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