Peter,
I had the replacement Yellow date stamped black fuel pipe supplied F.O.C. by
Europa go exactly the same way as the non date stamped first one.
The aircraft had been filled with fuel (since there is no water trap)and
left standing for some weeks waiting on PFA paperwork and the fuel ate its
way through a full fuel pipe! I sent the original back to Europa for them to
examine but never got any feedback. When the second pipe did the same thing
and the fuel was again found on opening the cockpit, sat in the starboard
baggage bay, I decided that I would have to source my own pipe.
In both cases the pipe had embrittled and cracked right though where the
fuel sat in the lowest part of the pipe. On removal and cutting the pipe,
the inner fuel proof lining was loose and disintegrated. There were lots of
small rubber particles which forced me to flush the tank.
It sounds like you might have a similar problem.
Regards
Gary McKirdy
NSI Subaru 75hrs TT Crashed by previous owner @50hrs Re-built by me, just
Re-crashed by me, deciding on second re-build!+- 4000 build and rebuild hrs!
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, August 04, 2006 10:11 PM
<peter.rees01@tiscali.co.uk>
>
> Nigel - Thanks for your words on engine failures - in the early days of us
> flying it G-MFHI suffered a partial engine failure - the trouble was
> isolated to the filter being clogged with fibers. I presume that these
were
> latent from when the AC was built - I guess at the time of the failure,
the
> filters were the original ones and the logbook had about 30 hours or so
(we
> didn't build the AC so can't say for sure but the logbooks show no record
of
> them being changed).
>
> Some 150 hours later, we're still forced to change the filters very
> regularly (we clean them about ever 5 flight hours!) - we're getting small
> brown particles coming though and being trapped by the filters. We're at
> something of a loss as to what these particles are - we've changed all of
> the fuel pipes from the filters backwards. The only hose that hasn't been
> touched since new is the filler hose.
>
> Have you heard any instances of this hose breaking down and edpositing
bits
> into the fuel? Do you think that as a matter of course, given that this
hose
> is some 10 years old now, replace it. If so, any suggestions of the best
> solution - Europa are unable to supply one and have no interest in doing
so.
>
> Any comments / suggestions would be most welcome.
>
> Peter
>
>
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