My 1988 Hunter 35 has been having problems with dirty fuel plugging up the primary filter (Racor 10 micron) at the worse time. The tank appears to be clean when I inspected it through the gage opening, but there is definitely small sediment in the filter bowl. Question? Would it be better to install a larger filter or design a manifold system with two filters which could be switched when a problem occurs? The lack of space is a major concern. Does the fuel pump have enough lift if the filter is located at a higher elevation than the tank (I assume a gravity feed would be preferable)?
- Status
None of the above
A bigger filter will only prolong the agony. Pull the tank out, cut a hole in it (on top) and CLEAN IT OUT. Scrub it with a brush, soap and water. It's the only way to get it right. Your tank is full of crap you can't see through the gauge opening. If you could stick your hand in there you'd drag up a pile of slime and sediment. I used a piece of 1/2" lexan with 12 1/4" bolts around the perimeter as a clear cover plate sealed in place with Permatex blue form-a-gasket. The 12 bolt holes were threaded and the bolts were run up from the inside and snugged up. the plate was then dropped over the bolts and snugged with self locking nuts. The clear Lexan allows me to look into the tank.
A bigger filter will only prolong the agony. Pull the tank out, cut a hole in it (on top) and CLEAN IT OUT. Scrub it with a brush, soap and water. It's the only way to get it right. Your tank is full of crap you can't see through the gauge opening. If you could stick your hand in there you'd drag up a pile of slime and sediment. I used a piece of 1/2" lexan with 12 1/4" bolts around the perimeter as a clear cover plate sealed in place with Permatex blue form-a-gasket. The 12 bolt holes were threaded and the bolts were run up from the inside and snugged up. the plate was then dropped over the bolts and snugged with self locking nuts. The clear Lexan allows me to look into the tank.
Access Plate
At Doc Freemans in Ballard/Seattle they have a couple sizes of stainless steel access plates for use on fuel tanks. They are designed with a plate and a split bolt ring and either captive bolts or captive nuts. The split bolt ring was somehow hinged with gasket material. The smallest size was pleanty large for use with a H-35 tank as I believe they were intended for use with power boat tanks which are much larger. The small size rand in the $80 or $90 range as I remember. This would be a "turn-key" setup, just cut the access hole and bolt in, but one wouldn't have the viewing option of Lexan. Once the tank was cleaned you could revisit it in 8 to 10 years and clean it again. Another option to consider is installation of a fuel vaccuum gauge (made by Raccor?) between the large fuel filter and the fuel pump on the engine. This is available in the West Marine catalog and Doc's also sells them. Note the reading when a new filter is installed and then monitor the readings to determine when the filter should be replaced.
At Doc Freemans in Ballard/Seattle they have a couple sizes of stainless steel access plates for use on fuel tanks. They are designed with a plate and a split bolt ring and either captive bolts or captive nuts. The split bolt ring was somehow hinged with gasket material. The smallest size was pleanty large for use with a H-35 tank as I believe they were intended for use with power boat tanks which are much larger. The small size rand in the $80 or $90 range as I remember. This would be a "turn-key" setup, just cut the access hole and bolt in, but one wouldn't have the viewing option of Lexan. Once the tank was cleaned you could revisit it in 8 to 10 years and clean it again. Another option to consider is installation of a fuel vaccuum gauge (made by Raccor?) between the large fuel filter and the fuel pump on the engine. This is available in the West Marine catalog and Doc's also sells them. Note the reading when a new filter is installed and then monitor the readings to determine when the filter should be replaced.
Fuel cleaning service
Gary: Depending on the condition and type of tank you have, replacing it may or may not be a good option. Could you get it out of the boat if you wanted without destroying the tank or the boat? What material is your tank made of? There are several posts in the archives that discuss this. What if you pump all of the fuel out of the tank that you can and then dispose of the fuel (in a proper manner of course). Refuel with clean diesel and try that. I would also change out all of the fuel hose too. If your tank is clean, maybe your hose is bad. Assuming that the tank is not disintegrating you MAY be able to have a fuel cleaning service clean the tank if doing it yourself does not work.
Gary: Depending on the condition and type of tank you have, replacing it may or may not be a good option. Could you get it out of the boat if you wanted without destroying the tank or the boat? What material is your tank made of? There are several posts in the archives that discuss this. What if you pump all of the fuel out of the tank that you can and then dispose of the fuel (in a proper manner of course). Refuel with clean diesel and try that. I would also change out all of the fuel hose too. If your tank is clean, maybe your hose is bad. Assuming that the tank is not disintegrating you MAY be able to have a fuel cleaning service clean the tank if doing it yourself does not work.
Hose replacement
Thanks for the tips. I will try the least expensive first and go from there. The tank is poly type material which with age has a yellowish white color. I never thought about replacing the fuel line hoses.....good idea.
Thanks for the tips. I will try the least expensive first and go from there. The tank is poly type material which with age has a yellowish white color. I never thought about replacing the fuel line hoses.....good idea.
Hose Could Be Important
What Steve said about replacing the hoses could be more important than some people realize. If the return hose (from the engine to the tank) gets gummed up inside, such as with biomass growing on the inside of the hose walls, it will eventually cause a restriction in the flow of returning diesel. What happens then one doesn't want to hear about - i.e., a runaway engine. You can't turn it off! This is caused by the excess diesel from the injectors, with no place to return to, which builds up pressure and goes back to the enjectors instead. At this point the engine controls probably won't work. The runaway engine can also be caused by a pinched return fuel hose line so when working on the system back there it would be good to keep this in mind. So in this case (contaminated tank) replacing all the lines so one doesn't contaminate the other, is a good idea and probably cheap insurance, although Coast Guard approved fuel line isn't cheap.
What Steve said about replacing the hoses could be more important than some people realize. If the return hose (from the engine to the tank) gets gummed up inside, such as with biomass growing on the inside of the hose walls, it will eventually cause a restriction in the flow of returning diesel. What happens then one doesn't want to hear about - i.e., a runaway engine. You can't turn it off! This is caused by the excess diesel from the injectors, with no place to return to, which builds up pressure and goes back to the enjectors instead. At this point the engine controls probably won't work. The runaway engine can also be caused by a pinched return fuel hose line so when working on the system back there it would be good to keep this in mind. So in this case (contaminated tank) replacing all the lines so one doesn't contaminate the other, is a good idea and probably cheap insurance, although Coast Guard approved fuel line isn't cheap.
- Status