O Poodle, what have I done and which is the bleed screw?

Otter

Otter

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I can be such a numpty some times. I switched off the diesel tap and then forgot and put the Eber on. It takes its feed from the fuel / water separator in the picture. Of course it used the diesel from the sight tube and before I'd realised all that had gone and now air may be at the top of the filter housing. What a plonker.

I checked and the engine ran OK but next time we're thrashing about in a F7?

One of these two screws is the bleed but which one? The tank is well above so gravity will do the job of pushing air out. Advice please...

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"I checked and the engine ran OK but next time we're thrashing about in a F7?"
If you have already run the engine without bleeding and it didn't stop, what makes you think you need to bleed it now?
That bleed point on mine is between the mechanical pump and the high pressure fuel pump, so if there was any air in the system it would have got into the hp pump and the engine would have stopped.

Another thought, you say "the Eber takes its feed from the fuel / water separator in the picture." so any air may have gone up the pipe to the Eber. Maybe you should bleed at the Eber input.
 
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Thanks all. I won't be changing the filters - ask Ben how long and complicated the process is.

They were in for 3 years and came out with little sign of having 'done' anything. After all I've never had to change a fuel filter on a car, we have a steamed tank, use protected fuel and plenty of it. We make it a rule to only fill from large volume sellers and always ask how long since their tank was filled.
 
Lazy Kipper said:
Thanks all. I won't be changing the filters - ask Ben how long and complicated the process is.

They were in for 3 years and came out with little sign of having 'done' anything. After all I've never had to change a fuel filter on a car, we have a steamed tank, use protected fuel and plenty of it. We make it a rule to only fill from large volume sellers and always ask how long since their tank was filled.
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Good luck.
 
Lazy Kipper said:
Thanks all. I won't be changing the filters - ask Ben how long and complicated the process is.

They were in for 3 years and came out with little sign of having 'done' anything. After all I've never had to change a fuel filter on a car, we have a steamed tank, use protected fuel and plenty of it. We make it a rule to only fill from large volume sellers and always ask how long since their tank was filled.
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always best to know how for when the brown sticky stuff huts the round whurry thing
 
Lazy Kipper said:
Have you had the bug? What do you suspect caused it?
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I'm guessing that it was the only time that I left half a tankful in over winter and never used the engine in earnest. Engine died amongst the fishing fleet off Belgium in the middle of the night 4 or 5 years ago. Changed the filter, re-started and it blocked again after 30s or so. I dosed the tank with Startron, changed filter again & made it in to Zeebrugge where I bought half a dozen spare filters (296s) just in case.

TBH, I was a bit surprised that I'd been 'bugged.' In all my travels with about 4000 hrs on the clock between '93 & '99, I'd never had the bug before - despite filling up in exotic places with dubious supply sources. Back then I treated my tanks with BioborJF which was recommended by Nigel Calder. It certainly seemed to work as I didn't suffer when many other cruisers were getting the bug (most of us carried a lot of diesel just in case). However, on my return to the UK I couldn't source a supply as it was considered carcinogenic and I used another UK brand instead (not Startron), maybe Fuel Set.

So, this smug bugger was caught out just when I had my son's future wife on board for a 'pleasant overnight hop' to Holland.

PS: I've been dosing my fuel with Startron since and haven't succumbed but I wouldn't bet my life on it that it couldn't happen again.
PPS: Best to have 2 or 3 spare filters on board JIC.
 
This primary filter is changeable relatively easily but the second one requires about 45 minutes to bleed the system.
 
Lazy Kipper said:
This primary filter is changeable relatively easily but the second one requires about 45 minutes to bleed the system.
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It's the primary one (immediately after the tank) that gets blocked. Usually the secondary filter (i.e. after the lift pump & before the injection pump) is OK.

You still have to bleed the air out at the bleed nut on the secondary filter housing (not the primary which has the new filter).
 
Lazy Kipper said:
This primary filter is changeable relatively easily but the second one requires about 45 minutes to bleed the system.
Click to expand...

If you don't change that filter regularly, put a date on it, if you don't already.
A few other good ideas are to colour code spanners and paint nuts with the same colour.
Photograph and put pointers to bleed screws.
Write down proceedure and laminate it all.
 
Tradewinds said:
It's the primary one (immediately after the tank) that gets blocked. Usually the secondary filter (i.e. after the lift pump & before the injection pump) is OK.

You still have to bleed the air out at the bleed nut on the secondary filter housing (not the primary which has the new filter).
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Wondering why we would have to bleed the secondary filter if we've bled the primary following filter change? Air can't get from this filter onwards on just a fllter change, only if some numpty ran the stupid eber with the stupid diesel cock off.

Thanks for the painted nuts and spanner tip BTW
 
Lazy Kipper said:
Wondering why we would have to bleed the secondary filter if we've bled the primary following filter change? Air can't get from this filter onwards on just a fllter change, only if some numpty ran the stupid eber with the stupid diesel cock off.
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I never bleed the primary. Put on new filter (carefully), then using lift pump (or bulb) bleed all the air out at the secondary filter.

I have one of these pump units mounted on the inlet side of the secondary filter housing

302065.jpg
CAV-pump.jpg
 
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