where is the fuel filter located on my 97 2wd 5.2 ram ,i havnet owned this truck for very long and dont know a whole lot about it. i do know it wasnt seviced very well and i figure with 126,000 miles on the truck i better check on the filter
i looked under the truck but really couldnt pinpoint where it was

 

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but the fuel filter is part of the in tank fuel pump. You'd have to drop the tank,and CAREFULLY remove the fuel pump. I'm pretty sure you can only get the filter at the stealership. Best of luck!!!

 

The filters are in the tank. If you don't have a fuel delivery issue, I wouldn't bother.

 

actually, there is an actual filter on the assembly. Its in the regulator on top of the pump. the screen in the bottom of the pump rarely clogs up. For that matter, the one on the regulator rarely has issues either.
In order to change it, the whole regulator needs to be changed out.

 

dont fix what aint broken

 

But if you do its alot easier to take the bed off with a little help lifting it, than deal with the tank straps. p.i.t.a the pump is right on top, and the bed comes off with like 6 bolts and unplug the taillights.

 

96ram got it right. if it ain't broke don't fix it. Leave well enough alone. My personal opinion, if you were gonna do it,would be to wait until you have about an 1/8 of a tank left and drop the tank. the only thing I have against removing the bed to get to the fuel pump is that putting it back on, well, it just never looks right. I'm real particular about these things. recently I had to change the truck bed on my dads truck, and to this day I notice it poking out a little bit on the driver side and in a little bit on the passenger side. I also hear a faint humming noise when I'm driving (air gets trapped in between the cab and truck bed) He's okay with that even though it bugs the heck out of me. Your call though. If you need any help, drop a thread.

 

You are partially correct. There is a strainer sock on the bottom of the pump, a filter inside of the pump assy, finally the regulator, which sits atop the pump and is visible outside of the tank. It wouldn't be a bad idea to change out the regulator every 75k miles or so. When I replaced mine, I sent the regulator to a friend who worked at the company that made the components for the fuel pumps. The engineers wanted a fuel pump "from the field" for analysis. The pictures of mine were telling -- it looked like it was filled with coffee grounds yet still maintained the proper pressure.

To those who advocate removing the bed, I disagree. It's easier to remove the tank, and once the tank is removed I recommend cleaning it as well as cleaning the straps and the bolts that hold the tank. When the tank is reinstalled, apply some anti-seize to the threads in the event it must be removed in the future.

 

+1... I also think it's a lot easier to drop the tank. I've had arguments on here about it. But whatever. Even if it has fuel in it, you can just siphon and put it in another vehicle. Besides, if the bed isn't completely removed and it is just raised up on one side, it's an accident waiting to happen. It's dangerous enough working with fuel, why add another risk to the mix.

 

looks as if ill leave it alone i didnt know the filter was in the tank ,i was just thinking if it was one of those filters thats connected to the metal line in between the tank and engine i would replace it thanx guys im learning more bout my truck everyday