Can a fuel filter be too big?

Sea Change

Sea Change

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I've discovered that the filter/separator on my Yanmar 4JH5E is an obsolete type and difficult to find new elements for.
And by chance, I was at a boat jumble yesterday and picked up a brand new Racor 230 unit. It looks pretty large and is rated for 140l/hr which is far in excess of what my engine uses.
Other than the replacement filters being a bit more expensive than on a smaller unit, are there any downsides to using this? Presumably the far larger filters will last longer??
 
The lower flow will reduce the turbine effect of a sediment bowl as it spins the fuel so the heavier elements go out and down, the filter section will be fine and last longer having a bigger area just cost more to replace.
A quick google shows the 230 isn't much of a turbine effect anyway so crack on.
 
Hi, I have this racor as a pre-filter for my generator. Works great on my little diesel, I haven't changed it in a long time about 7yrs +1000 hours, here fuel is always clean so no problem. I think I'll change it now, anyway.
 
I replaced my CAV with an FG500 copy. Rated for higher fuel flow. Had it for a few years now and no issues, other than easier filter changes.

The repacement non-genuine filters are also cheap.
 
OP has a filter that will do the job so, in his place, I'd just use what he's got.

For anyone who's thinking about a change, one of the better upgrades on my last boat was to go to a car breaker and get a matching pair of filters with spin-on elements. A bit of pipe and some taps and I had a pair of filters in parallel. I ran on one and could switch to the other in seconds. I could even swap a blocked filter and bleed it with the engine running, though I never had to. I stopped regarding fuel filters as a regular service item, and just changed them when they got rusty enough to be a concern, which took the best part of 10 years.
 
Slower flow through the filter element should improve the filtration performance.
You can actually back flush fuel filters, if you can be bothered.
I did this on my ancient (petrol) car, IIRC using water and detergent and then de-watering with ethanol from a hypodermic syringe, and got quite a lot of rust out.
 
Agree with Stemar.
Any Japanese small truck filter housing will do the job.

To answer the OP's question.
If you can fit it so the filter cartridge can be easily changed, go for it.

Gary
 
I prefer larger fuel filters on a boat (if you have the room). They can accumulate far more debris/water before causing an issue. The total surface area available for filtration rises more dramatically than a simple assessment of the increase in outside dimensions would suggest. This gives a far longer run time if you develop a diesel bug or water in the fuel issue.

For example, below are the graphs for pressure resistance between the Racor 500 series (top graph) and the Racor 900 series (bottom graph). At the stage where the 500 series is producing over a 6 psi resistance the 900 series would be producing less than 1 psi resistance after filtering out the same amount of debris. You can see that depending on the pressure resistance before your engine will shut down, the larger filter can accumulate greater than 4 times the amount of solids.

The 900 series would be overkill for your engine, but the principle of the advantage of a larger filter still applies.

IMG_7730.jpeg
IMG_7731.jpeg
 
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Any 4x4, truck, filter will do the job and availability of filters, anywhere - easy and cheap.

More importune to me was easy access, so if you are changing the 'hardware' move it to be more easily accessible. Stemars twin filters are an excellent idea (with easy access) - especially if you might be forced to buy questionable fuel.


I recall some, many years ago, a member here built a bracket holding 2 fuel filters and remote, spin on, oil filters with a common drip tray. We installed the remote oil filters next to the CAV filter - it made servicing so much easier and cleaner. Oil filters don't need to be attached low down on the inaccessible side of an engine.

Derale Dual Side Ports Spin On Engine Oil Adapter 1/2"NPT Ports 20x1.5mm 15756 | eBay

Aluminum 24770 Diesel Fuel Filter Remote Mount Base For CAT 1R-0749 1R-0750 | eBay

We bought ours from a retail outlet like Halfords and it came as a kit. We had to further buy the hose pipes and the hose pipe connectors.

Our engine bays were very narrow - which motivated our alterations

Jonathan
 
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I appreciate this is thread drift - but if you are installing new fuel filter and find the oils filters are a pain, and result in a bit of a mess...

This was our 'kit', I bought 2 kits, we had 2 engines.
oiladaptor17.jpeg

And fitted on the side of a MD2020 using the stud location on the engine. In our case it allowed filter changing in one accessible location
Oiladaptor3.jpeg

Jonathan
 
garymalmgren said:
Agree with Stemar.
Any Japanese small truck filter housing will do the job.

To answer the OP's question.
If you can fit it so the filter cartridge can be easily changed, go for it.

Gary
Click to expand...
On a boat its always good to have filter type with a water seperater bowl though.

The thought of water getting through to a running engine under load doesn't bear thinking about
 
I have hydrolocked an engine whilst cranking it to start. It felt like somebody had shoved a spanner in the cylinders. I got away with it but I'm much more careful now about shutting off the seacock if I expect to need extended cranking.
 
Oh and another question- the elements for the Racor are fairly pricey. Is there a cheaper option that is still trustworthy?
 
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