junk in my fuel/water separator

RWilson2526

RWilson2526

God
So before I had my carbs rebuilt I installed a new Racor fuel/water separator. (boat never had one) I've been out twice with maybe 6/7 hours running time total and already have what I consider to be a decent amount of grit/sandy looking crap in the bottom of the see through bowl (no water though).

I do have a 4 year old gas tank that I picked up over the winter that I was planning on installing but wanted to wait until later in the season or maybe even the fall to minimize my down time (I planned on redoing the fuel tank hatch at the same time as it is getting soft) I'm thinking I shouldnt wait maybe....

The filter should be catching all the crap I would hope....think I should wait or change out the fuel tank?
 
if it is a 10 micron filter you should be ok, but better carry a spare with you at all times! Draining and cleaning that bowl won't hurt either.
 
Drain and clean before every outing would be the best bet. Also check your inline filter on the motor to see if the trash is making it past your racor, hopefully not. I have the same chit going on.
 
Blue_Runner said:
Drain and clean before every outing would be the best bet. Also check your inline filter on the motor to see if the trash is making it past your racor, hopefully not. I have the same chit going on.
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thanks for the info guys.....I do want to check my inline filter on the motor as who knows how long the previous owner was running that crap directly into the inline filter. I'm still only maxing WOT at 4500 rpm. My prop is 14 1/2" x 17p which seems like a good fit for the motor so I am wondering if my inline filter is packed with crap.
 
If your inline filter has junk in it the carbs likely do too. This was the case with mine. I've had to clean the carbs twice in 1 year. Eventually I'll have to pull the tank but I'm going to try draining it first to see if it helps.
 
In-line screw type filters

I was looking at Racor screw on filters last week but couldn't decide if 30 gph was enough or if I needed the 60 gph. What do you guys suggest? Also the Racor book did not recommend a glass bottom bowl for an inboard application. Is that a safety thing to make sure you don't drain fuel into the bilge or is there something else?
 
Most V6's can suck 22ghp at WOT.
The only thing I can figure is the 60gph might be a little longer and might prove a benefit as to having the capability to trap a little more junk over a longer period of time.
 
TXS V20 said:
I was looking at Racor screw on filters last week but couldn't decide if 30 gph was enough or if I needed the 60 gph. What do you guys suggest? Also the Racor book did not recommend a glass bottom bowl for an inboard application. Is that a safety thing to make sure you don't drain fuel into the bilge or is there something else?
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yup its a safety thing...see through plastic bowls are not CG approved for I/O's due to the fact that if there is a fire in engine compartment, the bowl will melt and then you got a real fire.
 
Thanks guys, looks like if you had a fire in the engine box the fuel line would melt/burn and you'd have a heck of a mess anyway. Sure would be nice to be able to see in there to see what's going on?
 
I've had great luck with the Quicksilver or OMC fuel filters. They're cheap and they work. I am familiar with the see through Racor's and the only one I've seen in service leaked, he replaced it with a Quicksilver. Good thing it was an outboard and the filter was mounted in the motor well. I believe most of the junk we get in our boat tanks comes from the lack of care at supermarket type gas stations. Although you can't see into a Quicksilver or OMC spin on canister fuel filter, I always pour the contents into a glass container to see if I've got a lot of water or contaminants in the tank.
 
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