The location of the Racor primary fuel filter on my 33 has bugged me since the boat was new. It is hard to change it without making a mess; you can't get a good grip on it without loosening the mounting screws; the hoses are too close to the filter; it is equipped with a metal opaque bowl because of its location in the engine compartment which means you have to drain a small amount of fuel out to check for water and it is hard to get a wrench on the drain plug. Changing to a translucent plastic bowl at that location is not advisable. This winter I have moved the filter to the stern alongside the fuel tank - see photo. The bracket is a 16" by 8" piece of 3/4" ply encapsulated in epoxy. Two stainless clamps hold it to the rudder post and the other end is screwed down to the fuel tank support through a small plywood cleat. I cut away the center of the bracket so that I can get a good grip on the filter cartridge at changeover time. For the same reason I also replaced one of the fittings so that the input hose approaches the filter horizontally. Note that it is located as low down as possible below the fuel level so that it feeds by gravity after a filter change - as long as the tank is 1/4 full. Bleeding the system after installation was not not noticably longer because of the longer run from the filter. Just being able to see through the bowl makes it worth it. Costs in Canadian Dollars: New plastic bowl: $42 11 feet fuel hose (9.5 feet would have sufficed): $25 Stainless clamps, mounting bolts, new fitting: $7 Plywood and epoxy: I had these in the workshop anyway. Most difficult part of the job? Dropping the tiny vent plug from the filter and seeing it disappear into the bilge below the under-berth compartments (where it cannot be seen or touched by hand). Finding that a new vent plug was a specialty item that would take ten days to deliver and then cost a whopping $8.50. Spending 45 minutes with a small rare-earth magnet taped to the end of a long wire, fishing "blind" in the bilge. Best part of the job? The little "click" when the magnet found the plug . . .
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It's fine
I'd kill to have such ready access. My space is so confined on the 29.5 that it comes with a toy filter instead of a real Racor. Count your blessings.
I'd kill to have such ready access. My space is so confined on the 29.5 that it comes with a toy filter instead of a real Racor. Count your blessings.
Excellent Post
Another winter project to add to the list. Very nice job and particularly like the idea of the plastic bowl for visibility. This past year when replacing the filter I managed to break one of the inlet fittings while trying to unscrew the bowl. The improved access looks really nice.
Another winter project to add to the list. Very nice job and particularly like the idea of the plastic bowl for visibility. This past year when replacing the filter I managed to break one of the inlet fittings while trying to unscrew the bowl. The improved access looks really nice.
Routing of hose
Michael, I ran the supply hose from the fuel tank behind the bracket down low enough to maintain the siphon when changing the filter and then up to the fitting on the left of the filter as you look at it in the photo. It is strapped near the rudder tube. This is the original supply hose just cut to length. I did not detach it form the tank. The output side is an entirely new length of hose using the "L" fitting that was already on the filter. It runs all the way to the engine and (with some difficulty) I managed to get it threaded through the plastic PVC pipe in place of the original hose. I chose not to just cut and join the original hoses with a nipple where the original filter was located. That would have been just two more places where I could have trouble later on. If I did it all again I would consider moving the shut off valve from the top of the tank to the lowest point in the supply hose. This would preserve the siphon under any conditions. Getting the siphon going again was simple. Just suck on a small hose pressed to the outpout side of the filter and stop when you see fuel in the bowl. I don't think it will be a problem for a filter change though because the filter is so low down.
Michael, I ran the supply hose from the fuel tank behind the bracket down low enough to maintain the siphon when changing the filter and then up to the fitting on the left of the filter as you look at it in the photo. It is strapped near the rudder tube. This is the original supply hose just cut to length. I did not detach it form the tank. The output side is an entirely new length of hose using the "L" fitting that was already on the filter. It runs all the way to the engine and (with some difficulty) I managed to get it threaded through the plastic PVC pipe in place of the original hose. I chose not to just cut and join the original hoses with a nipple where the original filter was located. That would have been just two more places where I could have trouble later on. If I did it all again I would consider moving the shut off valve from the top of the tank to the lowest point in the supply hose. This would preserve the siphon under any conditions. Getting the siphon going again was simple. Just suck on a small hose pressed to the outpout side of the filter and stop when you see fuel in the bowl. I don't think it will be a problem for a filter change though because the filter is so low down.
Which Racor Filter Model No ?
Which Racor Filter Model did you use ? Do you have the 3YM30G engine ? I checked my manual and couldn't tell what is a good replacement model, based on the engine/filter specs. I definitely would like a transparent bowl.
Which Racor Filter Model did you use ? Do you have the 3YM30G engine ? I checked my manual and couldn't tell what is a good replacement model, based on the engine/filter specs. I definitely would like a transparent bowl.
Racor Model
Alan, I just moved the existing RACOR filter - which is not supplied by Yanmar and thus is not referred to explicitly in the engine manual. Yes I have the 3YM30. The RACOR model is a 120R on my boat, but it is possible that yours may be different. I got the spec for the filter (and the installation template) from the RACOR website (see below). The metal bowl version is supplied by Hunter because of the fire risk when the filter is in the engine compartment. Don't just add the plastic bowl without moving the filter! Most marine stores have RACOR filters, and any one that does can order the spare bowl for you. Mine took only 24hrs delivery.
Alan, I just moved the existing RACOR filter - which is not supplied by Yanmar and thus is not referred to explicitly in the engine manual. Yes I have the 3YM30. The RACOR model is a 120R on my boat, but it is possible that yours may be different. I got the spec for the filter (and the installation template) from the RACOR website (see below). The metal bowl version is supplied by Hunter because of the fire risk when the filter is in the engine compartment. Don't just add the plastic bowl without moving the filter! Most marine stores have RACOR filters, and any one that does can order the spare bowl for you. Mine took only 24hrs delivery.
H33 Racor Model
The attached is from the catalog for the Racor R120MAM that was supplied with my 2004 H33 Michael
The attached is from the catalog for the Racor R120MAM that was supplied with my 2004 H33 Michael
And the next project is
to plumb the old filter in parallel to the new filter with valves in the lines to control the flow. That way when a filter plugs up just as you are preparing to enter the harbour, you can switch filters and pray that you can make it to the dock.
to plumb the old filter in parallel to the new filter with valves in the lines to control the flow. That way when a filter plugs up just as you are preparing to enter the harbour, you can switch filters and pray that you can make it to the dock.
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