Vacuum Gauge on fuel filter
Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2014 12:59 pm
Fuel filters typically clog gradually, then all of a sudden (always at the worst time) they become so clogged that they begin to starve the engine of fuel. Vacuum gauges on the suction side of the Racor filter will indicate the gradual increase in the effort to suck fuel through the filter and alert us to the impending problem. I recently installed two vacuum gauges with a drag pointer that I bought from Sailor's Solutions (sailorssolutions.com) for $69.95 each. The drag pointer is important so that you can later read the maximum vacuum that occurred when the engines were at high RPM. They have a 1/4" NPT male fitting so that the only other thing you have to buy is a 1/4" tee and a short coupling for each side plus some pipe dope that is compatible with diesel fuel. You can reuse the elbow that is on the filter. The project went smoothly. Maybe 1/2 hour per side. Nice weekend project. See attached photo.