Primary Filter Change arghh

[TSB240]

I am no longer a Diesel maintenance virgin.

Having owned an outboard powered trailable for the last few years I have avoided the joys of diesel fuel filters and replacing engine oil and filters..

I had put off the evil day for long enough and had to tackle the monstrosity of a fuel filter separator.....

http://static3.shop033.com/resources/BE/6846/picture/6A/20021866.JPG

Who in gods name designed this abomination and the person that decided to mount it low down out of sight at the back of the engine compartment needs shooting.

In the end I had the entire engine box apart and had to remove the filter unit from the fuel lines to ensure all the gaskets had fitted ok. I hate to think how you could possibly do that job at sea in a swell if it had became blocked.

I must at this point highly praise the battery powered syphon pump that I bought from Aldi a few months ago. It was superb in allowing controlled topping up and priming and has done a super job of topping up the fuel tank from a 25 litre jerry can of Red Diesel since I bought it.

http://www.smartpound.com/story.php?title=battery-powered-syphon-pump-£6-99-aldi

 

[pmagowan]

You can't. They are, IMO, dangerous at sea. I had a similar setup when I bought the boat and there was some problems with the fuel meaning regular changes. It is almost impossible to change without either dropping something or crushing an O-ring. I replaced it with a Racor filter which I moved to a very convenient location. I also took the oportunity to put in a ball valve and a hand squeezy pump for priming. Now I can turn off the fuel, change the filter, turn on and prime in about 30 seconds with no risk of little faffy bits going in the bilge. It can all be done from standing without any effort. The racor filter is not cheap and the replacement elements are expensive also but they are completely waterproof and work brilliantly. I would heartily recommend them. I got mine from ASAP.

 

[prv]

Both of our boats I have converted to Racor spin-ons, both in a dual changeover configuration so that I can switch to a clean filter in a hurry by moving a lever. The first one I built the changeover set out of 3-way ball valves and copper tube, the second had to fit in a more confined space so we ended up with a (ridiculously expensive) off-the-shelf changeover unit. I have also fitted a squeeze-bulb pump so that bleeding and priming is quick and easy.

The one downside of this system is the expense of the replacement Racor cartridges. I think if I was building it today I might go for the generic spin-on filters which look like oil filters. No transparent bowl at the bottom, but a quarter the price of the Racors.

Pete

 

[pmagowan]

I think it is one place where the expense is worth it. I buy the replacement elements from ASAP in bulk and so they are cheaper but still much more expensive than a CAV filter. However, what would you pay when it is all going wrong? Given the cost of boating in general where you could be chucking away £200 on items that you never use I don't worry about 2 digit once per year expenses in areas of safety and convenience.

P.S. they work out about £7 per replacment.

 

[prv]

I think it is one place where the expense is worth it. I buy the replacement elements from ASAP in bulk and so they are cheaper but still much more expensive than a CAV filter. However, what would you pay when it is all going wrong? Given the cost of boating in general where you could be chucking away £200 on items that you never use I don't worry about 2 digit once per year expenses in areas of safety and convenience.

Well, I've just bought 10 of the generic oil-filter-style cartridges that the engine takes as a secondary, and I thought to buy ten Racors to match. Then I found that only ASAP seem to sell them, and want £24.64 each. The Baldwin secondaries were £5.33

I'm going to have to bite the bullet (though probably not for ten at once) but it ain't cheap!

The oil-filter-style cartridges are actually quicker to change than the Racors, because you don't need to swap the transparent bowl over. Just unscrew one and screw on the other.

I'm sure the Racor filtering is better, but wonder whether I need it, given that Volvo are happy with a prehistoric CAV type.

Pete

 

[pmagowan]

Well, I've just bought 10 of the generic oil-filter-style cartridges that the engine takes as a secondary, and I thought to buy ten Racors to match. Then I found that only ASAP seem to sell them, and want £24.64 each. The Baldwin secondaries were £5.33

I'm going to have to bite the bullet (though probably not for ten at once) but it ain't cheap!

The oil-filter-style cartridges are actually quicker to change than the Racors, because you don't need to swap the transparent bowl over. Just unscrew one and screw on the other.

I'm sure the Racor filtering is better, but wonder whether I need it, given that Volvo are happy with a prehistoric CAV type.

Pete

I went for the Racor turbo style filter where you have a big brass handle on the top that you undo and then drop a new element in, The whole filter arrangement was expensive, about £130 I think, but the replacement elements are only £7 (which is still expensive when compared to CAV type).

I think this is it:

 

[prv]

I went for the Racor turbo style filter where you have a big brass handle on the top that you undo and then drop a new element in, The whole filter arrangement was expensive, about £130 I think, but the replacement elements are only £7 (which is still expensive when compared to CAV type).

Ah, that makes sense. Glancing at the pictures with no scale, I'd always assumed those were enormous bucket-like things intended for motorboats, but perhaps not. Certainly I should have paid more attention to consumables cost than I did.

I reckon the OP ought to replace his existing filter with a head that takes generic spin-on cans (inlinefilters.co.uk sell a wide range) and mount it somewhere more accessible, with a squeezy-bulb pump (or possibly buy a head with the priming pump built in).

Pete

 

[pmagowan]

Ah, that makes sense. Glancing at the pictures with no scale, I'd always assumed those were enormous bucket-like things intended for motorboats, but perhaps not. Certainly I should have paid more attention to consumables cost than I did.

I reckon the OP ought to replace his existing filter with a head that takes generic spin-on cans (inlinefilters.co.uk sell a wide range) and mount it somewhere more accessible, with a squeezy-bulb pump (or possibly buy a head with the priming pump built in).

Pete

They are about the size of a large CAV so not really too big. You simply turn that knob on the top and the heavy cast plate lifts off the top. The filter has a handy wee handle that you grab and turn and out it pops. Stick another one in by reversing and give a few pumps on the bulb until it brims then screw top back on. It is the complete opposite of the fiddly way my old filter worked and everything is quality and slots home without effort. The bowl at the bottom uses centrifugal action to separate out the worst muck and so the filter stays clean. I change it every year but it has never looked like it needed it. I can drain the muck out the bottom. I buy 12 filters at a time so I have at least 10 years worth before I need to think about it. You can get a filter pressure gauge so that you only change it when it is getting clogged. I might install this on my new boat when I build it.

 

[Tim D]

Be carefull when buying cheap fine fuel filters (referred to as secondary's here) make sure they do just that ... fine filter the fuel (3 or 5 microns) 5 is fine for an older mechanical injected diesel, 3 microns is better for a newer common rail type, 10 or 20 microns are good for pre filter (primary or coarse)