No fuel filter from factory on truck?? Come inside

**1993SSP** · 09:58 PM

Here's the deal, I have a 1989 Chevrolet S10 Cameo, my uncle bought the truck when he had a body shop, it had 3,000 miles on it and was hit lightly in the front. He rebuilt it and my parents bought it for my 16th birthday, about 10 years ago my friend and I tore it completely apart and repainted it, lowered it , tires & wheels etc, and it has sat in the garage with a little sunday driving from time to time, well to make a long story short I have been doing some odd and end things to it to freshen it up, shocks, filter, plugs, new hoses , new belt etc.... I buy a fuel filter for it, when I go to change it there isnt one there, the plastic hanger is on the frame for it, but it's a solid line from the tank to the throttle body?! I called my uncle, he said that they never messed with the fuel lines, there was never no reason for them to. Could it be a possibility that this truck came out of the factory without the fuel filter?? I am totally stumped on this one, the truck has 108, XXX miles and has never given me the first problem, makes me wonder about fuel filters hahaha

BLOWN 5.0 FOX · 04-09-07, 10:07 PM

might have an intank filter-- its a chevy...who knows.

stykthyn · 04-09-07, 10:18 PM

+1 the in tank filter. the ram's are that way too

**1993SSP** · 04-09-07, 10:20 PM

I don't think it's in the tank, Ive been researching, all of them hade the fuel filter on the inside frame rail under the cab, this one even has the plastic bracket on the frame for it

stykthyn · 04-09-07, 10:24 PM

get one for a reagular s10? how different can they be?

**1993SSP** · 04-09-07, 10:29 PM

I did get one for a regular S10, it's like the filter was never put in the line at the factory

Darkwriter77 · 04-09-07, 10:32 PM

It's possible that you've got one of those stupid flex-fuel S-10's, but I seriously doubt it on an '89 model. When I worked for Advance Auto, our delivery trucks were all brand-new S-10's (2001 and 2002 at the time), and apparently they're starting to make the flex-fuel 4-banger motors a standard thing. The suck of that is the fact that they have a VERY insanely expensive fuel filter on a lot of them - how's $99 for a friggin' fuel filter sound? It was easily visible, though, but it had three fittings on it, rather than the usual single in and single out.

From '97 on up, just about every darned thing GM, Ford, and Mopar produces has those stupid in-tank filters where the whole friggin' pump, sending unit, and filter is a one-piece assembly. A lot of them still have an in-line, exterior fuel filter (not just in the tank), but some genius at Dodge decided it would be super-cool to make all of their Ram trucks from '94 on up have the in-tank filter ONLY, and have the one-piece modular pump/sending unit/filter design. So, instead of changing out a little $5 or $10 filter now and then, you just wait until your filter clogs up, burns up the pump, and then you're left stranded and having to dump $250 on a friggin' fuel pump ASSEMBLY ... plus a few hundred for the labor, assuming you have it towed to a shop for service. Seriously, someone at Dodge needs to have their arse stomped for that decision.

I know this is a bit of a reach, but what kinda engine is in that thing? If you've got a carb'ed (or maybe even the TBI) 4.3L V-6, then you may have a filter right up there by or on the carb, itself. Trace the fuel line all the way from the tank forward until you find it.

Worst-case scenario, someone bypassed the original filter location because they stripped/rounded off those flare-tubing nuts going into the filter, and they spliced in a little piece of fuel line to just run straight through, relying upon the in-tank filter sock to do all of the work. Stoooooopid ... but I'm sure it's happened before.

**1993SSP** · 04-09-07, 10:34 PM

I have traced it, it's a solid line from the tank to the TBI, it's a 4.3 V6 engine, I have no clue what the deal is with it

HISSIN50 · 04-10-07, 06:00 AM

Have you tried posting on an S-10 forum?

There were some quirks with the filter location but I thought they were relegated to the early carbed stuff......

I suppose you could get some J/Y lines?

Good luck.

**Kumm3** · 04-10-07, 06:34 AM

the filter might be in the TBI itself. I seem to remember them being located there.

**85ragtop** · 04-10-07, 07:16 AM

We have a new forum for just this kind of thing.

Jenns01TA · 11:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1993SSP

.......I buy a fuel filter for it, when I go to change it there isnt one there, the plastic hanger is on the frame for it, but it's a solid line from the tank to the throttle body?! I called my uncle, he said that they never messed with the fuel lines, there was never no reason for them to. Could it be a possibility that this truck came out of the factory without the fuel filter?? I am totally stumped on this one, the truck has 108, XXX miles and has never given me the first problem, makes me wonder about fuel filters hahaha

First - Your uncle is a wise man.

That is a VERY LIMITED PRODUCTION TRUCK. Cameo. pffttt.... There were less then 50 produced in '89.

Anywhoooo, the 4.3L V-6 on the Cameo should be a TBI engine with a direct connect feed and return line from the tank with fuel filter. The fuel filter has to be somewhere in the fuel system. There is really no conceivable way the truck would be running well over 55 mph if no fuel filter was present in the system.

For humors sake (if you have not already done so), check for an external fuel pump mounted at the rear of the vehicle. Towards the bottom of the tank. If you locate the pump look for a fuel filter prior to the pump.

(Listen to Dark...he has knowledge of these things. hahahahahaha - Bypassing the fuel filter with the way the fuel system in the TBIs were on the OBDI and no "idiot light", would be an interesting - yet not unheard of phenomenon.)

Pics are good BTW