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Fuel System Issue - Almost landed in a field today...

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Joined
May 24, 2012
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Cameron Park, CA. (O61)
Just when I though everything was purring along nicely on my plane, I had a little issue today.

After a normal taxi, run-up, and takeoff, the engine lost power after takeoff dropping down to around 1700 RPM... not enough to maintain altitude. Luckily the RPM came back up to 2350 RPM after what seemed like an eternity of watching the ground get closer. Anyways, I regained enough altitude to land safely at the airport without further incident.

After landing, I did a full power run-up... 2300 RPM and everything seemed going fine... then I turned off the AUX pump and both the RPM and Fuel Pressure both took a nosedive for a few seconds before recovering. Needless to say, I am certain that this is a fuel issue.

Here is a fuel system schematic I found on the EAA website at http://www.eaa.org/en/eaa/aviation-...-articles/fuel-systems/basic-fuel-pump-system

5d54a19bc26a4c76b8a9591dfb18c7d7.ashx


My fuel system schematic is as shown below

It's different from the EAA recommended layout.

I've been reading up on Lyc O-320 engine driven fuel pumps and it seems that replacing mine would be a good first start as well as cheap insurance. I also plan on checking the checkvalve for proper function.

A couple of questions:

1. Should I replumb the fuel system to match the schematic?
2. Is there something inherently wrong with the system currently on my plane?
3. What failure modes might be causing the issue I experienced today.
4. Any other comments or suggestion?

Thanks,
Glenn

fuel.gif
 
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