Need Fuel Filter Replacement Help
 

I have a 97 Protege and I need to replace the fuel filter. It looks like it will be hard to do because it seems like Mazda placed everything they could in front of it to make it hard to get to. I have a Hayes repair manual and all it says is to remove whatever is necessary to ease in removal and installation... wow... what a lot of help that was. There are several rubber hoses that I think if I could un hook one side and move out of the way, would make it possible to get to the filter, however I don't know what these hoses are used for. Has anyone ever replaced their filter or have any advice on how to? I would appreciate the help

honestly the first thing you should do is throw that manual in the garbage i have one and its not even worth your time cause everything they show you is with the motor out so its not help.
k for starters look at your radiator and follow those hoses those are your cooling lines there will be one that goes to the left side of the motor (if looking from the front of the car) that is a coolent line you can follow that line to the radiator, if you have ac you have compressor lines but those don't come off and generally those are on the left bottom corner of the car by the bumper it shouldn't be close to the fuel filter. and the rest are just vaccum lines that you can take off.
now on the fuel line that goes to the filter there are 2 white clips that connect to the filter just take a flat head screw driver and pop those clips straigh off the clips are u-shaped so just pop off. you will have fuel come out but not that much its only the fuel thats in the lines that will come out so have a bucket near by. then when installing the filter push each hose on the end of the filter take the new clips that come with the filter and push them through the 2 holes where the old ones came out of in the hose to clip back on and give it a little tug to make sure it cliped on.
also remember that the filter only flows one way so make sure you have the arrow pointing towards the motor and not to other end cause the fuel needs to flow to the motor haha.