Primary fuel filter.... How many of you

[Becky]

change this every time you do an engine oil change?

I ask because ours stopped the engine at a most inopportune time when coming near to entering St Peter Port, Guernsey.

A quick change and bleed through soon had us under way again. But we had left it for rather a long time as the clear bowl looked OK. Which in fact it very much wasn't.

We will now cahnge this filter evry 200 hours with the engine oil.

A hard lesson to learn /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[maxi]

Every year, circa 70 hrs.

 

[michael_w]

Depends a bit on the size of the filter and engine.

The last boat had a 2002 Volvo with a puny little water trap/sedimenter. This I looked at on every oil change (100hrs). For the Atlantic Circuit I changed the filter to a proper Racor 500 series.

IIRC they are rated for 200 liters per hour as my weedy Volvo only burnt 1.25 l/ph I used to change the fule filter every third oil change. Prior to fitting the Racor, I removed the tank and steam cleaned it and all the fuel lines.

 

[smeaks]

On a recent post I had to change out because of drop in engine revs, been fine since but it took 12 months to blind. Ruole of thumb now says every spring!.... min!

 

[chippysmith]

Before owning my own yacht I used to charter one out of Portsmouth.

Coming back in one Sunday on a very fast ebb the engine stopped on us which resulted in a tow.

Charter boat owner was left with problems as usual.. on chartering again he assured us that all was ok, we took the yacht to Cherbourg, in the entrance of the Grande Rade the same thing happens. Luckily it was slack but I couldn't get it restarted again and it resulted in another tow.. The boat was laid up for most of the following week but the loisers engineer soon had it down to an imploded fuel pump caused by a blocked primary filter. In his best English he explained that the crud sat on the bottom of the bowl and during use this lifts and lines the inside of the filter causing more and more restriction... after it has stood for a while this generally clears enabling it to work yet again at low revs. Obviously the guy I chartered off found this and nothing was done, (the first time).

Trouble is the glass bowl!!! a quick look confirms all is well but this is often not the case, as in this instance. Resulted in a costly repair, one lost anchor, one lost charter fee for a week and a large discount on the next!

 

[StugeronSteve]

Changed each autumn during the engine service. Thanks for the reminder though Becky, I've not drained it off lately!

 

[ccscott49]

Change mine evry year. People say like above, my engine only uses 1.5lph etc, but and it's a big BUT, most diesel engine systems these days pump through the system all the time, from tank through the engine fuel system and back to the tank, so they filter the whoile tank all the time. Change the primary every year and the engine filters and the engine oil, if you do more than reccomended for oil change hours do it then as well.

 

[Piddy]

Hi Becky,

Pleased you made it back - I saw you followed me up to Cherbourg - but then you'd gone! Good choice too as it blew quite hard for a couple of days.

I change the oil, oil filter and fuel filter every year regardless of how few hours it has run - it just makes sense to me.

Cheers

Andy

 

[MarkJohnson12345]

I have only changed mine once in 4 years!

And it looked pretty clean then.

But I agree it should be changed certainly at yearly intervals as part of the engine service.

They are cheap enough, I think I bought two for less than a fiver.

MJ

 

[oldsaltoz]

Only had one blocked filter in fuel system in over 40 years, a black and very windy night with the howling wind on the nose.

Managed to change it ok after hoisting the main and heading away from the coast, promised myself I would install a double filter and change over tap but sold the boat before I got around to fitting one.

Now we have twin VP's and I still think they are a good investment but will probably upgrade again before I get round to fitting them.

We change the filters about every 6 months here, I suspect our fuel is not as clean or perhaps it's the high temperatures and humidity we get most of the year, we also go through a bit of fuel as the cat get used 3 times a week on average.

Avagoodweekend......

 

[catmandoo]

I change between 100 and 200 engine hours . Only need to examine the filter after 100 hours to see how much contamination picked .

Better extra filter changes than expense ond risk of engine stoppage at sea

 

[pheran]

Every year or 100 hours, whichever comes first (yes, I often clock up more than 100hrs a year). Primary filters are not a major cost item so I wonder that some people take a chance on them.

 

[Stemar]

After having to take Jissel into Portsmouth Harbour under last year with the F6-7 wind blowing straight over Haslar fort and doing everything but being predictable due to a blocked filter. I now have twin spin-on filters with taps that mean I can switch them easily.

I'll be running on one for a year - or until it blocks - then change it and switch to the other one so I'll always have a fresh reserve.

I don't think many people would be able to get a all the bits of a CAV filter and all the O rings lined up at sea in a blow. I wouldn't even try unless my life depended on it.

 

[RivalRedwing]

every year but I have a switchable system such that there is a spare which can be brought into play if the 'primary' blocks - sods law says this will always happen at the most inopportune moment, such as when a friend of mine was approaching Cherbourg in a very bouncy 6-7. Given the need in many cases for 100% engine reliability (crossing shipping lanes...etc) this seems to be a cheap insurance backup, although not quite as sexy or exciting as the latest electronic gizmo.

 

[Becky]

It is amazing what you can do when you have to. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

We have only had two problems that are fuel filter related. One was off Cape Finisterre, heading south about three years ago, when the fuel level had got a bit low. And this was after having had the fuel tank cleaned in Plymouth the previous year. And coming into the Little Russel from the south a few weeks ago, when we had a very hurried change.

You can do it if you have to, and you can never predict when the problem will arise. Rough weather, a long run under engine to maintain cruising speed, when the fuel tank gets low, and several more reasons I can't think of at the moment will allow tank debris to get into the fuel flow and block your filter. And for this reason, it will ONLY occur at the worst possible time.

I know; it has happened to us twice.
Nagging didn't work this time. I TOLD HWMBO (ha ha!) that the filter needed changing, but he didn't believe me.

I was RIGHT..................................as usual /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

The real point is that if you are used to changing the filter and bleeding the fuel lines, it will be easy. If not, you will be another RNLI stastic

 

[FrancisRutter]

My last boat was a Coaster 33 which had two tanks. I never filled both tanks from the same source and each tank had its own filter. When in Paris I filled up from a river side fuel barge and must have had his dregs because when on the way home [with no mast because we had been using the canals and therefore left the mast at home] the engine stopped. Change to the other tank and filter and all was well.
Later emptied the offending tank through a filter system twice and thought all would be well, but next year the same happened again mid channel. Once again swapping tanks and filters allowed me to get to destination and calm to change the filter. Each time the offending filter was simply filthy.