Fuel Water Separator Filter Up Grade on 5.7L Merc-gctid810551

[cant_decide]

2006 5.7L Mercruiser with stock Quicksilver fuel/water spin on filter. I want to up grade to a Racor B32020MAM spin on filter with metal bowl on bottom to drain water and crud. The Racor specs states it is a spin off old, spin on new unit if and only if there is enough room . Has anyone purchased this and installed it? Is it really that easy?

[88fourwinns]

I tried one on my OMC 4.3. While the filter is probably the best you can buy the metal bowl can be very difficult to remove from the filter element . I went back to the Seirra ones I have used for years and since I never had s water in the gas issue anyway they were good enough.

[2850Bounty]

With a few exceptions.... yes, it is just that easy.

1..... the RACOR cartridge plus the metal bowl make it taller than the OEM style fuel filter.

Keep in mind that when draining the metal sediment bowl, you will want to have enough space underneath it for a metal catch container.

If not, raise the base mount up some.

2..... you will see approx 3 different thread diameter/pitch base mount units. Make sure that your new RACOR unit spin-on threads are a match to your base unit.

[cant_decide]

Purchased a Sierra Fuel Water Drainable filter....SER 18-7929. ..Thanks for the in put. Have a great Memorial Weekend!

[driz]

I put a sierra on back around 2000. Just the simple spin on with simple cartridge that looks like an oil filter. Its all I've ever needed and a lot cheaper than a Rancor and so are the cartridges. I run the socks off mine usually double the use most boats get and never had a hiccup in hundreds of hours. It was dirt cheap too ~ $20 and easy to find a place that would fit and be accessible. I just change it yearly and if I want to know if I've been getting water I just pull it and dump the gas in a jar to settle out and reinstall.

[2850Bounty]

"cant decide" post=810732 wrote:
Purchased a Sierra Fuel Water Drainable filter bowl....SER 18-7929.

[color]blue wrote:
Great choice! That unit is a RACOR design that is being marketed by Sierra. GLM does the same.

The filter's special cyclonic action provides true H2O separation.

[/color]

.

[cant_decide]

Up- date....drained tank completely empty. Fuel was yellow in color and towards the bottom of the tank turned a little brownish. Put in 15 gals of new fuel. Turn the key nothing but a single click. tried again and again. Just a single click ach time key is turned. Batteries good...on to my next problem

[captharv]

Whenever I get a new or new to me boat, I take the merc filter and toss it out, and buy the racor. My last boat had 900 hours on it over 12 years. Just before trading it in, I borrowed one of those fiber optic cameras and looked inside the carb bowl. It was looking brand new clean. That's why I buy the racor filters.

If you are really paranoid about water, Racor offers a kit which has a sensor in the water bowl and will light a red light if the water gets over a certain level in the filter bowl. Being I only get a half of a shot glass of water when I drain it, I did not but the kit. However, I do drain it every few months or so.

[builderdude]

"cant decide" post=812546 wrote:
Up- date....drained tank completely empty. Fuel was yellow in color and towards the bottom of the tank turned a little brownish. Put in 15 gals of new fuel. Turn the key nothing but a single click. tried again and again. Just a single click ach time key is turned. Batteries good...on to my next problem

Check the slave solenoid

[driz]

Popping that float coder if accessible is a great way to really know what's in there. Just get a siphon going and suck the crud out of ther, so simple, if on a trailer. That bad urine sample yellow stuff is probably smelling like varnish if you separate it out from the good stuff.

One other thing are your fuel lines ethanol rated? Know the older gray ones weren't and eventually start breaking down. That black goo that's produced will make a real mess of fuel systems downstream. It's cheap insurance to swap yours out if they aren't marked rated for ethanol.

[cant_decide]

I did remove fuel sending unit / popper to drain tank dry.

Fuel line is black USCG A1.

Thanks for the in put