the fuel line is 8mm. not sure which size hose clamps but should be that difficult to figure out.
cheers,
larry

 

I bought a foot of 5/16" hose and 7(?) clamps when I did the fuel pump and filter.

 

Bav auto has a install kit that is cheap. Get the fuel filter and the install kit from them

 

agreed. its like 16 dollars and makes life easier

 

1/4-5/8" clamp - hardware store

 

I jacked the front as high as my jack goes. I have almost no room to even move my arms, and the lines would be directly above my face like 2 inches away. I know these lines are glued on and will take a lot of cutting and prying, so this is going to suck major ass if I'm barely able to move under the car, getting zero leverage 2 inches from my face with a screwdriver. Should I also jack up the rear? Will it make a difference in working room?

Also, I have no idea what these fasteners are. What do I use to remove these?
<a href="https://ibb.co/jHYtNzg"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/g68Y2dz/image001.jpg" alt="image001" border="0"></a>

UPDATE: Got 'er done!
Thanks for the tips.

I jacked the rear even higher than the front, and that gave ample room.

I pulled fuse 54 and engine died within 2 seconds. That was enough.
I had a towel and bucket, and I spilled almost no gas.

I always use glasses when working under the car and above my eyes.
These for $7 work great.

I cut off the hoses with a utility knife. Cut 2 slices so the hoses just came free.
Replaced all clamps, hoses, and vacuum line.

I mostly laid down in the area between the front tire and the jackstand.
Only nit was the backwards clamp. I left it b/c I only loosen the outer clamp for changing.
<a href="https://ibb.co/zs9PWjR"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/Wn8BNqy/image006.jpg" alt="image006" border="0"></a><br /><a target='_blank' href='https://imgbb.com/'>upload image</a><br />

 

Those are small bolts, somewhere around 6-7 mm IIRC. Looks like you live in rust belt so be prepared a few of those may break and need replacing. I did my filter with only the front lifted and it was cramped but doable. If you can get the back up on stands that will give you more room to move. I jack the front from the spot in the center of the underbody brace, and for the rear there is an arch shaped metal brace immediately in from of the differential that you can jack from. I place the jack stands under the factory jack points. The fuel filter really isn't that bad as long as you can get enough clearance.

 

Before you even attempt it, do yourself a favor and order the Fuel Filter Installation Kit from Bavauto. It is $ 16.95 and includes new clamps, vacuum hose and fuel filter hose. This way you will not have to use any of the old stuff and you can just cut the rubber lines instead of trying to remove them. The kit makes install that much easier.

As far as getting the car up in the air, I jacked up the front and rear and had it on 4 jackstands so it was high enough to slide under it from the side.

 

Yup, I have new clamps, vacuum hose, and fuel injection hose.
I always replace as I am going out. Lines are much easier to just slice off.

I will try to jack up the rear.

I'll try to stick a 1/4" ratchet up in there for the 2 small bolt things.

 

In your last pic those are cheap 10 mm tin nuts (coarse thread). Use a socket on them. I use a 10mm socket screwdriver to remove them. Shoot - I'm thinking now they might be 8mm

This diagram will tell you:

 

Tip for doing the fuel filter, connect the replacement up properly or you will not get the engine to start!

DO NOT mix up the connections on the end with the 2 fittings!

 

 

And use it liberally. On top of being a very good penetrating oil, it does a great job preventing rust.

I have ramps, a floor jack, and four jack stands. Even so, I don't think I've ever used all four. When I did the ATF and differentials, I had the front of the car up on ramps, jacked the rear up under the differential carrier, and put jack stands under the jack pads. This gave me a lot of room. If you need more room, you should be able to get the rear up a bit higher. Putting the whole car up gives you the advantage of being able to approach from any angle. The ramps do take away a bit of space, since they're obviously much larger than jack stands, but I feel this combination is safer.

 

Another tip: wear eye protection, long sleeve shirt and rubber gloves. Gasoline will leak out and get all over you. First time I did it, I was right under the filter and wasn't expecting gasoline to shot out when I pulled off the line. Got some in my eyes.....it was not fun.

 

Remove the two fasteners circled in red with 8 mm deep socket. All others are more easily accessible and thus can be removed by other tools.
Yes, it does help if the car is raised at the rear as well as the front.
Before removing the old filter, make sure you have six new hose clamps, a length fuel and vacuum lines available in addition to the new filter. Some of these may turn out not be necessary, but you wouldn't know until the old filter comes off.
Lastly, have a pan ready to catch the fuel and something to temporarily plug the line with. An old school wooden pencil works for me.

 

-New fuel/vacuum line and clamps. OE BMW preferred.
-Eye protection and gloves are critical.
-Pull Fuse 54 and start the engine. Let it run until it dies. Repeat 1-2x.
-Release pressure in the fuel rail. Cover the schrader valve with a towel and depress using a small flathead.

This is actually not too bad to do with jack stands. Jack up the driver's side rear and place a stand at the driver's side front. Then jack from the rear center point and place a stand at the driver's side rear.

The fuel filter is at the edge of the vehicle and the angling will give you room to work.

 

-Pull Fuse 54 and start the engine. Let it run until it dies. Repeat 1-2x.

^ This is a very helpful bit of advice.

 

Got 'er done!
Thanks for the tips.

I jacked the rear even higher than the front, and that gave ample room.

I pulled fuse 54 and engine died within 2 seconds. That was enough.
I had a towel and bucket, and I spilled almost no gas.

I always use glasses when working under the car and above my eyes.
These for $7 work great.

I cut off the hoses with a utility knife. Cut 2 slices so the hoses just came free.
Replaced all clamps, hoses, and vacuum line.

I mostly laid down in the area between the front tire and the jackstand.
Only nit was the backwards clamp. I left it b/c I only loosen the outer clamp for changing.

 

What was OE on the E46 fuel filter? Was it worm gear clamps or those Oeticker clamps.

My fuel filter was dated 2001, but it had one direction only hose clamps. You could only loosen.
Other direction was shaved down. Were these single use hose clamps?

 

That's the factory clamps. They are reusable though (just a pain In the ass) so the filter may have been changed by someone unprepared.

 

Those smaller bolts that are placed in the wheel well (picture you gave) can be taken off with a 10MM. It's a pretty simple swap out. MAKE SURE YOU WATCH OUT WHEN YOU REMOVE THE OLD FILTER. Holy Sh*t that f*cked me up when that gas came shooting out at my face. Not cool.

Additionally, make sure you are installing an OEM filter, as BMW fuel filters have pressure regulators that you must have.

 

Jon, did you pull fuse 54 and idle to a stall, or drain the Schrader valve?

 

I sure didn't. And boy did I pay dearly.

 

Damn

 

The fuel delivery system is highly pressurized. Do not cut corners here from laziness. Fuse and fuel rail combo every time, gents.

 

Those clamps would be a nightmare to reuse since the screws are shaved down in the tight direction.
The fuel filter was 2001, so I'm pretty sure they were factory.

 

No filter on m56 sulev engine ?

 

I checked the fuel filter clamps, and there was weeping. Replaced the hose, and tightened up the clamps. Let's see if that was it, and if the gas smell goes away.

 

I smell gas when I exit the car.
I think the gas gauge went down a bunch after a 40 min. drive.

Where should I check?

Procedure to check?
Bring to shop so they can idle the car while on lift to inspect?

Update:
Jacked it up and inspected the fuel filter hoses.
One of the fuel filter lines is weeping.

The fuel hose is 5/16"

I think I used the wrong sized hose clamp that doesn't get tight enough.
Anyone know the exact size hose clamp to use?

11-33mm is too small
12-15mm seems right
14-16mm is too big.

 

Look for wetness/smell:
-fuel filter under the driver side - theres short pieces of hose that can leak. Its under a metal shield, but the shield has slots in it that would probably be wet too
-fuel hose on the back of the rail
-injector o rings on the rail/manifold (least likely IMO)

turning the car on will prime the fuel system w/o starting. that might be enough. if not start it and then quickly check those 3 spots