X-Virus-Scanned: clean according to Sophos on Logan.com Return-Path: Sender: To: lml@lancaironline.net Date: Tue, 12 Jul 2011 10:18:52 -0400 Message-ID: X-Original-Return-Path: Received: from raven.ravenwebhosting.com ([72.9.254.67] verified) by logan.com (CommuniGate Pro SMTP 5.4.0) with ESMTPS id 5048713 for lml@lancaironline.net; Mon, 11 Jul 2011 18:45:18 -0400 Received-SPF: none receiver=logan.com; client-ip=72.9.254.67; envelope-from=paul@tbm700.com Received: from s01060017ee00b6c0.cg.shawcable.net ([174.0.115.173]:59052 helo=[192.168.15.8]) by raven.ravenwebhosting.com with esmtps (TLSv1:AES128-SHA:128) (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1QgPDR-0000jn-7S for lml@lancaironline.net; Mon, 11 Jul 2011 18:44:40 -0400 From: paul miller Mime-Version: 1.0 (Apple Message framework v1084) Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary=Apple-Mail-127--742911782 Subject: Re: [LML] Re: another Lancair X-Original-Date: Mon, 11 Jul 2011 18:44:13 -0400 In-Reply-To: X-Original-To: "Lancair Mailing List" References: X-Original-Message-Id: <3B7F2165-85F5-47ED-A6E4-8520AD8D0042@tbm700.com> X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.1084) X-AntiAbuse: This header was added to track abuse, please include it with any abuse report X-AntiAbuse: Primary Hostname - raven.ravenwebhosting.com X-AntiAbuse: Original Domain - lancaironline.net X-AntiAbuse: Originator/Caller UID/GID - [47 12] / [47 12] X-AntiAbuse: Sender Address Domain - tbm700.com X-Source: X-Source-Args: X-Source-Dir: --Apple-Mail-127--742911782 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii I have recently had the privilege of reviewing my fuel system and found = faults in the maintenance (looking inward as I write). Scenario: Factory new IO550 on my Legacy. 440 Hours. I'm second owner. = Back from FAA maintenance shop condition inspection recently. =20 1) I always noticed a puddle of fuel after boost pump priming so never = thought much of it. Took my cowls off to change oil myself and inside = of cowling was blue. The factory fuel pump was leaking at a cost of = about 2 gph based on my calculations. 2) After repairs, I tested the pump but fuel poured out of the drain = lines connecting the cylinders to the belly check valve. Further = inspection revealed they were 8 years old, had cracked from the heat = from nearby exhaust and literally were dumping fuel within a few inches = of the exhaust pipe--unseen with the cowl on. Brittle as toffee near = the exhaust. 3) When I took my interior out of the plane for inspection, I decided to = reveal the Andair valves for suspect fuel smell and all 4 banjo fittings = were loose and not lockwired and blue stained. They had worked loose = over the years I guess. They are now torqued and lockwired and no more = stains to date. I previously would smell fuel in the cabin on final = approach and now that is gone. My comment to owners is to verify the puddle of fuel next time you have = the cowls off. TCM has a number of pumps that leak like mine and you = will never know unless you look specifically for a problem. Those hoses = draining the cylinders should have been replaced much earlier and routed = further away from the exhaust. The Andair banjo fittings should never = have been left without lockwire as Andair specifies. I wanted a separate set of eyes on this condition inspection but the = shop missed all of the above issues. As for air in the system from leaking fittings: the TCM swirl chamber is = designed to remove most or all air and return that to the tank in = operation. A small leak of air should not cause the io/tsio engine to = falter as the design margins for fuel delivery are easily exceeded. = Personally, I would look at the maintenance basics for our fuel systems = and check the integrity of the existing systems spending time searching = for a design problem. Paul Legacy Calgary On 2011-07-10, at 3:07 PM, Kevin Stallard wrote: > =20 > So the question is, how do we set up a test of our fuel system so we = can test that configuration and flush out the gremlins? > =20 --Apple-Mail-127--742911782 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii I = have recently had the privilege of reviewing my fuel system and found = faults in the maintenance (looking inward as I = write).

Scenario: Factory new IO550 on my Legacy. =  440 Hours.  I'm second owner.  Back from FAA maintenance = shop condition inspection recently. =   

1) I always noticed a puddle of = fuel after boost pump priming so never thought much of it.   Took = my cowls off to change oil myself and inside of cowling was blue. =  The factory fuel pump was leaking at a cost of about 2 gph based = on my calculations.

2) After repairs, I tested = the pump but fuel poured out of the drain lines connecting the cylinders = to the belly check valve.  Further inspection revealed they were 8 = years old, had cracked from the heat from nearby exhaust and literally = were dumping fuel within a few inches of the exhaust pipe--unseen with = the cowl on.  Brittle as toffee near the = exhaust.

3) When I took my interior out of the = plane for inspection, I decided to reveal the Andair valves for suspect = fuel smell and all 4 = banjo fittings were loose and not lockwired and blue stained. =  They had worked loose over the years I guess.  They are now = torqued and lockwired and no more stains to date. I previously would = smell fuel in the cabin on final approach and now that is = gone.

My comment to owners is to verify the = puddle of fuel next time you have the cowls off.   TCM has a number = of pumps that leak like mine and you will never know unless you look = specifically for a problem.  Those hoses draining the cylinders = should have been replaced much earlier and routed further away from the = exhaust.  The Andair banjo fittings should never have been left = without lockwire as Andair specifies.

I wanted = a separate set of eyes on this condition inspection but the shop missed = all of the above issues.

As for air in the = system from leaking fittings: the TCM swirl chamber is designed to = remove most or all air and return that to the tank in operation.   = A small leak of air should not cause the io/tsio engine to falter as the = design margins for fuel delivery are easily exceeded.   Personally, = I would look at the maintenance basics for our fuel systems and check = the integrity of the existing systems spending time searching for a = design = problem.

Paul
Legacy
Calgary<= /div>


On 2011-07-10, at = 3:07 PM, Kevin Stallard wrote:

=

 

So the question is, how do we set up a test of our fuel system = so we can test that configuration and flush out the = gremlins?

 


<= /body>= --Apple-Mail-127--742911782--