Where Is The Fuel Filter On A 2003 Honda Pilot

One of the worst problems that tin happen to your Honda Airplane pilot is a bad fuel filter. When the filter goes bad, it can limit the amount of fuel that enters the engine. Without fuel, the vehicle will not run at all. With that in listen, most of the symptoms of a bad fuel filter revolve around the vehicle stalling out.

Bad Fuel Filter Symptoms Honda Pilot

Fuel filters accept been making a rearward progression for the last 50 years, literally. For a long time, you'd find it under the hood. It looked like a little pill, and it would be quick and easy to replace. This was in the era of carbureted vehicles.

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

These fuel filters were more than reliable, just they also were tougher to change. Repairing them means getting under the vehicle and disconnecting steel fittings. It really yet isn't that hard to deal with, every bit long as you give the vehicle a few minutes for the fuel pressure to go downwards.

The skillful news is, no matter how old your Pilot 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: Honda Pilot

Honda Pilot Bad Fuel Filter Diagnosis — Typical Fuel Filter

At that place are physical signs that you can feel when your Pilot's fuel filter is clogging. Before taking annihilation autonomously, check to see if your engines computer has any trouble codes saved in it.

The engine may throw a P0087 problem code. This trouble code detects that the fuel track/system pressure is too low. Any trouble codes that be could be a inkling. Sometimes when there is low fuel pressure level, you lot may also get an oxygen sensor related trouble code as well. The real issue with diagnosing a bad fuel filter is that information technology resembles many other vehicular issues in terms of symptoms.

Hither are the about common symptoms of a bad fuel filter in your Honda Pilot:

Sputtering Under Load

The only way that you are going to know that your Pilot'south fuel filter may be going out is that it is no longer letting enough fuel through to keep the engine running under a heavy load, or at high-speed. Typically, if you are heading upwardly a hill (or accelerating) the engine may start to feel like it is just running out of steam. That's what information technology feels like with a bad fuel filter.

Now, a bad fuel filter tin can also feel a heck of a lot similar a bad catalytic converter. Both weather will brand the motor feel similar it is running out of wind when you hit the gas. A bad catalytic converter will not feel every bit jarring. Information technology's a smoothen lack of ability. If yous are unsure, check out this article on troubleshooting catalytic converters. If you get P0420 or P0430 trouble codes with a scanner, it very well may be the catalytic converter causing these symptoms.

Hard to Start Engine

One of the best indicators of a chock-full fuel filter is going to exist that the your Pilot is difficult to get-go. This considering at that place's non enough fuel pressure to properly atomize the fuel as information technology enters the combustion sleeping accommodation.

If your car is hard to start, a clogged fuel filter would probably not be the place to get-go looking, especially if y'all are getting no trouble code for fuel force per unit area or the oxygen sensors.

Instead, we'd recommend taking a look at the ignition system first. Often it'll be bad spark plugs, or a bad coil pack.

Engine Not Starting

If the fuel filter has become so contaminated that the minimum corporeality of fuel has not been permit through it, the engine won't start at all.

At the most basic of levels your Honda Pilot needs 3 things to get-go: Air, fuel, and spark. If whatsoever of these things aren't present, the engine won't plough over at all. If there'south been zilch warning that the fuel filter could be going bad (hesitation, difficulty starting, etc) than a clogged fuel filter might not be the place to beginning. It could certainly cause the problem though.

Hither's a great video on using your eyes to diagnose the fuel filter:

It Could Also be Your Pilot's Fuel Pump

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

How do y'all tell them apart? A clogged fuel filter will have high pressure on its input side and low pressure on its output side. They are both going to cause the same hesitation at loftier speed and difficulty starting. The simply way to truly tell is to place a fuel pressure estimate on both sides of the line and go a reading from both.

If your car isn't starting at all, and you hear the fuel pump prime number that is usually a good indication that the pump is working to some capacity. Testing your Pilot's fuel pressure on each side of the pump would be the all-time mode to diagnose this problem.

A priming fuel pump sounds like a high-pitched whine for a few seconds and can be heard with a abrupt engine right after the ignition key is turned, merely earlier the starter is engaged.

Conclusion: Honda Pilot Bad Fuel Pump

The symptoms of a bad fuel pump lucifer a lot of other common issues that can occur in the Honda Pilot. Testing the filter and force per unit area on each side of it are going to be the quickest means to rule information technology out. If there is anything you would similar to add, delight get out a comment below. Good luck!