What caused this?

[Cathy*]

Out on the water today. Twin Steyr 235. Port engine cut out. Shaft still turning. Engine would turn over but not fire. Crew (me) not happy to be floating around while engine investigated so returned to port on one engine. Where we discovered this

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gfEYRvaZES_cpvePtAg8X1uAG0YB1DRwZA/view?usp=drivesdk

I haven't posted a photo before but hopefully it shows a fuel filter, which is about 3 months/ 15 hrs old, which looks as though part of it has been sucked out.

But why?

 

[Sailorsam101]

I can think of three causes for that.

1. Somebody did it while taking it out..easy to do with a screwdriver
2. Manufacturing fault
3. You have sucked something big in through the filter...i'm of course assuming that the bulge is the engine side of the filter.

I might be wrong of course but can't think of anything else. is that the primary or secondary filter? If primary i'd change the secondary one now as well.

 

[stelican]

Has someone shut the fuel supply

 

[Cathy*]

No to 1 and 3 I'm thinking 2. Fuel not touched

 

[SEARANGER ANCASTER]

caviation of supply line ? wouldnt have stopped engine though unless there is some blockage further back maybe ?

 

[kashurst]

did the engine re-start OK when you put in a new fuel filter?

- if so what does the other side of the filter look like?

 

[[2068]]

That looks like "effect" rather than "cause".
I'd be surprised if simply changing the filter resulted in the engine restarting, unless some other blockage also resolved itself.

 

[Freebee]

It looks to me like the pleated media has blocked and the resulting high differential pressure has caused the pleats to fail. The filter has served its purpose in absorbing contaminant from the fuel.

 

[Cathy*]

The other side of the filter looked clear. The engine did start and seems to be running ok. Will be going out tomorrow for a road test and staying close by

 

[JerryC]

That damage looks VERY localised, only the middle two pleats blown out and by a long way. In the case of contaminants or build up of diesel bug, it's normal to find the central 3/4 of the filter area distorted when the filter can no longer do its job. I find it very odd that the other side of the filter looks clear, doesn't that suggest mechanical damage rather than a filtration failure?

 

[Freebee]

Having worked in the filter business for many years I have conducted many burst tests on pleated filters, usually when the pressure builds the pleats will sometimes fail in one area. encapsulation of pleats in the glue is not always uniform and when the pressure comes on the pleats will pull out of a weak area, this relieves pressure and the rest of the pleats stay put.

 

[[2068]]

Having worked in the filter business for many years I have conducted many burst tests on pleated filters, usually when the pressure builds the pleats will sometimes fail in one area. encapsulation of pleats in the glue is not always uniform and when the pressure comes on the pleats will pull out of a weak area, this relieves pressure and the rest of the pleats stay put.

So why would that cause an engine to cut out?

 

[Keith-i]

I can’t explain the bulged pleats, but if the engine cut out due to fuel starvation then I’d check bits upstream such as the fuel pickup and line leading up to the filter.

 

[Freebee]

So why would that cause an engine to cut out?

if the filter blocked it may have caused fuel starvation, secondly when the pleats broke it may have released a cloud of crud down stream or even parts of the filter pleats and resin.

its a fuel filter and we have not considered the possible presence of water a release of water may also stop the engine.