Autogas and high end engines

Cy Galley wrote:
: What is "hydrolocked" with regards to the carb?

: Never heard the term used before in this context.

I understand it as an excess in pressure caused by localized fuel boiling.
Vapor lock causes the carb to get nothing but fuel vapor and the engine dies from
being too lean (carb doesn't meter vapor well). Hydrolock pressurizes the liquid fuel
and overpowers the needle valve in the float. This splooges liquid fuel out and the
engine dies from being too rich.

This is somewhat speculation, but it does make sense to me. A friend of mine
swears up and down that that's why people have such a hard time hotstarting an
injected lycoming. Most people think the fuel in the spider manifold has vaporized
and it's too lean. He says the fuel has heated, expanded, and run out the injectors
before the engine is even fired up. Thus, when trying to start, it's already flooded
before you turn the crank.

YMMV... I just work here...

-Cory

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* Cory Papenfuss *
* Electrical Engineering Ph.D. Graduate Student *
* Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University *
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