Does your fuel cut-off cut off?

Maoraigh
I believe the whole fuel line was checked, and the warning light only usually comes on when the pump has been switched off

Has the finger filter in the rear tank been checked? Does this happen even with the electric pump on?

Not my plane unfortunately (bigger house mortgage came first), but I’ll have a chat with the owner next time I see him

That sounds like a fuel supply problem due to a very low sitting rear tank. Basically there should definitely be an electric fuel feeder pump right in front of the rear tank. Pumps are very poor in SUCKING fuel from low down, so the engine driven pump will struggle or be unable to feed fuel into the engine in that situation. Electric feeder pumps are standard in many low wing aircraft, rightly so. I urgently suggest fitting an extra pump in the fuselage for including into take-off procedures. – Or else you will risk to end where you did not want to go. Better to be illegal but alive than to be legal and end in the woods upside down. Your mechanic will be capable of setting up a bypass system of extra pump and one-way valves in the line so after switching off the electric pump there is the normal routing of the fuel to the engine. Vic

Maybe a dodgy pressure switch? Isn’t the switch downstream of the electric fuel pump?

The DR.250 I sometimes fly has an annoying problem in that the low fuel pressure light comes on when using the rear tank. Turning the selector slightly past ‘rear’ toward ‘right’ and back again seems to cure it. The whole system has been taken apart but to no avail: it’s always the back tank. Maybe a Jodel/Robin thing?

I’ve checked this with the Jodel DR1050 and think that on a strip, where you start, do checks, enter runway and take-off, you could get enough speed to be unable to stop, and probably get airborne into a strong wind, before the engine starts to sound different.
I’m wary of Pilots Notes which say to change tanks before run-up and take-off. I prefer to change tanks soon after take-off, at a safe height.
I have three times had the engine start to die, switched back, and returned.
Once fuel blockage, once fuel leak, once air leak into mechanical pump. All affecting the rear tank, which is not used for take-off.

From my experience I can say that even the humble Rotax912 will start sputtering as soon as you advance the throttle with the shut-off valve closed.
If left in idle, on the other hand, it will run for what feels like forever on the fuel in the lines and the carburettors.

But I hardly doubt anyone will be able to taxi to the runway, do a run-up and depart on that amount of fuel. And this is a very economical engine.

Btw- I learned this the way Peter mentioned, after doing the 100h-inspection on the aircraft during which the fuel filter is checked and cleaned.
Found out while I was trying to taxi to the run-up area to do the test run prior release to service.

Wasn’t in “go flying mode” so didn’t look at the checklist.
Lesson learned!

I have written into my EASA Self Declared Maintenance Programme (SDMP) a function check and visual inspection for leaks on the stopcock in the SF260 on the basis that if I ever had a fire or engine failure I want to be sure it cuts off the fuel supply. A simple check that takes 5 minutes, the engine actually runs for 2 minutes before it stops due to fuel starvation.