8V92TA steam plus other questions

Hi

I have detroit diesel 8v92ta engines in my boat. The port engine seems to give off a little bit of steam when run under heavy load or mid to high rpms, not always though seems to vary with environment and air temp.
Is this something I should be concerned about and what should I do to fix it?
The engine does not run hot but at normal temps or at least what i think is normal. I am pretty sure it is steam and not white smoke. It is not gaining oil so I'm pretty sure it is not white smoke or a head gasket.
Only the port engine does this which is a relatively new rebuild only 200 hours or so on her.

My starboard engine seem to run a little hotter than the port, does anyone know what the normal operating temps are for these engines and at what temperature you should be concerned?

I am a new boat owner and do not know too much about these engines so trying to learn it all.

I have been using her going around mostly at idle as i am never in a rush and i thought it was easiest on the engines.. Some people have told me that this is the opposite and not good for them that they need a good run every now and then at varying loads and speeds, is this true...

So in general any advice all of you may have for someone very new to owning big detroit diesel engines i would really appreciate! ANything at all you think is relevant to maintenance and what one should know owning something like this! The engines are the most valuable thing on your boat, i have spent a lot on this thing and would like it too last for a long time haha

Many thanks in advance!

It would be hard to say what is causing your "steam" without some other information and investigation. How are the engines cooled? Do you use raw water or is there a pressurized system with a heat exchanger?

In the description 8V92TA, the A stands for "aftercooler". This is a tiny little radiator that sits under the blower to cool the incoming air that has been heated up greatly by turbocharger compressing. This would be my first guess since you say you only see the steam at high load. This would be the time when there is a great deal of boost and large quantities of air going through that cooler. Then again, maybe not.

The only way to know is to pressurize the cooling system and find the leak. These engines also have many little water seals in place under the cylinder heads and it could even be a cracked exhaust manifold.

The "white smoke" you speak of is not smoke at all but would be completely unburned, atomized fuel spray. And, as you already said, not likely in this scenario.

I agree with those that have said that running the engines at varying speeds is a good idea but you don't need to obsess on that. All engines will tend to "soot" or carbon up if run too cold or idled too much. And, the Detroit 2 cycle is famous for running wide open and being "happy" all the time. A few good speed bursts and some off idle cruising should suffice though to keep the carbon burned off the valves and piston tops.

Your question about engine temperature is a good one. These seem to do best with 180 degree Fahrenheit thermostats. That means that the thermostat BEGINS to open at 180f. The engine will tend to run a bit warmer than 180 with these thermostats but should not consistently get up over 205f.

Keeping the engines at "operating temperature" (between 180 and 200f) will ensure that you get the best life out of these workhorses.

Thank you very much for all of this great information.
To answer your question, the engine has raw water intakes and also has a fresh water system with coolant...
Will have to get a proper detroit mechanic out to the boat to find the source of the steam!
Never seen the engines even go as high as 180, i never really push her hard though!
Not sure i understand what your first guess on the steam is, a blockage in the after cooler? or something wrong with it?? The engine does not heat up at all even when its blowing the small amount of steam...

Thanks again so much for your help and advice!

Yes, a good Detroit mechanic will cost you.
But, a bad one will cost you your boat.

What I meant was that the aftercooler could have a very small leak and it is wetting down the surface of the cooling fins and is slowly evaporating away. Then, when you firewall the throttle, you create real torrent of air that may "clean off" all the moisture at once, feeding it into the airbox and then to the cylinders giving you a puff of steam.

Have you experienced any coolant loss in the closed portion of the system? If not, then your steam is probably coming from the raw water side and, most likely, has something to do with the exhaust.

It is all speculation from hundreds or even thousands of miles away and you need answers from someone qualified that is on the scene. Try to find the best talent you can as the above saying is true.

As far as the engines never reaching 180, that indicates that they have very cold thermostats installed or none at all. Running them cold all the time due to low ( 140f-160f) thermostats will tend to soot them up and cause combustion chamber deposits to form. This is something that will happen slowly over time. But it will be detrimental to the engines.
Firstly, these engines won't operate with their best fuel efficiency if operated too cold. Secondly, the deposits tend to form on and around the injector tips and can effect the spray pattern when good and coked up.

Running them with the thermostats removed could actually cause them to overheat under high load stress demand as the "hot water reheat", recirculation bypass circuit will always be open from head to block and maximum cooling cannot occur.

I wish you good fortune with your new boat.

jgmo said:

Yes, a good Detroit mechanic will cost you.
But, a bad one will cost you your boat.

What I meant was that the aftercooler could have a very small leak and it is wetting down the surface of the cooling fins and is slowly evaporating away. Then, when you firewall the throttle, you create real torrent of air that may "clean off" all the moisture at once, feeding it into the airbox and then to the cylinders giving you a puff of steam.

Have you experienced any coolant loss in the closed portion of the system? If not, then your steam is probably coming from the raw water side and, most likely, has something to do with the exhaust.

It is all speculation from hundreds or even thousands of miles away and you need answers from someone qualified that is on the scene. Try to find the best talent you can as the above saying is true.

As far as the engines never reaching 180, that indicates that they have very cold thermostats installed or none at all. Running them cold all the time due to low ( 140f-160f) thermostats will tend to soot them up and cause combustion chamber deposits to form. This is something that will happen slowly over time. But it will be detrimental to the engines.
Firstly, these engines won't operate with their best fuel efficiency if operated too cold. Secondly, the deposits tend to form on and around the injector tips and can effect the spray pattern when good and coked up.

Running them with the thermostats removed could actually cause them to overheat under high load stress demand as the "hot water reheat", recirculation bypass circuit will always be open from head to block and maximum cooling cannot occur.

I wish you good fortune with your new boat.

Click to expand...

JG: so you would reccomend putting in the 180 thermostats, i will look into it find out what if any thermostats i have! I am not loosing coolant at all so it is not from the freshwater system..
The mechanic i have has 18 years experience with just marine detroits, he is very expensive but does a great job every time! i told him about the steam and he did not seem concerned at all thats why i am confused wether this is actually a problem or not!! I will call im again and get him out to the boat to check it out! I have had injector problems like you said... for the first year i never went over idle speed thinking i was being nice to my engines by doing that when in fact i am learning that was the exact opposite of what i should have been doing!

I really do appreciate your advice so much! I know nothing about these engines or engines in general and i feel its very important for me to learn owning a boat like this with 2 big detroits in it..

Would you say the 8v92tta are good engines, if i take care of it right can i expect a long life span? The port has about 400 hours on it since a fresh rebuild and the strboard around 800 hours... i know they are older engines but i have read many good things about them!

Do you have any advice on what i should check on a regular basis and before each trip? Right now i just check coolant levels, oil, raw water intakes before i head out ..should there be more to this list?

I had the oil and coolant changed about 50 hours ago along with filters... how often should this be done and how often should the fuel filters be change both racors and the engine?

I know this is quite a few questions but i am truly clueless! Thank you so very much for taking the time to answer me before and if you do again now.... just trying to figure out what i should be doing on a regular basis to make sure my engines are properly maintained!!

Thanks a ton
Robert

Well, I was not aware that your trusted mechanic had already dismissed the steam you are seeing. Had I known that, I might have just agreed that it was something to be monitored but not be overly concerned about. And, now that I know that he has weighed in on the subject, I would still agree with that assessment and defer to him.

My opinion of the 92 series Detroit is that they are good, solid engines that have a proven record of service and reliability if taken care of properly. Would they be my first choice to power a vessel? No. But, then, I wouldn't choose the 71 series today either. Though given a choice, I would probably go with the old 71 as they will take the worst beating man can throw at them and survive while the 92 is just not as rugged...in my opinion.

Bottom line is that if you got a great deal on a great boat and it came with the 8v92 and you are happy, then you did just fine and should be happy for some time. With proper maintenance. And, here is where a guy with the type of attitude you have for wanting to "do it right" will fare well with these engines.

To specifically address your questions, I will say you are about due for an oil change. 50 hours is probably a good interval. If you are in a local that would enable you to get oil analysis done and you can fit it in the budget, I would recommend using that resource to monitor these engines closely for fuel dilution and wear. At least for the first few oil changes. These engines can be maintained fairly economically but they are bank busters when something big goes wrong. The fact that they are turbocharged only enhances the importance of regular oil maintenance. A turbo can spin up past 100,000rpm and a reliable supply of clean, fresh oil is essential to good health.

The coolant. These engines experience a phenomenon known as "liner pitting". All "wet" sleeved diesels do to some degree but the 92, in my experience, is more susceptible to this condition than any other engine I have ever worked on.

Liner pitting is where small bubbles form in the coolant adjacent to the surface of the piston liner and then explode, supersonically, and blast away tiny fragments of the liner. Ultimately a hole appears in the liner and coolant then leaks into the combustion chamber. This can be almost eliminated with proper coolant maintenance. The proper coolant chemicals need to be present at all times and their levels need to be periodically adjusted in that they do deteriorate over time. This maintenance is achieved through coolant sampling, testing and adjustment using something called SCA or Supplemental Coolant Additives. There are a variety of "systems" available for achieving this alchemy. Some use coolant filters with the additive in the filter itself. But any system still needs to be monitored. Remember this...
70% of all catastrophic engine failure begins in the cooling system. This goes for ALL engines.

You are a bit different than about 85% of boat owners. They don't check anything before heading out so I commend you on what you are doing already. And the fact that you are curious and ask questions will be a big plus for your boat.
Yes, checking the raw water inlets and screens, fresh water level, oil level is about all you can do. Other than that, your transmissions come to mind. How is the air to the engines filtered? That can be a source of problems for your turbos if ignored.

The fuel filters should be changed more frequently at first and observed for water and contaminants. Your source of fuel, whether it is good clean diesel or not, will play a significant role in how often the filters need to be changed. Any water separators should be drained before AND after each trip. DO NOT put the boat up for months at a time with a significant amount of fuel in the tanks. All diesel fuel has water in it and will grow algae much quicker than most people realize. Keeping your tanks clean and shiny inside will pay dividends over time. Find the access hatches and know how to clean them out. You can give a kid a job cleaning the tank's interior if you don't want to do it yourself. It builds character.

Yes indeed I do recommend the 180 or 185f thermostat for these engines. These engines will fail fairly early if run cold all the time. And yes, run these puppies up and take a real boat ride..when safe to do so. Detroit Diesel 2 cycle engines LOVE wide open! Actually, "wide open" is only around 2200rpm and well below any damage threshold for the mechanicals of these engines. It is the governed speed that places these engines in their designed "power band" where they operate most efficiently.

Let common sense guide you along the way when maintaining these babies and ask all the questions you want. You'll do just fine with your DDs.

Jgmo: You are awesome my friend! Thank you so so much for all of this!!
After reading your post above i have realised i am not only not doing some things i should be but don't even know how to do some very important things!
I have changed my rac or filters one time, but i did not know that i also need to empty the water separator before and after each trip or even where it is for that matter!! I believe it is on the bottom of my racors?
Any instructions you could give me on where i would find the water separator and how to drain it would be great!

As for the SCA that you spoke of, is there a kit that i can buy that also has instructions on how to test your coolant and add the supplements? Is this something say my local detroit diesel dealer would be able to provide me and instruct me on its use... I want to go above and beyond on maintaining these engines!!

Where would i look to find my thermostats? I know the temperature is usually stamped on the thermostat. Is this something i could get to myself without having the mechanic come out?

These engines are quite intimidating for someone like me, there is so much to maintain and look out for it has me a bit freaked out!

The air to the engines has these big black filters over them that have a sensor which pops up red when they are dirty!

Last time the oil was changed i had my mechanic do it, my engine room is pretty tight so i could not really see what he was doing! This is something i should learn to do myself so i can change it every 50 hours like you suggested!
I have a pump system right under my port engine so that should not be too hard! i will also have an oil sample tested each time like you suggested so i can be on top of any problem that may be developing!

Now that you have told me about liner pitting i am a bit worried as for he first 8 months i owned the boat there was just plain water in the cooling system! Or more like 85% water or so my mechanic said shaking his head as he changed the coolant!

I do also check my transmission fluid levels before each run!

I have a question for you, when i first got the boat on the very first trip i ever took with it i made a pretty bad mistake! I went to a raft up in miami, turned my generator on and shut down the engines...well so i thought .... the port engine did not shut down... it then ran at idle for around 12 or more hours.... no one realised everyone including me thought i just had a loud generator.. how crazy is that all these boaters 30 boats rafted together people walking up and down my swim platform the whole time and not one person realised the engine was running... I have always had a bad feeling about the fact it idled for so long like that...i am almost positive this was not good for my engine!! It was not hot when i finally shut it down... What kind of damage could that have done?...i have been waiting since for something to run up and kick me in the ass eventually from that event!! I was brand new to boating at the time, what a stupid mistake!

I can't tell you how much i appreciate all your help and advice!!
thanks again!!

rszrka,
First, no need to worry about the day of idling. Although never a good idea, it sounds as if no damage came as a result. Same thing with running plain water in the cooling system. Not much you can do about it now although, I would have recommended a flush prior to installing coolant because there HAS to be quite a bit of corrosion as a result. Then again, a "short drain" of what you have in there now would help.

You should run an antifreeze solution made up of distilled water and a LOW SILICA coolant formulated especially for diesel engines using a 50/50% mixture. In addition to that, you can prevent the liner pitting and mineral drop out by using a supplement like this:

http://www.penray.com/products/products.asp?x=1&y=307&articlesource=307

Penray is a reputable company and I've successfully used their products. I have been out of the business now for a few years so there may be some other "hot stuff" out there that I'm unaware of.

Yes, I was talking about the Racors when I said to drain the water separators. Some have them and some don't. One with a water separator usually has a clear, plastic housing on the bottom and that will have a drain screw.

To locate the thermostats, find the water pump at the front of the engine and it will have three short hoses, with hose clamps, connected to it. Two on the bottom and, usually the shortest, one on the top. The top hose connects to the thermostat housing. They are not hard to change but that is a relative statement based on how mechanically inclined you may be. There will definitely be coolant loss and mess in addition to seals in there that must be serviced properly.

If you are running the little reset button restriction indicators, then you are probably running paper element air filters.
These are cleaned by some people but I don't recommend it myself. A tiny hole in one can ruin a turbo charger. Know that the restriction indicators can lie and do quite often. They will "pop" prematurely and cause you to think that your filter is restricted when it's not and they will also stick and not pop, leaving you to run a dirty filter. But, they are now a sort of "industry standard" and there's not much in the way of alternatives unless you want to add restriction gauges, actual air gauges, to your air filter housings to measure pressure differential across the element. Most folks just develop a maintenance interval to replace them based on hours run and how often they seem to lose efficiency.

Always replace the oil filters when you change your oil. If you are going to do this yourself, I'll warn you now that you will need to invest in a good, heavy duty oil filter wrench as these can be tough to get off without one.

Yep, being a boat Captain is a bit more involved than hopping in the old family jalopy and cruising down to the burger stand. Life jackets, MOB drills, 7 to 1 scope, spring lines, bowlines...it goes on and on. And, being "in tune" with your engine room will save your life! But, always try to have fun...when stuff ain't breaking that is.

Jgmo: I know i sound like a broken record here but again many thanks for all of the advice!

I am going to a diesel engine supply place tomorrow to get the coolant you have mentioned above and i will make a go of changing the coolant and flushing the cooling system since i do not believe the mechanic flushed it last time! and it may have been years since it was flushed... i will not refill the coolant until after i check the thermostats, i will ask at the diesel supply store what kind of seals i will need once i have checked the thermostats to close everything back up! now that i know how to find them thanks to you

As for the air filters after reading your description of how it works i am thinking maybe i have been assuming they worked in reverse.... is the little indicator supposed to show red thats when it is bad right? You said something about pop making me think the red pops up but from the way mine looks it looks like the red would come down as the red parts are all at the top and invisible now.... does this mean maybe my filters have popped and i should enlace them? i think i may just get new ones tomorrow just in case!

I was under the assumption the fluid in the clear part of the racors was diesel not water...so i should drain those clear cylinders as that is all water.... there is a stainless steel bowl underneath them and thats where i thought the water drained to? there seems to be algae in the clear part, i guess either which way i should drain them and clean that out..i would guess that is a good indication of algae being in my fuel tanks so i should consider a polish!

Will get to the oil change after and take your advice on a good oil wrench!! if i remember right the mechanic that did it for me said he could not get the built in pump to work so used his own..have to get that working first... it had a blown impeller that i replaced back in florida so not sure what the problem could be! he said he could not get it to prime!

I do have fun and love my boat, but at times i get a bit overwhelmed maintaining a 60" boat all alone...just keeping it clean is a full time job and i can barely keep on top of..if I'm not washing and waxing the outside, I'm scuba diving under it cleaning the bottom then maintaining the inside ..there is just so much ..its a never ending job as by the time one section is finished another is ready hahah... i got into this with no knowledge at all on boats just sort of lept in .... blogged the whole adventure on club sea ray has been an interesting trip!! flew over to florida for a boat that did not work out then found another and shipped it back to australia was one crazy situation after the other especially since i knew nothing about boats not even how to drive one lol ..so yeah has been a great learning experience...now i just have to get these engines right so i do not wreck them as if i destroy one i would not be able to afford to put in another at this point lol ..

Again many many thanks for all of your advice and help..you rock!!

No, your filters are probably fine. When the red shows (drops down) in the window, that indicates excessive restriction and the filters would need to be changed. Some are white and red, some are green and red and there are other color schemes. But, for now, you know how yours works. When the red starts to come down, time for new filters, not before.

The fluid in the clear portion of the Racors is SUPPOSED to be diesel. Ideally, that's all you should ever see. But, we all know that diesel fuel contains some water. Drain a small portion into a clear container and then set it aside and let it settle. Any water will be easily seen at the bottom in just a few minutes. Make sure you do this until you don't detect water any more. If you get quite a bit, then change any filters downstream from the separator in case some got through. A few drops of water getting to your injectors can cause you major headache and expense. If you are seeing algae, that is not good and YES, you should have a look in the tanks. Pick up some algaecide at the diesel shop and use it carefully. DO NOT overtreat.

Do the same drain and check with any gasoline powered outboards you may have. Gas has water in it too and will cause you problems with your tender if you let it sit in the carburetor.

I've got to take my hat off to a guy that makes a 60 footer his first vessel! I started with an 8 footer and worked my way up. Haven't got to 60' yet. Look at it this way, most people buy a boat and then, after a while, they want a bigger boat. You just skipped a boat or two.

Jgmo: So many thanks for all of the help and info!! If you are ever in sydney australia you have a few days of boating coming your way on me!!

Well, as much as I would love to hop on a plane right this second and take you up on your offer, I'm afraid that, with the United States and California governments pretty much stealing almost all of what I had accumulated over these many years and then devaluating the remainder, I won't be needing to renew my passport anytime soon.

I was retired for a brief while, got to visit Ireland and, while I guess I should be grateful for at least that, I now find it necessary to return to work. Hell, they called me "grandpaw" before I retired last time! This time it's gonna hurt a little bit.

But thanks for the offer, at least that made my day.

Good luck with your baby and hope to hear something positive in the near future.

Jgmo: I am sorry to hear you have to come out of retirement! You have put in your dues done your years now should be time to relax!! Bloody crap politicians and governments of the world they are all a joke!! Well you never know life will take you, one minute you are struggling and the next you may be sailing in the med on your super yacht!! Life has a funny way of changing on a dime and I sincerely hope something like that happens for you

I was wondering if you had any idea what micron my racor filters should be. See I changed them once but just put in what was on the boat. I do not know if they are the right ones or not. So figured I had better check before I replace them all! I remember at the time there were I believe 30 micron ones and 20 micron so I am not sure which should be there!!

Thanks again JGMO!!

rszarka,

Thanks for that. Yes, here in the USA we have not so great people in Washington DC doing not so great things. My country is crumbling before my eyes and it is truly a helpless feeling at this point. I lived in and enjoyed the good times and will be fine. I am mostly concerned about my children and grandchildren.

Ok, bashing the government was easy! Your fuel filtration question is a bit more difficult.

When filtering any liquid, be it hydraulic fluid, engine oil or diesel fuel oil, getting the smallest, finest contaminants out is always desirable. But, this has to be done so as not to interfere with the operational flow of said liquid. If the engine oil is filtered to the point of being pristine, it will do you no good if it is so restricted that it can't reach the bearings. Common sense, right?

So, it is the same with your fuel filters. To answer your question, more need to be asked. First off, is your system a "primary" suction (or vacuum) side and a "secondary" delivery (or pressure) side combination? This would be a standard DD set up.

But, some marine applications, particularly ones utilizing the Racor filters can be a one filter only set up.

With the two (primary/secondary) filter arrangement, 20 micron would be considered quite porous. I believe that a 10 micron primary followed by a 2 micron secondary is (sort of) standard. Back it the day, when those engines were in production the specification was simply 10 micron. Detroit Diesel was mainly concerned that the primary filter achieve 10 micron filtration of the fuel while the secondary is after the pump and is to catch pieces of it if it were to fail. Both were rated at 10 micron.

Racor has a 2 micron single filter for marine application but it is quite large. It would have to be in order for it not to prematurely clog. These are used specifically to reduce the possibility of water in the fuel from getting to the injector tips.

While the fuel pumps on these almost never fail, I prefer the two filter configuration.

Here's the "rub"; The amount of filtration you can achieve will hinge on flow.

Detroit Diesel uses a "restricted spill orifice" to create pressure in the system. We (and wee) mechanics just call it the restricted "fitting". It is located ON THE ENGINE and is the last connection from the engine to the fuel return line back to the fuel tank. It is made of brass and is typically a 90 degree male 1/4"npt "el" with a 5/16" female, flared, sealing component. It will have a number stamped on it. Yours (8v92t) should say .070 for seventy thousands of an inch.

For your engine to receive the proper amount of fuel and sufficient fuel cooling, the amount of fuel that should come out of that fitting, into a bucket, for 1 minute, while the engine is turning 1800rpm, should be right at 1.4 US gallons. This is called the "spillback" test and is a very useful troubleshooting method when low power is the complaint.

So, you see, getting down as fine as possible is desirable for capturing water molecules and minerals. But, you must have that FLOW in addition to pressure to maintain power.

I hope this helps you make a decision.

JGMO: thanks so much for all of this!!
regarding governments believe me ours is just as bad!! Sydney is now the most expensive city in the world to live in. Would you believe a coke costs four dollars and a Mac Donald's meal 13. It's nuts over here!! I spent most of my life living primarily in USA and have to say I prefer it!! Everything is so controlled here so many rules!!

Well looking in the clear part of my starboard racors there was just a whole ton of sludge on the bottom so I shut off the fuel and drained it all out! I Pulled out the filter and it's a 30 micron filter in all of them. From what you wrote above this is way way too porous and could be why I have had a few injector problems. I have two racors for each engine 500ma and a secondary on the engine power guard spin on
2350643

So I want to be sure I understand it would be best for me to get 10 micron filters tomorrow? Wow running with 30 I am surprised I have not had more problems. The racor filter elements in my port were nice and clean but in the starboard oh man just jet black!! So must change it before I go out tomorrow!! The starboard has been struggling to start in when cold so I'm guessing this is probably the clogged filters!
so 10 micron it is!! Thank you so much again JGMO

I wonder why the old owners used 30 micron!! Maybe did not know what they were doing!! Oh and finding all that dead algae in my starboard racor. I treated the fuel a month or so back. Seeing as they were quite a bit of gunk there now that it's all dead should I not worry about it or should I get the fuel pOlished?? Should I treat it again to get any leftover algae?

I would be concerned as to why one filter seems to be trapping a great deal of debris and the other is clean you say? That's a little suspicious. You may want to try and figure that one out.

It could have something to do with where the pick up tubes are located in the tank. Do these engines both feed from the same tank or are there multiple tanks with balancing valves?

Yes, the previous owner was just not as astute as you about maintenance or asking for advice and just purchased what ever they came across. That's my best guess. And yes, go to 10 micron but be sure to carry plenty of spares if going offshore. You will probably find that you may have a clogging problem for a time.

Your Powerguard spin on seconds are probably adequate.

Avoid over treating the fuel with algaecide. Just keep an eye on the filters and change them as often as you need or can. Cheap insurance for sure. Another dose after a load or two of fuel might be in order. Then, if you keep seeing dead algae, you may need to consider a "polish" as you say.

Jgmo: I explained it wrong...the starboard filters have algae but the port do not ...each engine has its own tank...so it looks like the port is clean and starboard tank dirty ...switched to the 10 microns, what a not fun job it was changing the 4 razor elements..im sure it is baby work for someone like you but i ended up covered from head to toe in diesel!! even got a mouthful and my left eye full ..dont ask lol was quite a not so fun day hahhah but got it done now have all 10 micron filters .. also drained all the clear bowls and got all the dead algae out ...the filter elements were just black and covered in chunks. Did as you said got a box of backup filters ..so for now i am set and good to go these elements cost 35 bucks a piece here in australia...was just wondering what the price diff is to the usa ..how much does a racor element for a 500 ma cost there??? my guess is much less considering a bloody can of coke costs four bucks here! man greed is rampant!! they do make up for it in some ways like minimum wage being over 600 a week though...

Ahhh, the old diesel fuel shower. Remember it well. Along with the coolant shower, transmission fluid shower and engine oil "spritz". Had them all multiple times. That's why my new business is ICE MACHINES.

Sounds like you are steadily getting to a better place with that being you standing at the helm of your trouble free boat. Not soaking wet in the engine room.

Yes, that IS a lot of money but I'm not sure they are much cheaper here. I haven't bought any lately and when I had my shop I was always on a wholesale program so I know not much about retail prices.

As I said before, cheap insurance....even at $40 a filter. $15 bucks an hour min. wage? Sheesh! Now, THAT IS expensive!

Keep a weather eye on that stbd primary though. It may plug up MUCH quicker than you might think until the tank is clean.