# Where is the Fuel Filter on a Pontiac 400



## NEEDLEZ (Oct 21, 2009)

I can't find where the fuel filter is on my car? Is it built into the fuel pump on pontiacs? I'm totally clueless as I'm thinking mine doesn't have one right now.


----------



## 67/04gto (Jan 15, 2005)

should have one running up front of car ,or they have a brass type in the carb


----------



## lars (Sep 28, 2004)

If your 400 still has the correct Q-Jet carb on it, the fuel filter is in the carb inlet where it says "FILTER" on the carb. Remove the fuel line from the inlet fitting, and remove the 1" hex nut inlet to access the filter. The filter in the Q-Jets is a paper element - not brass. Part number for your filter from NAPA is 23051.

Lars


----------



## NEEDLEZ (Oct 21, 2009)

It's not the original q-jet but rather a holley. I am thinking I have been running it all this time with no filter unless there's 1 built into the fuel pump. It definitely could be the reason my carb had the below junk in it when I rebuilt it.


----------



## pontiac (Mar 6, 2011)

holley has no fuel filter. you need to add one.


----------



## rickm (Feb 8, 2012)

dont know why anyone who is capable of installing a carburetor would not install an inline fuel filter. ?????


----------



## NEEDLEZ (Oct 21, 2009)

Again, I was under the influence it was built into the fuel pump or the carburetor had a fail safe. I don't have anyone close to me that enjoys classic cars and that diminishes the information accessible to me. I had looked all over online, but I couldn't come up with a solid answer.

If you think this is bad you should have saw me rebuilding my carburetor. It was an absolute headache, but I got her squared away and running. I definitely learned a ton about carbs rebuilding it and can fully understand all of the jargon surrounding them after fully exploring one.


----------



## lars (Sep 28, 2004)

NEEDLEZ said:


> I was under the influence it was built into the fuel pump or the carburetor had a fail safe.


There are no mechanical pumps with integral filters built in, and carbs don't have a "fail-safe" to guard against the lack of a filter. Some Holley carbs use in-carb filters located at the float bowl inlets, similar to the filters used on a Q-Jet: The Holley filters are brass, and have a spring behind them to make them seal against the inlet. Since you've had the carb apart, you obviously did not see any filters in the carb, so you have to run an in-line filter with that Holley. Make sure nobody stuck an in-line filter in the suction line of the fuel system: Sometimes people will put a filter in the rubber hose between the fuel tank and the frame rail steel line back by the fuel tank. Installing a filter in the suction line to the pump is a bad idea, as it contributes to vapor lock and fuel supply problems. Install the filter in the pressure line between the pump and the carb. You can e-mail me for my "how to build a fuel line" article to see how to install a proper filter without rubber hose on the pressure side of the system (rubber hose is a bad idea).

When installing a Holley, many people cheese out on their fuel line fabrication and install crap rubber hose between the pump and the carb. This is a good way to have your car burn to the ground: There's a good reason why the automakers use steel line for pressure line between the pump and the carb. Here is a recent engine I built with the filter located in the hard-line between the pump and the carb: it uses all screw-on fittings with no rubber sections. This is a Chevy, so the pump is on the passenger side - your Pontiac will be the same, except you have to fabricate the line coming up from the pump oin the driver's side:










This one is similar - it's my own engine, and you can see the in-line screw-on filter just under the alternator bracket. Again, it's a Chevy, so the pump is on the "wrong" side, but you get the idea. My "How to Build a Fuel Line" article describes how to build these lines, and has part numbers for the fuel filters shown in these photos:











Lars
[email protected]


----------

