the best fuel filter for gasoline engines

[naturewaterboy]

I am rebuilding a 34 Silverton and want to put some good fuel filters in for the twin outboards. What does anyone recommend? Water separators, what micron filter is good enough? I think my engines can drink 30 gallons/hr. at cruise, I am going to install two filters with crossover and shutoff valves to allow me to run both engines off of one filter if needed. I looked at Racor's website, but I didn't find any advice on their products. I'm not looking for cheap, I want the best I can get without buying more than I need. Any recommendations are appreciated!

[gonzo]

For gas you can install the spinon filters. They look like an oil filter canister. The holder is probably $65.00 and the filters $8.00. Several companies make them

[mydauphin]

The spin on are ok, but I like ones with plastic bowl with water removing dohicky...

[apex1]

Go with the Racors, a semi pro quality, hard to conquer. First Filter element 10 micron, second 3 micron. Have the version with the plastic bowl / separator as "motor barge dauphin" mentioned.

Regards
Richard

[FAST FRED]

The best thing you can do for your filters and engine is to gasolene with out alcohol dumped in.

It dissolves GRP tanks , eats old hose , and carb gaskets and goes foul in about a month.

Alky doped fuel will absorb water fromthe air constantly , and engines dont run on water.

The new method of handeling gov required poor fuel is to leave the tank as empty as you can (backwards from the past 75 years) , fill only what you will use on a run , and come back as empty as you dare.

Pump what "gas" is left in the tank, and dispose of it thru your car.

FF

[mydauphin]

Ture Fast Fred but in Florida for example, you can't gas with alcohol in it.

[FAST FRED]

All the Gas we find in FL has 10% ethanol dumped in.

The only place I can find unaltered gas is the local airport.

Costs a bit more but outboards,gensets , lawn mowers and other items do not need to be serviced after every use .

FF

[TollyWally]

Damn I wish that was practical. I'm going to run my tanks down as far as I dare and try and figure out some way to pump the bottom of the tanks out. Any idea what to do next? My tanks are built in and replacement is out of the question at the moment.

[mydauphin]

Fred can you buy avgas at the airport in your trailered boat?

[FAST FRED]

You can buy gas at the local FBO with money or a credit card.

We use AV Gas in our motorhome gen sets (haven't changed to propane yet), and simply pull up to the av gas truck.Not Cheap, but far easier than hasseling with dumping old gas.

FF

[apex1]

Originally Posted by TollyWally

Damn I wish that was practical. I'm going to run my tanks down as far as I dare and try and figure out some way to pump the bottom of the tanks out. Any idea what to do next? My tanks are built in and replacement is out of the question at the moment.

Buy a good additive.

[naturewaterboy]

Well, I've emailed Parker/Racor, and a young guy there told me the best filters I can use are the Racor Turbine series filter, 500MAM2. This has a 2 micron filter element, clear (or metal also available) water bowl. A couple of distributors/retail sales guys say to use the 320R-RAC-01 Racor filter systems - they are only 10 micron filters, and have the metal spin on filters. Seems like 2 micron is a lot better than 10 micron to me, even though the 500MAM2's cost about $270 each and the 320R's cost about $70 each. I'd rather put $400 more into filters if it may save me from engine damage. Would I be throwing away money - does it matter to a 2007 Mercury Optimax if the filters are 2 or 10 micron? Is one filter better than the other at keeping water out of the engines?

[apex1]

If you install the 10my element the particles passing are to coarse for a long engine life. And they can (and will) clog injectors, tubes, hoses etc. If you install the 2my element it will be clogged soon by these large particles. I always recommend to install a cheap prefilter (cheap replacement) of about 10 - 12 my AND a better one of 2-3 my. The latter does´nt need to be replaced too often in that case. Ask your dealer for the newest series of filters when you buy the clear bowl (recommended), the older ones did crack after contact with alcohol (ethyl).

[FAST FRED]

If your engine is fitted with carbs , the 10micron is as clean as you need to go.

The holes and passages in carbs are huge compared to what is needed for injection .

The old style bronze filters as a pre filter work well, and are cleanable , remove gunk and water , with NO replacement parts needed.

FF

[apex1]

Originally Posted by FAST FRED

If your engine is fitted with carbs , the 10micron is as clean as you need to go.
The holes and passages in carbs are huge compared to what is needed for injection .
The old style bronze filters as a pre filter work well, and are cleanable , remove gunk and water , with NO replacement parts needed.FF

Thats right.