PA-30 fuel pump overhaul - $400

[Timothy Poole]

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to pass along I've found a repair station that quoted me $400 each to overhaul the Weldon C8100-J fuel pumps in our PA-30. That's significantly cheaper than many of the other sources we've evaluated. I'll report back once we've had the work done and the pumps are installed.

http://www.aeromotorsllc.com

Tim

[Gomer Pound]

Hi Tim, I would be interested in your experience as I am considering the same overhaul. I guess the only way to know if the overhaul is "good" will be the test of time.
Gomer

[Timothy Poole]

[EDITED] see latest post below.

[N3322G]

Thanks for sharing - know it is much less fun to share bad instead of sharing good.

[Timothy Poole]

Well I have excellent news for everyone. In a case of the left hand wasn't talking to the right hand, it turns out this company is on the verge of getting FAA RS-DER approval for their new motor to replace the motor in the original "short" 8100 series motors in the early PA-30s. They expect to have approval next week.

I'm currently getting both fuel pumps overhauled. The left is the 8100-AA and the right is 8100-A. The overhaul specs are to the Weldon test specs -- 35 GPH @ 14 PSIG @ 14VDC, Full Relief Pressure at 26 PSIG MAX @ 14 VDC, Max Amps 5.0.

Cost is $400 per fuel pump, plus shipping. Both pumps will come with an 8130. That's a hell of a deal considering the cost of the 8100-J motors most end up being stuck with and having to do the airframe mods to get them to fit.

Tim

[Don Nelson]

Terrific news, Tim!
Thanks for sticking with it, and for sharing.
Best, Don

[Gomer Pound]

Hi Timothy, Please clarify for me. They way I have read your posts is you are having your Weldon pumps overhauled for $400/pump to Weldon specs. You are also talking about the overhaul station getting approval for a a new electric motor to drive the Weldon fuel pumps which will replace the short, fat Weldon electric motors currently attached to your Weldon pumps.
Are you having your electric fuel pump motors overhauled as part of the $400/pump, or are your electric motors OK? Are you replacing your Weldon electric motors with the new motors the company has developed, or are you keeping your current electric motors?
Do you have any info on the specs of the new motors being approved, such as GPH and size?
Charlie, of CJ Aviation, who also also overhauls the Weldon fuel pumps,told me he planned to develop a new electric motor/pump combination to replace the original short, fat motor Weldons. . He does not care for the newer, slim, Weldon electric motors available via an installation STC when they are mated with the Weldon pumps because the electric motors are not as durable as the original short, fat, pumps
He said his new motor would be slimmer so it would fit easier, but would also have a lower GPH pump since he feels one of the main problems with the Weldon pumps wearing out is the way the pumps keep recirculating excess fuel flow inside the pump since, unlike a Cessna 310 or Bonanza, for example, there is no "return fuel" line that goes back to a tank for the excess fuel flow which would reduce heat build up.
Charlie said the constant recirculation causes the pumps to run hot which damages the brass inside the pumps. He said the fuel flow does not need to be 35 GPH for an IO320 , that the pump was just chosen off the Piper rack of available pumps. The reason to make a slimmer electric pump is purely for ease of installation and removal. With slimmer pumps the fuel selector does not need to be removed to change an electric fuel pump from what I understand. This seems very plausible to me.
Clear Skies,
Gomer

[Timothy Poole]

[Gomer Pound]

Hi Timothy, Thank you for the info about AeroMotors, LLC. I spoke with Olie @ AeroMotors for about 30 minutes. I am intrigued with the method he is using to mount the pumps. It seems he removes the "pad" from the back of the pump motor, then remounts that pad to the airframe. The pump motor is then held to the pump body with 2 stainless "T clamps." Inf the future when the pump needs to be removed, the pad is left connected to the airframe, the clamps are loosened, and the pump bodies are removed.He has also changed the internals of the pump from a wound field motor to a permanent magnet motor which is a newer design and less costly to manufacture. He said he has also put in a Teflon- type bearing to prevent misalignment between the motor and pump housings. He says misalignment can cause intermittent high-amperage draw, which may be the reason my pumps have thrown the circuit breaker on two different occasions. The main reason I am sending the pumps for overhaul is because I am sending out the fuel selectors due to leakage between the left aux fuel tank and the left main fuel tank.
Olie says the Chicago FSDO has approved the method. No 337 is required. Olie has his own DER. He gave me the same quote as you, $400 per pump. My Twin Comanche is going in for annual at Heritage with Cliff Wilewski in 4 days, Nov 21st. Olie to drive down to Heritage to inspect the installation since AeroMotors is located only 60 miles north in WI. He and Cliff will be able to tell if his method will make removing the pumps easier or not.
Please post photos of how your installation turns out, and if it works as expected.
Clear Skies,
Gomer

[Timothy Poole]

[Timothy Poole]

So here's a photo of the overhauled pumps they sent me while they were doing the work. An original pump in the middle, my two overhauled pumps on the left and right for comparison. You can see how they've modified the mounting to make it easier to align that mounting pad to the cradle that attaches to the plane.

They've received final approval from the RS-DER and can now overhaul these original pumps and provide an 8130. I'll get mine back on Monday. That price is confirmed too -- $400 ea plus shipping.

Tim

[Gomer Pound]

Hi Tim, I just saw your post today. Those must be the stainless steel "T" clamps Olie was referring to. Those look nice. Evidently, the pad gets mounted on the airframe and the T clamps hold it onto the pad from what I understand. Please let us know how it goes mounting them. Did he replace your pumps with different pumps or did you already have the smaller, newer pumps? Your pumps look smaller diameter than the originals.
Gomer

[Timothy Poole]

[Gomer Pound]

Hi Tim, Yes,my error, I was referring to the size of the electric motors, but I called them pumps. Interesting. Olie told me he converts the electric motors to permanent magnet motors, but I assumed he took the "guts" out of the electric motor, but kept the original case. Have they been reinstalled yet? Were there any clearance problems? Did he keep your old motors?
Gomer

[Timothy Poole]