On my 97 Sentra I am trying to relieve the fuel pressure to work on the fuel system.

The repair manual says to start the engine then pull out the fuel pump fuse until the car stalls and that will do the trick.

Problem is the engine won't start (bad filter maybe). What should I do?[]

 

It's OK, the engine need not start for the fuel pressure to be relieved. When you crank the engine over with the fuel pump fuse removed the injectors will still try to let whatever fuel is available into the cylinders. The fuel pressure will still be relieved even if the car does not start. Just crank the engine over a half dozen times or so. If you haven't worked on the fuel system before, be aware that even after the fuel pressure relief proceedure there will still be gas in the lines, which will come pouring out on you when you unhook the fuel line. For example, when you change the fuel filter you usually get gas everywhere. I recommend stuffing lots of paper towel around the area first to catch the spills. And of course keep gas away from any ignition sources. Bursting into flames probably isn'thigh on your to-do list. It's recommended that you first disconnect the negative terminal of the battery to ensure that you can't get any sparks. Other than dropping the car on yourself from improper supports, the fuel system is the most dangerous thing to work on.