I don't think so. When my tank is near empty next week, i'm going to open it up and try to realign it and check to see if any of the cables are in the way.

Also, is the collar nut an item I can order? does anyone have a part number?

 

Does anyone know if this can be used? It comes with no fuel level sensor? Can that be swapped from the old unit?

BMW E60 525i N52 3.0L - 16117373514 - Fuel Filter - ES#2611408

 

It should be no problem to use a unit without a fuel level sensor. When you remove the old combo, simply disconnect the fuel level sensor from the old unit (located on the right side of the photo you linked) and connect it to the new one.

Be sensitive to any wires, as they are delicate and will live in your fuel supply. It took me less than 20 minutes total, once I got the collar nut loose.

 

Thank you - just did this following your instructions and the video on YT. Very helpful!

 

Has anyone successfully replaced the filter while reusing the fuel level sending unit?

 

can any tell me some warning signs/indicators that my fuel sending unit, I noticed someone talking about rpms surging or at least doing something closely related to a tranny slip feeling tho its shifting fine both up and down through all the gears with no problems.

 

Thank you for the step by step and pictures...My '04 530i 6spd manual seems doggy and hesitates as I accelerate, 130K miles and newly acquired. So i don't really know its service history.
I ordered the filter and will be trying this in the near future.

 

I bought a gas filter metal lock ring removal tool off eBay for $11.

Having seen guys chisel the ring off with sparks flying, the $11 seems like a good fire insurance policy.

More importantly, the proper torque setting on the lock ring is 33 ft lbs. The torque setting comes in handy so it doesn't leak gas from the ring and cuts the work time in half.

Once you have invested a whooping $11 in a tool, you can now quickly change the fuel filter and do it a lot more often.

How often should it really be changed?

 

Regarding the tool, yes it's worth every penny. I checked out a tool from AutoZone when I did my cars. I changed the fuel sending unit on my E60 at around 120,000 because it cracked at the stem and was spraying gasoline. The fuel pump was recalled on my E70 last year, so that was changed at 128,000. I had to change the fuel pump on my E93 around 84,000 miles because of the same issue. I've considered changing the fuel filter on all three cars again but haven't yet (E60 at 198k, E70 at 135k and E93 just hit 100k miles). I'll probably do all three at once since it's been 75k+ for each of them.

 

Here's a tip I forgot to ad in the last post. It has to do with not letting the 3 connections drop in the fuel tank and having to fish them out of the gasoline.

When replacing the fuel filter you might optimally:

- loosen the metal collar
- pull the old one out while its still connected with the 3 connections (fuel and electrical)
- while your holding the old one, someone is holding the new one right next to you
- when you disconnect the electrical harness on the old one you give it to the other guy who connects it to the new one right away
- this way the old connections don't drop in the tank and get criss-crossed and tangled (making the fuel sending float inoperable)


In reality we'll have to do this job with only one person. So here's another tip:

- go into your closet and get 2 wooden hangers. Find a hanger that has the 2 metal clips on the metal bar that will clip on to your pants
- when you remove the old filter connection use the clips on the hangers to clip it to the hose you just removed to support the hose to sit above the tank
- this will reduce your time to do the entire job and it won't be so messy fishing hoses out of the bottom of the tank
- it will also keep the connection from being tangled because you now know the sequence of how you removed all three connections

With this method its quick and easy to change the fuel filter. It might be a good idea to change your fuel filter around every 25,000 miles now that its so easy. Why?

You can't help but think that changing a fuel filter at 25,000 miles can potentially prolong the life of the fuel pump (since its likely to die at the worst possible time).

How often does a dirty fuel filter clog fuel injectors and generate misfire conditions?