Fuel filtres

[undercutter]

Are spinons as good as cartridge or vice versa?


I was thinking of changing the filtre head from the existing cartridge to spinons. Then I read a cat brochure that stated they use spinons on the smaller engines and cartridges for the larger ones. They didn't say why.


They also stated that some new engine manufacturers are starting to use cartridge filtres on their smaller engines as well. Again, they didn't say why.


Opinions?

[Sailmonkey]

I hate changing spin-ons . Cartridges like the racor 500 are a snap.

[undercutter]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

I hate changing spin-ons . Cartridges like the racor 500 are a snap.

I was referring to main engine primary and secondary filtres.
These fitres are in a hard to reach place and difficult to remove and install. Have to use sandwich baggies to catch the fuel and parts including base and cartridge.


PITA

[Nicholson58]

It’s a matter of the total dirt holding capacity and micron rating. Beyond that, whatever geometry works best for you. Spin on and cartridge elements are nominally identical with 100% of the oil flow passing transverse through the media. The spin on elements may have a built in spring loaded ball-check relief valve. This permits the filter to bypass if it is plugged. If you use a spin on make sure the relief setting is proper for your engine.

[undercutter]

Originally Posted by Nicholson58

It’s a matter of the total dirt holding capacity and micron rating. Beyond that, whatever geometry works best for you. Spin on and cartridge elements are nominally identical with 100% of the oil flow passing transverse through the media. The spin on elements may have a built in spring loaded ball-check relief valve. This permits the filter to bypass if it is plugged. If you use a spin on make sure the relief setting is proper for your engine.

There are no relief or bypass valves in fuel filtres. That would be catastrophic for the injection pump.

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by undercutter

There are no relief or bypass valves in fuel filtres. That would be catastrophic for the injection pump.

You are correct that it would be bad.

You are wrong that there are none this way.

My single and dual Racors all have one. The bypass let dirt into our main pump and the silt stopped it dead. I have since installed a 1 micron polishing loop so that the engine and generator supply lines receive only pre-filtered diesel. I have not changed any of the Racor or other elements in five years now. The fuel bowls are spotless.

I have specified, bought and designed industrial hydraulic power and servohydraulic systems for over 20 years. Nearly all oil filters are furnished with built in bypass reliefs. This is to prevent the element from getting crushed by high pressure drop due to dirt clogging. If you want a non bypass filter it has to be special ordered and usually crush proof elements are furnished. Also, high bypass pressure switches are used to shut down the machine. No such safety interlocking on our engines. Ignore your filter and damage the pump.

[a64pilot]

I didn’t think that a Racor 500 has a bypass, pretty sure it doesn’t.
I know the screw on final Yanmar filter doesn’t.
However just for example aircraft fuel filters do, it’s considered better to bypass a filter than it is to flame out an engine. So some filters do.
Often aircraft have a light that tells you a bypass is impending, and or there is a button on the filter housing that pops up indicating an impending bypass, you check it on every pre-flight of course.

Of course almost all oil systems have a bypass, sometimes in the filter, sometimes in the engine.

[Lepke]

If you don't like where your filters are, there's always a way to replace or remove them to a better place.

[Wotname]

I am surprised to learn that diesel fuel filters typically used on small / medium might boat engines (say < 100 hp) possibly have a by-pass valve in them. I can't say I have ever seen one in any specs for them. In fact, I would suggest it would be very rare. But...maybe I should look harder!

As for the question of spin-on versus cartridge - I think the filtering effectiveness would be more dependant of the manufacturer than the style of attachment.

While I have used way more cartridges than spin-ons, these days I would walk over five free cartridges to get to one spin-on type. Assuming the spin-on is vertical, what is not to like. I guess cartridge style more often have a visual component that is handy; the spin-on ones I see don't have a clear section but I understand they are available.

YMMV.

[wsmurdoch]

The Racor 500 filter element emergency bypass is a knock out tab in the top of the filter. See page 6 in the brochure. https://www.parker.com/Literature/EM...Filtration.pdf Punching it throws all the filtration load onto the final filter.

Bill

[Compass790]

[QUOTE=Nicholson58;3010467]You are correct that it would be bad.

You are wrong that there are none this way.

My single and dual Racors all have one. The bypass let dirt into our main pump and the silt stopped it dead. I have since installed a 1 micron polishing loop so that the engine and generator supply lines receive only pre-filtered diesel. I have not changed any of the Racor or other elements in five years now. The fuel bowls are spotless.

When you say the silt stopped your pump are you talking the lift pump or the injection pump? Just curious. Personally I'm not sure I'd want a bypass in a final fuel filter but I have the final filter after the lift pump.
Good idea the polishing loop.

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by undercutter

. Then I read a cat brochure that stated they use spinons on the smaller engines and cartridges for the larger ones. They didn't say why.
?

We have twin spin on filters on our 14 litre 855 Cummins
Twin racor 2020 cartridges/elements prior to that

What I found odd was that the spin on's are 20mic but the cartridges we run are 10mic so in theory, the spin ons should last indefinitely.

[Ghostrider421]

Originally Posted by undercutter

Are spinons as good as cartridge or vice versa?

It depends on which engine you have. My B4.3, B5.8, N14 the Red Top 855's ALL use spin-on. So do 3408 Cats. I haven't used Racors in years. Just don't like them.