Rick Koch:
For those of us still a little new to all of this and learning as we go… Any chance someone can detail what hoses are involved in a firewall-forward hose kit?
Editor:
Rick, the hose count, sizes, and styles can all vary from plane to plane. Depends on engine, oil cooler location, carb vs fuel injected, diaphragm pump vs gear pump, etc. While PHT has the Beech diagrams for each airframe-engine combination, on which they base their kits, my preference has always been to spend the ten or fifteen bucks to send them your old hoses. There are several reasons for that. One is to accommodate field changes, such as a rerouted cooler hose that accommodates a filter base, or a remotely-mounted oil filter. Another is to request a different end style or different length on one or more hoses, to address some chafing or routing issue.
I have also encountered cases where the original installation did not incorporate firesleeving on some hoses, when it should have. If PHT goes by the original plans, their kit may not have it on those hoses. If yours were ever replaced in the field, it may have been added; and you won’t know that your kit hoses won’t come with it (an unfortunate surprise). If you send yours in, you can tell them whether you do or don’t want it, and where. In my opinion, all pressure hoses forward of the firewall should have it. Only vent hoses don’t need it. Keep in mind that Teflon-core hoses with extruded firesleeve will have 50% to 70% of the outer diameter, compared to standard firesleeved hoses of the same nominal internal size and flow rate.