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Author Topic:   Racor Fuel Filter stops fuel flow ?

Soho posted 05-13-2002 08:35 AM ET (US)
I just put my 69 Nauset overboard and after a few minutes of running ( about 5 on earmuffs prior to going in and about 10 5 minutes in the water ) the engine cuts out. After some investigation we find that it was the Racor fuel filter that was blocking flow. I have one of the older models where you put a cartridge into the filter, it has the amber bowl you can see into. I pulled the cartridge and it looked fine. I have not had a chance to put a new cartidge in and try it again - we bypassed the filter to get the engine running. Now, the filter is in very close proximity to my tank so I have about 2 inched of line from the tank, the primer bulb, another 2 inched to the filter intake. Any ideas/past experiences that might shed some light on this ? The primer bulb is pointing in the right direction and is pointing "up" as discussed in a previous thead.
Thanks in advance,
Ron
Guts posted 05-13-2002 08:55 AM ET (US)
two things here. first if you have a racor120 or the small one it has a bleeder on the frount of it. mine did the same thing but after I replaced the primer blub it worked fine. the blub was the problem in this case.
jimh posted 05-13-2002 09:16 AM ET (US)
From your description it looks like your filter is downstream of the primer, right?
Generally the primer is downstream of the filter.
The newer primer bulbs from Mercury are improved. The smaller 4-stroke engines were using so little fuel I think they had to re-work the primer bulb valves to accommodate the tiny fuel flow rates. Maybe that would help?
Soho posted 05-13-2002 09:38 AM ET (US)
The filter is downstream of the primer; I can change it around to have tank-filter-primer is that would help. Should I place it by the engine ? The primer is a brand new "tempco" brand, it is working fine now without the filter in use, so I think that we can eliminate it as the cause.
I do not think that there is a "bleeder" on the Racor, it just has in/out ports and that is it..
Ciao,
Ron
Tom W Clark posted 05-13-2002 12:33 PM ET (US)
Ron,
I would put the primer bulb downstream of the filter but I think your current problem is likely to be the primer bulb itself. Those Tempo brand primer bulbs are notorious for being fickle. I would get and install an OMC bulb regardless of what motor you have.
You cannot eliminate your current primer bulb as the problem until you can repeat the problem with a correctly installed alternate primer bulb.
Soho posted 05-13-2002 01:20 PM ET (US)
Point taken. I will get an OMC bulb and install downstream. ( but oriented upwards of course!) I will report back after making the changes.
Ciao,
Ron
jimh posted 05-13-2002 01:30 PM ET (US)
This primer bulb melange is strange, but I can tell you this: I spent the entire last season trying to get an assortment of TEMPO and very old Mercury QUICKSILVER primer bulbs to work right.
I got two new style Mercury bulbs and they worked immediately.
As for location of the primer bulb, I looked at a number of factory pre-rigged boats this spring to see where they had installed the primer bulb: all within two feet of the engine. On many of the new boats that have internal fuel tanks there is no longer a disconnect fitting at the engine; the fuel line hose is connected with a crimped fitting to a stub hose the protrudes from the engine cowling.
Guts posted 05-13-2002 09:53 PM ET (US)
I don't think it maters what side the primer bulb is on. I have 6 inches of hose coming out from the tempo 26 tank to the bulb. then it goes in the tunel out the back of the tunel to the filter that is mounted on the splash wall (on the inside of the boat not in the splash well) from there to the OB.
I could here the air when the bulb was pumped. (sucking air could be heard), that told me the bulb was bad. replaced it problem fixed. P.S. my bulb points down for what it is worth.
Guts
Soho posted 05-14-2002 07:51 AM ET (US)
For what it is worth, when the boat was last in the water ( been out about 4 years ! ) I ran it with tank - bulb-filter - 13 foot run to engine and it worked fine for years. I think that I will upgrade the primer bulb and give it another try, I will also put a new filter cartridgte in. With any luck I can get that donw tonight after work.
Ciao,
Ron
Soho posted 05-24-2002 08:07 PM ET (US)
I think that I can close this one off. I have replaced the Tempco Turkey Baster Primer Bulb with an OMC and put a new filter cartridge on the Racor. Ran this setup today for a couple of hours and no fuel flow problems. Have left the setup as Tank-bulb-Racor-long run to engine.
As per posts on another thread : when I first primed this system up, the bulb did not prime easily while in the horizontal position, tilted it upwards slightly and it grabbed fuel right away.
Ciao,
Ron

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Author	Topic: Racor Fuel Filter stops fuel flow ?
Soho	posted 05-13-2002 08:35 AM ET (US) I just put my 69 Nauset overboard and after a few minutes of running ( about 5 on earmuffs prior to going in and about 10 5 minutes in the water ) the engine cuts out. After some investigation we find that it was the Racor fuel filter that was blocking flow. I have one of the older models where you put a cartridge into the filter, it has the amber bowl you can see into. I pulled the cartridge and it looked fine. I have not had a chance to put a new cartidge in and try it again - we bypassed the filter to get the engine running. Now, the filter is in very close proximity to my tank so I have about 2 inched of line from the tank, the primer bulb, another 2 inched to the filter intake. Any ideas/past experiences that might shed some light on this ? The primer bulb is pointing in the right direction and is pointing "up" as discussed in a previous thead. Thanks in advance, Ron
Guts	posted 05-13-2002 08:55 AM ET (US) two things here. first if you have a racor120 or the small one it has a bleeder on the frount of it. mine did the same thing but after I replaced the primer blub it worked fine. the blub was the problem in this case.
jimh	posted 05-13-2002 09:16 AM ET (US) From your description it looks like your filter is downstream of the primer, right? Generally the primer is downstream of the filter. The newer primer bulbs from Mercury are improved. The smaller 4-stroke engines were using so little fuel I think they had to re-work the primer bulb valves to accommodate the tiny fuel flow rates. Maybe that would help?
Soho	posted 05-13-2002 09:38 AM ET (US) The filter is downstream of the primer; I can change it around to have tank-filter-primer is that would help. Should I place it by the engine ? The primer is a brand new "tempco" brand, it is working fine now without the filter in use, so I think that we can eliminate it as the cause. I do not think that there is a "bleeder" on the Racor, it just has in/out ports and that is it.. Ciao, Ron
Tom W Clark	posted 05-13-2002 12:33 PM ET (US) Ron, I would put the primer bulb downstream of the filter but I think your current problem is likely to be the primer bulb itself. Those Tempo brand primer bulbs are notorious for being fickle. I would get and install an OMC bulb regardless of what motor you have. You cannot eliminate your current primer bulb as the problem until you can repeat the problem with a correctly installed alternate primer bulb.
Soho	posted 05-13-2002 01:20 PM ET (US) Point taken. I will get an OMC bulb and install downstream. ( but oriented upwards of course!) I will report back after making the changes. Ciao, Ron
jimh	posted 05-13-2002 01:30 PM ET (US) This primer bulb melange is strange, but I can tell you this: I spent the entire last season trying to get an assortment of TEMPO and very old Mercury QUICKSILVER primer bulbs to work right. I got two new style Mercury bulbs and they worked immediately. As for location of the primer bulb, I looked at a number of factory pre-rigged boats this spring to see where they had installed the primer bulb: all within two feet of the engine. On many of the new boats that have internal fuel tanks there is no longer a disconnect fitting at the engine; the fuel line hose is connected with a crimped fitting to a stub hose the protrudes from the engine cowling.
Guts	posted 05-13-2002 09:53 PM ET (US) I don't think it maters what side the primer bulb is on. I have 6 inches of hose coming out from the tempo 26 tank to the bulb. then it goes in the tunel out the back of the tunel to the filter that is mounted on the splash wall (on the inside of the boat not in the splash well) from there to the OB. I could here the air when the bulb was pumped. (sucking air could be heard), that told me the bulb was bad. replaced it problem fixed. P.S. my bulb points down for what it is worth. Guts
Soho	posted 05-14-2002 07:51 AM ET (US) For what it is worth, when the boat was last in the water ( been out about 4 years ! ) I ran it with tank - bulb-filter - 13 foot run to engine and it worked fine for years. I think that I will upgrade the primer bulb and give it another try, I will also put a new filter cartridgte in. With any luck I can get that donw tonight after work. Ciao, Ron
Soho	posted 05-24-2002 08:07 PM ET (US) I think that I can close this one off. I have replaced the Tempco Turkey Baster Primer Bulb with an OMC and put a new filter cartridge on the Racor. Ran this setup today for a couple of hours and no fuel flow problems. Have left the setup as Tank-bulb-Racor-long run to engine. As per posts on another thread : when I first primed this system up, the bulb did not prime easily while in the horizontal position, tilted it upwards slightly and it grabbed fuel right away. Ciao, Ron