The Mercury Mountaineer's fuel filter attaches to the fuel line and strains the fuel for any impurities. The fuel is then sent to the fuel injector before it flows into the engine. A clogged or faulty filter can cause dirt to get into the engine, which can cause some serious damage. Regular maintenance is required to keep your engine in good condition.
Park your Mountaineer in a well-ventilated area on even ground. Apply the parking brake for additional security. Relieve the fuel system pressure by unscrewing the fuel tank cap. Disconnect the negative battery cable.
Crawl underneath the vehicle from the driver's side. The fuel filter heat shield is located just below the seating area on the driver's side. Its metal casing surrounds the fuel line just in front of the gas tank. It has a window that allows you to see the fuel filter, which is a silver or black cylinder about 3 in. in diameter.
Remove the bolts on the fuel filter with an adjustable wrench. This will allow you to remove the heat shield. You should now have complete access to the filter.
Disengage the fuel filter from the fuel line by depressing the spring lock couplings on the release tabs. The filter should simply fall away from the fuel line when the couplings are pushed together with enough pressure. Remove the filter.
Align the new filter with the fuel line so that the arrow on the side of the filter points toward the front of the vehicle. Apply pressure to the filter and the fuel line until the quick release tabs are engaged. As you are pushing the filter and fuel line together, you should hear a click to let you know that it is secured. If you can pull the filter apart from the fuel line without pushing the spring lock couplings, the quick release tabs are not engaged and the filter is not secured.
Reconnect the heat shield. Reconnect the negative battery cable and tighten the gas tank cap.
