Narrative:

Number 2 engine did not want to run during initial runup at departure airport. Fuel flow was low unless the emergency pump was on. With the pump on; it operated normally on the ground. Enroute; it ran fine with the emergency pump off.I called maintenance control and told them of the issue. They asked me to test it when the engine was warm. I restarted the engine; but it still would not run without the emergency pump on. However; with the pump on; the pressure was in the green (40 psi) and it ran fine. I departed again but; after departure; the engine would only develop 25' [map]. Troubleshooting failed to bring it back to power; so I shut it down in accordance with standard procedures. I was able to maintain airspeed and altitude; so I continued flight to my destination and landed without incident. Inspection showed a cracked exhaust that affected the exhaust [pressure] going to the turbo charger and the fuel servo. Apparently it was cracked from the start; but became worse; finally failing after the second departure. Points for growth: engines usually give you a sign that they are going to fail before they do. The signs were vague in this case; but they were there. I could have landed at the nearest airport; but chose to press on. Had number 1 failed; that would have been a bad decision. As is stands; it ended well. However; I should have put her on the ground at the nearest airport.a good preflight and runup is essential.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: The pilot of a Piper PA-31 Turbo Malibu elected to neither make a logbook write up nor to seek maintenance attention when his right engine would only run with the emergency pump on after engine start. Following the subsequent flight and a conference with Maintenance at his destination they jointly elected to try it again. The engine failed to produce power in flight and was shut down. The pilot then elected to continue to his destination rather than land at the nearest suitable airport.

Narrative: Number 2 engine did not want to run during initial runup at departure airport. Fuel flow was low unless the emergency pump was on. With the pump on; it operated normally on the ground. Enroute; it ran fine with the emergency pump off.I called Maintenance Control and told them of the issue. They asked me to test it when the engine was warm. I restarted the engine; but it still would not run without the emergency pump on. However; with the pump on; the pressure was in the green (40 PSI) and it ran fine. I departed again but; after departure; the engine would only develop 25' [MAP]. Troubleshooting failed to bring it back to power; so I shut it down in accordance with standard procedures. I was able to maintain airspeed and altitude; so I continued flight to my destination and landed without incident. Inspection showed a cracked exhaust that affected the exhaust [pressure] going to the turbo charger and the fuel servo. Apparently it was cracked from the start; but became worse; finally failing after the second departure. Points for growth: Engines usually give you a sign that they are going to fail before they do. The signs were vague in this case; but they were there. I could have landed at the nearest airport; but chose to press on. Had number 1 failed; that would have been a bad decision. As is stands; it ended well. However; I should have put her on the ground at the nearest airport.A good preflight and runup is essential.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.