CAT 3126 - does this system have lift pumps between the tanks and the RACORs?

Mike beat me to it..........his link is the Racor T-handle gauge with telltale.

Actually, the suggestion I was making to Mark was to consider upgrading his single 60gph Racor to dual 180gph Racors instead of adding lift pumps since that fixes the real issue on 410's, i.e. having marginal filtration capacity on the primary filters. With the return, these engines will process 45 to 50 gph of fuel thru the Racors so there isn't a lot of excess capacity with a single filter that flows 60 gph. The dual 900MA filters flow 3x as much fuel so you would be a lot less likely to run into a clogged filter situation.
 
Okay okay I stand corrected. A fresh set of RACORs solved the 'sync weirdness' that I reported in another thread, and brought the ability to easily make 2800rpm with a full load of fuel, water, and six adults...for about six hours of running time. By the time I was headed home, WOT would only yield 2700 port and 2600 starboard.

The heat of the summer, 18 days of non-operation during the hottest summer weather, and the algae growth problem appears to be back. ARGH!!! I thought I was getting ahead of it.
 
I wrote an article on fuel system management for CSR that is posted on the front of the site.........click on "home" at the top of this page then scroll down the opening page to the articles. The one on fuel system management is near the bottom........click on "read more" then look near the bottom of the article for how to chemically clean up a fuel mess in marine tanks. I'd explain it all in a post, but the article contains links to the various additive manufacturers sites so you see what additives are needed and how they are used.

Glad you are narrowing it down................
 
I'll certainly take time to read it carefully. All indicators by end of season last fall were that I had the algae on the run. However, heated storage over the winter probably allowed it to get a foothold, and our unseasonably warm summer weather this far north was enough to get it 'blooming' again.

When I bought the boat last summer, there was visible contamination in the RACORs. Enough so that I removed, disassembled, and bucket cleaned all the hard parts of the centrifugal sediment seperators to get 100% of the 'gelatenous goo' and black stringy crud out. In total, there was a half gallon of it between both units. As of this writing, there is zero of that getting spun out centrifugally - but it would appear that the 10M RACOR filters are going to continue to plug first.

I know you have posted elsewhere to use the 30M main filters, but I am apprehensive that alot then passes to a smaller medium that would restrict more quickly at the 2M CAT filters.

Maybe this is another thread altogether...
 
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For What It Is Worth-

If Frank Webster told me the best thing for my boat was to go running down Main Street naked as a jaybird, then I would start taking my clothes off now. If you continue to question his advice, you are going to stop getting it...and that is not something I would want to risk if I were in your shoes.

Govern yourself accordingly.
 
Frank....Please, please, please don't give Mistercomputerman ANY reason to go running around naked....but if you do....without pictures....it didn't happen!!!
 
markrinker said:
I'll certainly take time to read it carefully. All indicators by end of season last fall were that I had the algae on the run. However, heated storage over the winter probably allowed it to get a foothold, and our unseasonably warm summer weather this far north was enough to get it 'blooming' again.

When I bought the boat last summer, there was visible contamination in the RACORs. Enough so that I removed, disassembled, and bucket cleaned all the hard parts of the centrifugal sediment seperators to get 100% of the 'gelatenous goo' and black stringy crud out. In total, there was a half gallon of it between both units. As of this writing, there is zero of that getting spun out centrifugally - but it would appear that the 10M RACOR filters are going to continue to plug first.

I know you have posted elsewhere to use the 30M main filters, but I am apprehensive that alot then passes to a smaller medium that would restrict more quickly at the 2M CAT filters.

Maybe this is another thread altogether...
Click to expand...



The idea is to match the replacement cycles on the filters. With a clean fuel system, 30 microns catches the big stuff and that which passes isn't enough to clog the 2 micron Cat filter before the 30 micron Racors clog up. Most everyone changes all the fuel filters once a year at the same time. Until you get your fuel system cleaned of the sludge, you will be playing catch up and you will change filters more frequently, unless you use the method I suggested in the fuel management article.

Your comments on adding the diesel 9-1-1 before your trip? When you do the clean up, add a your biocide (I don't care whose, as long as its a biocide instead of a fuel conditioner) in shock quantities, then immediately add a 96 oz jug of Diesel 9-1-1 to each fuel tank and then top off the tanks. The "magic" with the Power Service 9-1-1 is that it chemically breaks up the chains of microbes forming the sludge at the molecular level into particles so small that they usually pass thru 2 micron filtration, however, you may need to change the Racors and the Cat filter one more time after you run the 9-1-1 thru the system. Try to run as much of the 9-1-1 treated fuel out of the tanks as you can before topping off again. If there are no fuel stops along the way home, then take along 2 more 96 oz jugs and 9-1-1 and treat the tanks again before topping off for the tip back. You cannot over dose with 9-1-1.
 
mistercomputerman said:
For What It Is Worth-

If Frank Webster told me the best thing for my boat was to go running down Main Street naked as a jaybird, then I would start taking my clothes off now. If you continue to question his advice, you are going to stop getting it...and that is not something I would want to risk if I were in your shoes.

Govern yourself accordingly.
Click to expand...

Since 2000 I've owned seven diesel powered GM light duty trucks (6.5L and Duramax) and put on over 900K miles. Two medium duty trucks (CAT and Ford), and a dozen Kubota powered skidsteers totalling at least 3000 operating hours for winter snow removal in some brutal winter weather.

During this time we've weathered the transition to ULSD and Minnesota passed legislation mandating biodiesel content - where we got two winters worth of water and crud in our fuel that froze in water trapping filters and clogged injector tips. I've worked through many situations where 'experts' were ready to throw expensive hard parts at a problem that turned out to be elsewhere in the fuel supply, filtration, engine management, or turbo boost control systems. One time it was even a $.05 pickup in the bottom of a plastic skidsteer fuel tank that was intermittantly sucking air - depending on how warm or cool the day was.

Its a wonder I have any hair left at all!!! :)

The only way I've survived the recession is by asking 'why' and understanding when and how to spend precious few dollars for repairs. So...when I 'question' Frank, it isn't a kid that doesn't recognize experience when he sees it. Its a veteran diesel guy comparing what he's learned over the years to what is unique about marine CAT 3126s and their filtration.

No disrespect intended. And I'll keep my clothes on. ;)
 
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fwebster said:
The idea is to match the replacement cycles on the filters. With a clean fuel system, 30 microns catches the big stuff and that which passes isn't enough to clog the 2 micron Cat filter before the 30 micron Racors clog up. Most everyone changes all the fuel filters once a year at the same time. Until you get your fuel system cleaned of the sludge, you will be playing catch up and you will change filters more frequently, unless you use the method I suggested in the fuel management article.

Your comments on adding the diesel 9-1-1 before your trip? When you do the clean up, add a your biocide (I don't care whose, as long as its a biocide instead of a fuel conditioner) in shock quantities, then immediately add a 96 oz jug of Diesel 9-1-1 to each fuel tank and then top off the tanks. The "magic" with the Power Service 9-1-1 is that it chemically breaks up the chains of microbes forming the sludge at the molecular level into particles so small that they usually pass thru 2 micron filtration, however, you may need to change the Racors and the Cat filter one more time after you run the 9-1-1 thru the system. Try to run as much of the 9-1-1 treated fuel out of the tanks as you can before topping off again. If there are no fuel stops along the way home, then take along 2 more 96 oz jugs and 9-1-1 and treat the tanks again before topping off for the tip back. You cannot over dose with 9-1-1.
Click to expand...

Okay will do. I thought the idea was to let the biocide shock treatment work for awhile. 30M RACORs ordered this morning, and I'll pick up four more CAT final filters before the trip.

We are headed to Isle Royale and then on to Thunder Bay Ontario and the northwestern reaches of Lake Superior. Probably 400+ miles so there will be refilling along the way. I'll make sure to call ahead and scope out the high volume stops where either the ferrys or Coast Guard fuel up. Every drop of fuel that has gone in this boat (well over 800 gallons so far) have been at high volume marinas that pre-treat with ValvTect. What is your thought on this additive as ongoing maintaince for algae growth? i.e. Do you recommend treating in addition to this?
 
Our marina switched to ValveTech fuels last year. I am anal about fuel management and have figured out what works for me here in this environment and I'm not changing. I never got any definitive answer from Valvetech about lubricity or cetane and deduced that is nothing more than the typical moisture displacement additive with a minimal biocide. I could deal with supporting the Valvetech fuel by adding my own additives for the missing stributes, if I could figure out what they were, and Valvetech's info doesn't tell you in any way that you can use.......it just tells you it is pretreated fuel.

My other big, BIG issue is that the fuel isn't really pretreated. Diesel comes in a tank truck and they fill the underground storage tanks, then some guy at the marina goes and gets the Valvetech additive in a bucket and pour it in the storage tank on top of the delivered fuel. I a perfect world, the marina would order 500 gal of diesel, then go measure and pour 500 gal worth of additive into the storage tank before the fuel delivery so it gets mixed well. At our marina the process started out well, but the dock manager soon grew weary of getting fuel additive on his pretty white tennis shoes and delegated the job to one of the yard boys......last week I saw the janitor handling the Valvetch additive.

So what do I do.....? I use a fuel conditioner and stabilizer with a cetane enhancer in it, I use a biocide, and I use a lubricity improver (that is 3 additives), just like I have for the last 20 years. Given the chance to get Valvetech fuel or not, I would use it (and do), simply because I think the quality of the fuel in the storage tank is probably better. But, because of the way their additive is handled and because they will not tell you what the measured effects are, I will continue to treat my own fuel so I know my tanks have a biocide in them and I know my engines have adequate lubricity.....which I think is important for engines built before engines became ULSD compliant.
 
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