Ethanol & My Fuel Filters

Site Admin Joined: Mar 07, 2008 Posts: 1636

Started to change the fuel filters out today. Removed them from the boat & still could not get the "cups" off. Wrenchs couldn't even twist them off. SO, called Ships Ch & they were too busy to help. Got in the truck and drove to Auer & their mechanic brought out the vice & yamaha tool and yanked/twisted pretty hard to get them off. He said they should not be that hard to get off!!! He said ETHANOL had swollen them making it so damn hard to remove, even with that tool. He had been seeing these cases a lot lately..

He suggested putting the cups in the freezer to allow them to shrink back to their better fit.

Hope that info helps anyone else who may have similar problem. PS They say you can't buy that tool anymore, but they are on EBAY. Cool

Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 9:14 am Post subject:

Amanda, were your filters the Racor brand with the drainable plastic bowl at the bottom??
_________________
Bert
18' Key West/90 HP Yamaha
LuckyLady

Site Admin Joined: Mar 07, 2008 Posts: 1636

^ Couldn't tell you a brand over OEM.... but here's what it looks like:

The other one we put in the freezer and shrunk down & it fit back perfectly. The other one (in this picture) however won't shrink down & the threads are screwed up, so I guess we gotta go get a new one... pluuuh. Ethanol sucks! Evil or Very Mad

Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 10:27 am Post subject:

I suggest you steer clear of E10 from now own. If you can seek out gas stations around you that are now refusing to sell ethanol, even if it means traveling a bit to fill your boat up. You may even want to invest in a portable fuel tank or two. It may save you serious $$$ down the road from more ethanol-related issues.
_________________
Fountain 34 CC
"Devils Rejects"

Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 10:50 am Post subject: E-10

Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 11:08 am Post subject: E-10

Amanda, it occurred to me that your boay rig may not have come with an external fuel/water separator. Racor is a leading brand since the filter has a plastic bowl at the bottom that allows for fuel monitoring over time and protedts the onboard fuel filter(at least to a degree). See the following link for a pic.

http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|311|302335|107095|699530&id=366095
_________________
Bert
18' Key West/90 HP Yamaha
LuckyLady

Site Admin Joined: Mar 07, 2008 Posts: 1636

Ah ok, I THINK I know what you're referring to.... like this is what we have - the Yamaha Micron 10 - http://www.yamaha-motor.com/outboard/accessories/acscitem500/5/436/1821/12780/all/1/5675/0/main/itemdetail.aspx

For the other thing we took the plastic cup part to Ships Chandler a few minutes ago & they gave us new ones fo freee - thanks to yamaha warranty. Those things sell for $150 a piece w/o warranty - :S :S They said the same thing Auer did, about Ethanol making those cups swell. :S

34Fountain, I'm gonna look around at some bigger portable tanks... right now we have 6 5-gallon containers - fueling each one of those into the boat gets OLD, esp with only 30-gallons at a time. Razz

Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 12:11 pm Post subject: E-10

Yep, Amanda, that is the standard external Yamaha filter. The Racor allows you to monitor the condition of the fuel as often as you want and can alert you to potential problems. You could easily change to a Racor in the future if desired.

Sounds like Yamaha knows that there is a problem and they are standing behind their product!!! Great!!!
_________________
Bert
18' Key West/90 HP Yamaha
LuckyLady

Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 12:24 pm Post subject:

Whats the special tool youre talking about?

Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 1:00 pm Post subject: E-10

Bimini Twist, here is what I found on ebay that Amanda was probably referring to.
_________________
Bert
18' Key West/90 HP Yamaha
LuckyLady

I hooked myself! Joined: Mar 13, 2008 Posts: 87

Hey I like the looks of that tool way better than the other one they were selling at various online marines. That one looks as if it will grip all of those knobs and twist it off. Both Auer and Ships Chandler had the C shaped three point tool that barely worked.
Finally 3/4 the way thru with the 100 hr to dos, still have to change out the lower unit gear oil. I guess another job for tomorrow. Need to get a few beers and grab a lounge chair while waiting for them to drain. Anybody have any oppositions to using Castrol brand hypo 90 wt gear oil? I honestly cannot tell a difference between lower unit lubes besides the price. I honestly do not think corrosion protection would be an issue since water aint sposed to be in there anyway!
I can honestly say I needed a stiff drink or a valium after having those damned fuel filter cups kick my tail. I tried everything I had in my shop but to no avail. But for anyone else with this problem who still has a valid Yamaha warranty, please go ahead and take them off and have them replace them for you for free. It is simply a miracle if you can get them to come off....nearly impossible to get them back on. I am hell bent on shooting a letter to Yamaha Inc. inquiring about what they intend to do about this ethanol problem. I am sure they did not see this coming down the pipe. Pardon the pun!
_________________
Reel Finatical Fishing Team
Destin, FL & Carolina Beach, NC

Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 1:59 pm Post subject: E-10

I agree on lower unit gear oil. If it meets specs, then I would use it w/o hesitation. Thanks for the heads up on the fuel filter problem. I have a 300 hr. service interval coming up and will see if I have the same problem. Have a good weekend!!
_________________
Bert
18' Key West/90 HP Yamaha
LuckyLady

I hooked myself! Joined: Mar 13, 2008 Posts: 87

Anyone have any idea what's the size of the castellated prop nut on a Yamaha F150?
_________________
Reel Finatical Fishing Team
Destin, FL & Carolina Beach, NC

Posted: Sat Jul 18, 2009 6:53 am Post subject:

The prop nut size is 1 1/16 or 28mm. I just changed one last week

I hooked myself! Joined: Mar 13, 2008 Posts: 87

Thanks
_________________
Reel Finatical Fishing Team
Destin, FL & Carolina Beach, NC


Create an Account		Home · Forums · Photos · ReefCast · WaveCast · Bluewater Supermap · FREE SSTs · NWS Forecasts · Tide Tables · Solunar Tables · Your Account