From: "Marvin Kaye" <marv@lancaironline.net>
Subject: Re: Facet Fuel pump running dry
To: lml
Date: Thu, 27 Apr 2006 01:26:21 -0400
Message-ID: <web-1082787@logan.com>
In-Reply-To: <E1FYrYt-00034K-H9@elasmtp-junco.atl.sa.earthlink.net>
References: <E1FYrYt-00034K-H9@elasmtp-junco.atl.sa.earthlink.net>
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Posted for "Jim Nordin" <panelmaker@earthlink.net>:

  This problem … was not in a Lancair 360 but a 360 powered RV6A so anyone not
  interested in solving problems for an RV can delete this now.
  
  
  The plumbing in this plane was … in my opinion … not ideal …and maybe ideal
  doesn’t exist in many similar planes. The fuel tank is below the Facet pump
  by 6-7 inches. The pump then moves fuel up to a loop (like an inverted “U”)
  passing through the firewall, then down to the gascolator – on to the
  mechanical pump.
  
  
  The plane was being prepped for sale. The owner/builder was performing a
  condition inspection. The buyer was here watching and getting briefed on the
  process.
  
  The plane was flown the previous day to the inspection with no “funny”
  noises. There’s always funny noises when you sell an airplane.
  
  
  The next morning the owner flipped the master to on and for what ever reason
  checked the Facet. It made the loud noise of pumping dry.
  
  
  Owner had installed a new fire sleeve over the fuel line from the gascolator
  to the engine driven pump and wanted to change the filter too thinking
  “something” could have gotten into the line somehow. So he did, which of
  course drained all the fuel from the “loop”. Re-connected all the plumbing
  after the sleeve changeout. Turned on the pump, after 5 seconds of pumping
  air it re-primed. We waited 5 minutes and then it made a loud pumping noise
  again … dry … and it wouldn’t pick up fuel.
  
  after initial pressurization from the last time it was turned on. So the new
  owner, who was witnessing the procedure, got nervous … first about the loud
  noises coming from the Facet (he’d never heard that before … he was an F-4
  driver in Nam) … then nervous that the Facet wouldn’t pick up fuel from the
  tank. And this concerned me too. Additionally, you wouldn’t expect the fuel
  to drain back into the tank because of the ball valve in the pump.
  
  
  A long story made short … we purged the air from the line by opening the
  drain at the bottom of the gascolator and turned on the Facet and it picked
  up the fuel from the tank. Earlier the pump wouldn’t pick up fuel because
  the fuel system was pressurized, and with air in the pump and “loop”
  wouldn’t pull from the tank.
  
  
  Problem solved. The only item that could not be explained, was the draining
  of the gascolator should not cause the Facet to be dry. So there could have
  been a piece of “something” that got under the ball valve and allowed the
  fuel to drain back. Then after purging or running the engine at high
  consumption, the ball valve cleared itself of the “something”. We didn’t
  look to see if there was “something” in the filter … it could be very small
  and couldn’t be large. I still don’t like the idea that there’s this large
  inverted “U” at the highest point of the system.
  
  
  Jim