red top racors (30 micron) and CAT secondary (I believe theyre 10 micron) is what I’ve read and been recommended by CAT. I know some guys run 10/10 though.
410 da 3126 cat oil change fuel filters done !!!
- Thread starter nealtrombley
- Start date
red top racors (30 micron) and CAT secondary (I believe theyre 10 micron) is what I’ve read and been recommended by CAT. I know some guys run 10/10 though.
- Oct 6, 2006
- 12,152
- Boat Info
- 1996 450DA
- Engines
- 3116 Caterpillars
If you are running the additive package (a good biocide, Diesel Kleen, Stanadyne Lubricity additive,) we recommended in the article I wrote on Diesel Fuel System Management, then anything finer than 30 micron primary filters is a waste of time and money because both Caterpillar and Cummins hi-efficiency secondary filters trap anything larger than 2 microns and nothing will get past your fuel filters that will harm fuel pumps or injectors. Running 10 micron primary filters will protect your engines, but no more so than 30 microns primaries followed by factory secondary filters. They will guarantee you will get a lot of practice changing Racors if you are a low or average time boater.
Another reason to keep all 4 primary filters one line all the time is that you have 2X the filtration capacity that one one filter on line at a time will give you. The only 2 boats I have ever had to change fuel filters on while under way were 1 smaller Caterpillar. powered boat and a 540DA with Cat 3196's where the owner used 10 micron primary filters......and had no spares onboard, so we spent the last 3 hours on an 8 hour trip taking filters out and shaking the crud out of them and reinstalling them.
Another reason to keep all 4 primary filters one line all the time is that you have 2X the filtration capacity that one one filter on line at a time will give you. The only 2 boats I have ever had to change fuel filters on while under way were 1 smaller Caterpillar. powered boat and a 540DA with Cat 3196's where the owner used 10 micron primary filters......and had no spares onboard, so we spent the last 3 hours on an 8 hour trip taking filters out and shaking the crud out of them and reinstalling them.
nealtrombley
Active Member
- Apr 7, 2016
- 414
- Boat Info
- 1988 Sea Ray Laguna Sold!
2002 Sea Ray 410 Dancer
- Engines
- 2002 Yamaha 250OX66
twin Cats 350hp
thanks Frank
I read your great article on diesel fuel management
next change I’ll go back to the 30s
- Jun 5, 2016
- 5,545
- Boat Info
- 410 Sundancer
2001
12" Axiom and 9" Axiom+ MFD
- Engines
- Cat 3126 V-Drives
To get the most out of your filters, go to http://www.designatedengineer.com/ and get a set of filter restriction gauges. These keep track of how hard your engines have to "suck" fuel across your filter media measured in In Hg. Get the set with the drag pointer since the Racor's are pretty well tucked away. In the green your good to go, In the red, you'll need to change filters. These fit right where your current T handles hold the top on your Racor.
- Jun 5, 2016
- 5,545
- Boat Info
- 410 Sundancer
2001
12" Axiom and 9" Axiom+ MFD
- Engines
- Cat 3126 V-Drives
You did. One hole is slightly larger than the other. You can find the larger one as the small o-ring will pass through, the other side it will not. I can't remember if the small of large side is on top or bottom.
Anybody remember which side goes down??
- Mar 25, 2008
- 5,520
- Boat Info
- 2006 Sea Ray 58 DB
- Engines
- MAN CRM V8-900s, Twin Disc Drives; Onan 21.5 Generator
- Nov 4, 2019
- 2,476
- Boat Info
- 2010 Sundancer 500
2015 Brig Falcon 330T
- Engines
- Twin Cummins QSC550 w Zeus Pods
i believe to see that you have to be a sponsor of the site. if you click on the top link you will see
"**Upgrade to Gold or Platinum for private access to our Captains Frank and Rusty!"
http://www.clubsearay.com/index.php?account/upgrades
"**Upgrade to Gold or Platinum for private access to our Captains Frank and Rusty!"
http://www.clubsearay.com/index.php?account/upgrades
- Mar 25, 2008
- 5,520
- Boat Info
- 2006 Sea Ray 58 DB
- Engines
- MAN CRM V8-900s, Twin Disc Drives; Onan 21.5 Generator
You'd have to get to know a "MAN man" and that can be painful!! Even for a Delta Captain!!
thanks, I’ve got the right ones. The one side is slightly larger I just didn’t see it until I looked closer
- Mar 25, 2008
- 5,520
- Boat Info
- 2006 Sea Ray 58 DB
- Engines
- MAN CRM V8-900s, Twin Disc Drives; Onan 21.5 Generator
The 10 micron vs 30 micron argument and the run primaries in dual or single mode is another good one.
I followed all of FrankW’s excellent advice with my fuel on my CAT 3126 410. Used 30 micron primaries and CAT secondaries. First year, my primaries were black with dead bacteria. The biocide did its work. By the second year, they would be nice and pink. Single primaries, so no single/dual discussions.
Now come to my MAN powered boat. Firstly, MAN says positively no additives except biocide. Secondly, 10 micron primaries are called for, then there are two more levels of filtration. A secondary 2 micron Mann and Hummel filter with a clear bowl and a water detection sensor, then two more 2 micron secondaries (one per bank on the V8 engine). These two filters have drains (so does the Mann and Hummel secondary) so that the possibility of any contaminants remaining in the filter housing during a filter change is reduced as much as possible. My fuel filter changes take longer than my 10 gallon, dual oil filter, oil changes!
Why does MAN seem paranoid about clean fuel? Im told by my “MAN man” that some of the clearances in the fuel pump and injectors are smaller than a human hair - and I believe the common rail system runs at 25,000 psi. When I last visited his shop in Punta Gorda in October, he showed me one of my injectors - only $1800 - EACH - and I luckily have 16 of them! He said if you treat your fuel and filters right, you will never change one (older, non common rail MANs had injectors changed every 1000 hours). So do I follow the MAN procedures and use 10 micron Racor primaries? You bet I do!
Mine are still coming out black, so I must have had a lot of gunk that the biocide is still cleaning up.
So what do I do about single or dual Racor operation? When I bought the boat, they were in the single mode. @ttmott mentioned in another thread that the higher flow will give more centrifugal force in the turbine section of the Racor filter housing. So I’m sticking with single (probably the ONLY time I don’t follow the gospel of FrankW)! I also feel it’s easier to just throw the lever at sea if I get a clog and maybe avoid a change. I’ve been in rough seas in the Gulf 3 times, so I know my tanks have been “shaken, not stirred” and I’ve yet to have a clog, so hopefully I have pretty clean tanks .
So that was probably TMI, but that’s my $.02 worth.
I followed all of FrankW’s excellent advice with my fuel on my CAT 3126 410. Used 30 micron primaries and CAT secondaries. First year, my primaries were black with dead bacteria. The biocide did its work. By the second year, they would be nice and pink. Single primaries, so no single/dual discussions.
Now come to my MAN powered boat. Firstly, MAN says positively no additives except biocide. Secondly, 10 micron primaries are called for, then there are two more levels of filtration. A secondary 2 micron Mann and Hummel filter with a clear bowl and a water detection sensor, then two more 2 micron secondaries (one per bank on the V8 engine). These two filters have drains (so does the Mann and Hummel secondary) so that the possibility of any contaminants remaining in the filter housing during a filter change is reduced as much as possible. My fuel filter changes take longer than my 10 gallon, dual oil filter, oil changes!
Why does MAN seem paranoid about clean fuel? Im told by my “MAN man” that some of the clearances in the fuel pump and injectors are smaller than a human hair - and I believe the common rail system runs at 25,000 psi. When I last visited his shop in Punta Gorda in October, he showed me one of my injectors - only $1800 - EACH - and I luckily have 16 of them! He said if you treat your fuel and filters right, you will never change one (older, non common rail MANs had injectors changed every 1000 hours). So do I follow the MAN procedures and use 10 micron Racor primaries? You bet I do!
Mine are still coming out black, so I must have had a lot of gunk that the biocide is still cleaning up.
So what do I do about single or dual Racor operation? When I bought the boat, they were in the single mode. @ttmott mentioned in another thread that the higher flow will give more centrifugal force in the turbine section of the Racor filter housing. So I’m sticking with single (probably the ONLY time I don’t follow the gospel of FrankW)! I also feel it’s easier to just throw the lever at sea if I get a clog and maybe avoid a change. I’ve been in rough seas in the Gulf 3 times, so I know my tanks have been “shaken, not stirred” and I’ve yet to have a clog, so hopefully I have pretty clean tanks .
So that was probably TMI, but that’s my $.02 worth.
nealtrombley
Active Member
- Apr 7, 2016
- 414
- Boat Info
- 1988 Sea Ray Laguna Sold!
2002 Sea Ray 410 Dancer
- Engines
- 2002 Yamaha 250OX66
twin Cats 350hp
Interesting stuff Carter
Is the boat here in north fort Myers or still in Tennesee?
Can’t wait to see it
- Mar 25, 2008
- 5,520
- Boat Info
- 2006 Sea Ray 58 DB
- Engines
- MAN CRM V8-900s, Twin Disc Drives; Onan 21.5 Generator
Delta had to catch up on all the Airbus' that were delayed due to Covid, so I was too busy doing 13 acceptance test flights in Sept/Oct, that we didn't have time to move her this year. So she is wintering in TN - sadly.
nealtrombley
Active Member
- Apr 7, 2016
- 414
- Boat Info
- 1988 Sea Ray Laguna Sold!
2002 Sea Ray 410 Dancer
- Engines
- 2002 Yamaha 250OX66
twin Cats 350hp
Gotcha
Well I’ll get you over to ours for a boat fix
- Jun 5, 2016
- 5,545
- Boat Info
- 410 Sundancer
2001
12" Axiom and 9" Axiom+ MFD
- Engines
- Cat 3126 V-Drives
Just thinking about your happiness and trying to help a brother out!!! Given the current status of the airline world, I think I like being my own CAT man!!!
