QuestionQUESTION: The car has 175,000 miles on it, and it runs fine. The fuel filter has never been replaced, so I called a Toyota dealer and the service advisor said that they don't keep a FF in stock and it is never changed as maintenance, only if it "goes bad". Is this true ? How would I know if it's having a problem ?
Second issue: Three years ago for 20 minutes, and again a few days ago for nine minutes, the red SRS light came on on the instrument panel. Those are the only two times since 1999. Now that it is not on, should I be concerned that it was recently on ? Why did it go on briefly and what does it signify ? Can I be assured the airbags will work in the event of an impact so long as the SRS light is off ?
ANSWER: It doesn't have an external fuel filter, the fuel filter is a lifetime filter and is located inside the gas tank.
The SRS light can come on for a number of reasons so you may want to have a scantool connected to see if there are any codes in the system, if it's this intermittent it's probably an airbag computer glitch and is going to be hard to pinpoint other than just replacing it, the airbags will deploy in case of accident as long as the warning light is not on.
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QUESTION: Thank you, BUT the mechanic pointed to a "fuel filter" OUTSIDE the gas tank and said it should be replaced as "preventative". But I called a Toyota dealership and the parts department rep said the FF is not replaced unless there is a problem. Are you certain that the 1999 Toyota Avalon ONLY has an inside tank filter ?
AnswerYes I am sure there is no external filter, if you check your owner's manual for recommended maintenance you will not find a replacement interval to replace the fuel filter. Maybe you can send me a photo of what they pointed at but I don't think it's the fuel filter.
