Gfretwell wrote:

It occurred to me the other day as I was shelling out almost $30 for a spin on
fuel filter that this thing looks suspiciously like a $2.99 oil filter. Other
than the threading on the base, what is the difference?

The difference is in the porosity & pressure differential. The fuel filter is
designed to let a thinner (less viscous) fluid flow at a higher rate while
trapping smaller particles.

If you can't afford new fuel filters fairly often, you really can't afford a boat.
They're not that expensive and they prevent a lot of much more expenive repair.



You cut one open and
they certainly look like the same stuff inside.

Usually the Mark 1 eyeball is not calibrated for discriminating 5 micron 90gpm
filter elements from 30 micron 10gpm filter elements. YMMV


It also has nothing to do with
the can itself since Perko fuel filter are made from mild steel that rusts up
very quickly if you don't paint them. I prime and paint mine before I install
them and still don't get a year out of one before it starts bleeding rust from
somewhere.

If you're using a fuel filter for more than a year, you're destroying your engine
anyway.

Fair Skies
Doug King

If you're using a fuel filter for more than a year, you're destroying your
engine
anyway.

Fair Skies
Doug King

If the filter still looks new, inside and out, how is it going to destroy
your engine?

If you're using a fuel filter for more than a year, you're destroying your
engine
anyway.

Floyd in Tampa wrote:
If the filter still looks new, inside and out, how is it going to destroy
your engine?

I was thinking in terms of diesels, not gas engines. And it's not the filter
that does the damage, it's the crud getting through.

If a filter looks new after a year of operation, then you've been getting quite
clean fuel. Congrats. I'd still change it, but then I'm kind of stiff necked
about maintenance. It's possible that the filter 'looks' new yet is not doing as
good a job as when it was really new, also that it is partially clogged with
gunk that is not obvious to the eye.

IMHO changing filters is a regular part of good maintenance. If you can't afford
new filters, what else can you not afford in terms of keeping the boat operating
properly? How about new flares, they expire every couple of years and are rather
expensive.

Fair Skies- Doug King