Brand new RV-7 with a fuel pump problem - UGH!

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Mon Oct 13, 2014 7:26 am

This is killing me! With only 3 hours on the Hobbs, I have a grounded airplane!

I was up scooting around yesterday and as I departed my home port, I looked down at my VPX panel and saw that the fuel pump circuit was tripped. I figured that I must have set the value too low, so I reset it in flight. I then turned it on to test it. It drew twice the current and subsequently tripped out again!

Whisky Tango Foxtrot!!! I returned back to the illustrious Hangar #5 and with the engine still running, tried it one more time. Bang, tripped again!

I took it out and bench tested it and it is making terrible grinding sounds and grinds itself to a stop, at which time, pulls 15-20 amperes of instantaneous current before delivering a dead short!

I have an email into Andair. I hope they get back to me soon with an RMA number so I can get my bird back into the air!

CJ

Post by **Spike** » Mon Oct 13, 2014 9:46 am

Hey Bro,

Just a thought, lots of home builders end up having fuel problems because of debris in the lines from constructions. Is it possible that the fuel pump ended up sifting a shaving or chip from the lines before it got further downstream?

John

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Mon Oct 13, 2014 11:56 am

Hmmm, I thought of that, but just before the fuel enters the pump... there is the 60 micron filter.

Here I sit broken hearted...

CJ

Post by **Spike** » Mon Oct 13, 2014 12:04 pm

I was going to say Bummer, but id rather it be the pump than junk in the lines. One should be easier to handle than the other.

Though that might beg the question, did the pump launch junk down stream of itself?

Uggh.

John

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Mon Oct 13, 2014 12:12 pm

Launch junk?

I am not sure it even "grenaded"?

I can tell you that there wasn't stuff in the fuel after I took it out of the plane or when I did the bench test.

Does anyone have a pump I can borrow? I am DYING here!!!

CJ

Vlad · Post by **Vlad** » Mon Oct 13, 2014 3:37 pm

I will take a look tomorrow if TK RV8 has the same pump. It's still in the box from the move I am way far from installing it. If it's the same brand you can borrow it Captain.

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Mon Oct 13, 2014 4:13 pm

Sweet! Thanks pal!

CJ

Vlad · Post by **Vlad** » Mon Oct 13, 2014 5:01 pm

John that's what Tony has.

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Mon Oct 13, 2014 6:16 pm

Thank you Vlad but no dice. I don't want to re-do the plumbing in order to make that fit.

DAMN!

Thanks for offering, though.

CJ

bruceh · Post by **bruceh** » Mon Oct 13, 2014 8:15 pm

CJ,

Bummer on the bad pump. Good luck with trying to contact Andair! I hear they can be difficult to get a hold of.

I have the EFII unit like the one Vlad has available. Works great and is very quiet. It might be worth it to bend up some tubing and install it. I have lots of photos of my install on my web log. You should be able to find tubing and fittings locally.

With a better filter. I swapped out the old one which leaked.

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Tue Oct 14, 2014 7:37 am

Update!

I got an email back from Andair immediately. It seems that they don't obseve Columbus Day over there in England... Who knew!?! Hahahaha

I am shipping my pump back today. I do hope that turn around will be fast.

Bruce, that is a very slick looking installation! I like the EFII pump, but want to keep the Andair as I have high hopes that it will work out fine in the end.

In the meanwhile, if anyone has a spare Andair that they aren't using I would gladly flight test it for you!

CJ

Vlad · Post by **Vlad** » Tue Oct 14, 2014 5:45 pm

Very good. Take a break from flight testing load Billy's 6 and let's go buzz Noah in Vermont on Saturday