10 micron fuel filter = false sense of security?

Sharphooks

Well-Known Member
In preparation for my end-August Ucluelet assault, today I stayed off the water and instead, changed out my high and low pressure fuel filters on my Honda BF150.

While I was at it, I changed out both T-stats and cleaned out the water/fuel separator. Lordy---it looked like the floor of a birdcage in the separator bowl!

So I cleaned out the gunk, wiped the bowl clean, reinstalled ,fired her up and let her run for 5 minutes to make sure there were no fuel leaks and just as I started to pat myself on the back for a job well done, there at my feet lay a part I forgot to put in the separator bowl.

So I pull it all apart, pull the separator bowl back off and WTF, it looks like the floor of a birdcage again!

So I guess I have to draw the conclusion (or ask the question) how did that stuff get past a 10 Micron fuel filter?????
 

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Looks scary! Where did you fuel up lately?
 
I was thinking--- can debris get sucked into the air intake? While pulling off the L+R side of the Honda BF150, I found pine needles and wrinkled up leaves st the base of the power head. The former owner must have had the cover off in an unprotected place---also pine needles in the bilge and around the batteries.

Maybe that junk got sucked into the air duct?
 
I have seen poor quality cartridge filters breakdown and creating major problems..change the micron filter pronto!!!!!!
 
Can't tell from the pictures, but if the bowl caught all that depris the filter is doing its job, time for a change. My boat was used very little over the last ten years and its amazing what comes from the tank from debris over the years. Mine is staying cleaner now but I also put lots of hours on it and cleaned my bowl regularily, changed filters once so far this season.(once at start one mid-season)
 
Something just came to mind..those fuel lines running from your tank including the pump bulb..if they are older just change the whole works with the newer type of hose material......a real big problem with any ethenol and water in your fuel tank...tip of the day my friend!!!!!! MOELLER fuel lines can be bought fairly long with those good crimp fittings...I would say are the best!
 
Based on the size of the pieces of debris I found in the fuel/water separator bowl, I think I drew the wrong conclusions about the 10 micron filter.
In the interests of disseminating proper information, this is what i think went down---

I'm the third owner of the boat. I'm guessing the first owner never had a 10 micron filter in place. I think the second owner installed a separator just prior to selling me the boat. With that in mind, I inherited the downside of two guys putting 300 hours on a motor without a filter in place.

I guess the good news is that the crap I found did happen to settle out in the first line of defense (the water/fuel separator ) ---the stuff I saw was not something you'd want traveling through the line to the low pressure filter ---no doubt, there would have been fuel starvation issues going on if it had.

And by the way, in a BF150, there is no filter in the fuel/water separator-- it's just a bowl and a float. Thank the Lord for gravity because that's what captured that stuff in the bottom of the bowl
 
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Do you run a Racor as well?

Good tip on the hoses. I have run all new hoses from the tank to the Racor but have not replaced my factory fuel lines to the engines.
 
Yes, I have a Racor. I'm surprised the Honda manual says change-out the 10 micron every 200 hours. With ethanol issues, I'm sticking to the 100 hour change-out (every time I do my oil and gear lube).

I've heard a fuel-line change-out is long dollars. I don't want to go there unless I see a real reason to do that.

But the ethanol thing is killer: I had the valve in the squeeze-bulb of a Yamaha T-8 get sucked down the hose and end up in the fuel diaphragm. When I got into the pump it was a gooey mess (the fuel starvation killed the kicker while I was trying to dodge a ferry boat so that episode is fresh in my mind)

the goo? Ethanol induced was my guess. Live and die with that 10 micron filter and fresh gas
 
Thanks for this thread Sharp hooks. I'm having some issues with my kicker and it is definately fuel related. I'm going to check out the ball on that fuel line and might replace it as well as the filter. I hope it's just a blockage somewhere and not the pump.
 
Hey Sculpin---not sure what you're running for a kicker, but running a Honda these days. I'm hearing Honda mechanics telling their clients to drain the carb after every use (!) or risk having issues

That's nuts--I think if you dope your gas with Stabil-Marine and keep the tanks pressed to avoid moisture condensation and use a fuel filter, you should be fine.

This is my first Honda---before, I always had Yammie T-8 's or a T-9's. The minute they started to hesitate or have what appeared to be fuel issues, I'd clean the carb. No more issues.
 
Hey Sculpin---not sure what you're running for a kicker, but running a Honda these days. I'm hearing Honda mechanics telling their clients to drain the carb after every use (!) or risk having issues

That's nuts--I think if you dope your gas with Stabil-Marine and keep the tanks pressed to avoid moisture condensation and use a fuel filter, you should be fine.

This is my first Honda---before, I always had Yammie T-8 's or a T-9's. The minute they started to hesitate or have what appeared to be fuel issues, I'd clean the carb. No more issues.

I'm keeping my tank topped up this year to cut down on the condensation. I had major issues with water last year due to leaving the tank half full then running then topping up to half again.

I use stabil and seafoam as treatment for my fuel. I have never cleaned the carb on her so I will do that as well.
 
If the little black bits in the bowl smear black like a sharpie, then it's your hoses deteriorating. Happened to me this year and cost me a lot of grief.
Bad gas and ethanol are like cancer to an outboard, it spreads to other areas quickly when not treated.
 
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