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I assume there's no Lycoming SI for how to replace the pump (which I am thinking I may have to do...been seeing increasing deviations in fuel pressure, with the occasional drop over a few seconds to ~14-15 PSI and then back up, over about 8-10 seconds).
I'll probably add the cooling shroud, although I have a blast tube aimed at it now. But, my real question here...what sort of sealant is recommended, if any, for the gasket and/or the bolts? |
Another thank you for all the tips!
I had suspicions about the low pressure mechanical fuel pump on my carbed O-320 that is 40 years and 1300 hours old. No indication in the logs it had ever been replaced. So I got a new replacement and blocked off a full day. I used a full length ball end hex tool, Hylomar M to seal the gasket, teflon thread sealant on the bolts, fuel lube on the fittings. Made sure the cam was in the proper position, installed the inboard bolt one turn, and was able to tilt the lever arm on the pump under the cam driven piston, no securing tricks required. Then I installed the outboard bolt one turn, and confirmed proper installation by mating the pump to the case easily by hand. Torqued and safety wired the bolts. Full power ground run, no leaking oil or fuel. Two leisurely hours.
What to do with the rest of the day? :) |
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Hi all
I have an O320 in a RV4 and had a fuel pressure drop in a full power climb, which caused the engine to lose power until I turned the electric pump on and went back to the airport. The engine would run ok at lower power settings but not at full power. Pulled the pump off and found two hard ?granules? of some crumbly substance which were obstructing the diaphragms, holding them open. One granule in each diaphragm. Weird! After thoroughly cleaning the pump and gascolator I reinstalled it. I had not found this thread so I had to figure this out myself and surprisingly, it worked quite well. I put the bolts through the housing and held the pump in place, ensuring the arm was in the correct position. I found if I tilted the pump clockwise, I could get the left bolt in easily and tightened it up, only enough to keep the flange faces aligned but the pump could still be rotated. I then pushed up on the right side, rotating the pump against the spring pressure on the arm to get the right side bolt hole to line up. It took a couple of tries to get the threads to take but once they did it was easy. Did a run up and had a firm 5 psi, leak checked everything and then did a test flight over the airport. Great fuel pressure at low power but at full power it would drop to about 1 psi, no faltering of the engine though. However, after reading the threads here, I am concerned about what I did. If overhaul kits are no longer sold because a jig is needed to set the diaphragm pressure, there is no guarantee that my reassembly was correct. I plan to replace the fuel pump anyway since it?s old but it would be nice to fly until I get the new one. I would welcome your opinions. Merry Christmas, Gary |
Ground your plane until the pump is replaced. Aircraft Spruce can put a pump in your hands a couple of days after Christmas.
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Chris |
After a flight last week, I noticed a drip from the fuel pump overflow. It appeared to have leaked enough to leave a small streak on the lower fuselage, although I never had any indication of a fuel pressure fluctuation. After reading this thread, I could hardly wait to replace the pump (NOT). I picked up a new pump at Air Power in Arlington. I removed the cowling and set about removing the old pump. Access is rather limited, so I removed the scat tubing for the cabin heat and removed the lower line from the oil cooler. I removed the pump overflow tube and the fuel lines from the pump. I zip tied all of these lines to various places on the engine mount--this helped free up some space. I cut the safety wire and removed the bolts. I found that a ball end hex tool was the only way I could get on the bolts. So, old pump off, then cleaned off the old gasket material from the engine with a scraper and some disc brake cleaner. At this point, I called it a day. The next day, I ran some string around the rod that operates the arm on the pump and clamped the free ends to the plate where my GPS antenna is mounted. I held my finger on the rod and slowly rotated the prop until the rod was fully retracted. Looks like the string will hold it in place. I used the old pump as a test to determine how best to position it for the installation. After I was satisfied I had found an acceptable method, I proceeded with the new pump. I coated a new gasket with permatex #2 and stuck it on the pump. I also coated the bolt threads with permatex thread sealer. I inserted the pump and rotated it about 30 degrees counter clockwise. This allowed the arm to fit under the plunger and the inboard bolt to engage. I gave it about 3 turns. For the outboard bolt, the pump has to be rotated clockwise to line up the bolt hole. This was the difficult part because the plunger rod must slightly depress the arm on the pump--and that arm has one stout spring! After several tries, I got the bolt started. I pushed the pump flush against the engine to ensure the arm was under the push rod, then tightened up the bolts until there was less than a 1/4" gap between the pump and engine. I pulled the string out and finished tightening the bolts. The safety wire wasn't much fun either, but I got it done. Re-attached all lines. Ready to test run and check for leaks, but now it's raining--will do it tomorrow. I spent about 4 hours on this project--I stand in awe of the gents that did this fun task in 15 minutes and 35 minutes. Thanks to all for the tips found on this thread!
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Good job. I think a few hours invested well. Future ones will go a bit quicker but hopefully you won't have to find out!
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Good ideas in this thread!
This was my second time installing the fuel pump. First time I needed to remove a pump cooling shroud that had a broken installation tab. This time I called Tempest to confirm there aren't any new ones without the dreaded housing interference issue. Of course, no company has gone thru the pain of a new design and faa pma process. This time I used his suggestion to be confident the pump arm is installed correctly...that is, remove the left mag, then one can see the pin. Rotate prop to up position, temporarily secure the pin in up position from inside the mag opening, and proceed to wrestle the pump and those **** hex bolts. Worked much better this time after shortening a 5/16" hex wrench, but most importantly, I'm confident of the positioning. |
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