An avgas odor was pretty noticeable the last couple of mornings as I slid the canopy back on my -7A with a carbureted O-360.. Today, I investigated so out came the front carpet and off came the tunnel cover to expose the fuel selector valve and the Facet boost pump.
The inlets to the fuel valve were both good and tight, but the outlet port could be tightened about 1/4 turn. I thought that would take care of the odor.
But, while I had everything opened up, I used the wrenches on the boost pump. The outlet was good and tight. But the inlet on the bottom could be tightened close to a full turn and it didn't seem to bottom out. The problem was that the more I tightened the inlet, the avgas odor became more apparent. I didn't want to overdo it, so I thought I'd let it sit overnight with a white paper towel beneath it to see if avgas leaked out..
The questions are: The pump is 16 years old with typical usage during 1600 hrs. Mostly, I've run avgas, but have used no ethanol 91UL on occasion. Do these pumps have a typical lifespan? Does mogas use shorten the lifespan? If I continue to tighten the inlet until it noticeably bottoms out without getting it overly tight, will I harm the pump or worse split the fuel tubing and create a very noticeable leak?
Until now, the fuel system has worked normally without any issues.
Thanks!
The inlets to the fuel valve were both good and tight, but the outlet port could be tightened about 1/4 turn. I thought that would take care of the odor.
But, while I had everything opened up, I used the wrenches on the boost pump. The outlet was good and tight. But the inlet on the bottom could be tightened close to a full turn and it didn't seem to bottom out. The problem was that the more I tightened the inlet, the avgas odor became more apparent. I didn't want to overdo it, so I thought I'd let it sit overnight with a white paper towel beneath it to see if avgas leaked out..
The questions are: The pump is 16 years old with typical usage during 1600 hrs. Mostly, I've run avgas, but have used no ethanol 91UL on occasion. Do these pumps have a typical lifespan? Does mogas use shorten the lifespan? If I continue to tighten the inlet until it noticeably bottoms out without getting it overly tight, will I harm the pump or worse split the fuel tubing and create a very noticeable leak?
Until now, the fuel system has worked normally without any issues.
Thanks!
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