When changing my fuel filter today I found the old filter to be really dirty and black like it was filtering coal. I used to get it done in the shop due to warranty requirements so I don't know what the dirty old filters looked like. Is it normal for a fuel filter to look sooty? Just seemed odd to me.

 

Yes its normal

 

Yep, it's normal. The black is the asphaltenes that is present in the fuel. Think of asphaltene as 'miniature tarballs'.

MikeyB

 

Look in the bottom of the filter bowl and you will find some more nasty stuff. Mine has small pieces of metal and what looks to be sand in it. After spending 1400 bucks on new injectors, I about had a heart attack when I found that.

 

Yep, they look nasty after about 10k. Adding a 2 micron filter isn't a bad idea IMHO.