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Electric Fuel Pump Stopped Working

jrich

Active Member
During the walk around check a few weeks back, I turned on the master switch to get a fuel sample with the electric fuel pump running. The pump ran for about 4 secs. then just stopped completely. Using my hand, I banged around the general area at the belly of the plane and the panel cover near the fuel pump. It didn?t resume pumping. I pulled the panel covering the fuel pump and checked with a tester for electrical power going to the pump and confirmed there was power at the pump. I called and spoke with tech. service at Facet/Purolator to get some troubleshooting ideas (typical resistance across the leads, etc.). They asked what was the service for the pump. I told them an airplane. For that service, the guy said he couldn?t help me. This is what I get for being an honest person. He gave me a number to someone who sold Facet pumps for airplanes only and thus, he did not have data for the cube type pumps. I ordered and received a new pump through Vans. I decided to search for similar ?failures? on the VAF forum and read where these pumps rarely fail and that perhaps trash in the fuel stops the pump and if the pump is rapped directly, the pump starts pumping again. I loaded my vehicle full of tools in anticipation of having to drain the fuel and replace the fuel pump. Before draining the fuel, etc., I decided to try what was recommended in the VAF forum. So, I turned the master switch on, took a hammer, and lightly rapped the fuel pump directly on top of it once and it started pumping immediately and has continued pumping for (4) short flights (about 1 hr.) since that time.
FYI:
The instructions that came with the Facet 40105, calls for a 74 micron fuel filter upstream of the pump. I don?t know if this would be too much of a restriction aiding vapor lock during clean fuel conditions and be too risky by adding a fine mesh filter like this for our service. If an hourly replacement schedule for the filter was included in the maintenance manual, this may be safer than having the pump shutdown in a critical situation (hot conditions, etc.) in flight due to trash stopping the pump.
Also FYI: The new pump that I?m storing as a spare shows 25,000 ohms across the leads.
 
A filter with a large filtering area would not drop much pressure.
Since the fuel pumps are solid state, an ohmmeter check might not be a valid test. Powering it with 12 volts is the best test. The pump should not be run dry though.
 
The Lucas ("Prince of Darkness') electric fuel pump in my good old '73 MGB English roadster needed a good rap every once and awhile to keep it motivated. :) I often wondered if using a bit of air pressure to "reverse flow" the fuel in the fuel line might help clear the fuel line obstruction. I carry a spare Facet fuel pump in my RV-12's emergency parts kit just in case this Go/No Go item fails while away from my home base.
 
Agree - English cars

I had a 1959 Sunbeam Rapier while in collage - a fun but under powered coupe. I contend that that car forced me to become a mechanic. It seemed to know when I had a few extra $$$ in my pocket as it often broke down when I had saved a little money for my education.

Want your son or daughter to become at least a shade tree mechanic then give them an older English car. :cool:
 
I rebui!t 100s of British cars in my early.career, and all got NAPA $15 dollar version of $45 dollar facet pumps.?lso have seen many NON facet pumps in older Cherokees !
 
Same Fuel Pump Problem

We have had the same problem with the electric fuel pump not working, not once but twice. Replaced it the first time about a year or so ago. Second pump failed but giving it a tap with a hammer got it started for about a minute. A second set of taps and it continued to work indefinitely. We are thinking of putting an inline switch so it only runs for take-off and landings.

This must be a more common problem than Van's is indicating ("We haven't heard about any failures").

Who else has had this problem?
 
We have had the same problem with the electric fuel pump not working, not once but twice. Replaced it the first time about a year or so ago. Second pump failed but giving it a tap with a hammer got it started for about a minute. A second set of taps and it continued to work indefinitely. We are thinking of putting an inline switch so it only runs for take-off and landings.

This must be a more common problem than Van's is indicating ("We haven't heard about any failures").

Who else has had this problem?

Randy Pflanzer (f1rocket) had this issue in his RV-12. Declared an emergency, landed, and replaced the pump.

Check post #13, this thread:

http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=113543
 
I finally after trying like forever, got a date with the prettiest girl I had seen and was in love with since 10th grade, she agreed to go out with me. I was all dressed up and went out to my MG and the lights would not turn on. Nothing I could find would make them work. She thought I stood her up and never talked to me again.. . . . . That was 47 years ago and I am still pissed at MGs.
 
I feel your pain. Lucas/MG had a rat?s nest of spade lug connectors in a hokey rubber boot located near the starter motor.

Maybe the car did you a favor. Remember the song? If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life - never make a pretty woman your wife...
 
this is a fwiw if you ever replace a facet pump. there are models out there from aviation supply places that carry facets that have a flow valve that closes when the power is turned off. my facet is backup to a mechanical. can you imagine what would happened after takeoff when i turned off the facet? i still shake my head thinking what would have happened if i hadn't tested my new pump with the engine running.
 
FACET PART NUMBERS with an internal positive shut off valve (PSO) are listed with a "Y" in the "PSO" column. Part number 40105 is used in the RV-12. It does not have a check valve or a positive shut off valve.
 
Facet failure

Mine quit acouple weeks ago after 6.6 years and 340 hours. Detected it during preflight as pump was very quiet and sump check showed very light flow rate. Did not attempt to get it started using tapping method. I feel if it clogged once it will again maybe and the price of a new pump says replace me. I pulled the inspection panels (not necessary to rm tank as I split rear panels some time ago) disconnected the flaperon tubes at rear to provide working room to rem,/repl hardware w/o damaging the tubes. Takes a little time due to limited space but doable in about 4-5 hours.
dick seiders
 
Inline filter?

I was planning on adding an inline filter prior to the electric fuel pump and even purchased a nicely made quality filter with a replaceable stainless mesh filter element ... but could not figure out a good place to mount the filter so it would be both easily serviceable and also out of the way of moving controls ... so put the idea on ice and got on with building.

Recently, I saw info on a new product release which is a fuel filter/gascolator with a serviceable filter that looks like it may be promising. It would mount on the belly skin and is designed to be clocked as necessary. There just may be enough room to mount this unit ahead of the electric pump with a little creative plumbing. If there is not enough room in the bay with the stabalator cables, it might just work just aft of the baggage bulkhead and then route the fuel line back up to the pump through the lightening holes.

It has bothered me somewhat that Facet recommends an inline filter prior to the pump, but we have none built into the RV-12 design. Below is a link to the filter/gascolator. At first glance, the unit looks huge ... but if one looks at the actual dimensions for the portion inside the aircraft, it really is not that big.
https://www.flyboyaccessories.com/product-p/72rr02.htm
 
Spare Fuel Pump

Of the two fuel pumps; Electric or Mechanical, which is the better choice to carry as a spare on long distance flights?
 
Yesterday my electric fuel pump did not start when the master switch was turned on. I have my Dynon D-180 set to start up on the EMS screen. One of the first items on my Before Engine Start Checklist is to verify ~ 2psi fuel pressure from the electric pump. Once the engine starts I check for ~ 5psi fuel pressure which then tells me that both the electric and engine-driven pumps are working.

So yesterday I had no pressure indication from the electric pump with 244TT. VAF to the rescue? and first thing to try is to give the electric pump a smart tap to dislodge any debris that may be inhibiting the internal solenoid piston. I taped the top of the pump with the handle of a #2 Phillips-head screwdriver and it fired right up. Looks like it might be a good fix.

I now have 40 hours flight time since I took the fuel tank apart for the strengthening SB and I can only guess that some debris from the scraping/cleaning/reassembly found its way past the finger screen at the discharge fitting on the bottom of the tank.

I made an access hole in the baggage floor access plate so I can tap the pump should the need arise without removing any screws. Carpeting on the floor of the baggage compartment will cover the hole and prevent anything loose from finding its way into the belly of the plane. I cut a piece of aluminum tubing to use as a tool to tap the pump. This will be kept in a small tool box that stays with the plane.
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Mel, that was one of the funniest posts I've seen on the blog! A guy (fellow MGB owner) once told me that terror is sitting in a space craft on the launch pad and seeing a placard on the instrument panel that says "Electrics by Lucas"!😱
 
I gave up on British motorcars....

Same can be applied to my old TR7

When my brother-in-law's old Triumph Spitfire quit running once, I seemed to recall that the fix was buying a new taillight bulb.

Seems the ground for the ignition circuit was somehow wired through it?

When the bulb burned out, the car quit running!

All this was back in the Miocene Era...Back in the days when there were "Foreign Car Parts" houses and countermen staffing them that knew what they were talking about...He gave us the point out vs making 10 bucks off a couple of broke college kids about to spend our beer money on a new coil...Good luck finding someone like that today!

Upside to ownership: You got in great shape pushing the thing down the road to where it could be worked on...
 
Standby Fuel Pump

At the risk of stating the obvious, including a standby fuel pump would seem to be a good thing.

Looking into the baggage compartment from behind
TKn7n4y.jpg


Fine fuel filter on top, but primary and standby fuel pumps below.
Ts3PvXO.jpg
 
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