What's the third line to the gasalator?

[mhorowit]

one line in input from the tank, the other is output to the carb, but what is that third line? - Mike

[adrozell]

Re: What's the third line to the gasalator?

The third line goes to the primer.

[mhorowit]

Re: What's the third line to the gasalator?

The third line goes to the primer.

So when I pull the primer back, I'm sucking fuel thru that line; that means there is another line from the primer to the cylinder that I haven't noticed.

[lktiller]

Re: What's the third line to the gasalator?

line from primer goes to the intake manifold. Just above the carb.

[mhorowit]

Re: What's the third line to the gasalator?

line from primer goes to the intake manifold. Just above the carb.

Thank you sir; I think that's the 1/4" copper tube my friend is using that I was concerned about earlier. By the way, his primer is different from mine; with mine you pull it out about 3", wait a second and push it back. With his, it pulls back maybe an inch (with difficulty), and it snaps back into position. Two different styles? - Mike

[lktiller]

Re: What's the third line to the gasalator?

1/4" line on the primer seems awfully big. Usually smaller. But if it works???

Smaller tubing is better. anchor it to the engine mount and again at the carb will put the stress in the center of the tubing where is belongs.
Unanchored tubing will always crack at the fitting.

Yes, you have described two types of primers. the pull/push one is oem. The spring loaded is ok, I think the Beechcraft Skipper had one. Others also.

Add to your pre-takeoff checklist: CLOSE & LOCK PRIMER.
if left open, mixture will be too rich. Engine will quit on short final !!!!! (experience )

[birdlegs]

Re: What's the third line to the gasalator?/primer's one and another

And thats the beauty of the ones that are spring loaded into the closed position! I once had an ancient fuel injection system that required keeping the fuel pressure in the green arc by pumping it on final,its only recently become funny.

[VictorBravo]

Re: What's the third line to the gasalator?

Mike, if the copper line you mentioned in the original post is the really small line from the gascolator to the primer to the intake manifold, then it is probably OK. We all thought you were talking about the main line from the gascolator to the carburetor.

The primer line is usually 1/8" copper line using automotive fittings. There should indeed be a couple of coils in this line to allow engine movement, with the other non-coiled parts of the line secured to the engine or airframe.

If you could find such a thing as flexible 1/8" hose and fittings, you'd be slightly better off with that... but I suspect all the Taylorcrafts were built and certified with the copper primer line. It should be checked often for cracks and leaks.

I seem to recall that pipe fittings and their associated tubing are measured by inside diameter while airplane hose and their fittings are measured by inside diameter. As such, "1/8 pipe" copper tube might be 1/8" inside and close to 3/16 or 1/4 on the outside.

The old "Lunkenheimer" style push-to-prime primers will prime the engine better, but the spring loaded closed ones are probably safer.

Bill

[mhorowit]

Re: What's the third line to the gasalator?

We all thought you were talking about the main line from the gascolator to the carburetor. Bill

Yeah, I did to; turns out the line from the cut-off valve to the gasalator is covered in 'Firesleeve',;from gasalator to carb is some type of rubber tubing.
- Mike

[Len Petterson]

Re: What's the third line to the gasalator?

Primer pumps has O-rings in them. If you change the o-ring they should be Viton rubber. Buna N is a lot sheeper and will work but starts sweeling after some time, making the pump realy stiff. A Viton O-ring is either ligth brown or black with a white dot. and 3- 4 times the price of buna N. Pay and
Lock up a good hydrualic shop for them messure up the inside diameter on the piston and the width of the grove in 1/1000" and they can give you the rigth one. Or bring the piston with you. When you remove the piston, dont forget to shut the fuel valve!
Make shure there is no scoreing in the pump or you wasting your money. Len Petterson

[mhorowit]

Re: What's the third line to the gasalator?

You got to love a guy who has a flair for emoticons! - Mike

[VictorBravo]

Re: What's the third line to the gasalator?

I'd suggest a steel braid hose with firesleeve from the gascolator to the carb as well. The plain old style hoses are rubber with cotton fibers embedded in them... sounds like a good recipe for a candle, don't you think?

'Stache is right about what he wrote. Fiber locknuts forward of F-1 are unairworthy and usually not safe. Have two or three guys take a good hard look and make a game out of it. Whoever finds the highest number of little no-no's gets a free lunch or something.

[flyguy]

Re: What's the third line to the gasalator?

Something else to do with a primer when things are slow.
A friend of mine had his carb go south out over the San Francisco bay. Clever guy, flew it to the field using the primer to keep the engine running. It was a stopped-up vertical feed pipe in the carb on his 65 Luscombe. My Tcart had quit for exactly the same reason 2 weeks before. Mine was obstructed by a little tail of rubber-like sealer that had come off the gasket and was picked up when I did a slightly negative pushover. Moral: don't use sealer on your carb gasket? and drain your carb fuel bowl as often as you can stand it. Because 1. There may just be something that got past the filter screens or is just loose in there and 2. the hole in the vertical feed pipe is REALLY small
Darryl