SVO Filter!

[sandcruiser]

Finally bought the filter for my SVO installation. Very excited. Huge son of a gun though.... for some reason I expected it to be... smaller. Oh well. Good thing there is so much room in the engine bay.

Davco 234. Purpose built. Has a 12v heater that self-regulates to about 110-120 F as well as a coolant heat exchanger. Also has a water seperator and a big filter cartridge and a clear housing cover so I can see what's going on with the fuel filter.

Fun times ahead! Now all I have to do it install the unit, route the coolant hoses, install the extra fuel line(s) and the switches for the fuel valve, then get a custom tank built to carry the startup/shutdown diesel and instal more fuel lines.

Could be a while before I post more pictures.

[Radd Cruisers]

Now....... this is meant to pre heat the fuel, it does not have the capability of heating the cold SVO prior to firing like a mini super heat exhcanger??

[sandcruiser]

We'll have to see just how it works in operation- but the idea is that the 12v will help preheat the fuel prior to the motor being warmed up, then once all is warm and the coolant is flowing at full temp (around 180) then I can flip the switch and the coolant heat exchanger should (I hope) be sufficient to heat the SVO to pretty close to 180.

I'll be running the fuel from the filter in a 3in1 tubing such that the coolant will be right next to the fuel, thus helping warm it a little more if it still needs it, or at least keep it warm on the way to the IP.

In a colder climate, I'd bet that you would want a 12v heater right before the IP to help make sure all is hot enough... but my ambient temps are pretty high- lowest it gets here is around 80* F so I don't think it'll have too much trouble getting the oil up to full temp even if it doesn't have a lot of contact time/space. I hope

I've been running up to 50% SVO/Diesel without any heating at all and have been ok with the results- once the motor warms up it runs well. It just runs poorly at startup.

The one thing that I'm not 100% about is that it seems to me that the 12v heater is going to be heating the oil, which will then pretty much lose heat to the coolant... until the coolant gets up 110 or so. Which I guess should be pretty quick!

the next step is that I want to also install a temp sender somewhere in the fuel line right after the filter so that I'll have a better idea of just what is going on there.... but that will have to wait till after a number of other projects get taken care of.