The Filter Saga continues !

Well - I actually made decision and ordered a 5 way primer head from SSL - and two Fleetguard FS19599 spin on filters ( 7 micron absolute - stratopore medium )

This set up is basically a M16 x 1.5mm pitch spin on head - entering through the filter material and out of the drain bowl/centre spigot. ( similar actually to the cav flow direction )


My head came yesterday - it looked ok as a pic online - in your hands I was not impressed at all.

Several major grouses ( it was only £11.99 - so we take this into acccount I suppose )

The base of the filter head where the flat spin on seal seats - is not machined. Its just as it came from the casting - and these seems to be sand cast to me - they certainly are not die cast like Suzuki engine parts etc. The finish is sightly granular.

The primer bulb had a tacky exposed sping under the knob - waiting to rust away. My remote 1/2 unf bulb bought a while ago from ASAP is all enclosed. The electroplating around the primer base was already worn away showing bright metal !

The threads seemed poorly tapped - they didn't run freely even with a new 14mm hosetail ( maybe it was the tail ? )

The 5 way 'top' port - which is handy as a bleed valve was set right down into a recess in the casting, between the head fixing bracket and the primer mount - so difficult to use a ring spanner. I'm not carrying a 19mm socket just for a blanking off plug.

The bulb works by sucking fuel into the top of the outlet spigot - hence out through the three outlet ports. This leaves the entire head and filter chamber on the suction side of the primer - and before any non return flow of the primer. Essentially - one could not bleed the spare inlet port blank - or indeed release the drain at the filter base - unless you had positive feed to the filter unit from the tank.


On my old set up - this primer would have been useless. Many boats have a fuel level below the pre filter - beware ! It would have worked ok on my new set up - but the combination of all these made me think - nope ! - back it goes.

There is a huge problem in the UK - as anywhere maybe, of the old Okhams Razor dilema ( no middle ground ! ) There is either cheap stuff, insifficiently finished and machined to be anything useful - or way overpriced parts, that are finished properly. No one wants to take one of these units - finish it properly and sweetly - then sell it for £20 rather than £10.

Its either 'cheap and crap' - or ' good and rip off price' - its a sad situation, but directed by the market forces of having 95% people stuffed for cash - and 5% people over wealthy by far. Grouse ended !


So

Its returned - and I've swapped it for a plain spin-on head, 1/2 unf to fit my current primer unit ( which pumps into the head ) Be interesting to see if this one has a ground base - or if the threaded ports seem better ? Come on - on new part one expects a thread to run sweetly.


After all this hassle over just trying to source an independant head unit - I'm thinking its just not worth it. The filters are not the problem - its the heads. If you go Fleetgauard 1 x 14 head at £56 + filter unit and bowl - you are straight up to Racor prices with no primer. In fact Racor would be cheaper for the 120 series. The genuine Delphi head units are not cheap either - are difficult to source, and have little techinal info available. I have no idea if the wquility of those is any better for the money ?

Had I not already bought the filters - ok only £20 - I would have cut my losses and stuck for now with the cav set up. Then just bought a Racor 215 !

Lots of good filter options out there - not many options for filter heads !

I still want to have a good look at how the Racor primer on the 215 series actually works - but I have a feeling the Racors filter into the bowl, then out through the filter.

I can see no reason why an inlet port cannot go straight into the filter bulb - maybe having multiple inlet ports complicates the set up ?.


Mann and Fleetguard have entered the market with units arounds the same spec as the racor 120/230 series. They are almost impossible to get hold of - even from their own main dealers - and are priiced almost exactly the same as the Racors !

You just can't win - they have it all stitched up.


At least - the plain heads are so simple, the only thing to go wrong are four tapped ports and the spin on face at the base. Its no problem to lap it smooth - but why should I be having to bother to do that on a new part !

...screams till he goes loopy and pulls out all hair - lock him up, throw away the key - he wants things made properly at a fair price - he's a nutter ! ...

Geoff March 14

My head need filtration after all this !

see engine stuff for previous filter pages

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