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- Aug 21, 2010
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Back in 2015 during my panel overhaul, I had an idiot light installed for low fuel pressure. It's never illuminated in flight...until Sat night.
I flew a total of about 6 hours over four hops. On the last hop, at night, while I was in a steady climb from takeoff (600') to cruise altitude (7000'), the fuel pressure light came on. I looked at the gauge, and it was near the "5" tick mark instead near the high end of the green where I normally see it.
I was not at an abnormally high angle of attack--my initial climb was at about 85 mph and then I transitioned to about a 100mph climb as I normally would. The light did not come on at takeoff, but a couple of minutes afterward (after I had transitioned to a 100mph climb).
I have to admit that I don't hawk the fuel pressure gauge during climbout, so I don't know what that needle normally looks like during that timeframe, nor would I have noticed a change over time. (The "idiot light" is aptly named, in this case!)
I turned on the electric boost pump and the needle popped up to the high end of the green and stayed there, and the light went out. Once I leveled off, I turned off the boost pump and the needle settled a bit, to about halfway between the "5" and the high end of the green. It stayed there for the rest of the flight.
I did not observe any change in engine behavior while the light was on, or when I turned the electric pump on or off. I did not observe any obviously reduced performance during any part of my climb.
Last time the engine-driven pump was touched was in Oct 2020 (I can't read the word after "tip"):
Thoughts?
I flew a total of about 6 hours over four hops. On the last hop, at night, while I was in a steady climb from takeoff (600') to cruise altitude (7000'), the fuel pressure light came on. I looked at the gauge, and it was near the "5" tick mark instead near the high end of the green where I normally see it.
I was not at an abnormally high angle of attack--my initial climb was at about 85 mph and then I transitioned to about a 100mph climb as I normally would. The light did not come on at takeoff, but a couple of minutes afterward (after I had transitioned to a 100mph climb).
I have to admit that I don't hawk the fuel pressure gauge during climbout, so I don't know what that needle normally looks like during that timeframe, nor would I have noticed a change over time. (The "idiot light" is aptly named, in this case!)
I turned on the electric boost pump and the needle popped up to the high end of the green and stayed there, and the light went out. Once I leveled off, I turned off the boost pump and the needle settled a bit, to about halfway between the "5" and the high end of the green. It stayed there for the rest of the flight.
I did not observe any change in engine behavior while the light was on, or when I turned the electric pump on or off. I did not observe any obviously reduced performance during any part of my climb.
Last time the engine-driven pump was touched was in Oct 2020 (I can't read the word after "tip"):
Thoughts?
