2011 Chevrolet Aveo Fuel Filter Replacement

The fuel filter of the 2011 Aveo is an inline style unit that's located behind the right rear tire (on the same side as the fuel tank door) and can be seen from outside prior to any disassembly.

For the sake of full transparency, this guide has been written by someone who is simply an owner of the vehicle, and not a professional mechanic or other expert. It is entirely likely to contain some errors or omissions, however unintentional.

Step 1: Verify that you have acquired the correct replacement part, which should be identical in size and shape, or at least very similar, to the filter being replaced. Inspect it for obvious defects, and familiarize yourself with the flow direction as indicated by the arrow on the housing. These filters only work in one direction.

Though commonly included with the replacement filter for use with some other compatible vehicles, the plastic fuel line clips are not suitable for use on this particular model and should be discarded in advance.

To access it and work comfortably, we must raise the vehicle and remove the right rear wheel.

Step 2, remove the 2 No. 11 head screws due to the accumulated dirt and grease, which are the ones that require the most work.

Disassembly of the 2 screws.

We will loosen the ground wire in the filter to be replaced, since this terminal is not included in the new filter, and we will leave the metal clamp cover loose, removing its screw.

Discard the 2 plastics as we won't use them for the new filter.

To remove the inlet fitting from the filter, you'll need to pry it out carefully with a screwdriver. In this case, it's held in place by a U-shaped plastic piece because the base broke during a previous replacement. Once you've loosened both sides of the U-shaped clip, you can pull on the hose and filter to disconnect them.

⚠⚠⚠ WARNING ⚠⚠⚠ Be careful with gasoline splashes—both when removing the hose from the existing setup and when connecting the new filter to the inlet.

Before things get more complicated later on, make sure to remove the mounting clamp from the old filter and attach it to the new one. Heads-up: this step caused me a few issues, which I’ll explain below.

The mounting clamp, acting also as a protective cover, gave me quite a few problems this time. The screw didn’t line up properly and wouldn’t thread in well, since the new filter is a few millimeters /inches wider. In the end, I decided to replace the screw with a longer one, widen the hole slightly using a drill bit and add a washer.

Pic 1: Original short screw.

Pic 2: Hole widened with a 7mm drill bit to prevent the screw from rubbing against the bottom.

Pic 3: New, slightly longer screw with a washer.

Once the mounting clamp is in place on the filter, I disconnect the outlet hose and connect it to the new filter

Previously, the connectors were broken and held in place with zip ties. This time, I decided to use two metal hose clamps—tightened just enough to secure the plastic without risking damage.

Below are some views of how the assembly looks once installed.

Once the new filter is in place and secured to the mounting clamp, start the engine before tightening the two chassis bolts. This will allow fuel to flow to the engine and give you a chance to check for any leaks.

If no leaks are detected, you can fully tighten the mounting clamp and start the engine again to double-check everything is sealed properly.

If all looks good, go ahead and reinstall the wheel.

End of the guide. Other guides for this vehicle: 2002–2011 Chevrolet Aveo.