Topping off Racors Low-Clearance

I have a squeeze bulb priming system that works well. I have just enough clearance, and with some effort, to get the filters out.

dwhatty said:

Then open those valves with the filter casing top on but not tightened down. Wait for fuel to rise in the casing then tighten the top. Works for me.

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Ours work this way, too.

-Chris

Capt.Bill11 said:

Exactly! They understand that if flames have had time to come up around the bowls of your fuel filters you should be long off the boat and waiting for the professionals to take care of the remains.

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Exactly. If you have a fire that hot and that low in the boat for long enough to melt the unshielded bowl, the boat is already done.

"Exactly. If you have a fire that hot and that low in the boat for long enough to melt the unshielded bowl, the boat is already done."

The metal bowl is to help the plastic filter bowl not burn for the 2 1/2 min while you collect the ditch bag , put out a MAYDAY and inflate and load the life raft.

Simply relocating the filters out of the engine room , which makes servicing them almost pleasant, may also help in a fire.

Well...

No pictures from the event but new filters are in there.

A clue from Delta Jim helped... that there is a switch near the fuel pump to turn it on and off while sitting (barely) at the filters.

I took a 16-oz plastic bottle down there as my refill vessel but could not figure out how to fill it from the system. So I forged ahead without the ability to backfill.

The filters are changed but I suppose I left several inches of air space in there in the process.

Hopefully the pump cycled the air out and to the tanks or anywhere but the engine...

Plus - when pushing down the second filter I managed to splash diesel out of the filter... grrrrrrrr.

Plus Plus - while I am ranting - why do the racor handles cross the line of flow when open and are in line when closed - unlike other ball joints?

Anyway - started the engine and ran it for 15-minutes or so - ran normal.

Do these engines have a system that bleeds/directs air back to the tanks?

Going to have to do a better job next time.

Nice job Carlin. I need to do that on my boat for the first time here pretty soon. My access is a lot easier than yours however.