Of course every Beechcraft owner with a fuel
injected TCM engine knows about
TCM
SID97-3E for setting up the fuel
pressures in our engines, don't we?
This SID requires
a special gauge set up with 1% accuracies and two taps into the fuel pressure
system. Beech Lister and fellow B55 owner, Blake H. was looking for an
inexpensive way to get this gauge set up (without spending a million dollars on
a new fangled set) and sought the wisdom of the Beech List in finding the
components.
Read the Tennessee Aircraft
Services Article on the TCM SID Set Up
HERE
Bo owner Paul S.
identified all the key gauge components
at
The Valve Store
and Blake found the manifold "T" connectors at RAPID and
Genuine Aircraft Hardware. This complete gauge set up is reported to cost right
around $100 plus fuel line.
For non-turbo'ed engines SID97-3D calls for a 0-30 PSI and a 0-60 PSI
gauge (1% accuracy). These can be had pretty reasonably, at
The Valve Store. The SID
also calls out use of TWO swiveling "T" fittings, MS51523B4, to measure the
metered and unmetered pressures. This "T" has been found available at RAPID!
MS51523B4
6602-04-04-04
Here are the three main components and
sourcing to make your own fuel pressure gauge set up:
-
-
#36278 Industrial Pressure Gauge 4", 60 PSI, L1 $51.89
-
#36277 Industrial Pressure Gauge 4", 30 PSI, L1 $51.89
- RAPID
has the tee MS51523B4 (You Need Two) for $13.95 or whatever the price
is nowadays at Textron!
- A low cost substitute for the MS51523B4 could be: #6602-04-04-04 hydraulic fitting, JIC 926-04, SAE 070432,
Aeroquip 203102: available at
Genuine Aircraft Hardware (GAH also has the MS fitting as well for
$11) and this PN: 6602 has also been seen on eBay for very low cost of
about $5 each.
The rest of the set up would be conventional
aviation fuel line long enough to keep you away from the prop and resulting prop
blast (DUH!). A Baron owner reports needing about 8 feet to go from the right
engine to the cockpit, assuming you bring it in the pilot storm window. If you
have a co-pilot storm window you'll not need as much length. Bo owners - feel
free to make this set up 8 feet long so your Baron buddies can borrow it <vbg>.
Check with your mechanic about leaving the
"Ts" in place and capping them off for easy gauge connection access at annual
time to check your pressures as recommended by the SID.
Big thanks to Beech Listers Blake H. and Paul
S. for their
tenacious pursuit and identification of the component sources.
Another Beech Lister (SS), with A&P and IA
certificates, offers the following thoughts on his gauge set up:
My fuel injection test apparatus consists
of two gauges, three hoses, one Tee and a couple of swivel fittings. One
gauge is a 0-30, the other a 0-60. Both are about 2.5" diameter, glycerin
filled and not expensive at under $20 each. I have tested them for accuracy.
The TCM specs are plus and minus a couple of
pounds and I see no need for 1% accuracy across the scale, as long as the 9 psi
and the 30 psi regions area are close on the two gauges respectively.
Each gauge has a 1/4" NPT coupling and a 1/4"
NPT to -4 flare fitting to accommodate the hoses. The hoses I use are all -4.
One 18", one 30" and one 40". I hook up the gauges and tie them to the engine
mount so that I can see them from the cockpit. I saw no reason to have the
gauges accompany me in the cockpit.
Enjoy your home made CSOB pressure gauge set
up, courtesy of Blake & Paul's sleuthing!
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