2016 CX-9 Fuel Filter Replacement Tips?

[AutoDesignR]

2016 CX-9 threw a P0087 code (fuel rail/system pressure low) recently while my wife was driving. 122,893 miles on the car. New cylinder head at about 113,000 miles. She said engine lost power but she made it home. Puddle of gas under the rear of the engine where she parked it in the driveway.
I recall a recent fill up when I told my 15 year old son avoid gassing the car a any station where there is a fuel tanker on the lot refilling the underground tanks.. Shoulda taken my own advice! Wife had filled the gas tank before the loss of power and code.
I suspect fuel filter needs to be replaced. One ordered and due to be delivered tomorrow.

Anybody here pulled the fuel pump on the 2916-23 CX-9? Not finding any decent videos online of the process. Any tips or tricks would be appreciated!

Shopping for a Durango Citadel….

 

[Silly Wabbit]

Why would a bad filter cause gas to leak from the engine? Could it be something related to the reinstall of the new head?

 

[AutoDesignR]

That part of the deal has me a little concerned. I did also have fuel injector issues after the head replacement. Fuel leaked in the same area. Made no sense to me because I expected the fuel leak on the front side of the engine near the fuel rail. Don’t know if there’s some sort of dump valve on the system that opens when’s the fuel delivery system gets messed up or what.

Figured the fuel filter would be a good place to start since that’s what makes most sense based on the code and the circumstances with the recent fill ups.

 

[Lazy2.5]

1. Why do you think it's not good to fill up when there is a tanker at the station?
2. Replacing the fuel filter at your mileage wouldn't hurt at any rate, but I'm quite confident it is not going to fix your issue. It sounds to me like the fuel rail or the injectors are leaking.
3. Why a FCA product?

 

[rowlands57]

I doubt it's the filter also. It's not like it's not getting enough fuel to cause a leak and the leak is likely the cause of the code. I don't know if that system has a return line to the tank but it would make sense in this case if the leak is at the rear of the engine. If you carefully inspect all the fuel lines in the engine bay it should be fairly obvious where it's leaking. Gasoline will 'clean' anything in the immediate area.

 

[AutoDesignR]

1. Why do you think it's not good to fill up when there is a tanker at the station?
2. Replacing the fuel filter at your mileage wouldn't hurt at any rate, but I'm quite confident it is not going to fix your issue. It sounds to me like the fuel rail or the injectors are leaking.
3. Why a FCA product?

1. Any dirt in the station’s tanks gets “stirred up” as they are filling them. I know they have filters, but chances are good they aren’t replaced as often as they should. Best to fill your tank after the fuel in the station’s tank have had a chance for any sediment to settle. It’s happened to me before. Easy enough to avoid and eliminate any risk.
2. Keeping my fingers crossed!
3. I’ve owned the Dodge 5.9L in a Ram. A blast to drive. Check out reviews of owners. My wife likes the looks of them and has come to despise the CX-9. She drives it more than I do. Downside is the MPG but the way my wife drives, she gets low 20’s on the Mazda.

 

[AutoDesignR]

Part came in today’s mail. Any guesses as to how long the install should take?

 

[youri]

You can probably find the replacement procedure here under mazda cx-9 TC.
Note that the link is for the Australian version but it is about 95% the same as the american version.

Post in thread '2016 and up CX-5 Service Manual'
2016 and up CX-5 Service Manual

 

[AutoDesignR]

Thanks for the link, youri.

That’s what I was hoping someone here could provide.

Gonna make the job go quicker and give me some reassurance that I won’t forget any important steps.

 

[Silly Wabbit]

Looks like to gain access you'll need to remove the second row and then cut the floor covering to reveal the fuel pump port.

 

[AutoDesignR]

Today’s progress: Got the fuel pressure off the system and the left rear seat unbolted. Since it’s the larger side of the rear split bench seat, I’m thinking I will detach the right rear seat and remove it from the car so I can slide the left side of the seat to the right to gain access to the fuel pump. (Removing the larger left side from the car appears to be a three man job!)

 

[Lazy2.5]

1. Any dirt in the station’s tanks gets “stirred up” as they are filling them. I know they have filters, but chances are good they aren’t replaced as often as they should. Best to fill your tank after the fuel in the station’s tank have had a chance for any sediment to settle. It’s happened to me before. Easy enough to avoid and eliminate any risk.
2. Keeping my fingers crossed!
3. I’ve owned the Dodge 5.9L in a Ram. A blast to drive. Check out reviews of owners. My wife likes the looks of them and has come to despise the CX-9. She drives it more than I do. Downside is the MPG but the way my wife drives, she gets low 20’s on the Mazda.

1. Noted, thanks for the advice.
2. Be prepared to have the vehicle diagnosed. A fuel leak by the engine is quite dangerous (Also sounds to be very rare, at least with these cars.)
3. FCA products are not very well regarded in terms of quality, certainly not as good as most Japanese cars. I do acknowledge, though, that the Cummins in your past Ram is likely a great engine.

FWIW, I toot my Mazda 6's horn quite frequently on this forum, but I'm already past 200k miles on my Skyactiv NA 2.5. Other than maintenance, only two things that ever went wrong on this car was an A/C Leak and a seized parking brake (Rust..)

The car is tuned for 91 octane, actually rather fun to drive, and I get 42-45 US MPG average. There are not many vehicles on the market this capable. My family has driven Japanese cars only for 20+ years and will likely continue this trend, for good reason!

 

[AutoDesignR]

New filter was finally installed yesterday. Removed right rear seat from the car so I could slide the larger left end of the bench to the right side of the car without having to remove it from the car. Old filter was dirty but wasn’t the culprit.
While relieving the fuel pressure on the system, I noticed that the high pressure fuel pump on the engine was loose. Lower attachment bolt was gone. Upper bolt was broken off in the housing that the pump attaches to. It’s a miracle that my wife drove the car home in this condition.
Got everything removed and the broken bolt extracted. Ordered a new o-ring and gasket for the pump and will pick up 2 M8x45mm bolts to get things reinstalled when the new parts arrive. I suspect this is the result of letting a “mechanic” at a tire and express lube shop work on my fuel injectors this past summer when the car broke down while I was away from home for work. Idiot used his cordless impact driver to re-assemble the engine. Stripped bolt heads and broken bolts everywhere he touched. I’ve become a firm believer in following torque values and bolt patterns.
We’re car shopping next weekend.
It won’t be a Mazda…

 

[N7turbo]

If it won't be a Mazda for reliability reasons, I'm afraid you won't do much better with other automakers.

 

[Silly Wabbit]

Good luck with your car shopping but it seems like it all started with letting a lube shop work on your car. However, given the mileage and year of the vehicle, I do think it's a good time to get something newer.