Fuel filter change success/Tank cleaning question

[Kyle Ewing]

I changed the Racor filter and bled my M25XP yesterday myself for the first time.  Now that I've done it it's very straight forward.  As has been said before, gain the experience at your convenience rather than being forced to figure it out in an emergency.  Here's what I did with my mistakes and questions:

1.  Drained the water separator bowl to see what was in it.  I had some water and visible debris.  I know I'm overdue for a tank cleaning.  QUESTION:  Can I open the drain valve to drain debris without introducing air into the system?
2.  Turned off the fuel line at the tank.
3.  Unscrewed the filter element and dumped the fuel into a bottle.  A 2 liter pop bottle with the top cut off worked for me.
4.  Removed the separator bowl and wiped debris out of it.
5.  Soaked the O-rings in fuel and reassembled.
6.  Turned the fuel back on at the tank, energized the fuel pump, then cracked the filter until it was full.  NOTE:  In hindsite I shouldn't have energized the pump as it was drawing air into the system.
7.  With the pump running I opened and closed the bleed screw on the filter.  I saw some bubbles go through the filter.  I only felt a few drops of fuel come out of the screw, certainly not a flow.  Tightened it.
8.  Opened the bleed valve on the injector pump.  I was expecting to see fuel come out when open but there was none.  I closed and opened it several times.  I noticed the frequency of pump clicks increase as I opened and almost stop when completely closed.  I left it completely closed but will crack 1/4 turn next time I'm on the boat.
9.  Engine started immediately.  To make sure there was no air in the system I ran it it in gear at 1500 rpms for 15 minutes then let it idle for 10 minutes.  My helper remarked the engine seemed to run smoother after the filter change.

Overall the job was no more difficult or messier than changing an oil filter, especially after bleeding the engine has been demystified.  Next I'll change the engine fuel filter.  I assume I will see fuel come out of that bleed valve.

TANK CLEANING QUESTION:  How long can I expect it to take when using the fuel pump to drain the fuel tank for cleaning?  Gravity flow seemed pretty slow.

[Steve Hansen]

Kyle,

When I drained my tank, using the electric fuel pump, and filtering it through the 2 micron filter, it was a slow go to drain 20 gallons (I think around a couple hours). The next time I do this I may try one of those pumps that attach to an electric drill to increase output. I think there was a post on this, check it out.

Steve

[Stu Jackson]

Please be careful with those electric drill pumps.  They may NOT be rated to handle fuel.  Check first.

[Jeff Kaplan]

kyle, i am planning to drain my tank tomorrow, ordered a new one from catalina, should be across country in a couple of weeks. boat is 20+ years old so before i have a problem, i'm replacing it. when i drain the tank, i am not going to filter the fuel, which will make the transfer much faster. just disconnect the hose from the pump to the racor, add whatever length of hose you need to reach the jerry jugs to the pump and turn on the key. the fuel will flow unrestricted into the containers. when you add back the fuel, it will be filterd then. i plan to get rid of the fuel and start fresh in the spring. good luck...jeff

[wind dancer]

Please be careful with those electric drill pumps.  They may NOT be rated to handle fuel.  Check first.

Just an FYI: I used an electric drill pump when I emptied my fuel tank last year.  The one I used (Jabsco) was rated for use with oil and diesel (but not gasoline).

[Ron Hill]

Kyle : What you need to do is to disconnect the output hose from the boats electric fuel pump that goes to the engine mounted fuel filter.  (Be sure to clamp off the input line to the fuel pump or you could have fuel syphoning and make a mess.) 
Then take and extra piece of 3/8" fuel hose and connect it to the output of the electric fuel pump to a jug.  If you are by yourself turn OFF the battery switch, but turn ON the key switch.  Take the hose and put it in a fuel jug and then turn on the battery switch to activate the fuel pump.  Then turn ON/OFF the fuel pump with the battery switch until the tank is sucked (almost) dry. 
A thought.   

[Sundance]

I used the same drill pump wind dancer used.  Pumped 18 gal of diesel in about 5 min.  Almost nothing was left in the tank.