RACOR Vacuum Gauge

I noticed a drop of fuel under the gauge yesterday and realized the gauge was filled with diesel. It seems like an easy thing to replace. Are there any tricks to it that I should be aware of?

Thanks.


Mike Metts
KK 42-165
Virginia Beach, VA

Sent from my iPad using Trawler Forum

Is it mounted right on top of the filter? Sounds like it may not be because you would have unscrewed and re-installed it when you changed the filter. Have a pic?

Here is the set-up. This is the filter for the generator.


Mike Metts
KK 42-165
Virginia Beach, VA

Sent from my iPad using Trawler Forum

Ok, from what I can tell it screws into a "T" , hidden behind the gauge in your pic?

Give the folks at Designated Engineer a call an they can hook you up with the right configuration (get one with a drag pointer) and install advice. They have one of the world's worst websites, but really know their stuff. So call them,

Home

You may be able to just unscrew and screw new one in with a new o-ring, and it may need very careful use of fuel rated pipe dope.

Do you have clear or dyed red diesel?

The gauge looks clear....forgive me if I am insulting yor intelligence/experience but is the gauge glycerin filled for vibration?

Older gauges were filled with liquid to dampen the movement with a small dust cap on the top to allow for zeroing, new one are dampened differently.
Here is a manual for the new style.....

psneeld said:

Do you have clear or dyed red diesel?

The gauge looks clear....forgive me if I am insulting yor intelligence/experience but is the gauge glycerin filled for vibration?

Click to expand...

No worries. I have very little experience so it's a good question.

The diesel is definitely red, and what is in the gauge does not appear to be. I thought that was just due to the small quantity, but maybe not. I don't think I looked at the gauges up close up before (with my reading glasses on), but the single drip below the gauge caught my attention.


Mike Metts
KK 42-165
Virginia Beach, VA

Sent from my iPad using Trawler Forum

caltexflanc said:

Ok, from what I can tell it screws into a "T" , hidden behind the gauge in your pic?

Give the folks at Designated Engineer a call an they can hook you up with the right configuration (get one with a drag pointer) and install advice. They have one of the world's worst websites, but really know their stuff. So call them,

Home

You may be able to just unscrew and screw new one in with a new o-ring, and it may need very careful use of fuel rated pipe dope.

Click to expand...

Yes it does. Thanks for the recommendation. I'll give them a call.


Mike Metts
KK 42-165
Virginia Beach, VA

Sent from my iPad using Trawler Forum

rochepoint said:

Older gauges were filled with liquid to dampen the movement with a small dust cap on the top to allow for zeroing, new one are dampened differently.

Here is a manual for the new style.....

Click to expand...

Hmm...maybe I have the old style. Mine are connected at the back of the gauge.


Mike Metts
KK 42-165
Virginia Beach, VA

Sent from my iPad using Trawler Forum

The guage is mounted incorrectly. Bottom mount guages like that need to be mounted so the inlet fitting is literally at the bottom. You need a 90o elbow.

Your guage is fluid filled. The fluid dampens vibration or pressure pulses which will damage the mechanism and make reading difficult. Fluid filled guages have a bleed or expansion fitting on top which allows for air pressure changes. That bleed filler is leaking due to the improper orientation.

That said, I agree that one of Designated Engineers telltale pointer guages would be better. However, note that unless it is mount correctly then eventually it too may drip some of the fluid.

There are also back mounted guages, does not make it an old style. Both back mounted and bottom mounted guages are common. Just depends upon where it is going which guage is chosen.

Almost all guages are available in either mounting.

The "filter" gauge will not tell if its the filter or a plugged fuel feed.

A DP,( differential pressure ) gauge can be at the helm and will show the difference , to ease repair.

The guage is mounted incorrectly

Click to expand...

Not necessarily. A PO of my boat had one gauge mounted like that as well as one also on the filter for some reason and they both read accurately and the same. Whether it was a "bottom gauge" or not, I don't know.

A back mounted gauge should read correctly in either position. Just as a bottom mounted gauge will should read correctly mounted vertically or horizontally.

At least that has always been my experience.

I misread the photo. Jumped to a delusion. The guage is back mounted and the little relief is at the top. So correctly mounted as is.

However I have had guages that were quite full of the fluid leak a bit from time to time from the top vent untill they purged enough to stop.

The fluid level can be seen down quite a bit so that should not be a cause.
Actually the fluid level is down to far.

I wonder if the seal holding the fluid in the case is compromised. Could be the lense or the pipe entry seal at the back is allowing fluid out.

Put a mark on the lense and monitor a while to see if the fluid level drops over time.

The guage should still work just fine but it will lose the dampening fluid over time if it is leaking. The low dampening fluid level tells me the fluid is weeping out.

Check the threads of the 90o elbow and fittings to be sure fuel isn't weeping out. If so it will run to the lowest point before it drips often causing folk to blame an incorrect leak point.

Thanks to all for the advice. I'll mark it and keep an eye on it. The collective knowledge of the folks on this forum continues to amaze me.


Mike Metts
KK 42-165
Virginia Beach, VA

Sent from my iPad using Trawler Forum