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Warning! New filter system on new Yanmar engines is Bad!

14165 Views 60 Replies 19 Participants Last post by  gibbo90909, 
MarkofSeaLife
Hi folks,

I got into a very serious problem the other day.
I have a new Yanmar 4JH57 the new common rail engine. 300 hours on the clock. It has a new pre-filter replacing the Racor 500. The inlet on the new Yanmar pre-filter has a Banjo bolt where the fuel must turn at 90 degrees and go through a hole in the bolt about 1mm wide.


This turn gunked up and the engine stopped.... in a remarkably difficult and dangerous location with a contrary current of 5 knots and me being only able to sail at 1.3 knots - directly towards the rocks!!! With another 6 hours of current sucking me into the infamous Alderney race with currents up to 9 knots.

If it had stopped 15 minutes later there is no way I could have turned around and been able to sail into the current.

So I had a fun few hours trying to sail and locate the fuel fault.
Also the filter needs a spanner/wrench far larger than I have so I couldn't change the filter at sea!

On a brand new engine its not expected to stop!
Anyway I finally traced it back to the Banjo Bolt and its tiny hole. A tiny piece of orange plastic has gummed it up then crap built up around it.
I though a pre-filter was meant to suck anything out of the tank and filter it before the primary fuel filter mounted on the engine.

I do not want / and will not have this possible situation again. Cruising boats can often pick up dirty fuel (I've fuelled in Venezuela, Egypt, Oman, Indonesia, Malaysia etc) or some goop can get in or grow, no matter the additives etc.

My solution is to buy a new Racor 500 as a pre-pre-filter and to mount it in the aft cabin on the external riser for the bunk, adjacent but on the outside wall to the Yanmar filter. Thus I will be able to ensure gunk the size that blocked the Banjo Bolt will not cause a problem, and that I can visually see the Racor from the Saloon, and change that Racor filter in less than 1 minute.

I found the problem and cleaned the Banjo Bolt and was able to get back to harbour no problems... but by then another bit of gunk was in the bolt.
I pumped out the whole tank and filtered the fuel and its clean as a whistle.

I will upload a pic of the problem off my phone in a few moments... but heres a location snap of exactly where you do NOT wanna have the engine clag up.

Your comments appreciated.


Mark

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tempest
I agree with ripping the whole thing out and replacing it. Short of that, I'd re-work the fittings ( if possible) to eliminate the 90 degree turn. Adding another filter, just seems to add another maintenance and potential failure point.

Sh#$ happens with fuel, as you experienced, it usually happens at the worst possible moment. But, It shouldn't happen because of poor design.

After a few similar incidents on my old girl, ( too much crud in the tank, no inspection port) I yanked the fuel tank and replaced it.
Even though it has worked flawlessly since, I still carry a stern anchor that I can deploy in a minute, just from the memory of the engine cutting out, perilously close to the inlet rock pile.
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MarkofSeaLife
hpeer said:
Mark,

A question.

Does this troublesome Yanmar filter have a hand pump on its top? I think I see one in the picture. That might be a nice feature to retain if possible.

Is there a way to replace the banjo fitting with something more straight forward? I've had good success with a Parker dealer helping me out with odd fittings.
Click to expand...
Yes to the pump on top, that's one reason to keep it as there is no hand operated pump near the final engine mounted filter, nor a bleed screw on the engine.

Re replacing the Banjo Bolt with a screw in barb fitting. I will investigate.

Thanks for the thoughts.
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MarkofSeaLife
SanderO said:
How much fuel do you use before you you need to replace a racor?
Click to expand...
Every second oil change so 300 hours.

300 hours at 5 knots at 3 litres per hour =900 litres/237 us gallons.

But the Racor filter can be flicked out in about 60 seconds.
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R
Too many variables to change fuel filters on a set schedule, imo.
Its able to do its job or not. 1000 hrs or 10 hrs....

Regarding that yanmar filter thingie, i would 1st talk to the engine dealer
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outbound
Have the exact same set up as Z. Works great. Have gotten bad fuel and would alternate between changing them but was able to keep the boat going until we got wind. Went through 6 yes six filters with that episode. Impressed on me the need to carry as many spare filters for everything you can find room for. Fortunately have four fuel tanks so was able to switch to the other tanks for the rest of the trip. Learned to never fill all 4 tanks from the same source unless I knew it had good clean fuel.
The fuel filter mounted on the engine block of 4 hjte yanmars is a PIA. It’s attached with two bolts. Find getting the sensor out without chafing or tensioning the wires is easiest if you remove those two bolts. Then you can easily disconnect the wires, take off the protective steel cup and get to the filter.
Find it’s good practice to have a gallon or qt. of diesel stored in a separate container. You can use that to top off the racors without having to mess with the tanks after changing filters.
Also if you unbolt the fuel filter you have room to put something under the thing so you don’t get a diesel mess with a fuel filter change. Use sockets for this change and tighten lightly to allow me to do stuff with the thing held in my hand. I change the fuel filter with each oil change. I change the racors only when needed. I’ve found the smallest zip ties don’t scratch metal and are good for cleaning out most small clogged holes. Can take a razor blade to make them even narrower. Then run corrosion X then carb cleaner through them to clean out any residual junk.
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outbound
Haven’t been filtering fuel before it enters the tanks. Does anyone here do that? What do you use?
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MarkofSeaLife
outbound said:
Haven't been filtering fuel before it enters the tanks. Does anyone here do that? What do you use?
Click to expand...
Nope. And I cant really as I often put another gerry can in at sea. My fuel tank is not so big so for cruising I always take, and rely on, 6 gerrys. I cant use a Baja filter when in a seaway with the chance of a wave over the deck.
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M
Another thought is to use a pre-fill filter. I read in PS that the West Marine pre-fill rated best. I have that one and don't like it. Takes forever. I think they all might. The Baja filter is popular and expensive, but I've never tried it. Also gets good ratings. Says 2 gallons per minute filtration rate. We can easily take on 60 gallons (we hold 110). That's a half hour. I suppose, if cruising the islands, it's just part of the deal.
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E
MarkofSeaLife said:
But the Racor filter can be flicked out in about 60 seconds.
Click to expand...
Got it down to 15 minutes, including dropping anchor, finding tools, prefilling the new filter with diesel.
Had to do it yesterday just north of the the Statue of Liberty.

This is the 4th time in the last two weeks - bouncing across the waves must have stirred up a bunch of stuff from the tank bottom and the polisher is only getting the suspended matter; got to find a better way to clean the tank!

/ed
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O
My experiences pale in comparison to you *ocean-crossing folk, but still, my recent change/upgrade to a Racor 500 might be relevant.
Pictured in my blog entry and among the photos is also one showing the old installation of the smaller Racor inside the engine compartment.
New Location: Racor & Lift Pump - Blogs - EY.o Information Exchange

Having the 12 volt "Facet" lift pump in place to pull the fuel thru the Racor and push it on thru the spin-on engine filter, to the hi pressure pump is, as the saying goes, a "good thing."

*this would be those of you who have wrung more water out of your socks than I have sailed over...

:)
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outbound
We get yelled at if we take too long at the fuel dock. Try to run a tank down to 20% full before filling it. Figure that way mixing less old fuel with new and it gets new biobor right away. Try to wait until at least two tanks are low but sometimes until all are low if I know I can get a lower price in the near future (I.e. full up just after clearing out down the road at the next landfall). So may put in 100 to 150 gallons at a time. Just under 200 if really empty. At 2g/m that’s longer than any fuel dock will put up with so definitely see the logic of no prefiltering.
Every trawler I’ve been on has a for real polishing system and a day tank. You could have dead bodies floating in the fuel tank(s) and the engine would be fine. Has anyone here done something similar on their boat?
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R
Im fairly religous about keeping my small tank and 4 jugs topped up.
I do not add any biocide or treatments to the tanks.
The last place i want any trash going...is to the bottom of the tank.
Filter now in use is almost 2 years in....est around 475 hrs. Engine hrs = oil changes
Bowl is clear with a few specs of whatever fuel trash was put into the fuel jugs.
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MarkofSeaLife
olson34 said:
Pictured in my blog entry and among the photos is also one showing the old installation of the smaller Racor inside the engine compartment.

:)
Click to expand...
Very nicely done! :)

Mark
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Steve Bateman
These Racor filters seem all the rage now ! I have always used CAV filter blocks for the past 30 years with great results ! And a lot cheaper
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R
Its the racor filter hardware thats super $s.
Generic replacement filters are inexpensive.
The 500 is very user friendly....and proven.

Im sure there are others that perform as well and are much less $s.
Post a link to the one you like
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hpeer
Just a random thought, there might be another way to skin this cat. If you have multiple tanks, or something more on for an additional small tank, make one tank a “day” tank.

The engine only ever draws off the Day tank. All other tanks transfer fuel into the Day tank through a filter. That way all fuel is filtered into the day tank, and then filtered to the engine. If you keep an eye in the Day tank filter you should be able to change it out before failure while running the engine.

This is the way I have my boats set up. It cost some replumbing and a fuel transfer pump, and spare. I run the transfer pump off a timer so I don’t over fill, but could be tied to an auto float switch cut off.
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R
Drift....

3rd hand story

A cap/trawler in a florida marina transfered 2x the diesel into a 2nd tank of what it would hold...out the vent.
Alphabet agencies involved... many $$$s
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boatpoker
hpeer said:
I've been TOLD, by a surveyor, that the damn metal cups are an ABCY requirement.
Click to expand...
ABYC requires fuel filters to meet a fire rating specification or be fitted with a heat shield. I don't know of any plastic bowls that will meet the requirement although glass bowls do.
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S
A super simple band-aid would be to drill out those tiny holes.

I would do that until I had money saved up for a dual Racor setup.
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M
outbound said:
.....Every trawler I've been on has a for real polishing system and a day tank. You could have dead bodies floating in the fuel tank(s) and the engine would be fine. Has anyone here done something similar on their boat?
Click to expand...
Good point. No way one is prefiltering at 2gal/min, when taking on 1000+ gallons. Not humanly possible.

Best I can tell, polishing systems are nothing more than a couple of filters in series that recirculate the fuel. Probably a 10 mic and 2 mic in series, with water separating filters.

They would be a great idea, if one has the space, power and money. 2 Racors, a pump and all the supplies and fittings is probably running north of a boat buck, before all is done. I wonder if one could rig a dual R500 system to do double duty. If each filter went to/from a mainfold, some valving might do the job. Motor away from the dock, drop the hook, turn some valves and power up the polisher, while one cracks a cold one or makes a meal. Interesting thought.
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