I am not sure about the new ones but this relates to the 4 I have owned in the 2006-2009 model years. On the front of the motor (see pic) is a spin on water separator bowl that has a small filter in it. The bowl is plastic and the housing metal with fine threads. Even practiced mechanics have a hard time not messing up the bowl threads on re-assembly. You also need a 35$ tool to get the bowl off most of the time. On some models they actually had a wif sensor in the bowl and then discontinued.
If you suck up bad fuel into this system then it is not a service job to be done at sea unless flat calm.
Last week I got a gulp of real bad fuel out of one of my saddle tanks. My 150 shuddered and I shut it down. Checked my racor fuel bowl and was full of yellow milk. I drained it and then switched tanks and pumped and drained again. (was out in 4-6 ft seas with nervous but very quiet wife!). Then I made a prayer that the other fuel bowl on the engine was not plumb full of goo. I made it back thankfully and when I got home I checked the engine bowl and it was half full of crud.
SO I dawned on me, after first bad fuel experience in long time, that the engine fuel filter is not necessary if you have a good primary racor with separator on deck. It is nice to have a secondary filter but not at the expense of not being able to clean it in an emergency at sea. Solution is to bypass it which is a 2 minute job. Just take off the mount.filter set up and get rid of it. The inlet hose from boat has a nice built in nipple to join to the hose that goes to engine fuel side.
The trick is to catch water in the bowl before it goes to the engine. In my last boat I had rigged up a diesel wif sensor in the bowl that had a buzzer alarm and light on dash when got more than 3/8in or so water in bottom of the bowl. Worked like a charm. Not 'legal' but not dangerous. I am going to do this to my Arima now. Dont like the feeling of being broke down in the Pacific ocean close to a rock shoreline!
If you suck up bad fuel into this system then it is not a service job to be done at sea unless flat calm.
Last week I got a gulp of real bad fuel out of one of my saddle tanks. My 150 shuddered and I shut it down. Checked my racor fuel bowl and was full of yellow milk. I drained it and then switched tanks and pumped and drained again. (was out in 4-6 ft seas with nervous but very quiet wife!). Then I made a prayer that the other fuel bowl on the engine was not plumb full of goo. I made it back thankfully and when I got home I checked the engine bowl and it was half full of crud.
SO I dawned on me, after first bad fuel experience in long time, that the engine fuel filter is not necessary if you have a good primary racor with separator on deck. It is nice to have a secondary filter but not at the expense of not being able to clean it in an emergency at sea. Solution is to bypass it which is a 2 minute job. Just take off the mount.filter set up and get rid of it. The inlet hose from boat has a nice built in nipple to join to the hose that goes to engine fuel side.
The trick is to catch water in the bowl before it goes to the engine. In my last boat I had rigged up a diesel wif sensor in the bowl that had a buzzer alarm and light on dash when got more than 3/8in or so water in bottom of the bowl. Worked like a charm. Not 'legal' but not dangerous. I am going to do this to my Arima now. Dont like the feeling of being broke down in the Pacific ocean close to a rock shoreline!
