin can feel when your tC's fuel filter is clogging. Earlier taking anything apart, check to see if your engines calculator has whatever trouble codes saved in information technology.

The engine may throw a P0087 problem code. This problem lawmaking detects that the fuel rail/organisation pressure is too low. Any trouble codes that exist could be a clue. Sometimes when there is low fuel pressure, you may also get an oxygen sensor related trouble code as well. The real upshot with diagnosing a bad fuel filter is that it resembles many other vehicular issues in terms of symptoms.

Here are the most common symptoms of a bad fuel filter in your Scion tC:

Sputtering Nether Load

The only style that you are going to know that your tC's fuel filter may exist going out is that it is no longer letting enough fuel through to go along the engine running under a heavy load, or at high-speed. Typically, if you are heading up a loma (or accelerating) the engine may start to experience like it is just running out of steam. That's what information technology feels similar with a bad fuel filter.

At present, a bad fuel filter tin can also feel a heck of a lot like a bad catalytic converter. Both conditions will make the motor experience like it is running out of wind when y'all hit the gas. A bad catalytic converter volition not feel as jarring. It'southward a smooth lack of power. If yous are unsure, check out this article on troubleshooting catalytic converters. If yous get P0420 or P0430 problem codes with a scanner, it very well may be the catalytic converter causing these symptoms.

Hard to Offset Engine

One of the all-time indicators of a clogged fuel filter is going to be that the your tC is difficult to start. This because there's not enough fuel pressure to properly atomize the fuel as it enters the combustion chamber.

If your car is difficult to kickoff, a clogged fuel filter would probably not be the place to start looking, specially if you are getting no trouble code for fuel pressure or the oxygen sensors.

Instead, nosotros'd recommend taking a look at the ignition system first. Oftentimes information technology'll be bad spark plugs, or a bad coil pack.

Engine Not Starting

If the fuel filter has become then contaminated that the minimum amount of fuel has not been let through it, the engine won't kickoff at all.

At the virtually bones of levels your Scion tC needs three things to outset: Air, fuel, and spark. If any of these things aren't present, the engine won't turn over at all. If there's been cypher warning that the fuel filter could be going bad (hesitation, difficulty starting, etc) than a clogged fuel filter might not exist the place to starting time. It could certainly cause the trouble though.

Here's a great video on using your optics to diagnose the fuel filter:

It Could Also exist Your tC's Fuel Pump

A fuel pump that is going out is going to feel the same equally a bad fuel filter. This makes telling if you have a bad fuel pump vs bad fuel filter very challenging.

How do you tell them apart? A clogged fuel filter will have high pressure on its input side and low pressure level on its output side. They are both going to cause the aforementioned hesitation at high speed and difficulty starting. The merely way to truly tell is to place a fuel pressure approximate on both sides of the line and become a reading from both.

If your car isn't starting at all, and you lot hear the fuel pump prime that is usually a good indication that the pump is working to some chapters. Testing your tC's fuel force per unit area on each side of the pump would be the best way to diagnose this problem.

A priming fuel pump sounds like a high-pitched whine for a few seconds and tin can be heard with a sharp engine right after the ignition central is turned, but before the starter is engaged.

Conclusion: Scion tC Bad Fuel Pump

The symptoms of a bad fuel pump lucifer a lot of other common issues that can occur in the Scion tC. Testing the filter and pressure on each side of it are going to be the quickest ways to rule information technology out. If in that location is anything you lot would similar to add, please leave a annotate below. Good luck!