I have read all this stuff about the filter and even taken my tank apart (because I had a part the dealer said would fit). The part they gave me was
42072AA120. Other parts guys tell me there isnt a part available. There is alot of confusion about this (including mine)
The part I got isnt remotely the same as what is in there. The filter holder has a paper element in there. Anybody know anything about this. The dealer was useless(who would have thought) and I put a call into SOA and some phone jockey was supposed to look into it for me(I wont be holding my breath). I saw another posting with part # 42072FA030, anybody know anything about this.
Why would subaru put a service part in the tank and not make a part avaiable. Next thing they are going to put the oil filters inside the engine block (all you have to do is get a new short block to change it). Chumps.

Both Mike (the guy you spoke to on the phone) and I looked up the fuel filter for your car with the VIN number you provided, and both of us came up with the same part. It's the same part we use in other STi's that come through the shop on the rare occassion someone asks to have it changed (Subaru doesn't actually spec a replacement time for this in tank filter, but we would normally do them on a 60,000 mile service, like the 04 PZEV cars). This doesn't make anyone a chump- it means that either

A) something is wildly off with your car
B) the parts book is horribly wrong by VIN for your car
C) you gave us the wrong VIN number
D) it is the correct part that for whatever reason doesn't want to fit

None of that makes anyone a chump- you, me, Mike, SOA- it's just unfortunate.


Brian
http://www.subaruwrxparts.com
http://www.subarubajaparts.com
http://www.wrxstiparts.com

The 42072FA030 is the drain filter for the vent valve. Probably not what you are looking for.


The 42072AA120 is most likely correct ( I do not have an STi VIN handy to verify it). Are you sure you took the proper part out?

I took a look and I am stumped too. When flipping between the two diagrams it seems to me that there is now a "Damper" in place of where the fuel filter would normally go and it only lists this specific damper number for STi's. That damper is the part number 42086FE030. Perhaps that is taking place of a filter. I am certianly not a tech but from a parts perspective these catalogs are horrible. I do not see any options with it in the tank but then again look what they are doing with the new Legacy's.

Jackie

I finally got a call from SOA they took a few days to figure it out but I was told that the ONLY way to get a filter is to buy the WHOLE fuel pump. I think some people quoted it as around $500. So whatever, I will take out their filter and just get an external filter and put it where it used to be under the hood. What makes this wrong is that filters are a service item which should be both easily accessible and available. Do you trust that from the time the oil comes out of the ground to the time it gets in your tank that absolutely no contaminants make it into the fuel. You pump contaminants into your car every time you turn it on (both air and fuel). I am an automotive engineer and would never design something that is not servicable. Fuel filters have been on cars forever and will NEVER go away. Why not make a part available, this is a big mistake on subarus part. They may have some reason for wanting to put it in the tank (maybe for heat reasons) but at least allow somebody to replace it. Subaru used to place the filter in the engine bay where it was easily replacable. When i got my first subaru i was delighted to find that I could change the fuel filter very easily. They used to make it servicable, what happened? I am not upset at Exeter Subaru for selling me the part they were told fit the car, so sorry guys if I came off that way. I have always had good luck with your parts department, I am upset with Subaru for not selling wear items for their cars. There is no way somebody could ever tell me that a filter will last forever (unless they tell me it is cleanable like a K&N). I have the STi servce manual and it claims that you can replace the part, not clean it. There is a large discrepancy there.

i don't have an sti, but am i to understand that the only fuel filter on an sti is the in-tank net attached to the fuel pump?

i would think they'd also have the fuel filter outside, similar to the wrx, placed right by the washer fluid resivor.

also, i have never come across any service maintance which require replacing the net filter attached to the pump:confused:

They have a large net in the pickup at the bottom of the whole fuel pump assembly(which with enough debris could also get clogged). There is a second filter housing with a paper filter element just upstream of the pump. This is what is supposed to be replaceable(or so says the factory manual) but there is no part available. Subaru ditched the filter in the engine compartment. This is my lament. There are many companies that make aftermarket filter for fuel injection systems. I will eventually remove the filter from the tank(replace it with a straight through piece of fuel tubing) and mount a filter where it used to be in the engine bay (unless subaru figures out how to sell a fuel filter before I do that)

I wonder if you could just get the 04 STi parts and swap them into to your 05 as opposed to, "There are many companies that make aftermarket filter for fuel injection systems."? This new filter location is only on the 05s, correct?

A related thread is at http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=566538. The service manual description about how to replace the 2004 STi fuel filter is here (http://www.auto-epc.ru/2004%20STI/02.%20ENGINE%20SECTION%20(STi)/01.%20FUEL%20INJECTION%20(FUEL%20SYSTEMS)/26.%20Fuel%20Filter.pdf).

The manual description is useless if you cant buy the part that is inside the holder they show in the picture. I had all those pieces in my hands and saw what was inside. It is a paper filter element, you just cant buy one through subaru. The other thread I have read and says the same thing. Spend $550 and buy the whole fuel pump assembly. That is what subaru told me also, you can ONLY buy the whole assembly. This is why I am upset with subaru. As far as they told me they have no plans to sell the part in the future either. The subaru customer service person talked to his in house parts guy who looked into it. During their conversation he was told "your customer is NOT going to like this answer" The answer was that you cant buy just the filter, and he was correct I dont like it. Summit Racing sells some snazzy anodized machined aluminum fuel filters that have replacable high flow elements, this is my next route.

I would imagine you could theorhetically add one of the good old 42072PA010 can filters in the "normal" location in your engine bay with a little bit of work. That or at least one of the smaller plastic housing filters a lot of German cars use (like $5 at Autozone).


Brian

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I would do one of these:

http://216.242.145.16/products/prod_imgs//img-41-1-large.jpg

Blingin', yo! :D


-Porter

THere is more info here (http://www.scoobymods.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3611) with a good pic of the pump assy,

Bryan

The reason it probably needs servicing less is the fact that the heat in the engine compartment is probably what degrades the fuel filter in the engine compartment. The fuel filter is supposed to be "lifetime of the vehicle" . They probably did this because there was less room in the compartment with the bigger TMIC.

For all those who have been wondering, here is the STI fuel filter. The part number is 42072FE020

http://www.fr0zen.com/gallery/d/12808-2/DSC03158.JPG

Just looked up the part # on Subaru Genuine Parts and it states in the descrip:

FUEL FILTER, , Legacy, Baja, Fuel Pump, w/Turbo

Does it matter that it does not mention the Impreza?

(i know the thread is a year old, but this is where I got with my searching)

http://www.subaruparts.com/cart/?pn=42072fe020&submit.x=0&submit.y=0

Thanks!