Yanmar Tractor Fuel Filter Change

Find your replacement filters by clicking here 

A new fuel filter is cheap insurance against premature injector pump failure. Debris and especially water in the diesel fuel system can dramatically shorten injector pump life. A new injection pump can cost well over $500. 

Before you start this procedure, fill your fuel tank completely full of diesel.

1 - Shut off the fuel going to the filter either by closing the valve on the filter housing (fig B) which may be a little difficult to move. Try to wiggle back and forth to free up valve or just use a pair of vise grips and clamp off the hose if it feels like you may brake the valve trying to close it.

2 - Remove the filter by unscrewing the fuel bowl nut. Pull off the bowl & filter.

3 - Pour out the contents of the fuel bowl into a clean container. Check fuel for excessive water (usually a tablespoon or two). If you see excessive water or contaminants in your fuel you might want to consider changing your filter more frequently.

4 - Remove the filter element from the bowl and thoroughly clean the bowl with diesel. Be sure that you get ALL of the old filter out of the bowl. It is not uncommon, especially if the filter was not changed regularly, for the old bowl to melt and shrink slightly. This clamps onto the old filter's bottom and it can tear off & get stuck in the bowl when you try to remove it. You need to get all of the filter out of the bowl.

5 - Examine O-ring and be sure it is not hard or cracked. Replace of questionable. A leaking O-ring will cause the tractor to be hard to start and smoke.

6 - Install new filter being sure to install the O-ring in the popper place. If the new filter is hard to get into the bowl it may be because the old bowl has melted and shrunk slightly. We have seen this with both glass and plastic bowls. If the filter will not go into the bowl you will just need to replace the bowl. Fill filter and housing with clean fuel and tighten by hand. Do not over tighten!

7 - Open the fuel valve (or remove your vice grips) and loosen the bleeder screw on the fuel injector pump(Yanmar tractors) , where the fuel line goes into the pump (as shown in fig C). Let fuel run out until there are no air bubbles. Bleeding at this point will also remove any air from the fuel filter housing. The extra fuel that you put in the tank will put more pressure on the system and make this a lot easier!

8 - If you attempted to start the tractor before COMPLETELY bleeding the air out of the injector pump as described above, you may need to bleed the system more thoroughly as you have pumped the air into the fuel injection lines. Read here

We have a full line of fuel, oil, and air filters in stock, ready to ship for all Yanmar tractors. Most orders shipped on same day. 

Click Here to see our filters. 

Be sure to pick up an owner's manual or a parts manual for your tractor.