What causes a pump to vapor lock?

What is Vapor Lock? Vapor lock is a phenomenon that occurs when liquid fuel becomes hot enough to vaporize. The vaporized fuel creates a lean condition (not enough liquid fuel) that prevents the fuel system from delivering the proper amount of gasoline to the engine.

What happens when vapor lock occurs?

Vapor lock happens when the fuel in your fuel lines vaporizes, turning from a liquid to a gas. In other words, your fuel has boiled. When your fuel lines are full of vaporized 100LL, your fuel pump can’t get liquid fuel to the injector nozzles, which makes starting your aircraft frustrating, difficult, or impossible.

Will an electric fuel pump eliminate vapor lock?

An electric fuel pump can eliminate a vapor lock when properly installed and I stress when properly installed. They should be installed as close to the fuel tank as possible. They should never be installed in the engine compartment for two reasons, distance from the tank and excessive heat from the engine.

How do you fix a vapor lock pump?

Pour cold water over the fuel pump and fuel lines while the ignition is in the off position. This will quickly cool down the fuel pump and condense the fuel from vapor back to liquid form, eliminating the vapor lock in the fuel pump and lines.

Does vapor lock occur in cold conditions?

Vapor lock is caused by heat. Excessive heat from the engine, exhaust system, and/or outside temperature can cause the fuel to vaporize in the lines. Some winter fuel blends and high altitude can lower the boiling point of the fuel. This can also contribute to vapor lock.

How common is vapor lock?

How do I stop it from happening again? Vapor lock usually affects carbureted vehicles, running gasoline, with an engine-driven mechanical fuel pump. Fuel-injected vehicles can experience vapor lock. However, it is rare.

Why is vapor lock serious?

A vapor lock being drawn into the fuel pump could disrupt the fuel pressure long enough for the float chamber in the carburetor to partially or completely drain, causing fuel starvation in the engine.

What are symptoms of vapor lock?

This disrupts the operation of the fuel pump, causing loss of feed pressure to the carburetor or fuel injection system, resulting in transient loss of power or complete stalling. Restarting the engine from this state may be difficult.

At what temperature does gasoline vapor lock?

When modern injection motors break down after traveling for a long distance, some might not be able to restart right away. This is because those new motors reach temperatures of up to 120–140 °C, and vapor lock is likely to occur at such high temperatures.