markmn Posted January 29, 2011 Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 I picked up the P2008 two weeks ago and have had fuel starvation twice now. The plane has 25 total hours. The first time I had just left the airport and the motor would quickly drop rpms to approx 4400 the back to 5200 and kept doing this. I turned around and landed. I did a full power runup on the ground and after about thirty seconds it did it again on the ground. I checked fuel pressure and it was like 1.5 Normal operating range is between 2 and 4. I resumped the tanks and cleaned the gascolator. It was not very dirty. I tried it a few more times on the ground at full power and the fuel pressure stayed in the normal operating range without the aux pump. Today it happened again. I was close to the airport again. I turned on the fuel pump and pressure went back into the normal range. Landed and resumped. Fuel pressure seemed normal again with out aux pump. I flew in the pattern for a while but Im not leaving the airport till this is figured out. When I turned the aux fuel pump off in the pattern and went to full power the pressure went into the red all three times I tried it. Rotax certified shop at 20 minutes away at Stanton MN. (our local CT dealer) Suggestions? Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Lee Posted January 30, 2011 Report Share Posted January 30, 2011 Hi mark, Since the fuel pump is mechanical and it has known issues then my best guess is the pump. If it were me I would replace the pump and Rotax should cover it on warranty. I doubt it is a carb issue. Depending on where you live you can call Jeremy at CPS in California or Lockwood in Florida. With all the stuff going on with the FAA and Rotax my bet is Rotax will want a Rotax Repair Center or certified Rotax mechanic to replace it. If any A&P does it it may not be covered. Call these guys first and they will want the old pump back. p.s. You only need to the pump. You don't need one with the hoses which will only be a lot more work.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markmn Posted January 30, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2011 Thanks Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CT2kflyer Posted January 30, 2011 Report Share Posted January 30, 2011 Hi mark, Since the fuel pump is mechanical and it has known issues then my best guess is the pump. If it were me I would replace the pump and Rotax should cover it on warranty. I doubt it is a carb issue. Depending on where you live you can call Jeremy at CPS in California or Lockwood in Florida. With all the stuff going on with the FAA and Rotax my bet is Rotax will want a Rotax Repair Center or certified Rotax mechanic to replace it. If any A&P does it it may not be covered. Call these guys first and they will want the old pump back. p.s. You only need to the pump. You don't need one with the hoses which will only be a lot more work.. " With all the stuff going on with the FAA and Rotax..." OK, you got me..... what stuff is going on between Rotax and the FAA ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Lee Posted January 30, 2011 Report Share Posted January 30, 2011 With the legal interpretation of the FAA that Rotax can't require you to attend a Rotax class to work on a Rotax. There are repercussions though. It was discussed in another thread and laid out as to what the issues are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrnflyr Posted January 31, 2011 Report Share Posted January 31, 2011 MarkMN, you're probably the first one to post about the P2008. Aside from the pump problem, could you talk about your plane some more? Like useful load, speeds seen, overall impressions. It looks like an awesome plane as some people are calling it the Mercedes of the LSA. Thanks, John PS May need to be in a different area of this forum, but that's ok Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Lee Posted January 31, 2011 Report Share Posted January 31, 2011 The P2008 is a nice plane. We have one at Ryan Airfield and it flies with us at times for breakfast. It comes to the Page, AZ Fly-In , too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markmn Posted January 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2011 John, I posted that I would be getting this plane a few different times. There has not been much interest so Im happy to find someone who wants information. Who doesnt like to talk about their plane? I doubt that roger has seen a P2008 other than possibly the demo plane at a show. Tecnam north america has had a preproduction demo plane in the states for a year now but the first actual production planes just arrived in the states last november. I have the first production P2008 sold in the states. Tecnam NA is an interesting company. They do not try very hard to sell their planes. I havent heard or seen any announcement of the P2008s now that they actually have planes to sell. I was at sebring last year and they had an impressive display. Thats where I first looked at the P2008. I have flown in the CTSW and CTLS along with a few other LSAs but most of my experience is in 172s and 182s. I found the P2008 to fly more like the cessnas I am used to. The CTs and especially the SW are more sporty. The P2008 handles turbulence better but its still an LSA. I have about twenty hours in the plane now. The fuel pump issue is the only problem I have so far. I would like the heater to work better up north here. There seems to be very little airflow coming out of the heater although the air is very hot. Need to find a way to get more airflow. The empty weight is 840. It came in 30lbs heavier than it was supposed to so tht puts it in the skycatcher range. I somewhat expected this and was willing to trade some useful load for what I consider to be a more conventional and robust airplane. I know the weight is a big issue but the tradeoff was worth it to me. Things like stainless steel brake lines, conventional spring loaded door latches with doors that actually seal up air tight, real dual fuel guages in the panel, electric trim, seats that slide back and forth and recline like a normal airplane. As far as speed the plane will fly 120kts fairly easily at 52-5300rpm. Although it has been cold here it has easily climbed out at 1000fpm with full fuel and two avg people. The performance has been better than I expected. Will see when the hot summer gets here. Yes it was expensive but with comparable equipment it was not alot more than a CT. Would be happy answer any questions. I love to talk airplanes! Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Lee Posted January 31, 2011 Report Share Posted January 31, 2011 Hi Mark, You are right the Tecnam we have at our field is a year or two old. No reason you can't fly it to the Page, AZ Fly-In. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runtoeat Posted January 31, 2011 Report Share Posted January 31, 2011 There are a couple of Technam Bravo's here. They are really nicely proportioned, well built aircraft. Seem to be well built and very conventional in regards to flight characteristics. I'm surprised that Mark's P2008 comes in "only" at 840 lbs. with the structure it has. Lots of interior room. It looks similar to the Jabiru in that this could be a 4 place aircraft but rear seats are removed to meet LSA req'mts? I like the hinged upper engine cowl that allows quick and easy check of engine. A Cessna Skycatcher was recently displayed here at Ann Arbor airport and I got a good look at it and sat in it. The Technam P2008 appears to be much more finished both outside and interior (especially interior). Personally, I would think the P2008 would be a much better buy than the Skycatcher. Nice aircraft Mark! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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