Fuel Filter Replacement.

whiteshythe

whiteshythe

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Hythe Marina Village
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I,m fed up with the hassle of changing the element in my CAV fuel filter. I'ts a fiddly job getting the seals fuel-tight and bleeding the system. There's no way I could do the job in any kind of a sea.
I've decided to replace the complete unit with a Racor 500 FG with drop in elements. My question is :- have any of you done this conversion, bearing in mind that the CAV ports are 1/2 ins UNF, while the Racor unit has 3/4 ins UNF ports. I want to use my existing 10mm fuel hose which has swaged 1/2 in UNF threaded ends.
I have yet to find a 3/4 to 1/2ins male UNF adaptor. Do I have to get a machine shop to make them up, or does someone know of a supplier.

Cheers, Steve.
 
whiteshythe said:
I,m fed up with the hassle of changing the element in my CAV fuel filter. I'ts a fiddly job getting the seals fuel-tight and bleeding the system. There's no way I could do the job in any kind of a sea.
I've decided to replace the complete unit with a Racor 500 FG with drop in elements. My question is :- have any of you done this conversion, bearing in mind that the CAV ports are 1/2 ins UNF, while the Racor unit has 3/4 ins UNF ports. I want to use my existing 10mm fuel hose which has swaged 1/2 in UNF threaded ends.
I have yet to find a 3/4 to 1/2ins male UNF adaptor. Do I have to get a machine shop to make them up, or does someone know of a supplier.

Cheers, Steve.
Click to expand...

Email Hyphose http://www.hyphose.co.uk/

If such parts are available they will be able to supply them.

Richard
 
whiteshythe said:
I,m fed up with the hassle of changing the element in my CAV fuel filter. I'ts a fiddly job getting the seals fuel-tight and bleeding the system. There's no way I could do the job in any kind of a sea.
I've decided to replace the complete unit with a Racor 500 FG with drop in elements. My question is :- have any of you done this conversion, bearing in mind that the CAV ports are 1/2 ins UNF, while the Racor unit has 3/4 ins UNF ports. I want to use my existing 10mm fuel hose which has swaged 1/2 in UNF threaded ends.
I have yet to find a 3/4 to 1/2ins male UNF adaptor. Do I have to get a machine shop to make them up, or does someone know of a supplier.

Cheers, Steve.
Click to expand...
Why not swap the CAV to spin-on filters
 
I thought the same way so now have fitted one of these about a tenner fits Rover, just undo two Clips and throw the whole thing away, it also comes with blead screw on top and water trap on bottomimage.jpg
 
sailorman said:
Why not swap the CAV to spin-on filters
Click to expand...

That would probably be the cheapest and simplest remedy. There are at least two sorts: some are alterntives to the CAV head, some are adaptors of it. Some take (expensive) Racor filters, others take much cheaper generics. As well as ASAP, this lot may be able to help: http://www.ssldieselparts.co.uk Google will throw up plenty more.

Incidentally, cf scottie's post #2, I wouldn't be dogmatic about this but all the ad descriptions for non-metric CAV heads I've seen describe the ports as UNF. The through-bolt is UNC.
 
I used ASAP supplies and switched to the Racor. It was a good choice as it is a well made bit of kit. ASAP provide everything you need and if you buy the elements in bulk they are cheaper. It makes fixing any problems with the fuel system much much easier. I took the oportunity to also move the filter to a very convenient location and put in one of those rubber hand pumps for bleeding.
 
Many thanks for all your useful advice. I am sold on fitting a new Racor 500 Unit in place of my old CAV unit, as I think it has the easiest filter change with minimal bleeding required. My boat is in the Eastern Med, and there seems to be an increasing problem with 'diesel bug' contamination probably due to the high bio-ethanol content in the fuel. Last year I had to tow two yachts with engine failure due to fuel contamination. I hope not to get into a similar predicament. My dream would be to have twin Racor units with a changeover (a la RNLI life boats) but my budget won't run to that, nor do I have the space in the engine compartment.
Cheers, Steve.
 
I switched to a Racor 500 some years ago for exactly the same reasons, and have never looked back. ASAP supplies had all of the connections that I needed and are very quick (if a little pricey)
 
SSLdieselparts.co.uk do a CAV spin on filter replacement which is a direct replacement for the original CAV filter head complete with UNF threads. So easy to fit. Uses Delphi 496A screw on filters which have a water drain in the base, a common filter with alternative makes available almost anywhere, and reasonably cheap. Speak with them, they don't seem to list it on their website(I could not find it......). They do list it on ebay though - or did, I can't find it now! I paid about £25 including a filter from memory.
 
Go for a Racor 500. Pricey but set it up right and you can change the filter without having to bleed the system. Include a pressure gauge and you will know when the filter is sha**ed instead of changing them every year "just in case". Never ceases to amaze me the number of posters who brag about "changing the filter because it was going rusty"!
 
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