Brief Description: Fuel System Flush and Break-in Baffle
This morning was spent flushing the fuel system through the firewall. Fuel was loaded into the left wing, a filtering funnel was mounted on the catch can, the fuel valve set to the left tank, and the #1 fuel pump turned on.
The results were very disappointing. The flow rate was only six gallons per hour, and the out flowing fuel was full of bubbles. I thought the most likely cause was a leak somewhere in the system, but decided to test the right side system before tracing down the problem.
The right side of the fuel system yielded the same results. I started checking the system for leaks and immediately found moisture at the AN elbow fittings on the input side of the fuel pumps. All of the fittings were tightened, and the testing restarted.
This time the results were far better on both sides. There were no bubbles in the out-flowing fuel, and the flow rate was 30-gallons per hour on both sides.
The difference between the fuel loaded into the wing and the fuel returned to the catch can (unuseable fuel) was less than a quart on each sides.
The temporary baffling to be used for the initial engine testing and break-in was completed today. Since it will be used for only a few hours on the ground, it will be fastened only with clecos.
