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Micron question…
Do you guys like a certain micron size for the primary fuel filter? I have a choice, 2 or 10
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17 Replies
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Dale,
On my two previous coaches I had a Racor fuel filter / water separator with the pleated filter. I used a 30 micron element when available, but if not available it seemed the default was 20 micron.
I am sure the secondary is in the 5 to 10 range but I don’t ever remember hearing or seeing the specs on that.
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DALE, ON MY COACH IT HAS A SINGLE FILTER, IT’S A DAVCO 382, 7 MICRON DARRELL
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I opened up the canister and there was a 30 micron (red) installed. I ended up thinking that after 26 years, maybe I should just disassemble the unit and clean it. Here are photos of the job. I’m glad I did. It’s a Racor 1000FG turbine unit.
See all the gunk (in Nebraska we say crap) that was inside the turbine.
This is what it should look like.
Make sure all the turbine is clean by blowing it out.
Make sure the splash ball and gasket are in place before putting it back on.
Lube all rubber parts lightly before installing.
Screw the turbin back on.
Wire brush the bolts and dip in oil before replacing the settling bowl.
It’s a job that I would haven’t thought of doing except for while changing the filter I drained all the diesel and happened to look down inside the canister, Glad I did.
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Here is some reference to Racor filter choices. Hope these help.
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Dale tell me you really didn’t run that filter for 26 years!
The Micron question is a heated topic in the boating forums. Of course, on-the-road tanks aren’t subject to the same temperature changes and high humidty as boats. The bottom line is that if your engine manufacturer provides a fuel filtration system and a primary is added, then10 or 30 micron is fine for the primary. The primary filter is simply extending the life of the engine supplied secondary filter. Most on-engine filters are 2-5 micron and are expensive and/or hard to change. The primary, almost always a Racor with a drop in filter cartridge, is easy to replace and inexpensive.
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Gil, no the filter has been changed out but I have never drained the whole canister and then inspected it. I drain what little water comes out the bottom and then close it up. I have owned it for the last 14 years so it could have been taken apart before, I just assume not.
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Good post Dale, I’m just getting ready to do mine and I’ll be checking the housing like you did.
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Tom,
When I looked down into the housing after draining the canister, I could see some gunk down in the bottom of the bowl, that’s when I decided to just take it all apart and clean it. The majority of the gunk was in the turbine and that is what you can’t see until you take the unit apart.
To take the unit apart, it’s four bolts and then the bowl needed to be forced a little to get it to brake loose from the seal. This is why I think this unit has never been apart. Then unscrew the turbin and take it apart to clean all the parts. The bowl drain comes apart for cleaning too.
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I don’t have a Racor on my bus. Just the two filters on the engine, and of course on the generator. No problems so far. FWIW our last trucks only had one fuel filter and that was all needed.
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Because of the nature of how we use our coaches I would rather have the Racor or equivalent instead of the engine mounted closed cannister primary fuel filter.
Since few of us use our coaches often, and most of us have long periods where the coach is stored, we have great potential for algae. The bowl on a Racor like Dale’s is a superb way to get an early warning that we may have a fuel quality issue. As set up like Mark’s and mine we’ll get the early warning when the engine stumbles, or worse, shuts down.
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Mark, older engines are much more forgiving to dirty fuel than new ones. The new high pressure pumps and injectors can’t tolerate dirt. What was good for the old engines doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good for new engines. For what fuel filters cost they should be changed the same time you change your oil. For most, oil changes are an annual event.
For those of us with Racors, we can add a pressure meter with high reading drag needle for $75. This is probably overkill, but it will tell you before your engine does that your filter needs to be changed.
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Hi Gil, Can you tell me more about where and how you install this “High Presure Meter” for the Racor? Maybe you can post some pictures too? Thank you.
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Mark, older engines are much more forgiving to dirty fuel than new ones. The new high pressure pumps and injectors can’t tolerate dirt. What was good for the old engines doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good for new engines. For what fuel filters cost they should be changed the same time you change your oil. For most, oil changes are an annual event.
Yes, I am aware of this. It was our newest engines that only had one filter, all the older ones had two. I always found that funny since the injection process had gotten so precise.
FWIW, I always change my fuel filters at every oil change. Very cheap insurance!
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Strange, this is the first bus I’ve had that only has the Davco, no secondary filter. Mine isn’t the turbo type like Dales, it has the glass on top and a piece of cake to change.
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Here are two gauge options that don’t require any plumbing:
http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|311|314195|314585|316461&id=1771858
http://www.designatedengineer.com/images/DE1669DPKIT2.jpg
For anyone that only has a Racor and not a filter provided for by the engine manufacturer I’d suggest you contact the engine manufacturer and see what their filtration requirements are. I suspect they will say 2-7 micron. That means your Racor should have a 2 micron filter beacuse they don’t make, to my knowledge, a filter insert between 2 and 10 micron.
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