Stalling cat -Spin on Racor + other question

[Adria Haynes]

Sorry for not listing the essentials. It's just all a part of the
continuing saga for me that I have been posting about all week long.

It's a 1980 35FC with a 3208 Cat and I live in beautiful sunny
Flint, Michigan.

I figured I would be fine to not have the heater as long as I am
diligent about making sure I drain off any water before I winterize
the bus. Also, the spin on filters also have a transparent bowl
with drain valve as well. I do agree with what you are saying about
how often it would reason that I would have to change the filters,
but the 300 series canister doesn't appear to be three times smaller
than the 900 series as one would expect. This discrepency in logic
is one of the reasons I knew I had to check here first.

I do know what you are saying though, I need to consider more than
just GPH flow capacities.

I was asking about running it without the Racor because I thought
the Secondary filter inside the doghouse would work well enough to
get me through to see if I can get it to stay running for 10 minutes
or so. I'll excercise a little more patience until I get another
Racor in there first.

Thanks,
John






--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "mrdonut12"
<mrdonut12@y...> wrote:
>
> John,
> First, please list your year, model and location with each
post.
> We don't always remember and, in this case, may make a difference
in
> advice whether you're in Phoenix or Frostbite Falls, Minnesota
> regarding the fuel heater. ;o)
> You're beginning to learn about Blue Bird engineering and how
> EVERYTHING is over-engineered and usually has a back up system to
boot.
> The reason FOR sticking with the 900 series is it's greater
> capacity and the glass bowl. Think about it, if it has 4 times the
> flow capacity, you can get nearly plugged up and not have a
breakdown
> because of the excess capacity.
> If you get a filter system that's designed for the capacity,
it
> will take less obstruction until you're sitting on the side of the
road.
> The glass bowl lets you see how much water or rust particles
> you're getting. A 25 year old fuel tank is full of rust bits and
you
> need all the filter you can get.
> The past experience of the guys here has told me to use the 30
> micron filter in the Racor, not the 10 or the 20, as they get
plugged
> faster.
> I'd either fix the 900 series or replace it for those reasons.
> Regarding trying to start the Cat without the filter--if you
> think you have problems now, you ain't seen nuthin' yet if you put
> gunk into the injector pump or injectors. ;o)
> I hope this helps.
> George Witt
> 81 FC 35
> Lincoln, Nebraska
>
>
> --- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Adria Haynes"
> <mrbeebody@n...> wrote:
> > I still haven't really tried to start my 3208 again yet. I got
the
> > 900 series Racor off and found some of the internals to be
damaged
> > from excessive heat. I have since decided to live without a
heating
> > element in my water seperator as I move forward since I really
don't
> > need my fuel so hot that it melts plastic inside of it - right
next
> > to my LP pig.
> >
> > In looking into the option of just replacing my filter/seperator
> > instead of rebuilding it, I stopped by the local West Marine as
you
> > guys advised. The guy there showed me a flow chart that shows I
> > should be able to EASILY live with a 300 series seperator (320R
> > actually) with the spin on style filters.
> >
> > Maybe I'm too green, but it seems like a no brainer. But I
don't
> > really want to make any moves or spend any money without
consulting
> > you professionals first, though. The things I liked about that
unit
> > was that is had a primer built into it, the filters seemed
easier to
> > change, and changing them seemed like it wouldn't be as messy.
The
> > things I didn't like was that each new filter was like $27. A
small
> > drop in the bucket I know, but still.
> >
> > Please advise on any of your thoughts or experiences concerning
> > installing and/or maintaining one of these spin on style
> > filter/seperators.
> >
> > Also, once the new unit is installed, how do I go about pushing
fuel
> > up the line to the secondary filter? Just use that built in
primer?
> >
> > How do I do it if I go with another 900 series Racor?
> >
> > How bad of an idea is it to just eliminate the Racor for the
> > afternoon to see if I can get the damn thing running without it
at
> > all?
> >
> > Still overwhelmed,
> > John