P ulse Fuel Pump (Part 2)

In part 1 of this article we discussed in

depth the theory of operation of the Mikuni dual output pulse pump used on the ma-
jority of Rotax 2 stroke engines. In this part were going to take a more pragmatic
and practical look at the fuel pump, its operation, maintenance, troubleshooting, and
some of the more common failure modes.

The big advantage of having a fuel pump designed with the diaphragms and liter-
ally no other moving parts is it’s simplicity. This contributes significantly to the reliabil-
ity of the overall operation of the fuel pump, however, with simplicity comes the typi-
cally common counterpoint of missing redundancy. It’s one of those scenarios where
a single point failure can break the chain of reliability. Everything has to work perfectly
or the system breaks down.

In most engines we have a plethora of life limited parts. The fuel pump is no ex-
ception. Any time that we are talking about rubber, plastic, gasket material etc. We
are talking about components that by their very nature have a limit to their life. The
chemical composition changes over time and with exposure to UV, heat, chemicals,
and oxygen. (Figure: 1) Shows an example of the fuel pump check valve showing ex-
treme deterioration from age. The type of exposure and the length of time that each
one of these materials are exposed to will determine the life of that individual compo-
nent. Although there has been a significant body
of research regarding the durability of each type of
Figure: 1 Aged Check Valve
material used in industry, the best and most useful
metric that we have in determining the life of
any of these components is usually ex-
perience. Although probably much
longer, the general industry con-
sensus for the overhaul inter-
val for the Mikuni fuel pump
seems to be, two years.
By design there is very
little wear on the mylar
check valves and dia-
phragms. Since most
aircraft owners op-
erate less than 200
hours per year the
total operating hours
seems to have little
effect on the overall reliability
of the fuel pump. It is sim-
ply the exposure to the el-
ements and the chemicals
that is the controlling factor
for the life limit. In our dia-
grams for the purposes of
clarity, we have rendered
the normally clear dia-
phragms with a red tint and
check valves with a blue tint.
(Figure: 2)

The basic principle by which the

check valve works, relies on the seal-
ing surface between the mylar
check valve and the
machined face of the
pump body.(Figure: 3)
If any contamination is
able to get between the check
valve and its sealing face it will
render the pump ineffectual.
The fuel will simply transfer
back and forth under the seat
of the check valve resulting
in little to no actual fuel pres-
sure. This brings us to next
very important aspect of the
pulse type fuel pump, con-
tamination. It is very import-
ant that you have a fuel filter
in the system, but not just in the
system, rather the filter needs to pro-
tect all aspects of the fuel system in-
Figure: 2 Fuel Pump Exploded View
cluding the pulse pump. Placing the fuel filter after the fuel pump has left it vulnerable
to contamination and subsequent failure.

Even with a fuel filter installed in the fuel line there is still a significant hazard that
lurks waiting to decapitate the effectiveness of your fuel pump. The majority of two-
stroke engines operate on automotive fuel. Many of them operate utilizing alcohol
within the fuel. Alcohol has a notorious tendency to attract moisture and cause cor-
rosion within the fuel system. (Figure: 4) shows an example of a carburetor float bowl
on a Rotax 582 exposed to alcohol and water in the fuel system over a few months
of storage. If this type of corrosion
is present within the carburetor,
how is it possible that the fuel
pump that supplies that same
fuel is unaffected? Corrosion
that deteriorates the sealing
surfaces of the check valve,
would at best, reduce the ef-
fectiveness of the fuel pump,
and at worst, result in engine
stoppage. In this particular ex-
ample, the result was an engine seizure
shortly after takeoff. A good preflight in-
spection including pulling the float bowls for
inspection would have revealed the potential
hazard. But remember, finding corrosion in the
carburetor should leave you wanting to inves- Figure: 3 Fuel Pump Cut-a-Way
tigate the rest of the fuel system including the
fuel pump.

There are several installation procedures that can improve the reliability and de-
crease the potential for failure. Because the fuel pump relies on pressure pulses from
the engine as the heart
of its operation, we need
to look at any potential
failure modes within this
system. First of all, there
is a potential for liquid
lock within the pulse
chamber body. If the
pulse chamber was to
become filled with a fluid,
the density of that fluid
would restrict the move-
ment of the diaphragm
and the ability of the
fuel pump to pump fuel.
Mounting the fuel pump
with the pulse line con-
nector above the level of
the crankcase pressure
port will allow fuel and
oil to return to the crank- Figure: 4 Alcohol Induced Corrosion
case and prevent
it from collecting within the pulse line
and the pulse chamber body.
Figure: 5 Vent Hole
Although nearly impossible to see, (Fig-
ure: 5) located within the pulse line connector is an extremely small hole drilled in
the brass fitting. This hole is used to allow any excess fuel or oil to be bleed from
the pulse line and fuel pump body. It is important to ensure that this hole does not
become plugged from debris, paint, or wax. Disconnecting the pulse line and blow-
ing through it gently will reveal whether or not the vent hole is plugged. Do not use
high-pressure air to try and dislodge any contamination as it may result in damage
to the diaphragms. The fuel pump should be mounted with the pulse line connector
positioned facing downward. This will allow any fuel or oil to be able to drain from the
fuel pump. On the single outlet fuel pumps, (Figure: 6) the vent hole is located within
the casting. If positioned with the hole facing upward it creates a reservoir capable
of capturing water from rain or even washing the aircraft. This reservoir of water can
leak into the body of the fuel pump housing causing a liquid lock.

The other important issue with regards to the pulse line, is the length and type of
hose used from the engine to the fuel pump. During normal engine operation there
are in the neighborhood of 100 pulses every second. You can imagine that if the
length of the pulse line was, say a mile long, those pulses would be long dampened
out with virtually no measurable pulse occurring at the other end. Of course, we’re
not going to use a mile long hose to
hook up our fuel pump, but it is im-
portant that the hose be limited in
its length. Additionally, a hose
that is soft can act like a bal-
loon and absorb the pulses re-
ducing the effectiveness of the
fuel pump. Most aircraft sup-
pliers, make available “pulse
line” which is more rigid and
designed specifically for this
application.

Another standard practice

is to mount the fuel pump on the
airframe rather than on the engine
itself. The primary reasons are to
reduce both the heat and the vibra-
Figure: 6 Single Carb Fuel Pump Vent Hole
tion that can be transferred from
the engine to the fuel pump. Excessive heat can lead to vapor lock within the fuel
pump as well as cause premature deterioration of the gaskets, diaphragm, and check
valves. Excessive vibration can lead to impaired performance due to the inertial forc-
es of the fuel counteracting the normal workings of the diaphragm and check valves.

If you are setting up a new aircraft fuel system, using these installation and main-
tenance procedures will lead to a much more robust and reliable fuel pumping sys-
tem. Understanding the basic underlying principles of operation coupled with these
real world practical applications should leave you with more confidence in this type of
fuel pumping system on your two-stroke powered aircraft.