Stalling cat -Spin on Racor + other question

[samax8]

-There will probably be a lot of knowledgeable people on this forum
that will disagree with this but here goes. As far as safely driving
without the racor. When I got my Bird I replaced all the fluids and
filters just to be on the safe side. I went to the Cat dealer for
the filters. When I tried to buy a Racor I was told that they did
not sell them nor did they recommend them. This from the guy in
parts. I then spoke with the service manager at Holt Caterpillar,
San Antonio, TX ( the largest Cat dealer in the US). He said they
did not approve of Racor filters as they only caused problems and
that my 3208 had two filters without the Racor and that was all I
needed. When I started working on the Bird replacing fluids and
filters I discovered that my Racor had been bypassed by the previous
owner. I later drove from Texas to the Birds Nest to have some work
done and asked them to hook up my Racor and put in a new filter.
They (maybe Bennie, I'm not sure) said that I did not need it, that
it was overkill.

I have put about 7000 miles on without a Racor and never had a
problem except once with the water seperator leaking air(defective
Cat part). I do change my fuel filter and water seperator regularly
along with my oil filters and get an oil analysis every oil change.

Good luck
Bill
82FC33

-- 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