Why so many filters???

I had an intermittent running issue with my Ford 3000 three cylinder gas. I was told to check the fuel filters. Well there is one on the petcock in the fuel tank, a filter screen in the fuel pump, a stacked filter inside the settlement bowl, and another filter on the in-port of the carburetor. Why so many??? I started by seeing how well the fuel flowed to the carb. It didn't exactly gush out, so I removed the easiest filter first. The one in the settlement bowl. So far it seems to run better already. I had the tank off last year for repairs so I know it was clean inside. I put a new petcock and screen in it at that time. The fuel pump is new, so I assume that screen is clean. The carb is new, so I have to think that filter is pretty clean. The settlement bowl is the only component that wasn't changed. However I can blow through the filter stack without much resistance. I'm just wondering how many of the four filters I can eliminate. Personally I'd like to get rid of all of them and just put one of those cleanable in-line filters to keep things simple. Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks Guys

The Holley carburetor used on Ford tractor gasoline engines of such vintage has a vacuum operated accelerator pump which is sensitive to debris.

Keep all of the filters.

Dean

I would normally agree, but the original Holley carb was replaced with one purchased from Yesterdays Tractors because the vacuum accelerator pump slide was badly wore. All the surging and stumbles went away after that. However it still seems to run out of gas after a hard pull. It starts to miss and stumble until I give it a break and let the carb fill again. Thus the fuel delivery issue I'm trying to resolve.

Depends on the filter but a lot of filters will not let gasoline thru once its had water in it.I like the clear inline filters its amazing what shows up in them.

Yes water is just as bad as dirt. It causes rust in metal filters, and plugs fiber or fabric filters. But I totally agree about the in-line filters. They seem to catch everything from ticks to bowling balls. They are easy to see when dirty and cheap to replace. They even make one that can be split open to clean. But I stay away from that kind.

FWIW, check to see if your gas cap is partially plugged. You could hear a whoosh from breaking vacuum if the cap was fully plugged but a partially plugged one probably wouldn't do that, yet could give a fuel starve condition after a hard use (like you're seeing). Mud dauber wasps can be a nuisance...even had them plug up the tiny holes in the nozzle of a spray gun...they couldn't build a nest in the holes but plugged them anyway.

Good suggestion. I recently replaced the cap, but did check it for suction by removing it while the problem was occurring. Fortunately or unfortunately that didn't resolve the problem. But we do think alike. Thank you. As far as them darn mud daubers go, yep, them little buggers can cause all kinds of problems.

Sounds symptomatic of a weak fuel pump.

Dean

I would not assume a filter was clean just because it was recently replaced. Especially the one in the carb, it is small and doesn't take much to clog. It is also the last line of defense, so I wold not remove it.

Have you tested the fuel pump pressure and volume? Just because it's new it could be defective. Good chance it is aftermarket, anything is possible.

What is the condition and position of the fuel line to the pump? Any kinks? Is it routed away from the exhaust system? Connections tight, any rubber splices? Should be one piece steel line, not copper.

Interesting story on the inline cleanable filter...
First, I am not a big fan of those, seen them vibrate loose and leak.

I did put one on a ATV recently because it was having fuel contamination problems and there was little room for an inline filter. It was gravity flow, so I didn't want a paper filter.

It ran good for a few days, got called back, no run again, no fuel to the carb. Took the filter off, looked perfectly clean. Tried blowing through it, nothing! Opened it up, the "should have been neoprene" gaskets in the end were evidently made of rubber! They had swelled and perfectly sealed off the flow! I trashed it!

Lots to consider. Guess I have work to do. Need to for sure check the fuel pressure. I've had so much bad luck with aftermarket items, that we just can't trust new anything anymore. Thank you for all your professional advice.

That's very true about the new fuel pump,last Summer I put a new fuel pump on my David Brown 990 and it quit pumping after about 3 hrs run time.

As to why so many, well, they will all last longer in service. Start with contaminants made up of many different sized particles from sub-micron up to visible chunks. The filter with the smallest filter size would stop everything so it clogs fastest. Unless you can use it only for the very fine bits. Steve@Advance alluded to this. So, the first filter should be course and remove only the largest bits. It lasts pretty well because the smaller bits pass on through. The next filter inline ideally takes out the next smaller bits but again lets the smallest ones through. Finally, the last filter removes only the smallest contaminants and isn't loaded prematurely with big stuff.