Racor filter

[donm]

I fitted a Racor 500 to my Beta 20 hp last winter to avoid the mess and sealing problems with the CAV filter. All fine until yesterday when the engine faltered and then stopped due to fuel starvation. Changing the element did not help and when I blew down both the in and out pipes towards the filter they were both blocked at the filter but were clear in the other direction. I ended up taking the body off and blowing it through to clear it, and although nothing obvious came out, all is working well again.

So a couple of questions about Racor filters which someone may be able to answer

1. This is a turbine filter but my little engine does not draw enough fule to turn the turbine so is this a problem?

2. What does the check ball do, and could this have been stuck and so be the problem?

3. Have I over complicated things - but I am not going back to a CAV but could fit a spin on?

 

[pvb]

It's probably overkill for your 20hp engine, but now you've fitted it you might as well keep it. The fact that the turbine doesn't spin isn't necessarily a problem, any water droplets should still settle out. The check ball floats up to seal the fuel inlet when the engine stops - the idea being to maintain prime by preventing backflow. It follows that it's highly unlikely to get stuck, as the fuel flow when the engine's running will push it away from its seal.

 

[donm]

Thanks for the advice. As I was blowing down the pipes would I have been forcing the check ball to seal?

 

[pvb]

Thanks for the advice. As I was blowing down the pipes would I have been forcing the check ball to seal?

If you were blowing into the outlet pipe, yes.

 

[noelex]

The Raycor 500 will be fine for your engine. The larger filter area really helps reduce clogging time if you get a diesel bug problem. The "turbine" feature is a bit of a gimmick, but the larger deeper bowl will help separate the water better on the 500 than a smaller filter, even if the fuel does not “spin “ much.

Not sure what caused the blockage, could it have been in the fuel pipe? Some boats fit a screen on the end of the fuel pick up pipe (this is a bad idea), but whatever it was the Raycor 500 is an ideal filter for your engine.

 

[donm]

Both ways in both pipes but they were clear when blown away from the filter but blocked when blown towards the filter

 

[brianhumber]

You have fitted a very good filter but perhaps not matched to the fuel flow that your engine uses.
The turbine by spinning will accentuate the differing SGs of fuel, water and sludges, if it does not spin you have to reply on natural forces which requires the fuel to remain in the filter bowls for a much much longer period. By not spinning its anybodies guess if you are actual filtering the fuel and seperating the water out as efficiently Racor intended.

Your filter is a mini centrifuge/seperator which is used a much larger formats to filter and condition heavy oils, lubricating oils, bilge water, cream from milk etc etc . For interest have a look on the web for Sharples, Alfa Laval etc. Have spent many a long night trying to get these to work properly, you do not want to be in the same room as a rogue Sharples unit unbalanced at 25,000 rpM.



Do not understand your beef with CAV type filters, have been changing these since early 70s and never have any problems, the most split fuel you should be getting is when you bled off at the completion of work. This is easily contained with todays modern absorbant 'kitchen' towels which are an absolute boon compared to having to muck about with cotton waste of the olden days.

Would suggest a return to CAV type is a better more reliable option for you , it has worked well and efficiently for millions of installations over many many decades.

Brian

 

[donm]

You have fitted a very good filter but perhaps not matched to the fuel flow that your engine uses.
The turbine by spinning will accentuate the differing SGs of fuel, water and sludges, if it does not spin you have to reply on natural forces which requires the fuel to remain in the filter bowls for a much much longer period. By not spinning its anybodies guess if you are actual filtering the fuel and seperating the water out as efficiently Racor intended.

Your filter is a mini centrifuge/seperator which is used a much larger formats to filter and condition heavy oils, lubricating oils, bilge water, cream from milk etc etc . For interest have a look on the web for Sharples, Alfa Laval etc. Have spent many a long night trying to get these to work properly, you do not want to be in the same room as a rogue Sharples unit unbalanced at 25,000 rpM.



Do not understand your beef with CAV type filters, have been changing these since early 70s and never have any problems, the most split fuel you should be getting is when you bled off at the completion of work. This is easily contained with todays modern absorbant 'kitchen' towels which are an absolute boon compared to having to muck about with cotton waste of the olden days.

Would suggest a return to CAV type is a better more reliable option for you , it has worked well and efficiently for millions of installations over many many decades.

Brian

Like you, I have been changing CAV filters on a variety of boats since my first diesel in 1972, but try as I may they do not always go together well and so fuel spillage is an almost invariable consequence, particularly on this boat as the filter is sited such that any spillage will go deep into the bilges beneath the engine. So I like the fact that a Racor filter can be changed without spillage and the need for bleeding.

In terms of the natural forces for water separation, are they not the same for a CAV filter?

 

[samwise]

The turbine may be overkill and over complication for your engine, but in my experience the Racor spin on is a big advance on the CAV (albeit more costly).I swapped because I was concerned that the time when an emergency filter change would be required would be in a seaway on a lee shore when you could do without the multiplicity of sealing rings that come with the CAV. I bought the converter unit from ASAP and use the standard non turbine filters.

You can still get spillage if you are not careful, but ( upon advice from a forumite) I use a jiffy bag of appropriate size under the filter to catch the drops when I remove it.

 

[Latestarter1]

The turbine may be overkill and over complication for your engine, but in my experience the Racor spin on is a big advance on the CAV (albeit more costly).I swapped because I was concerned that the time when an emergency filter change would be required would be in a seaway on a lee shore when you could do without the multiplicity of sealing rings that come with the CAV. I bought the converter unit from ASAP and use the standard non turbine filters.

You can still get spillage if you are not careful, but ( upon advice from a forumite) I use a jiffy bag of appropriate size under the filter to catch the drops when I remove it.

I generally work with high spee engines up 78 liters which have very expensive injection systems, and became spin on filter convert years ago and am not a Racor fan. However there is no such thing as too much filteration regardless of engine size and the OP's 500 MA is just fine for the little Kubota puddle jumper. Suggest he uses the Racor 2010 30 micron element as a rock and crud stopper and changes his engine last chance filter a little more frequently until he has cleared his tank.

Reason why we are a little jaundaced about Racor is that that they rely on marketing hype and do not subscribe to the ISO 4572-1981 Beta ratio multi pass test. The Beta ratio is determined by counting the number of particles over a given size upstream of the filter and dividing that number by the number of particles over the given size downstream of the filter. Simply put, a nominal 2 micron filter may only capture 94% of 2 micron particles, 98% of particles 10 microns, and close to 100% of particles above 10 microns.

Having said all that comparing a Racor with a CAV/Delpi filter set up is a nonsense, the CAV filter is as much use as a rubber eye, one poster talks of using them since the 1970's and that is exactly where they belong! Worked perfectly when injection pumps like the old CAV DPA which had tolerances akin to kicking a football down the working alleyway (excuse the old seafarers term).

Apart from their fiddly nature there is more advanced technology in a toilet roll than the cellulose paper filter element in a CAV/Delpi filter. Also using a filter with a 5 micron element with little in the way of coalescing properties as the first line of defence in any vessel is simply nuts.

 

[Chris_Robb]

Reason why we are a little jaundaced about Racor is that that they rely on marketing hype and do not subscribe to the ISO 4572-1981 Beta ratio multi pass test. The Beta ratio is determined by counting the number of particles over a given size upstream of the filter and dividing that number by the number of particles over the given size downstream of the filter. Simply put, a nominal 2 micron filter may only capture 94% of 2 micron particles, 98% of particles 10 microns, and close to 100% of particles above 10 microns.

I have got a Racor 500 on a VP2003T which also has its own filter. What filter element should I have in my Racor? I get different answers from every one! My fuel tank is very clean but we all know how quickly that can change

 

[Latestarter1]

I have got a Racor 500 on a VP2003T which also has its own filter. What filter element should I have in my Racor? I get different answers from every one! My fuel tank is very clean but we all know how quickly that can change

Your on engine filter is best thought of as your 'last chance' filter, and consider it as part of a complete system and not in isolation.

Volvo are very seacretive regarding filter spec, however suspect it is 5 microns. Therefore in any system makes sense to come down in a series of steps, so using a 10 micron Racor element would make sense probably allowing you a complete season without without getting anything like 10" of HG restriction.

 

[donm]

I generally work with high spee engines up 78 liters which have very expensive injection systems, and became spin on filter convert years ago and am not a Racor fan. However there is no such thing as too much filteration regardless of engine size and the OP's 500 MA is just fine for the little Kubota puddle jumper. Suggest he uses the Racor 2010 30 micron element as a rock and crud stopper and changes his engine last chance filter a little more frequently until he has cleared his tank.

Reason why we are a little jaundaced about Racor is that that they rely on marketing hype and do not subscribe to the ISO 4572-1981 Beta ratio multi pass test. The Beta ratio is determined by counting the number of particles over a given size upstream of the filter and dividing that number by the number of particles over the given size downstream of the filter. Simply put, a nominal 2 micron filter may only capture 94% of 2 micron particles, 98% of particles 10 microns, and close to 100% of particles above 10 microns.

Having said all that comparing a Racor with a CAV/Delpi filter set up is a nonsense, the CAV filter is as much use as a rubber eye, one poster talks of using them since the 1970's and that is exactly where they belong! Worked perfectly when injection pumps like the old CAV DPA which had tolerances akin to kicking a football down the working alleyway (excuse the old seafarers term).

Apart from their fiddly nature there is more advanced technology in a toilet roll than the cellulose paper filter element in a CAV/Delpi filter. Also using a filter with a 5 micron element with little in the way of coalescing properties as the first line of defence in any vessel is simply nuts.

Thanks for the re-assurance.

I removed and steam cleaned the tank before fitting the Racor,and have always changed both filters (and the oil and oil filter) every winter on all of my boats.

 

[donm]

I generally work with high spee engines up 78 liters which have very expensive injection systems, and became spin on filter convert years ago and am not a Racor fan. However there is no such thing as too much filteration regardless of engine size and the OP's 500 MA is just fine for the little Kubota puddle jumper. Suggest he uses the Racor 2010 30 micron element as a rock and crud stopper and changes his engine last chance filter a little more frequently until he has cleared his tank.

Reason why we are a little jaundaced about Racor is that that they rely on marketing hype and do not subscribe to the ISO 4572-1981 Beta ratio multi pass test. The Beta ratio is determined by counting the number of particles over a given size upstream of the filter and dividing that number by the number of particles over the given size downstream of the filter. Simply put, a nominal 2 micron filter may only capture 94% of 2 micron particles, 98% of particles 10 microns, and close to 100% of particles above 10 microns.

Having said all that comparing a Racor with a CAV/Delpi filter set up is a nonsense, the CAV filter is as much use as a rubber eye, one poster talks of using them since the 1970's and that is exactly where they belong! Worked perfectly when injection pumps like the old CAV DPA which had tolerances akin to kicking a football down the working alleyway (excuse the old seafarers term).

Apart from their fiddly nature there is more advanced technology in a toilet roll than the cellulose paper filter element in a CAV/Delpi filter. Also using a filter with a 5 micron element with little in the way of coalescing properties as the first line of defence in any vessel is simply nuts.

Just checked and as luck would have it I am using the filter that you have suggested!

Thanks again

 

[Chris_Robb]

Your on engine filter is best thought of as your 'last chance' filter, and consider it as part of a complete system and not in isolation.

Volvo are very seacretive regarding filter spec, however suspect it is 5 microns. Therefore in any system makes sense to come down in a series of steps, so using a 10 micron Racor element would make sense probably allowing you a complete season without without getting anything like 10" of HG restriction.

Thanks for that - I need to check my spares and see what they are (but they are in Greece!)

 

[dgadee]

Reason why we are a little jaundaced about Racor is that that they rely on marketing hype and do not subscribe to the ISO 4572-1981 Beta ratio multi pass test.

What other systems would you suggest for around 20hp if not racor?

 

[Spuddy]

Good thread.
For once it's easy to see what the sensible advice is.
Thanks Latestarter for the recommendations and also for the reasoning behind them.

 

[Latestarter1]

What other systems would you suggest for around 20hp if not racor?

I would go with Fleetguard FS 1015 spin on filter with clear bowl for those who feel the need to see what is going on. Modern Stratapore coalescing media which does a great job stripping out water, 96% efficient two pass filter, first pass 10 micron, second pass 5 micron and capable of absorbing three times its own weight in crud. Uses generic 1-14 Unified thread filter head. FS 1015 cost less than £30 and on a little 20 Hp fuel flow could go two years, filter heads come out around £20.


Keep one as ships spares and in the unlikely event that requires changing in a seaway these filters can absorb huge amounts of crud it is a zero seasickness breeze.

 

[dgadee]

Thanks. Very helpful.

 

[david_bagshaw]

The racor will be fine with such a small engine. we had one fitted to a ziese generator set , with a single cyl farryman. There was no spin effect, but the flow was slow there was plenty of time for sediment to sink.

use the same for the main gen/ bow thrust 3 cyl mitsubishi 15kva set, about 20 hp and on the secondary 7,5 kva onan, which replaced the zeise set.

my other observation after an initial run after filter change remove the lid and top up, if the filter is above fuel level in the tank, as the air space on top of the filter can be significant alteration to the dynamics with a small lift pump. this might have caused your stop.