I have never experienced a case of total engine stoppage because of bad
fuel but there were several instances in the last 30 years when near
total filter blockage caused my engine to slow down or surge.
Fortunately I recognized the symptoms in time to change the filter
before catastrophe ensued.
For do it yourself fuel polishing, I built a very simple rig which
could be used either in port or under way. It consisted of a board with
a Walbro pump and a large fuel filter. I used a commercial oil heating
filter because the elements were so cheap. A Racor or a Gulf Coast
filter might be better but I had the furnace filter on hand. Two 1/4"
copper tubes were soldered to the 3/4" fuel tank vent plug. One
extended to near the bottom of the fuel tank, in this case a long
saddle tank 14" deep by 60" long. The other tube was only 2" long. The
plug was screwed into the tank. A neoprene fuel hose was led from the
upper end of the 14" tube to the Walbro pump intake. The outlet of the
pump went to the fuel filter. The outlet of the filter went to the
upper end of the short tube. When the pump was connected by a plug to
the cigarette lighter on the dash, fuel was pumped from the bottom of
the tank through the filter and deposited back onto the top of the same
tank. It worked whether the engine was running or not. When one tank
was cleaned, the board with the pump and filter could be moved to the
other tank.
I estimated the filtering power of the rig at about 10 gallons an hour.
Although the pump is rated to have a 40 gallon per hour capacity, the
pressure backup of the filter slows things down a bit. Additionally
several passes at the potentially dirty fuel wouldn't hurt. Usually I
left the pump on overnight to process 120 gallons of fuel.
Even if you bought new components, the total cost of the filtering rig
would be less that $100. The pump is rated for continuous operation and
draws very little power. If you make one be careful with the
construction, double clamp all connections, insulate all wires, fix the
rig solidly in position, etc., etc., etc. Better safe than sorry.
Larry Z
I have never experienced a case of total engine stoppage because of bad
fuel but there were several instances in the last 30 years when near
total filter blockage caused my engine to slow down or surge.
Fortunately I recognized the symptoms in time to change the filter
before catastrophe ensued.
For do it yourself fuel polishing, I built a very simple rig which
could be used either in port or under way. It consisted of a board with
a Walbro pump and a large fuel filter. I used a commercial oil heating
filter because the elements were so cheap. A Racor or a Gulf Coast
filter might be better but I had the furnace filter on hand. Two 1/4"
copper tubes were soldered to the 3/4" fuel tank vent plug. One
extended to near the bottom of the fuel tank, in this case a long
saddle tank 14" deep by 60" long. The other tube was only 2" long. The
plug was screwed into the tank. A neoprene fuel hose was led from the
upper end of the 14" tube to the Walbro pump intake. The outlet of the
pump went to the fuel filter. The outlet of the filter went to the
upper end of the short tube. When the pump was connected by a plug to
the cigarette lighter on the dash, fuel was pumped from the bottom of
the tank through the filter and deposited back onto the top of the same
tank. It worked whether the engine was running or not. When one tank
was cleaned, the board with the pump and filter could be moved to the
other tank.
I estimated the filtering power of the rig at about 10 gallons an hour.
Although the pump is rated to have a 40 gallon per hour capacity, the
pressure backup of the filter slows things down a bit. Additionally
several passes at the potentially dirty fuel wouldn't hurt. Usually I
left the pump on overnight to process 120 gallons of fuel.
Even if you bought new components, the total cost of the filtering rig
would be less that $100. The pump is rated for continuous operation and
draws very little power. If you make one be careful with the
construction, double clamp all connections, insulate all wires, fix the
rig solidly in position, etc., etc., etc. Better safe than sorry.
Larry Z
