|
The question about vapor lock did not mention airplane model or engine type.
In Lancair 320/360s, the cowl area behind the baffling can get hot since there is no air movement there. One way to help this is with 1 or 2 one inch blast tubes to help keep some components cool when the airplane is moving. A hot stopped or idling engine can heat soak the engine mounted pump which can cause fuel to vaporize in the pump thus leading to cavitation. I don't know the consequence with a carbureted engine, but an injected engine can lose important fuel pressure because of the cavitation - the instant remedy is to run the boost pump to keep the pressure up and, perhaps, re-liquify the vapor.
Injected engine hot starts are very difficult when the above situation occurs. Of course, if you have an engine with a fuel return line, such as a Continental, you can run the boost pump with the mixture at idle cut-off for a minute or so to use cool fuel to cool the engine pump and return the heated fuel to the tank.
Scott Krueger
N92EX
|
|