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

 
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