Caution: Do not allow diesel fuel to come into contact with engine compartment components.
1. Loosen the drain plug (1-1 in the illustration, upper part) or unscrew it completely (11-1). Put a transparent hose with a receiving container on the plug or on the nipple and start the engine. Let about 0.3-0.4 l of fuel with sediment drain until clean fuel flows out, and turn off the engine. Disconnect the hose and tighten the plug to 7 Nm.
23.1. Drain plug (1)
2. Loosen the bolts in sequence (1-5 in illustration 23.2a) 1.5-2 turns, then unscrew them completely and remove the filter cover together with the filter element. If you can't remove the lid, insert it into the groove (And in illustration 23.2b) screwdriver VAS6543 and turn it.
23.2a. Fuel filter cover mounting bolts
23.2b. Removing the fuel filter cover
3. On models without a drain plug, remove the filter element (3 in the illustration) from the cover (1) and pull it out of the filter housing. Remove any dirt and water from the filter housing.
23.3. Filter element installation details (models without drain plug)
4. On models with a drain plug, separate the filter element from the drain port (1 in the illustration) from the cover (2) in the direction of the arrow (A) and pull it out of the filter housing. Remove any dirt and water from the filter housing.
23.4. Filter element installation details (models with drain plug)
5. Remove from the lid (1 in the illustration) sealing ring (2), using a screwdriver to pry it out of the special groove (arrow). Lightly moisten the new sealing ring with diesel fuel and insert it into the groove in the cover.
23.5. Removing the cover sealing ring
6. On models without a drain plug, lightly moisten the inner filter gasket with diesel fuel and insert the filter element into the filter housing.
7. On models with a drain plug, partially insert the filter element into the filter housing and hold it with your hand. Lightly wet the inner filter gasket and drain port gasket (1 in illustration 23.4) diesel fuel. Turn the filter element so that the drain port faces the bushing in the cover (2) and install the filter element by pressing it into the cover.
8. Place the cover with the gasket on the filter body and press evenly until it is completely seated. Only then screw in the cover mounting bolts by hand, and then tighten them in a diagonal sequence (1-5 in illustration 23.2a) with a force of 5 Nm.
9. Fill and bleed the high pressure circuit of the fuel supply system (see Chapter 4).