cool fuel module

[christopher lawless]

Good Morning People....I desperately need a cool fuel module for a 2007 Searay 275 in Perth West Australia,Thank You in advance
Chris

 

[FLWestCoast]

Hi Chris,
I can relate! My 2005 350 Mag MPI had a fuel issue. High pressure pump failed. When I got into the CF3 modules I found that had significant corrosion in multiple locations, as well as breaking off two bolts while trying to remove the pressure regulator and top cap.

I was looking for a replacement (8M0047215) through most of March 2022 and was not able to find one... all suppliers were showing it as out of stock with an unknown ETA. I wrote Mercruiser and got a response that they were currently on backorder with no ETA and citing supply chain issues.

I then found some via UK Ebay (ebay.co.uk), which was filled by a supplier here in the US: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/181780059769?hash=item2a52ef9679:g:9gYAAOSwF45iYAh4

I ordered from this listing on March 31, 2022. It arrived in a few days and just completed installation this past Sunday. Wow - what a job to get that done on my 2005 240SD with the tight quarters in the engine room. I see this listing indicates they have just four remaining - hurry!

The CF3 that I received was the most recent version with the threaded cooling connections and the anodized top cap - both significant improvements over the earlier versions.

Good luck!
John

 

[FLWestCoast]

My CF3 replacement notes:

On my 2005 SD240 with the 350 MAG MPI I have a rather small space to work, in particular on the starboard side where the CF3 module is located. I found that some additional disassembly made it much easier:
(of course, take necessary precautions such as disconnecting the battery and managing fuel/fuel spills/fuel vapors)

Removal: (from memory)

1. Take lots of pictures to help you remember how to put it all back together: Belt, alternator, brackets, connections, wire and hose locations, etc. I can't stress this enough... this was very helpful in determining why the CF3 wouldn't mount up (had the bracket on upside down), where the hoses and wires ran with regard to the alternator, and how that damn belt goes around everything
2. Remove serpentine belt
3. Remove alternator & alternator brackets
4. Remove port side cooling "Y" hose
5. Disconnect and plug fuel connections... I had a heck of a time getting the fuel line from the CF3 to fuel rail out of the CF3, ultimately disconnecting from the fuel rail and removing it from the CF3 once I had it out of the boat
6. Disconnect CF3 cooling hoses - on mine with the older connections it was a single nut. On the newer CF3, these will be hose clamps to fittings in the CF3.
7. The CF3 is mounted by three bolts: one is shared with the alternator, the other two were on the forward, port engine mount. Remove these and you should have the CF3 free in your hands.

Installation:

• Reverse of removal. It went back together so much quicker than it came apart. I used a marine grade anti-seize on the mounting bolts/nuts to make future removal easier.
• I helped the low pressure pump by prefilling my water/fuel separator and the CF3 with some gas
• Turning the key off to on will cause the fuel pumps to run for ~2 seconds. You can use this to prime the fuel system if you have a pressure gauge with a purge feature connected to the fuel rail test port
• I had my fuel pressure gauge connected to the fuel rail and used that to help release the air out of the system, later to confirm that I was getting good pressure
• Inspect, inspect, inspect. In my mind a fuel leak is a worst case scenario... fuel on hot engine... yikes! I inspected and inspected for leaks, both after reinstallation and after some use.
• Be sure to grease all fuel connections - the injector company suggested silicon grease on the injector o-rings (both ends) and I used the same on the fuel line connections (also o-rings)

Other notes:

• My CF3, circa 2005, was in bad shape: The pump side, under the top cap, was full of gunk - combination of a gelatinous salt and paint, the high pressure regulator was full of gunk, and both pumps were rather rusted. The filter side had significant pitting from corrosion. The cooling connections showed corrosion.
• Due to the corrosion and paint issues, I decided to replace the module. The benefits I expected to get were eliminating corrosion and the potential for an internal leak to be contributing to the salt buildup, getting an anodized top cap to prevent further paint issues, new pumps.
• I figured that the gunk in the high-pressure side likely indicated that I would have some injector issues. I went ahead and pulled the fuel rail and injectors, and had them serviced by a local shop
• I used non-chlorinated brake cleaner (green can) to flush the fuel line from CF3 -> fuel rail and the fuel rail. I got more gunk out of the fuel rail.
• I also had determined that I had some water in the fuel tank and pumped that out as best I could.
• Due to the fuel contamination, I added a second fuel filter/water separator in-between the tank and the CF3. I went for a larger filter - 28micron to reduce flow restriction while providing water separation and filtering
• My boat has an electric fuel switch. I believe most of us will have one for each tank. I ended up putting that into bypass mode while troubleshooting. Be sure to put it back in Normal mode if you mess with it. You want that valve closed when the key is off.

These are my notes, written from memory. I'm not a mechanic and have the soft hands and numerous bruises and cuts to prove it. I can't tell you how to fix your boat and I'm certainly not going to be liable for what you might do with my knowledge shared here.

 

[christopher lawless]

Thank You so much mate

 

[FLWestCoast]

glad I could help, good luck with installation! Hope yours is easier