Fuel filter

[Al Downs]

Does anyone have a source for the inline fuel filter that is behind the instruments and right before the shut off valve. I think they are replaceable and not serviceable, is that correct?

[Tom Baker]

You should have a serviceable metal filter. It was a required replacement by safety directive back in 2009 when they started to allow ethanol fuel. They are supposed to be checked annually during the condition inspection.

[Al Downs]

Thanks

[Tom Baker]

The filter has a coarse screen. It is sealed by 2 O-rings. I have an early CTLS that has it between the T and the U shaped tube, ahead of the valve. It makes it easy to get to, but you have to clamp the fuel lines on both sides.

Most others I've seen are between the valve and the fuel flow transducer.

There are tricks that make cleaning the filter/screen easier. I remove the whole section of line from the T to the transducer valve and all.

[Anticept]

there's a service instruction out there approving moving the fuel filter to after the valve.

[Tom Baker]

1 hour ago, Anticept said:

there's a service instruction out there approving moving the fuel filter to after the valve.

Actually I like up there before the filter. You have two nice connections where you can easily remove it to clean the filter. The only down side is you have to clamp the lines instead of just shutting off the valve.

[Doug G.]

On 4/17/2018 at 4:43 PM, Tom Baker said:

You should have a serviceable metal filter. It was a required replacement by safety directive back in 2009 when they started to allow ethanol fuel. They are supposed to be checked annually during the condition inspection.

The Maintenance Manual says every 200 hours. Did I miss something?

[Doug G.]

8 hours ago, Tom Baker said:

The checklist says at least every 200 hours, but has a checkmark box for the annual inspection. I take that to mean that it should be checked annually, and additionally if you fly more than 200 hours between annual inspections. Having found debris in the filters on some aircraft before I like to error on the side of caution.

Tom, do you pull the wings, and check the fuel intake filter in the wing every year? They also have annual check boxes. Not sure how you get from a specific hour inspection. Not that it is a bad thing, but FD seems to think it is unnecessary. (Assuming, of course, that you don’t have 200 hours since the last cleaning.)

it may be that someone would simply do it because they didn’t want to do it as a separate check mid year when 200 hours was reached.

[Roger Lee]

Interior wing tank filters only after a negative fuel flow test. I have never seen one.

I've only seen one instrument panel fuel filter that had "enough" garbage in it that concerned me.

[Tom Baker]

43 minutes ago, Doug G. said:

Tom, do you pull the wings, and check the fuel intake filter in the wing every year? They also have annual check boxes. Not sure how you get from a specific hour inspection. Not that it is a bad thing, but FD seems to think it is unnecessary. (Assuming, of course, that you don’t have 200 hours since the last cleaning.)

it may be that someone would simply do it because they didn’t want to do it as a separate check mid year when 200 hours was reached.

Doug, both are required to be checked at the 100 hour/annual inspection. The fuel intake filters check is for flow rate and time. If it has 1000 hours then you remove and inspect the filter. The fuel filter is also supposed to be inspected. When the manual was written the airplanes had the plastic filters. You would check it during the inspection and replace as needed or at least every 200 hours. Notice that the MM says change the filter at least every 200 hours, not inspect. You are still required to inspect the metal filter at the 100 hour/annual inspection. To do the inspection it needs to be removed and opened up since you can't see inside like you could with the plastic filters.

[Doug G.]

11 minutes ago, Tom Baker said:

Doug, both are required to be checked at the 100 hour/annual inspection. The fuel intake filters check is for flow rate and time. If it has 1000 hours then you remove and inspect the filter. The fuel filter is also supposed to be inspected. When the manual was written the airplanes had the plastic filters. You would check it during the inspection and replace as needed or at least every 200 hours. Notice that the MM says change the filter at least every 200 hours, not inspect. You are still required to inspect the metal filter at the 100 hour/annual inspection. To do the inspection it needs to be removed and opened up since you can't see inside like you could with the plastic filters.

Not sure how we are talking past arch other Tom, but the wing pull inspection has an annual check box also which is what you said you went by on the filter. Are you saying something different now?

[Doug G.]

42 minutes ago, Roger Lee said:

Interior wing tank filters only after a negative fuel flow test. I have never seen one.

I've only seen one instrument panel fuel filter that had "enough" garbage in it that concerned me.

Roger, I was not making a point about the filters, but about the annual check boxes.

The MM says to inspect those filters every 1000 hrs. It also has a check box. I take that to mean check first to see if the 1000 hrs has been met each annual but only do the inspection at 1000 hrs. Right?

[Tom Baker]

8 minutes ago, Doug G. said:

Not sure how we are talking past arch other Tom, but the wing pull inspection has an annual check box also which is what you said you went by on the filter. Are you saying something different now?

Doug, lets deal with the fuel filter first. The fuel filter has always been a required inspection item on the 100hr/annual inspection checklist. When the MM was written the airplanes had plastic fuel filters. Check out 6.7.3 in the MM. It requires the inspection and for the filter to be replaced every 200 hours or on condition. Now with the upgraded metal filters you need to remove the filter to comply with the inspection. This is also confirmed by the SB on the fuel filter exchange. The good thing is that you don't need to change it every 200 hours like stated in the checklist.

Now for the fuel intake filter. When I get to that line on the checklist I check the hours since the last inspection, and I check to make sure the fuel flow rate was still okay. If it has been less than 1000 hours since the last inspection and the fuel flow rate was okay I check the box and move on. If it was more than 1000 hours or the flow check was bad the wings come off and it gets inspected. you need to look beyond the checklist and see what the manual actually has to say.

[Roger Lee]

11 minutes ago, Tom Baker said:

Now for the fuel intake filter. When I get to that line on the checklist I check the hours since the last inspection, and I check to make sure the fuel flow rate was still okay. If it has been less than 1000 hours since the last inspection and the fuel flow rate was okay I check the box and move on. If it was more than 1000 hours or the flow check was bad the wings come off and it gets inspected. you need to look beyond the checklist and see what the manual actually has to say.

What he said.

[Doug G.]

Now it feels like you are talking down to me Tom. I replaced the old plastic filter on my 2010 CTLS. I looked once again at the SB for that change. 

What I don’t agree with is that simply because there is a check box in the annual column you have to do the procedure every annual if there is an hour value given. 

Everything on the list in the MM has that box, but if it says every two years - if I did it last year,  I won’t do it this year, even though the box under annual is there. It is NA. (by FD MM)

There are a number of things in the Rotax list that fit the same situation except they don’t have the same check boxes.

That is all I am going to say. If you don’t agree cèst la vie.

[Tom Baker]

Doug, not trying to talk down to you.

I am not saying that the procedure be done just because it is on the checklist. What I am saying is that you must check to see if the procedure needs to be done because of the checklist. 

 

[Tom Baker]

On ‎5‎/‎5‎/‎2018 at 1:08 AM, Doug G. said:

The Maintenance Manual says every 200 hours. Did I miss something?

Doug, I was wrong in my initial reply, and have deleted it. I like you just did a quick read of the checklist and misread what it says. The fact that there is a check box there does in fact indicate something needs to be checked. In the case of the fuel filter it requires an inspection. The procedure for the inspection is in the text of the maintenance manual. The 200 hour note is not for inspection, but rather replacement of the filter. With the SB for changing the filter it still requires the same inspection interval per the SB, and the SB provides the procedure for inspecting the fuel filter.

Thanks for making me take the time to do the research. It is good to go back and look at stuff like this from time to time.

[Tom Baker]

One more thing about the checklist. You can't really think about it in relation to you and your airplane. It is written for anybody to do an inspection on any CTLS. The line item and check boxes on the checklist is simply telling the mechanic this is something to be checked. The check may require a procedure or it may simply be checking status. If someone new is looking at the airplane they may not already know that the item was checked last year.

[Roger Lee]

MOST mechanic's fail to use this checklist and if they tell me they did at times I'd have to ask them if they can read.  Use both the Rotax and FD checklist. Sign each item off and annotate any thing you tweaked, changed or repaired. Keep it as part of your ongoing paperwork.

[Doug G.]

5 minutes ago, Roger Lee said:

MOST mechanic's fail to use this checklist and if they tell me they did at times I'd have to ask them if they can read.  Use both the Rotax and FD checklist. Sign each item off and annotate any thing you tweaked, changed or repaired. Keep it as part of your ongoing paperwork.

Exactly! I keep the lists so if I ever sell the plane (unlikely) the new owner will know it all.

[WmInce]

15 minutes ago, Doug G. said:

Exactly! I keep the lists so if I ever sell the plane (unlikely) the new owner will know it all.

x2

That withstanding, of any shop I know, by far, Roger Lee does the best job of maintenance documentation.

If I make an entry in my logbook, I try to follow his guidance.

[Roger Lee]

Documentation is the ONLY thing that will protect you in a legal situation with the FAA, Court, insurance and even getting help from Rotax if something happens outside the warranty time.

 

Unless it is my own client that I see I ALWAYS need to address issues that the last guy didn't do and it's all because they don't look at a checklist and bigger yet don't know what that particular sentence means as far as their inspection part.

I have a 2012 CTLSi in the shop now for an annual / 100 hr. Wings inspection was years ago,  eng. mounts are all lose (some as low as 70 in/lbs) , the spark plug caps all slid off their ignition wire except one,  NO one has ever (according to the logbook)  extracted and downloaded the fault logs for Lane A&B. Not even a cable setup for it. Most people don't even know there is a supplement inspection sheet for an CTLSi aircraft along with the others. Broken exhaust springs, tempest oil filter, ELT not working, quick drain oil fitting that doesn't work because it hits the bottom plate in the oil tank,  

Every single person that comes here for an annual or an inspection gets a printed discrepancy List.

This is just a list of things I touch, tweak, change or fix.

Then they get an FD and Rotax checklist all signed off and anything I did is annotated on that document alongside that item on the checklist.

Then a normal 100 hr / annual is printed on a sticky label so it's easy to read and a normal annual is a full page in #9 font. A hose change with an annual is 2 full printed pages in the logbook.

 

 

[Al Downs]

Roger is the ELT just checked for operation and batteries? Is there also a test that needs to be done by an aviation shop with special equipment?

[Roger Lee]

Just under part 91. 207d..

Check for operation, check for battery corrosion, function with an impact, remote activation from the panel and battery expiration. I turn on my handheld radio to 121.5 to test.

[Roger Lee]

This is a soapbox discussion for me. It's so easy to document and the most failed item for many mechanics.These are garbage logbook annual labels.

Just pulled this old 2006 plastic fuel filter out of a CTSW. So it's had 12 annuals and inspections plus hose change and not a single mechanic saw this or had a clue. This happens all the time with mechanics that don't take the time to read manuals, SB's  for both Mfg's and fail to use checklist.

When you write in the logbook that you did it IAW (in accordance with) that legal means you did everything on that Mfg's checklist. Left nothing out and forgot nothing.  During a criminal or civil suit trail your feet will be held to the fire that you did it all and you better hope you did use a checklist and didn't leave half the checklist items out as I see the MAJORITY do. If you write IAW add some detail and meat to the label. The logbook is a legal document. Use it to your advantage.