Installed new fuel filter and car won't start! Help!!

[BurghJR]

Everything seemed to go so well...there had to be a catch! Double-checked that the filter was installed correctly, put the fuel pump fuse back in, primed and still wont start! I have a full tank of gas! :crying

Background: With today being a holiday I decided the tackle the fuel filter change. I am at 89k miles now and ordered the filter because I noticed it was not changed during inspection II for some reason. I have never had problems at start-up/rough idle/etc. and just did it as a preventitive measure. Got it up on the lift at the mechanics down the street from me and I did most of the work. Followed this DIY exactly http://bimmerinfo.com/diy/fuel-filter/ and even put on new rubber hoses and clamps. Everything went smoothly and I'm glad I grabbed golf tees to plug up the fuel lines! I have been frantically searching this and other forums and can't really find any solid advice. I turned the ignition to II several times to prime the pump and it still won't start! Disconnected and reconnected the battery and double checked the fuses and still nothing!

Any wisdom the mafia can provide will be most appreciated!!!

[zj96sc]

With today being a holiday

HAH! Guess someone didn't notify my employer...

Can you hear the pump priming? Are you positive you got the hoses back on in the right order? Is it turning over and not firing? Firing but not starting?

[telijah]

I'd double check the tank-side hoses. They are the same size but could easily have been reversed?

[BurghJR]

Bank holidays FTW! But I've really managed to put a damper on my day. I can definitely hear the pump priming and it is firing but not starting. I tried it a couple more times and it sounds like the battery is about to die out.

As for the hoses, I definitely put them back in the same order they were on the original pump and I used an OEM replacement. For orientation, the tank-side hose closest to the side of the car is the main line (where fuel leaked) and the other is the return. The filter also definitely had fuel flowing through it because I had to snug-up the front-side hose and there was some gas present before I had it fully tightened.

Is it possible an air bubble formed in the line while I was putting it all back together? But even then, I would think that priming the pump would force that out. is there an alternate way to 'bleed' the fuel system?

[zj96sc]

pop your fuel rail cover off the top of the engine and depress the shrader valve. Keep your face out of the way! This will tell you if you have fuel pressure in the rail.

Also maybe try swapping the old filter back on. Maybe a weird chance that it is clogged or defective or something.

[danewilson77]

Key to position II, hold gas 1/2 way down for 10 seconds......start car.

[BurghJR]

pop your fuel rail cover off the top of the engine and depress the shrader valve. Keep your face out of the way! This will tell you if you have fuel pressure in the rail.

Also maybe try swapping the old filter back on. Maybe a weird chance that it is clogged or defective or something.

Thanks I will take a look at the fuel rail.

I did some more digging on E46F and found a post that state the tank-side hoses actually criss-cross before they hit the filter? I may have accidentally straightened them out during the install. http://www.e46fanatics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=715491

[BurghJR]

OK I just went outside for a sanity check and found that I have, in fact, crossed the tank-side fuel lines. The blue line is supposed to be on the inside and the black on the outside. I'm going to have to push my car off the street and into a lot to get under and switch the lines. All things considered its a pretty easy fix but the logistics are not working in my favor. Thanks for the help guys!

[Hermes]

Nice to hear you figured it out. I would also like to say don't be a stranger around here. We're good people and for the most part have the right answers

[zj96sc]

How did you get it away from where you did the work without it running?

[BurghJR]

How did you get it away from where you did the work without it running?

haha, funny you should ask, the shop is literally across the street from me, and the owner had to leave and needed me off the lift, so we rolled the car out to the street. That was where the priming and repriming and cursing began. I just got back from pushing it about 100 feet by myself into a legal parking spot. The next challenge is going to be pushing it down the block and around the corner to a flat surface where I can jack it up and switch the hoses. Needless to say, I am very excited to be moving out of the city this summer...

[telijah]

That was why I suggested checking those lines, you just never know lol

[Meric]

Key to position II, hold gas 1/2 way down for 10 seconds......start car.

+1 Don't let go of the gas when starting.

[BurghJR]

It will be tomorrow evening at the earliest before I can fix my mistake. In the meantime I'm driving the winter beater, a heavily dented but fully functional 2001 Accord V6 sedan with 145k miles, aka the "Crash-em-up Derby" mobile, that I share with my GF.

I noticed some front to back play in the fuel lines on both sides of the filter, so my hope is that I can just loosen the outer clamps on the tank-side hoses that I crossed, pull them back for some slack and then switch them...quickly! This way I wont have to completely redo the install.

The thing is, will the gas that was initially pumped into the wrong side of the filter work its way out naturally? Or would it be wise to start from scratch, remove the new filter and drain it and reinstall?

[BurghJR]

Bump. Anybody know if I messed up the filter by pumping fuel through the wrong side? Should I drain and reinstall? I'm going to try to fix this tonight and get my baby running again...

[telijah]

I believe you should be fine. There is likely a check valve that prevents it from flowing the wrong direction.

[BurghJR]

Makes sense. Thanks!