3116 Cat fuel filter change

Cocktail Time

Well-Known Member
Jul 9, 2007
1,208
Lake Lanier, GA
Boat Info
1998 400 Sundancer, Garmin 840xs GPS, Furuno Radar, B&G GPS pilot etc.
Engines
Cat 3116's, Westerbeke 7.6 BTD
Fellow CSR folks,

Can someone run down the steps to change out the Cat fuel filter? My Racor's are fine and I'm sure the Cat filters are too but I want to do a complete fluids/filter/impellers job. Is it as simple as unscrewing the old one, pre-filling the new filter with diesel, lubing the filter and reinstalling then priming the fuel system? My books are on the boat and just want to know what to do ahead of getting there. Thanks and sorry if this has been asked before, I've searched but didn't see a matching thread for fuel filters. Cat dealer says part is 1R-0751 which they sell for $17.81 a piece.

Dan
 
Hi Dan,

That's exactly how i did it on my former 3126's. It's that easy. The stbd one is a reach (just like the port oil filter), but I would lay a foam pad over the engine and lay on that to reach over. I bet your PO never changed them, so good on you for doing them...I would get my parts at Stowers CAT in Chattanooga, but Yancy CAT in ATL will have them.
 
Fellow CSR folks,

Can someone run down the steps to change out the Cat fuel filter? My Racor's are fine and I'm sure the Cat filters are too but I want to do a complete fluids/filter/impellers job. Is it as simple as unscrewing the old one, pre-filling the new filter with diesel, lubing the filter and reinstalling then priming the fuel system? My books are on the boat and just want to know what to do ahead of getting there. Thanks and sorry if this has been asked before, I've searched but didn't see a matching thread for fuel filters. Cat dealer says part is 1R-0751 which they sell for $17.81 a piece.

Dan

Once a year and never prefill your fuel filter, use CAT's primer pump....
 
Thanks guys, I was wondering about the primer pump and what that sequence was. I'll give it a shot using the pump. How do you know when the system is primed? I don't want to chance starting the motors with air in the fuel lines. Would that mess up anything? I always have heard it is really bad to run a diesel out of fuel and thought it had to do with air in the fuel lines?
 
Keep the noise all the way to zero and you'll be able to hear the return diesel going back into your fuel tank. That signals no more air in the line...
 
Valves off, for sure... But unless you run your diesel through a10 micron filter you run the risk of ruining your injectors....
 
Prefill but not necessary to use the primer pump. Simply advance the throttle to full and crank the engine. When engine fires bring the throttle back. This is how the Cat mechanic does it on my boat. He said that unless I run the fuel out and get air in the fuel feed lines the primer pump really isn't needed.
 
Dan,

Your plan is sound. I never prefilled my 410DA 3116's fuel filters, always used primer pump, it's easy and takes no time at all. Just wasn't worth the potential PITA (Pain in the ...) factor of a fouled injector. You can clearly hear the fuel going back into the tank.
 
The part number in post #1 may be right or it may be 1-R-0750. The difference is the mounting stud thread size and that just depends upon the arrangement # of your engines. The safest t hing to do is to get the same part # filter as you currently have on your engines. Caterpillar says never fill the filter by hand and to always use the priming pump. What they do not tell you is that the ptiming pump is a very rudimentary design that can leak like pouring diesel fuel out of a can. If your leak, then priming by the pump is a long a laborious process that makes one heck of a mess. After rebuilding the pumps 3-4 times, I gave up and fill my filters with fresh diesel from a filtered supply by hand. If you use this method, fill to the brim and let the element soak up the fuel then refill.

Use Tom's method in post #8 for starting up the engines after the filter change. Caterpillar's unit injection system has a large fuel gallery in the head that is very difficult to purge if you get air in it. When the engine fires, pull the throttle back to about 1200-1500 rpm and keep your hand on the throttle until the idle smooths out.
 
Frank, how do you filter the fuel by hand?
 
I keep 2 small containers of diesel fuel on the boat to re-fill the Racors in case I have to change them while out on the boat somewhere. I just pour the fuel from the fuel container into the top of the Cat filter, wait 30 seconds for the fuel to be absorbed by t he element then top off the filter to even with the gasket then install it on the filter mount. My boat has the optional remote filters on the STBD engine so I can do both from standing between the engines.

All of the diesel fuel at our marina is double filtered so aas long as the fuel containers stay sealed, the fuel is clean. I do not use a funnel because they can introduce foreign matter into the filters.
 
Thank you for the info gents! Looking forward to getting this done asap.
 
I keep 2 small containers of diesel fuel on the boat to re-fill the Racors in case I have to change them while out on the boat somewhere. I just pour the fuel from the fuel container into the top of the Cat filter, wait 30 seconds for the fuel to be absorbed by t he element then top off the filter to even with the gasket then install it on the filter mount. My boat has the optional remote filters on the STBD engine so I can do both from standing between the engines.

All of the diesel fuel at our marina is double filtered so aas long as the fuel containers stay sealed, the fuel is clean. I do not use a funnel because they can introduce foreign matter into the filters.

Thanks Frank! I'm not in a marina. My boat is docked on a little piece of property that I own. I have a local guy that I use who comes around with a truck to fuel up boats and I'm not there when he does mine so I wouldn't be filling a small container from his truck.
Hopefully my local gas station filters their diesel fuel because that's where I'll have to get it from.
 
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Prefill but not necessary to use the primer pump. Simply advance the throttle to full and crank the engine. When engine fires bring the throttle back. This is how the Cat mechanic does it on my boat. He said that unless I run the fuel out and get air in the fuel feed lines the primer pump really isn't needed.

Good to know Tom, thanks!
 
Bought the no spill container as a solution for holding distilled water. Hope to attach a flexible tube to use for topping off batteries.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Bought the no spill container as a solution for holding distilled water. Hope to attach a flexible tube to use for topping off batteries.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I bought this for batteries $12 on Amazon
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