Honda BF90 - remove fuel filter?

[Da Nag]

In getting my BF90 ready for cruising this year, I started out by replacing both fuel filters - the Racor with water separator, as well as the inline filter on the outboard.

First up, a tip for the "stuck fuel bowl" issue many of you have encountered on the Racor. Like many have posted here, tightening the fuel bowl to the R12T too tightly and/or waiting too long makes it difficult/impossible to remove. Mine had been sitting for over 3 years, and while the filter easily came off the housing, the plastic bowl wasn't coming off. Not having a replacement bowl handy, I took to the metal filter with an angle grinder all around the edge near the plastic bowl, then removed the metal from the filter inside. And, at the risk of stating the obvious...make sure and rinse out the filter very well with water. Don't be crying to me if you ignite leftover fuel in there.

Anyway, upon doing so - I was able to easily removed the threaded plastic section of the filter from the plastic bowl, by sticking a screwdriver through the remaining filter element assembly inside and twisting. Popped right off.

Second, and the request for opinions: The fuel filter on the outboard is a tad tricky to get out. Not only is it wedged behind throttle control cables leaving little room to maneuver, but getting the fuel lines and spring clamps on/off in this tight space left me cussin' just a tad. So, I got to thinking...is this filter really necessary with the Racor in place?

I've no idea what the micron rating is on the engine filter, and if it's less than the Racor (10), it should probably stay. However, if it's the same or higher, me thinks it does more harm than good. Assuming regular maintenance on the Racor, it would provide no additional filtering - and leaving it in place provides one more place something could crack and/or leak. Any thoughts on removing it, and replacing it with a solid fuel line all the way through?

[Robert H. Wilkinson]

On my last boat (Campion hardtop) it had a water separator filter but I also kept an inline clear plastic filter between the water separator and the carb.

The reason for keeping this filter was to give me a window to my fuel. A quick look at this filter will tell you - if you have fuel - is there moisture in it - is it the right colour - air bubbles,,,etc.

The orange/brown discolouration in this filter gave me my first clue that my fuel tanks were rusted out on the inside.

Regards, Rob