Perko 299 separator disassembly

Jcbwell
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Perko 299 separator disassembly

Post by Jcbwell »

Can anyone recommend a procedure for disassembling the bronze cannister to get to the filter element? Thanks! Jeff (not fast)
Marinette 37' Marquis (sundeck)
Presently the Castle K, but plan to rename Sinewave
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tundrarules
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Re: Perko 299 separator disassembly

Post by tundrarules »

I just replaced mine a few weeks ago. I had to remove the whole filter housing from the boat.... Remove both fuel lines, remove both wood screws holding the filter assembly to the wooden mount. I had to wrap a towel around mine and put them in a vice to get the top loose. You may be able to use a big set of slip-joint pliers (with rag) and large crescent wrench on the dock to loosen the top.

Do you have new filters? They are hard to find. The filters that were in mine were bulged out and hard to get out of the filter housing. My o rings were in surprisingly good shape. Seems like I read somewhere to clean the old filters in mineral spirits if you aren't replacing with new. Lube the new o ring with a plumbing silicone grease you can get in any hardware store. Don't ever let anyone talk you into lubing o rings with petroleum jelly or any petroleum grease product! It will ruin your orings if they are rubber. Oring lubrication is a whole new subject!!! I'm sure the orings for the filter housing are made to resist petroleum, but why take a chance.....use silicon grease and you should be safe. :roll:
1985 29 Sedan
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javalin390
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Re: Perko 299 separator disassembly

Post by javalin390 »

I pulled mine apart when I first purchased my boat, and I don't think they were ever serviced. Both were half full of water and the bronze mesh was plugged completely shut with rust, varnish & goo. I don't see how the engines ever ran. I took the mesh filters home and dropped them into a gallon can of Gunk carb cleaner and let them soak for a couple days, came out looking like brand new.
Jim Elias
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Fastjeff
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Re: Perko 299 separator disassembly

Post by Fastjeff »

The nut on top can fight you, so be careful you don't tear up the plywood holding the assembly.

The PO on my boat did me a HUGE favor by showing me how to drain the things, using a small glass jar. It fit around the exhaust pipes and allowed me to see if water was in the things. Kept that jar for over a decade!

Jeff
"We live at the bottom of an ocean of air, not at the top." General Marvage Slatington
Jcbwell
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Re: Perko 299 separator disassembly

Post by Jcbwell »

I did drain one separator into a jar, removed the botton screw and a slight amount of fluid came out. Re-inserted the screw, felt like it wasn't going in correctly so backed it out, and more fluid came out, with grit and particulates.

Luckily, PO left 2 spare elements (!). I'm tempted to get someone like USA Fuel Service to clean the tanks (2) then replace the elements.

There is a set screw about mid-canister. Do I need this loose prior to unscrewing the canister from the top? From installed position, it also looks like the top-to-botton cannister mates are also about mid-cannister. True?
Marinette 37' Marquis (sundeck)
Presently the Castle K, but plan to rename Sinewave
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Re: Perko 299 separator disassembly

Post by jralbert »

Jcbwell wrote: I'm tempted to get someone like USA Fuel Service to clean the tanks (2) then replace the elements.
Recommend this: clean the elements and the canister (just wipe it out). Run the engine for an hour or so and inspect what you get out of the canister. If you continually get cruddy fuel from the canister, then maybe a tank cleaning would be in order. But if it's a small amount (normal), you could probably save yourself quite a few bucks. If you have to clean carb freq, that's another story. Maybe, you'd want to add a second, inline replaceable filter.
-joel-
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Chesapeake Bay
twin 318 / 240 hp
Potomac MD
Fastjeff
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Re: Perko 299 separator disassembly

Post by Fastjeff »

Note: The Perko is a SEPARATOR, not a filter. It removes water and 'bowling balls', not grit. A filter (around 10 micron) should go after the fuel pump and before the carb.

Jeff
"We live at the bottom of an ocean of air, not at the top." General Marvage Slatington
jralbert
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Re: Perko 299 separator disassembly

Post by jralbert »

Disagree just a bit, Jeff. You are spot on that it is a separator (and I think a very good one) but it does prevent some particles from getting into the line as well. I saw that every time I emptied the canister into a glass jar. That said, the filter Jeff proposes (and had on his boat) is very useful. There's often another little filter at the mouth of the carb (for me it was a CG-11) that blocks particles. It's a standard item. The one jeff wisely urges you to use is an add-on
-joel-
former owner 1988 '32 FB Sedan
Chesapeake Bay
twin 318 / 240 hp
Potomac MD
Fastjeff
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Re: Perko 299 separator disassembly

Post by Fastjeff »

The Perko separator is about 30 microns, so it does remove small particles. By my "bowling balls" remark I meant relatively large particles compared to a 10 micron filter before the carb.

On those tiny filters in the carb, the problem with them is that they are too small. The carb filter in my present boat (19 footer with a 305 Chevy) plugged up several times on me with this brownish crud coming from the tank. A nice sized, metal, in-line filter could have handled the crud easily. I still retain that carb filter, however, as a back up.

Still playing drums in the band?

Jeff
"We live at the bottom of an ocean of air, not at the top." General Marvage Slatington
jralbert
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Re: Perko 299 separator disassembly

Post by jralbert »

"...Still playing drums in the band..."

didn't think you remembered. good head on those shoulders. Yep, though spending more on out of town workshops than earning. Always a student. Next week, we will play at one of the Smithsonians where we are all bringing rations in case they try to detain and keep us as historical curiosities.
-joel-
former owner 1988 '32 FB Sedan
Chesapeake Bay
twin 318 / 240 hp
Potomac MD
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