R21-EC Maintenance

[SGIDAVE]

Today I performed the 'annual' maintenance on my Yanmar 3ym30 engine. I changed the oil and filter, impeller, engine and tank fuel filters. Everything looked good except the Racor filter at the tank (Is this the Primary or secondary filter?). The filter cartridge had a lot of 'gunk' at the bottom. I drained the bowl of the Racor assembly before unscrewing it to avoid spilling fuel. I collected the fuel into a cup; there was approx 3-4 oz total liquid and approx 2 tablespoons water/fluffy gunk at the bottom. Yikes! Here is what the filter looked like

I'm glad I changed that Racor filter! The one on the engine looked fine. No water or solids whatsoever.

I estimate 1 hr time for all the work. I used an extractor to get out the 3 quarts of engine crankcase oil.

I'll take the extractor with me next trip out and drain the gear oil while it is hot. My gear holds only 1/3 qt so it won't take long to extract that little bit.

/david

 

[RProffer]

The filter on your fuel tank is the primary filter. The filter on the engine is the secondary filter. It looks like the filters did exactly what they are supposed to do. The primary stopped the big stuff, and if anything got through, the secondary filter would have stopped it.

From the looks of the picture, it looks like you may have some water contamination. That could be caused by contaminated fuel or condensation that formed on the inside of the tank. That is why it is recommended to keep the tank topped off - to prevent condensation.

There are two things you can do to correct the problem: 1) Empty and clean the tank, or 2) Add some diesel additive that is made to take care of the water. The first is the best way, and the second is the easiest. If you decide on 2), I recommend you run the tank dry and add more additive on the next fill-up and then change the filters again.

I have read, the number one cause of diesel engine problems is fuel contamination. If you keep your fuel clean, 95% of your problems will go away before they even happen.

 

[Brian B]

As others have posted on this forum Yanmar recommends using FPPF fuel conditioner.
http://fppf.com/index.php/products-by-n ... duct&id=16
I use it with every gallon of fuel that goes into the boat.
You can find it on Amazon for a reasonable price.

 

[glthomas]

Thanks for the info.
I just ordered the fuel and coolant conditioners from Amazon.
I will go back to the site and read up: I assume I can also use this in my tow vehicle.
I currently us Sea-Foam and I will switch to Yanmar recommended products.

 

[wefings]

Water can be introduced into the fuel system via the vent . As pointed out earlier, that was exactly what the primary/secondary filter setup was supposed to do . GLthomas , I am not sure I would use Sea Foam in anything but a vintage 2 stroke outboard or chainsaw. Its just really expensive solvent.
Happy New Year !
Marc

 

[rt11002003]

David,

That photo of your primary fuel filter is almost exactly like a photo I took when I did my first maintenance on my boat. My second filter change was much different; the filter was a lot cleaner.

By the time of the second filter change I had modified the fuel tank vent system, changing the outlet fitting on the tank, running the vent line across the boat to a vent fitting on the starboard side. This eliminated problems I had with fuel coming out the vent fitting and possibily water coming back into the system.

gene