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Which fuel filter element?


MtB

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My K2 has this fuel filter. It has CAV England cast into it and "F2/3" stamped into the head with hand punches.

 

Does anyone know what filter element will be inside please? It's time to change it (having had a 'water in the fuel' problem) and I'm reluctant to take it to bits without knowing if a new element is available. 

 

Or should I just fit a whole new modern filter? In which case, which one does the board suggest? 

 

Many thanks.

 

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Edited by MtB
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  • MtB changed the title to Which fuel filter element?

The Inline Filters website has a search by size function which you could use, but you'd have to get the old element out first.

 

Or take a punt on https://www.fuelfilter-crossreference.com/convert/LUCAS-CAV/F2

 

See also https://www.oldmarineengine.com/discus/messages/3/256825.html

Edited by David Mack
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3 hours ago, Tracy D'arth said:

It may be this one,    https://www.autodoc.co.uk/wix-filters/9575475

 

The size is in the description, measure up the bowl to see if it will fit.

 

Thanks Tracy, Tony and David.

 

I was hoping to avoid taking it to bits and then ordering (and waiting for) the new filter element and it is well jammed on there. Probably won't easily go back together again without a new ring seal. But it looks like I'll have to take it off first to measure it after all! 

 

 

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Just now, Tracy D'arth said:

The seal should be fine to use again.

 

I would normally expect it to be but I suspect this one hasn't been changed for decades. I took the bolt out, tried to pull the chamber off but it wasn't having it. So I gave it a really hard tug, still didn't move. Nor did it respond to some fairly hefty whacks with the mooring hammer. I think the seal might actually split when I give it some serious force when I find my proper filter wrench. 

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26 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

I would normally expect it to be but I suspect this one hasn't been changed for decades. I took the bolt out, tried to pull the chamber off but it wasn't having it. So I gave it a really hard tug, still didn't move. Nor did it respond to some fairly hefty whacks with the mooring hammer. I think the seal might actually split when I give it some serious force when I find my proper filter wrench. 

Which bolt did you take out? The centre top one is a union blank. The big nut under that could be the release but I suspect it may be the one on the bottom. I may well be wrong but I would not expect it to be so stuck that it will not come off if you undo the correct bolt.

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Filter elements for the F2 housing are rarer than rocking horse droppings. Owners and operators of 1950s Railcars (DMUs) on heritage lines have a thirty plus year lead on you when it comes to finding them; but please share if you find any 😎. Many have converted to the still common "CAV 296" type, and some to spin on types. I have seen 296 elements in these housings, big mistake as the incompatible designs simply allows unfiltered fuel to the injection pump.

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1 hour ago, Eeyore said:

Filter elements for the F2 housing are rarer than rocking horse droppings. Owners and operators of 1950s Railcars (DMUs) on heritage lines have a thirty plus year lead on you when it comes to finding them; but please share if you find any 😎. Many have converted to the still common "CAV 296" type, and some to spin on types. I have seen 296 elements in these housings, big mistake as the incompatible designs simply allows unfiltered fuel to the injection pump.

 

Thanks. This reinforces my suspicion the filter element has never been changed. I'll order a CAV296 type of filter then, so when I open this one up and find the element unobtainable or unreassembleable, I'll be ready with parts to replace the whole thing. 

 

 

3 hours ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Which bolt did you take out? The centre top one is a union blank. The big nut under that could be the release but I suspect it may be the one on the bottom. I may well be wrong but I would not expect it to be so stuck that it will not come off if you undo the correct bolt.

 

 

I took out the big fekker from underneath, which was about 4" long.

 

I'll have a closer look at David's link though! 

 

 

 

 

 

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296 filter heads are readily available (with imperial or metric threads) and with a new bracket should fit without too much trouble. There is also the 496 which is a deeper spin on filter with a similar head.  Only trouble is how you feel about putting a modern filter onto an old Kelvin. Could you put the new filter out of sight and retain the existing filter (without its element) to be cosmetically correct?.  But I suspect you don't really care and just want to go boating 😀

 

and you could always mask up and spray the 296 elements to make them look a bit less modern (not that I have ever done anything like that)

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Ddint these CAV filters use a stack of square felt elements?...........there is also a much longer steel canister that fits this head to provide larger capacity........my crane has /had two of them for a 4LW...........I have a big  sack full of these elements I got from an old brickworks closedown ...they had a couple of 30RBs with Ruston 5YENs in them.

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10 hours ago, dmr said:

296 filter heads are readily available (with imperial or metric threads) and with a new bracket should fit without too much trouble. There is also the 496 which is a deeper spin on filter with a similar head.  Only trouble is how you feel about putting a modern filter onto an old Kelvin. Could you put the new filter out of sight and retain the existing filter (without its element) to be cosmetically correct?.  But I suspect you don't really care and just want to go boating 😀

 

and you could always mask up and spray the 296 elements to make them look a bit less modern (not that I have ever done anything like that)

 

This was to be my next question! After a brief goggle, all the filter heads I turned up have 1/2"UNF threads. Am I wasting my time looking for 3/8"BSPF? 

 

 

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11 hours ago, MtB said:

Thanks. This reinforces my suspicion the filter element has never been changed. I'll order a CAV296 type of filter then, so when I open this one up and find the element unobtainable or unreassembleable, I'll be ready with parts to replace the whole thing. 

 

If you can find a spin on type that is not too much more expensive then using that would save you all the hassle getting the myriad O rings the 296 filer use back in place at each service, and you can fill spin ons with fuel before refitting to help with bleeding - unlike 296s.

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1 minute ago, MtB said:

 

This was to be my next question! After a brief goggle, all the filter heads I turned up have 1/2"UNF threads. Am I wasting my time looking for 3/8"BSPF? 

 

 

 

The threads are 1/2" but sometimes there is a metric version too. The people selling the filter head will likely also sell the little stud thingies to convert to a standard 8mm or 5/16" compression. If they don't then I think ASAP sell them. You will need blanking plugs too as the 296 head has 4 holes, but the plugs will likely come with the head.

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The 296 filter heads are designed for sleeve nuts and pipe nipples.  You can put a standard Male thread and compression fitting in, like your F2 pictured but you are relying on some thread sealant to keep it diesel tight.  Heldite or Tru Blu from Toolstation are good.

 

N

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3 hours ago, BEngo said:

The 296 filter heads are designed for sleeve nuts and pipe nipples.  You can put a standard Male thread and compression fitting in, like your F2 pictured but you are relying on some thread sealant to keep it diesel tight.  Heldite or Tru Blu from Toolstation are good.

 

N

 

Mine has a machined face on each hole so seals nicely on a copper washer. I prefer this to sleeve nuts as it comes apart at the compression fitting which is safer than messing with threads in aluminium.  Mine is the 496 rather than 296, but pretty sure the 296 is the same.

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