Even a small breeze through your cowl and over the engine can help cool it and reduce the chance of vapor lock. Get some of that pipe insulation at HD or Lowes that is the diameter of your fuel line and put it over the line anywhere its exposed (not near the muffler, obviously). While this might not eliminate the risk of vapor lock, it can greatly reduce it.Īlso, if it's possible, point your airplane into the wind. Most 'vapor-lock' issues are with the temperature of the air going past the fuel line. Once you shut down, open the cowling or oil vents. The best way to avoid or minimize vapor lock is before it happens. But in some rare cases, vapor lock can occur in flight. Generally, if you experience vapor lock, it's when you try to start your plane after a quick turn (shut down and restart within ~30 minutes). ![]() Without air moving through the cowling, fuel in the lines can start to vaporize. As you shut down, the heat rises up toward the fuel lines. Vapor lock typically starts when you shut down an engine. Follow gasoline refueling instructions for efficient vapor recovery, being careful not to. When Is Vapor Lock Most Likely To Happen? Carpool, use public transportation, bike, or walk whenever possible. Put simply, if the volatility of fuel is too low, it might not start, and if the volatility is too high, it can cause vapor lock. The irony of this situation is that higher volatility fuel makes starting in normal conditions easier. Volatility is the measure of how likely a substance is to evaporate at a specific temperature. But I cant continue to drive with these conditions especially living in Texas. It will normally take several following conditions to make an engine ‘vapor lock’. ![]() NOTE: The new ‘Reformulated’ fuels have the RVP (Reid Vapor Pressure) very carefully controlled. I can pour cold water on the fuel pump and the engine will restart fine. Fuels containing alcohol and ‘winter grade’ fuels will cause vapor locking complaints to increase. Automotive gasoline has a range of 8 to 14 PSI). During hot weather I can only drive about 15 minutes before the engine starts to miss/cut out and finally dies. While 100LL is less volatile than the gasoline that you put in your car, it can still easily vaporize when subjected to high heat (Avgas has a Reid vapor pressure range of 5.5 to 7 PSI. I know installing an electric fuel pump by the fuel tank and removing the mechanical fuel pump would fix the vapor lock, but Im afraid that the vapor. More drastic measures are required to stop vapor lock. The greater the volatility of fuel, the higher the probability of vapor lock happening. The quick fix for vapor lock is to allow your motor to cool. ![]() The fuel that you burn in your engine also can affect your chances of getting stuck with air inside your fuel lines. So if you're doing a quick turn or just shutting down to refuel, it's important to be aware that you might be at risk of vapor lock when trying to start back up.
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