348 Fuel pump and swirl pot

I have a 348 with symptom... non start...

I put a cambelt on it and annual service a year ago... but it only got driven a very few km in mean time...

spark ok, battery ok, fuel at lines but no pressure...

bridge fuel pump relays one at a time... NEITHER pump runs.. just "CLUNKS"... relays ok, fuse ok...

So, direct wire the pumps with power probe tester.. same... pumps seized....

Removed pumps today... found this URGHHH!!!

I need a pair of pumps (but more importantly as I can get pumps quite easily) a pair of the rubber tube/gaskets bits.... same as 512M and F40 apparently..

anyone got any great idea...
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That story and those pics tells me that 348 needs to be driven more.

 

Why the corrosion around the power terminals? Were the wrong alloy nuts used?

 

Phil, ditch that system. Use it as a pick up only and install inline pumps like the non US F40 has. MSD makes a good one for use up to 400 HP. I use one on each bank of 2 pump cars. They are not expensive here.

 

H2O is heavier than gas. Pretty common actually.

 

Would that mean that 348 had a quarter inch of standing water at the bottom of that fuel tank in order to soak those power terminals in the heavier water rather than fuel?

 

No but small amounts of water intermittantly for 15 years takes it's toll.

 

Yeah, thought about that too.. But if parts can be found, this fix is quite cheap and owner not into experiemnting/non originality...

do you have link/parts info handy to cost out the mod option?

 

Phil it was an MSD 2225 at about $100-$120 US each. They are almost a copy of the MM pump in the F40 and can use the same clamp mount. They use a 3/8 hose nipple though. Have to neck that down. I have put them in a couple of cars with zero issues.


The big problem with ressurecting what you have is sourcing all the rubber parts.

 

They reckon every 6 months you should put a 1 litre bottle of Metholated Spirits in your fuel tank. Metho absorbs water. I have been doing this to all my/family cars for the last 5 years. No issues. Have yet to add a bottle in my 348. Will do so next time I go up town. A bottle costs less than AU$10 here. They do not keep it on the shelf anymore, because the "local" aboriginal people drink it to get high.

 

OK. Thanks. I asked because we'll see that much water in our aircraft fuel tanks (just from condensation). Most U.S. aircraft have drain points where we drain a cup of gas prior to every flight, and it's not uncommon for the first cup to be mostly water if the aircraft has been sitting for a while.

So if that was the case then I was going to suggest adding similar drain points to the 348/355 fuel tanks, but from what you say the problem doesn't seem to be as dramatic...so such drains would perhaps be overkill.

Just add something liquid to the tank such as Pap is suggesting every 6 months or so, I guess.

 

Pap musta been drinkin' those mentholated spirits when he bought those shorts.

 

Here's a pic of someone draining a cup of fuel/water during a pre-flight check (not me):
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These shorts...........yes.
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Oh for the Love OF God please stop posting that pic, man!

 

Bah, dont pretend you dont like it.

 

Ha! Makes me laugh...then I have to explain that pic to the wife and nanny, neither of whom "get" gay humor...

 

Yikes.

 

Brian... thanks for that... I have a lead on the rubbers, so if it follows through I'll stay std, if it falls over, I'll go modified.

No doubt... 348's have two fuel drains as std... one on each pump housing... you can just see it in my pics... the hole near the negative connection in the alloy plate/housing

 

HOLy Smokes! Pun intended. I had no idea that 348's had built-in fuel drains already.

Thanks for that tip. How do they work? Similar to aviation sump-drains where you insert a tube to briefly open the drain? Or more like bleed nipples?

 

GUFFAW!!!!

You take the plug out and run.... petrol in the armpit hair follicles is particularly stingy...

make sure your bucket is big enough....

 

Painful memories........

 

OK, OK!


I was just thinking about something else...the quick drains for aircraft where the drain can really only be open for a few moments (enough to fill a small cup as pictured in an earlier post of mine on this thread).

You wouldn't want to use those "quick" drains to empty an aircraft's fuel tanks...would take weeks. But they are a great way to check for water (and to remove small amounts of water).

 

whats your job Noddie? are you in the airplane fix it world then?

 

No, but I do build aircraft hangars!