Water Sep Filter

[McQuaig]

Just wondering how often you change your water separation filter? I've always changed my 10 micron Yamaha filter once a year when winterizing my boat (approx 80hrs run time/season) but I don't think I've ever seen any water in them when I empty them. They're getting pretty expensive if they don't need to be changed so often. Any opinions or facts welcome...thanks

[Mechanic Bob]

I change my fuel/water separator yearly. But humidity where I live is much different from your area. I have not seen any water in my element, I use my rig at least twice a week, but for me and our weather conditions, I will continue to change it yearly.
I have seen many filters with a fair amount of water in the element and the boat still running fine, BUT, these owners were slack on maintenance.
I would dare say, you could change it every other year, but less than $20 for the filter, cheap insurance not to change it yearly.
Sorry I just saw where you have a SHO and I do not know the price of filters, but still given the price of repair, I still would change it yearly. Great piece of mind!

[McQuaig]

You're right Bob....I probably wouldn't sleep well if I didn't change it yearly. I think all motors now have a water sensor/warning on the engine fuel filter when it's half full of water, but I'd rather have it on the "remote" filter for earlier warning...
p.s. FYI I used to buy the filters from U.S. for about $17. Right now with shipping issues, I just priced one at my local Yamaha dealer...including our tax it's $36 Cdn !!! I'll wait till spring and get a couple "over the border".

[Mechanic Bob]

Holy Schmidt, $36 for a filter. I installed a Serra Separator on my rig as Mercury does not have or recommend a separator. Element only costs me $10. But given the price, lack of component parts these days, cost of repair, yeah, well worth the $40/year.

[Ranger391v]

When I was running old carburated Johnsons and Yamaha HPDI's I always changed it annually.

[BoatBuggy]

I've always changed it every other year on my 2013 SHO but if I ran more than a couple hundred gallons of gas through it in a year, I'd probably do it every year.

You got a deal for $36 - I paid about 44'ish for the one I'll be putting in sometime in the next few weeks.

[JJohnSind]

Got boat new. 5 years later, changed filter - zero water. 5 years again - zero water. 2 years later (keep hearing they should be checked more often) - zero water again. I’m beginning to wonder what it takes to get water in the system. Also wondering if, upon checking (and finding no water), you could just screw the old filter back on.

[Mechanic Bob]

It all depends on where you live and how full you keep your tank on how much condensate you collect.
It typically "Rains" under my car port every morning in the summer where I live. May through September, we could not see out our windows in the morning due to condensate covering our windows.

[JER-1 BIG BASS]

I usually just take it off dump it out , let drain good and put back on, any problem with that?

[JER-1 BIG BASS]

Got boat new. 5 years later, changed filter - zero water. 5 years again - zero water. 2 years later (keep hearing they should be checked more often) - zero water again. I’m beginning to wonder what it takes to get water in the system. Also wondering if, upon checking (and finding no water), you could just screw the old filter back on.

thats what I do , but it’s a carbed 225 Johnson, just drain and put back on, I don’t find water either.

[billnorman1]

I usually just take it off dump it out , let drain good and put back on, any problem with that?

Same here. I never see any water so I put it back on.

[dcbluewater]

I have a 1998 Mercury 225 EFI. Owned it since 2003. I've never changed or looked at the filter. I've never had work done on the motor except winterizing it every year. Still starts and runs great.

[greenfshrmn]

$36 for a fuel filter? That's cheap...I just bought the little red-topped one for my 75 hp Optimax. It was $70 at the local Marina...never again!

[friogatto]

Annually. By year 2 it's rusted through.

[bloodman]

I used to change it every year but have finally decided its not worth it. I havent ever seen water in my fuel system in 30 years. Every 2 years is gonna be my program from now on.

[booter]

Personally, I'd change it once a year for a piece of mind. When I purchased my current boat, it was having a rough time getting on plane for whatever reason. Then when I changed the fuel water separator this spring, even though there was no water in it, but it did have a lot of debris and fine aluminum shavings in the filter. I believe that my boat was one of the first Lynxs made and were using aluminum tanks until the poly tanks came in and it never got cleaned out that good from the factory. Regardless, those fuel water separator filters do more than filter out water and sometimes gas is not that clean coming from the pump either, especially after watching videos from Capt Dave Sports fishing who uses a Mr. Funnel fuel filter before filling the tank of his charter boat.