Tracy Crook wrote:

The subject of gascolators recently came up  so thought I'd send

along

this

experience which began on yesterday's flight home from Treasure

Coast

airpark, about 231 miles southeast of Shady Bend.

Was at my normal 12,500 ft cruising altitude over Orlando's class B

airspace

when I noticed the fuel pressure dipping intermittently about 5 psi
(definitely not normal) and getting worse.   Suspected a fuel pump

going

bad

so switched on backup pump.  Pressure stabalized but still jittering

around

2 psi.  Left both pumps on and zigzaged my way home always staying

within

gliding distance of an airport (thank god Florida is liberally

sprinkled

with private airstrips and my Anywhere Map GPS does show private

strips).

Arrived home OK and listened to fuel pumps with engine off.  They

both

sounded like they were making more "gear noise" than normal.

Dug into the airplane today looking for the problem.  Picture of the
gascolator screen attached shows the trouble .  Screen was

completely

blocked with debris.  The white flakes are pieces of tank sloshing

compound.

(DO NOT USE THIS STUFF) Most of the blockage was from tiny lint

fibers

(dark

stuff) that always turns up in the screen.  I just let too much time

go

by

between checks.  It has been more than a year since last cleaning.

The only way engine was getting fuel was due to the pumps sucking so

hard

that the screen was pulled into a cavitiy causing the edge of screen

to

lift

in one place. This allowed unfiltered fuel to pass.  Sure glad I had

another

filter down stream of the pump to catch whatever got by!

Tracy Crook
tcrook@rotaryaviation.com
www.rotaryaviation.com

Barry Gardner wrote:

What tank sloshing compound was used and should now be avoided?

Barry Gardner
Wheaton, IL

kevin lane wrote:

Tracy - originally i installed in-line filters in my -6A O-320 installation.
my idea was to use the cheap, replaceable filters and change them every
year.  i, too, found many fibers in the screen in the carb.  they were
practically invisible and would have been easy to miss.  i swapped to the
"expensive" see-thru, permanent filters ($15 ea?) and have never had any
problems. i could conveivably change them in flight, or, at least look at
them in an emergency, since they are under my knees.
    your story surprises me.  how many times do you have to read "don't
slosh your tanks?".  this isn't the first time your incident has occurred.
    ok Tracy, let's start a list for you. "Things for Tracy to Stay Away
From:"
1.  ladders
2.  tank slosh
3.  other women

three things tracy.  life can be so simple :-)   kevin-- 

 
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