914 sputtering at altitude
in 912 / 914 Technical Questions
8 years ago
Hi all,
I have a 914 in a new Tecnam P2008 with 12 hours. I'm a new sport pilot, and went out on a 60nm round trip sightseeing the other night. At the halfway point, I turned around and headed back to my home airport. I was at 3500', and went to 100% power (not past the detent) to climb to 4500'. Within 15-30 seconds, the engine started to stutter and sputter, acting like it was running out of fuel. After the initial moment of what the heck is happening, I switched on the aux fuel pump. As to fuel onboard, I was showing 4 gallons on left and 7 gallons on right tank. The fuel indicator on the garmin showed green (not yellow) on left tank. I immediately switched to right tank. The sputtering stopped for a little bit and then it started on and off again.
I made the decision to divert to the nearest airport, 7 miles away and landed without incident. The sputtering did not occur during the descent into the nearby airport.
Spoke with Tecnam, and they recommended two things. First, check the gascolator. That was done, and according to the A & P, there was material on the gascolator screen. He described it as a lint type material. He did not think there was enough material to block the fuel lines. Unfortunately, he did not take a picture, so I'm not sure how much was on the screen. Second, Tecnam recommended inspecting and cleaning the carbs, and then making sure they are tightened to specification. Apparently if the bowls are not tightened to spec, when applying throttle at altitude the engine can have the sputtering behavior. This portion of the work is being performed today.
With all that said, does anybody else have any experience with this issue? And if so, what was the resolution?
I have a 914 in a new Tecnam P2008 with 12 hours. I'm a new sport pilot, and went out on a 60nm round trip sightseeing the other night. At the halfway point, I turned around and headed back to my home airport. I was at 3500', and went to 100% power (not past the detent) to climb to 4500'. Within 15-30 seconds, the engine started to stutter and sputter, acting like it was running out of fuel. After the initial moment of what the heck is happening, I switched on the aux fuel pump. As to fuel onboard, I was showing 4 gallons on left and 7 gallons on right tank. The fuel indicator on the garmin showed green (not yellow) on left tank. I immediately switched to right tank. The sputtering stopped for a little bit and then it started on and off again.
I made the decision to divert to the nearest airport, 7 miles away and landed without incident. The sputtering did not occur during the descent into the nearby airport.
Spoke with Tecnam, and they recommended two things. First, check the gascolator. That was done, and according to the A & P, there was material on the gascolator screen. He described it as a lint type material. He did not think there was enough material to block the fuel lines. Unfortunately, he did not take a picture, so I'm not sure how much was on the screen. Second, Tecnam recommended inspecting and cleaning the carbs, and then making sure they are tightened to specification. Apparently if the bowls are not tightened to spec, when applying throttle at altitude the engine can have the sputtering behavior. This portion of the work is being performed today.
With all that said, does anybody else have any experience with this issue? And if so, what was the resolution?
