PerfTech
Well Known Member
...Today I received a phone call from one of the fellow members of this forum that we feel needs to be passed on to everyone. He called to inform us of an issue that he had with one of our vacuum evacuation systems. This is a very knowledgeable and respected member here, so his issue is real and needs to be addressed. He installed one of our systems approximately one hundred hours ago on his 600 hour engine and it has developed a problem. The stainless tube that the vacuum valve attaches to had coked up where it enters the exhaust system, thus preventing the engine from breathing properly. It was necessary to remove the valve and clean the tube of carbon and deposits to fix the problem. With approximately 5000 of these units out there in service, I personally have not seen this happen. Larry Vetterman told me that he used to install lots of these over the course of the many years he has been flying and building aircraft. He said that he had seen a few that had plugged up after long extended use. We heeded his advise and suggested that at annual time the valve be removed and the tube cleaned. Due to this recent report, we think it should be revised and this operation should be done at each oil change, or 50 hours maximum to be certain that this condition doesn't come up again. If no signs of the problem show up, then one my consider extending the cleaning intervals. We would appreciate a phone call or an e-mail report to [email protected] from anyone that finds a build-up of deposits in their tube so we can evaluate the potential of the issue. If this tube closes off the engine can build some crankcase pressure and will show oil leaks where the air is trying to escape. This is not what we want to see and ask that everyone with this system take a few minutes next time you have access and check yours. We are very sorry to post this request, but feel in the interest of safety it is necessary. Regards all, Allan...
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