racor drain fitting leaking

[paulga]

It was noted in the survey that the engine primary racor filter #1 has leaking in its drain fitting. The recommendation was adding a bowl underneath the drain. It was not material and I thought it's better to just fix the leak.

now has been a full month since I did the fuel filter change. I placed clean oil pad under the racors to catch any fluid. only the engine racor #1 has pink stains on the pad. using a sponge pad to wipe, I found some fluid around drain fitting.

I remember there is an o-ring in the drain fitting. maybe it has worn out? has anyone seen the same leak?

 

[Comodave]

There should be a heat shield, some call it a bowl, under the clear plastic bowl on the bottom. That is in case of a fire it will give you some time to put the fire out or get off the boat. I would replace the plastic plug on the bottom with a metal shutoff valve. It makes draining the crap out much easier. I get my Racor parts from racorstore.com however there are a lot of places that you can get them. The valve on the bottom should have a cap on it when not actively draining the bowl. The valve should come with an O ring I think. I like to mount an LED light behind the bowl so it is simple to see what is in the bowl.

 

[paulga]

There should be a heat shield, some call it a bowl, under the clear plastic bowl on the bottom. That is in case of a fire it will give you some time to put the fire out or get off the boat. I would replace the plastic plug on the bottom with a metal shutoff valve. It makes draining the crap out much easier. I get my Racor parts from racorstore.com however there are a lot of places that you can get them. The valve on the bottom should have a cap on it when not actively draining the bowl. The valve should come with an O ring I think. I like to mount an LED light behind the bowl so it is simple to see what is in the bowl.

the round "nut" at the bottom is the drain valve, loosen it, diesel will drain from the nozzle. There is not a cap on the nozzle on any of the 3 racors, only racor #1 was leaking. fuel is sealed only by an o-ring, so I guessed the o-ring is worn.

 

[paulga]

the setup looks very neat.
what's the black case on the top? should there be a T handle and vacuum gauge on top of the racor cover?

There should be a heat shield, some call it a bowl, under the clear plastic bowl on the bottom. That is in case of a fire it will give you some time to put the fire out or get off the boat. I would replace the plastic plug on the bottom with a metal shutoff valve. It makes draining the crap out much easier. I get my Racor parts from racorstore.com however there are a lot of places that you can get them. The valve on the bottom should have a cap on it when not actively draining the bowl. The valve should come with an O ring I think. I like to mount an LED light behind the bowl so it is simple to see what is in the bowl.

 

[Comodave]

the round "nut" at the bottom is the drain valve, loosen it, diesel will drain from the nozzle. There is not a cap on the nozzle on any of the 3 racors, only racor #1 was leaking. fuel is sealed only by an o-ring, so I guessed the o-ring is worn.

Yes, you can use the original drain but the 90degree valve is much better IMO. And much easier to drain.

 

[Comodave]

the setup looks very neat.
what's the black case on the top? should there be a T handle and vacuum gauge on top of the racor cover?

The black section is a Racor priming pump. There is a T handle gauge out of sight to the top.

 

[Marco Flamingo]

Search TF for "Racor Housing" and look at post #39. Much more cost effective and elegant solution than the silly little Racor "bowls" (that don't catch drips and aren't as effective for fire). Sorry Racor. The cheap little stainless steel buckets shown are also great when changing filters. They can hold the full amount that you need to drain when changing filters. The Racor bowls are useless for that. Sorry Racor. The stainless buckets catch any leaks from above and are easy to empty. The Racor bowls only catch drips from above the leaking valve . . . then what? Do you use diapers to try to sop out the little bowl? Sorry Racor.

That mess might not be a big issue because the Racor bowls aren't really bowls. They are only "heat deflecting shields," meaning that drips from above will ultimately leak out. Sorry Racor (not really Racor's fault as it is careful to not make the leak-catching claims that boaters have assumed). There is no claim of an effective seal at the bottom of the "bowl." It is a catchment system that doesn't catch.

Besides providing better fire protection of the plastic filter cover, the little stainless buckets also protect the "standard" Racor plastic valve, so there is no need to drain, install the Racor [STRIKE]bowl[/STRIKE] heat deflector shield, and replace the plastic valve with an expensive brass one. Sorry Racor. When the valve weeps again (and even the expens$ive brass Racor valves do), you can see the drip by looking in the cheap little bucket. The Racor [STRIKE]bowl[/STRIKE] heat deflector shield doesn't catch valve drips as they are below the [STRIKE]bowl[/STRIKE] heat deflector shield. You will only see the drip if you keep a diaper underneath (or look in the bilge), so the Racor [STRIKE]bowl[/STRIKE] heat deflector shield doesn't even solve your problem. Again, sorry Racor. The heat deflector shield looks cool but are ultimately a bit of a joke. In my opinion. Even more so if you need five of them. In my opinion.

 

[paulga]

Thanks for proving the bowl does not catch the drip. My intention is to fix the leak, not to debate on whether to install the heat shield bowl.

Is the leak common? Is the solution to replace the drain valve o-ring?

Search TF for "Racor Housing" and look at post #39. Much more cost effective and elegant solution than the silly little Racor "bowls" (that don't catch drips and aren't as effective for fire). Sorry Racor. The cheap little stainless steel buckets shown are also great when changing filters. They can hold the full amount that you need to drain when changing filters. The Racor bowls are useless for that. Sorry Racor. The stainless buckets catch any leaks from above and are easy to empty. The Racor bowls only catch drips from above the leaking valve . . . then what? Do you use diapers to try to sop out the little bowl? Sorry Racor.

That mess might not be a big issue because the Racor bowls aren't really bowls. They are only "heat deflecting shields," meaning that drips from above will ultimately leak out. Sorry Racor (not really Racor's fault as it is careful to not make the leak-catching claims that boaters have assumed). There is no claim of an effective seal at the bottom of the "bowl." It is a catchment system that doesn't catch.

Besides providing better fire protection of the plastic filter cover, the little stainless buckets also protect the "standard" Racor plastic valve, so there is no need to drain, install the Racor [STRIKE]bowl[/STRIKE] heat deflector shield, and replace the plastic valve with an expensive brass one. Sorry Racor. When the valve weeps again (and even the expens$ive brass Racor valves do), you can see the drip by looking in the cheap little bucket. The Racor [STRIKE]bowl[/STRIKE] heat deflector shield doesn't catch valve drips as they are below the [STRIKE]bowl[/STRIKE] heat deflector shield. You will only see the drip if you keep a diaper underneath (or look in the bilge), so the Racor [STRIKE]bowl[/STRIKE] heat deflector shield doesn't even solve your problem. Again, sorry Racor. The heat deflector shield looks cool but are ultimately a bit of a joke. In my opinion. Even more so if you need five of them. In my opinion.

 

[Marco Flamingo]

Could be an o-ring issue. Sometimes a tightening issue. Little bucket tell you if you fixed it, plus holds diesel when changing o-ring or filter.

 

[Larry M]

I removed the black plastic valves on our 2-500 series Racors. They were a pia to open and close plus, like yours, they dripped. I was going to rebuild them but the kit was ~$25 and to replace them was less than $60 with a brass valve and plug. Filter maintenance was easy after that and they never leaked.

 

[paulga]

Could be an o-ring issue. Sometimes a tightening issue. Little bucket tell you if you fixed it, plus holds diesel when changing o-ring or filter.

Can that o-ring be changed with the racor assembly in place, or does the filter's clear cover have to come off?

 

[paulga]

I removed the black plastic valves on our 2-500 series Racors. They were a pia to open and close plus, like yours, they dripped. I was going to rebuild them but the kit was ~$25 and to replace them was less than $60 with a brass valve and plug. Filter maintenance was easy after that and they never leaked.

Does it come with installation instructions? Where to disassemble etc.

 

[Larry M]

Does it come with installation instructions? Where to disassemble etc.

Installation instructions for which?

Instructions for the brass valve: you unscrew what is there now, use appropriate thread sealant and screw in the brass valve. Be careful you don’t over tighten.

Instructions for what you have now maybe in this document.

https://www.parker.com/content/dam/Parker-com/Literature/Racor/15212_Rev_B_500_Seal_Service_Kit.pdf

 

[Comodave]

The metal bowl isn’t there to catch drips, it is a heat shield. It is there to protect the bowl above it from fire for a short period and to direct the fire out around the plastic bowl. This is to give you some time either fight the fire or abandon ship. To be a proper marine filter the metal heat shield is required. Your filter looks like the FG version which isn’t a marine filter. Lots of boat builders used that filter because it was cheaper.

 

[paulga]

The metal bowl isn’t there to catch drips, it is a heat shield. It is there to protect the bowl above it from fire for a short period and to direct the fire out around the plastic bowl. This is to give you some time either fight the fire or abandon ship. To be a proper marine filter the metal heat shield is required. Your filter looks like the FG version which isn’t a marine filter. Lots of boat builders used that filter because it was cheaper.

It's FG500. Those filters were installed at least 10 years ago. They are still working in order to provide filtered fuel to the engine and genset. I don't know the service life. As long as it works I'm not pressed to make any changes

 

[SteveK]

You have a leak, you know it has an O ring.

What is stopping you from changing the O ring?

Have you already tried to tigthen it?

 

[ranger58sb]

The leak is about the o-ring and how tight the original drain fixture is. And then that ballet begins again every time you drain sediment othe bowl.

So DO change to the metal valve drain the Larry linked to. That's usually a "one and done" fix.

-Chris

 

[paulga]

Thanks, I just got time to finish reading the manual. The pdf is what I was looking for.

I need to determine if the drain assembly kit was 1993 and older (RK 11780) or 1994-2002 ( RK 30488). any method to determine this?

either way, does the brass valve kit in your link replace the entire drain assembly kit? drain assembly kit is 12 or 13 in the attached picture.

Installation instructions for which?

Instructions for the brass valve: you unscrew what is there now, use appropriate thread sealant and screw in the brass valve. Be careful you don’t over tighten.

Instructions for what you have now maybe in this document.

https://www.parker.com/content/dam/Parker-com/Literature/Racor/15212_Rev_B_500_Seal_Service_Kit.pdf

 

[paulga]

because it requires draining the racor. The leak is slow, I can wait for the next filter change to do the upgrade.

are there any concerns that this should be done without wait?

You have a leak, you know it has an O ring.

What is stopping you from changing the O ring?

Have you already tried to tigthen it?

 

[SteveK]

because it requires draining the racor. The leak is slow, I can wait for the next filter change to do the upgrade.

are there any concerns that this should be done without wait?

draining racor is needed to change filter which you said was due.
Let it leak or not, just want to see you finish a thread, to get a success instead you keep finding problems then do nothing but start a new thread. How is the inverter issue going?

 

[paulga]

I already forgot there was the invertor issue. the conclusion from that time was the certified wattage of the invertor is insufficient to power the 1kw microwave. I would use the genset or the propane stove instead. it's considered as final solution.

I changed all 3 primary racor filters and the two spin-on filters over a month ago. now the racor#1 leak is very slow, is there any reason this should be addressed asap?

draining racor is needed to change filter which you said was due.
Let it leak or not, just want to see you finish a thread, to get a success instead you keep finding problems then do nothing but start a new thread. How is the inverter issue going?

 

[Larry M]

Yes, it replaces your current assembly. The threads are 1/4” npt x 1/4” nptf. West Marine has them on sale now. I would recommend that you get a hex head brass plug in addition. I was always afraid I was going to hit the valve or ???? The valve is great and easy for cleaning the bowl, changing filters, etc.

 

[paulga]

is this shut-off valves the right link?

why add the 1/4" MIP plug? without a plug it should not leak.

what sealant to use on the threads? yellow teflon and/or loctite 592?

Yes, it replaces your current assembly. The threads are 1/4” npt x 1/4” nptf. West Marine has them on sale now. I would recommend that you get a hex head brass plug in addition. I was always afraid I was going to hit the valve or ???? The valve is great and easy for cleaning the bowl, changing filters, etc.

 

[Larry M]

is this the right link?

why add the 1/4" MIP plug? without a plug it should not leak.

what sealant to use on the threads? yellow teflon and/or loctite 592?

As far as the link, yes as per their web site.

It’s a 90 degree valve. Without the plug and you inadvertently move/bump it a couple of degrees your leak will be a lot worse than what you have now. You can buy 5 for $7 on Amazon. We cruised 60k plus miles. I’m into stress reduction. One less potential leak point.

I use RectorSeal #5.

Edit: it’s probably spell check on your end but they are npt threads.

 

[paulga]

As far as the link, yes as per their web site.

It’s a 90 degree valve. Without the plug and you inadvertently move/bump it a couple of degrees your leak will be a lot worse than what you have now. You can buy 5 for $7 on Amazon. We cruised 60k plus miles. I’m into stress reduction. One less leak potential leak point.

I use RectorSeal #5.

only rectorseal 5, no teflon tape to wrap here?

The tighening guideline is 30 in lbs. This is much lower than finger tight (50 in lbs). does this basically mean hand tight only, no wrench?

The valve looks similar to the control valve to my genset racor. I had to soak that valve with wd40 many times on separate days, and finally it responded to my thumb. so i got the impression. It should turn easily when new.

 

[Larry M]

….

only rectorseal 5, no teflon tape to wrap here?

Personal preference and there’s more than one right answer but in this application I only would use Rectorseal #5.

The tighening guideline is 30 in lbs. This is much lower than finger tight (50 in lbs). does this basically mean hand tight only, no wrench?

Industry say finger tight is somewhere between 1.5 to 3.5 in-lbs. ???

The valve looks similar to the control valve to my genset racor. I had to soak that valve with wd40 many times on separate days, and finally it responded to my thumb. so i got the impression. It should turn easily when new.

Soaking a threaded fitting in a Racor bowl (plastic) won’t help. It’s already been soaking in diesel fuel. See post #13, don’t over tighten or you will crack the bowl.

 

[paulga]

"finger tight is about 1.2 to 1.7 foot-pounds"

so 1.5 to 3.5 could be in ft lbs unit

 

[Caballero II]

It's FG500. Those filters were installed at least 10 years ago. They are still working in order to provide filtered fuel to the engine and genset. I don't know the service life. As long as it works I'm not pressed to make any changes

It is also recommended to rebuild the whole Racor unit from time to time. I think each 10 years would be appropriate. I would suggest buying the rebuild kit for your Racor's, which contains all the I-rings needed, and change out the plastic drains with the brass valves (w/ cap, required) and be done with it. All available at RacorStore.com, or from Parker. Truly a dyi easy job.

 

[SteveK]

It's FG500. Those filters were installed at least 10 years ago. They are still working in order to provide filtered fuel to the engine and genset. I don't know the service life. As long as it works I'm not pressed to make any changes

draining racor is needed to change filter which you said was due.
Let it leak or not, just want to see you finish a thread, to get a success instead you keep finding problems then do nothing but start a new thread. ..........

................

I changed all 3 primary racor filters and the two spin-on filters over a month ago. now the racor#1 leak is very slow, is there any reason this should be addressed asap?

I will do my best not to comment further.

 

[paulga]

unless you speak out, I wouldn't know what it is.

I will do my best not to comment further.