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Upgrade fuel filters/Mr. Gasket?

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sweet97

15+ Year Contributor
2,386
18
Mar 6, 2004
auburn, New_York
What are the common fuel filter upgrades? Search did not come up with much. SBR sells a MR. Gasket filter that looks like it would fit the stock clamp/position but there is no onfo on flow. Anyone tried this or know specs?
Then there is Aeromotive filters but I don't want to go -10an. I am probably going to upgrade the filter to rail line also. Thanks, mark
 
sweet97 said:
What are the common fuel filter upgrades? Search did not come up with much. SBR sells a MR. Gasket filter that looks like it would fit the stock clamp/position but there is no onfo on flow. Anyone tried this or know specs?
Then there is Aeromotive filters but I don't want to go -10an. I am probably going to upgrade the filter to rail line also. Thanks, mark

just go with stock, there is nothing restrictive about it... maybe a slighter bigger fuel filter but honestly just stick with stock.
 
My experience with those "billet" fuel filters has been less than satisfactory. Don't think for a minute that the little 1" disk in those things is a worthwhile replacement for the surface area of a stock filter. I trashed a Walbro 341 when one of those "Mr. You-Know-Who" filters clogged in a matter of a few months.

I have upgraded -6AN lines, so I can afford to be a bit more flexible. On the other hand, if you really want to "upgrade" from stock, you're going to have to do some plumbing regardless.

THE FOLLOWING IS MY OPINION, YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR SAFETY AND SUITABILITY THEREOF. YOU ASSUME ALL RISKS

Fuel handling in an automobile is serious business, and you need to be careful.

Having said all the necessary forgoing "you're on your own" stuff, here's what I've found. Based on my father-in-law's 30 years experience in liquid filter engineering, I went to McMaster for a serious hydraulic fluid filter. It's about the same price as the "billet", but has several orders of magnitude more filter area and better flow. Not only that, but a fuel pressure gauge upgrade is only $20! It has an integral bypass valve set to a pressure differential of 15 PSI, so you won't trash your pump or stall your car if you're careless on maintenance. But looking at the size of the thing, you should be able to go 100K miles without worrying. I mounted mine just above the stock filter area, and there seems to be enough room.

I picked the 10 micron absolute filter, which is much better than the 10 micron "if it's in a good mood" billet filter performance. You can pick one of the others if you like.

Caveats? Use good teflon pipe compound and ALUMINUM fittings. You'll need two 3/4" to 3/8" NPT adapters (listed below), as well as 3/8" NPT to -6AN (or whatever size line you're running). You can get the latter from Jegs, or Summit, etc.

McMaster Part Numbers:

44185K23 10 Micron Microglass filter with housing
44185K11 Pressure Gauge
44705K292 X2 3/4 to 3/8 NPT Aluminum Adapters

Total cost is about $85 shipped. The NPT to AN adapters should run about $3 a piece.

Regards,

Brad
 
Thanks Brad. I am running a large turbo that is best with 30+ psi boost. I truly believe my bottle neck is the banjo bolt on top of the filter leading to the filter to rail line. That is going to -6an braIDED. THE KITS I SEE ARE A BIT EXPENSIVE BUT I DON'T KNOW WHERE ELSE TO GET THE FITTING TO GO INTO THE RAIL YET TAKE AN EARLS-6AN FITTING ON THE OUTSIDE. Sorry for the caps. The part #'s are appreciated. I would stay stock if I could but with 950cc inj's and 30+psi at 8300rpm's fuel is paramount. Mark
PS: Don't you have any 90* or 45* angle fittings?
 
Mark, if you just need the fuel rail -AN adapters, Diamond Star Motorsport has them, as well as Auto Alchemy. I think other places too, but those are a start. They're about $25 apiece. I have a -6AN line from the filter to the rail and it works fine. There's an adapter by Goodridge that screws onto the top of the stock filter and has a -6AN fitting on it. Earl's makes one too, I believe.

[edit] I just also noticed that Diamond Star Motorsport also has the kit that goes from the stock filter to the rail-- it's $90.
http://www.diamondstarmotorsport.com/fuelparts.shtml
 
Thanks J. I'm probably going wityh the kit from DSM, a bit costly but all gathered together! Upgraded fuel filters are the missing link right now however I believe the Aeromotive with 3/8" npt fittings would work with an earls fitting, adapted 3/8npt to -6an. I'm almost at 100% duty on 950's. I don't believe the banjo bolt is cutting it at this point and needs removal. When I get a misfire my wideband goes lean and I sometimes get a buck like fuel cut though I have fuel cut removed from my DSMchip.
I'll address the fuel and then look at spark if needed. Thanks all! mark
 
I've been told by several sources that the stock filter, once you remove the banjo bolt thing, isn't much of a restriction. I don't have any definitive flow numbers (GPH or whatever) for it though. I'd try just the banjo bolt elimination kit first and see how that goes, and then upgrade the filter if you still have problems.
 
doug said:
I've been told by several sources that the stock filter, once you remove the banjo bolt thing, isn't much of a restriction. I don't have any definitive flow numbers (GPH or whatever) for it though. I'd try just the banjo bolt elimination kit first and see how that goes, and then upgrade the filter if you still have problems.


I'm not too sure about that... According to these guys (who flow tested the entire OE fuel system), the filter IS a significant restriction. Here's the link:

http://www.stevetek.com/R-FuelSys.html

I basically used this write-up for the basis of my own after market fuel system design, with a few changes. First, I opted to get the aftermarket fuel rail adapters (sorry, I just don't trust JB Weld THAT much, especially when it comes to fuel). Secondly, I went with an AN-06 Earl's 35 micron filter (with replaceable sintered bronze element) ~$75, with a few extra elements.

Oh, and I also used a female flared M14 x 1.25 to male AN-06 adapter for the fuel pump sender's connection... I didn't want to risk using A LOT fo teflon tape, as they did in the link mentioned above for the AN-06 to M14 x 1.25 union.
 
Yeah, good link. That's what originally inspired me to upgrade the supply line from filter to rail. I still think that he should just try the banjo bolt elimination and see if that's good enough. When I put an Earl's filter inline with the -6AN line, it caused my car to run unbelievably rich, so I took it out and put the stock filter back on. I've since installed an AFPR which may alleviate that problem, so I will eventually try the Earl's filter again.

I also used a female flared M14 x 1.25 to male AN-06 adapter
Yep, I had a hard time getting rid of a leak between the stock hard line coming from the tank and the adapter fitting. Later on I read that you can get an O-ring and put inside the adapter fitting. I did get one, but I haven't reinstalled the adapter and new filter so I can't say for sure if that works.
 
Seriously Guys,

Nothing is more hazardous than a fuel leak (unless maybe a brake fluid leak).

Nothing is better at keeping the fuel from leaking than Harvey's White Teflon Pipe Compound (although I imagine any similar competitive product would be just as good). Frankly, if you tried the Teflon tape route, this is much easier and more fool-proof.

I used just plain AN fittings on my "SteveTek" style fuel rail setup, and occasionally caught a disconcerting whiff of gas fumes in the garage. After coating the male slopes of the AN fittings (SPARINGLY!) with Harvey's, the fumes went away.

Home Depot carries the stuff, and one ~$3 tube is enough to last your lifetime.

Regards,

Brad
 
I've deceided to do the line upgrade first and see how that affects the system. I've priced the fittings and hose at sunnitt and even buying an adapter for the rail at $25. (WOW!) I can do it for $65. That's $25. less than what vendors want for the kit. Too bad that adapter is so costly.
A Buschur forum member said he lowered his IDC's 21% and EGT's 120* by doing this mod alone. I have a DNP exhaust manifold and after a run the #1 & #2 tubes are glowing while the other 2 are not. Besides being safer for the motor it should provide a bit of power to have the cylinders all running a proper AFR. Thanks for all, Mark
 
im having good results with the ELDEBROCK inline fuel filters. my buddies are running the EARL's and they're happy. id go with either one of these.
 
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