My Toyota Prado is losing power and the interior smells of fuel

Hello Paul, my 2003 Toyota Prado with a 2.7 petrol engine is experiencing difficult starts in the morning, loss of power while driving uphill and failure to take off. I have also noticed a fuel smell. During a recent service, we changed spark plugs and air cleaner but problems persist. What could be the problem? Mary

Hello Mary, you need to replace the long life fuel filter as soon as possible. The service history shared and the symptoms described such as hard starts, loss of power while driving uphill and smell of fuel are hallmarks of fuel filter failure. The fuel filter is a device fitted to an engine (or in the fuel tank) to prevent dirt, corrosion and debris in the fuel tank from entering the fuel system. The fuel filter protects sensitive precision fuel system components such as the fuel injectors. The fuel filter should be replaced as per manufacturer’s recommendations. 
On older pre-1990 vehicles, fuel filters were replaced more frequently. Post 1990 petrol engines such as the one on your Toyota have long life fuel filters, which ought to be replaced every 100,000kms or 60,000kms depending on the manufacturer’s recommendation. 
A clogged or dirty fuel filter will cause hard cold starts and random misfire or stuttering when your vehicle is loaded or driving uphill. When the fuel filter fails, a motorist will experience a drop of engine power or reduced performance coupled with poor acceleration. 
In extreme cases, you could experience engine stalling when you load the engine and the check engine light may flash on your dashboard as the engine management computer detects the reduced fuel pressure. A clogged fuel filter can cause poor fuel economy as the engine responds to reduced fuel pressure by demanding faster pumping of fuel. 
This will also cause the blocked fuel filter to develop a leak on its intake side to curtail the pressure from the pump. This causes the smell of fuel and contributes to poor fuel economy. The clogged or blocked fuel filter will gradually damage the fuel pump due to back pressure from the clogged fuel lines. 
A clogged or dirty fuel filter for your Prado should not be serviced. It ought to be procured from a recognised genuine Toyota parts dealer and replaced by an experienced mechanic. To protect your fuel system and prolong the fuel filter, only use fuel from established fuel vendors.