C182 WAS PLANNING NUMEROUS IFR APCHS. ON GS WAS HAVING PROBS MAINTAINING GS AND REALIZED MANIFOLD PRESSURE GAUGE WAS NOT WORKING; SHOWED 21 INCHES BUT ENG WAS ONLY PRODUCING ABOUT 12 INCHES. ADVISED CTLR AND RETURNED TO HOME BASE.

Narrative

THE SIT I AM RPTING IS A FAILURE OF THE MANIFOLD PRESSURE GAUGE ON MY CLUB'S C182 WHILE INFLT. THERE HAD BEEN PROBS WITH THE GAUGE PREVIOUSLY; AND UPON MY ARR AT MY ARPT TO TAKE THE PLANE FOR THE FLT; I WAS INFORMED THAT THE GAUGE HAD BEEN FIXED. MY PLAN WAS TO PRACTICE SEVERAL APCHS TO TOLEDO VFR; BUT AS I BEGAN TO FOLLOW VECTORS TO THE FIRST APCH; I REALIZED THAT I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN LEGAL VFR; SO I REQUESTED AND OBTAINED A LCL IFR CLRNC TO CONTINUE THE APCHS. ON THE FIRST APCH; AFTER MAKING A PWR REDUCTION TO JOIN THE GS; I DISCOVERED THAT I WAS HAVING DIFFICULTY REMAINING ON THE GS. I CHKED THE MANIFOLD PRESSURE AND REALIZED THAT ALTHOUGH THE GAUGE SAID 21 INCHES; THE PWR OUTPUT WAS MORE LIKE 12-16 INCHES. I INFORMED APCH THAT I WAS HAVING AN INST PROB; AND WOULD LIKE A RETURN TO MY HOME ARPT RATHER THAN MULTIPLE APCHS AT TOLEDO. I FLEW THE MISSED APCH SEGMENT AND THEN THE APCH TO MY BASE BY PITCH AND AIRSPD; AND WAS ABLE TO RETURN HOME IN A SAFE MANNER. I FEEL THAT IF I HAD NOT BEEN SO WELL TRAINED; HOWEVER; THIS SIT COULD HAVE BEEN DISASTROUS. UPON CONSULTATION WITH MY MECH AFTER MY RETURN; WE CONCLUDED THAT THE MOST LIKELY CAUSE WAS A FAULTY SEAL; AND HE GNDED THE PLANE PER FAR 91.208 UNTIL THE SIT COULD BE REPAIRED. AS THIS SIT WAS NOT A NEAR MISS; CTLR ERROR; OR POSSIBLE VIOLATION; I AM NOT REALLY SURE WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW; SO PLEASE CONTACT ME IF YOU NEED ANY FURTHER INFO.