Today's Message Index:
----------------------
1. 10:55 AM - Fuel Leak Once More from Starboard Tank (George Nielsen)
2. 11:28 AM - Re: Fuel Leak Once More from Starboard Tank (Schroeder, Bob (Parts Clerk))
3. 11:47 AM - Re: Fuel Leak Once More from Starboard Tank (Jay Pearlman)
4. 01:42 PM - Re: Fuel Leak Once More from Starboard Tank (George Nielsen)
5. 01:43 PM - Re: Fuel Leak Once More from Starboard Tank (George Nielsen)
6. 02:20 PM - Re: Fuel Leak Once More from Starboard Tank (Charlie England)
7. 11:13 PM - Re: Fuel Leak Once More from Starboard Tank (George Nielsen)
Message 1
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| Subject: | Fuel Leak Once More from Starboard Tank |
Four years ago my starboard fuel tank leaked. this resulted in the
dripping of fuel. I had the tank sealed from the outside by a company.
It is supposed to be able to withstand Avgas, Mogas and fuel which
contains ethanol. This seemed to have solved the problem. Until late
last year, when I noticed a smell of fuel in the cockpit. I sealed and
tightened all the fuel lines. but this did not help.
Today I noticed that at the lower aft starboard wing root some paint has
flaked off. I am afraid that it has begun to corrode. I was told that
this was caused by a fuel leak. At least this time one cannot see any
dripping. However, I hardly dare fill up the tank. When I filled a lot
of fuel in this tank I had the impression that the smell in the cockpit
got stronger.
Does anyone know what I can do, short term or long term, to solve or at
least reduce this problem? I reckon that the simplest thing would be to
drain this tank and only fly on the port tank. If anyone knows of a
replacement tank perhaps I could remove my tank and install the replacement.
Thanks for your replies.
George Nielsen
RV-6 PH-XGN
The Hague, the Netherlands
Message 2
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| Subject: | Fuel Leak Once More from Starboard Tank |
George, I too have had fuel leaks in both of my tanks. You can purchase complete
fuel tanks (at least you used to be able to) but you would probably have to
buy both. For me was able to remove the tanks and repair them. the one side was
just a gasket and the other side was leaking at the forward fuselage bracket
mount. I removed the cover and cleaned and then reprosealed all around the bracket
inside and out. it took a half to remove the tank then a couple of hours
to ascertain, clean and proseal the bracket. we used a vacuum to try to draw
proseal into any voids that may have been present. Then I waited a couple days
for the proseal to set up. Then we tested and confirmed that it was seal, another
hour to install the tank and voila, it has been holding very well in the
two years since the repair. For my money that is the route that I would go to
have a dependable tank and another couple hours of range. Just my two cents!
Good luck,
Bob
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-rv6-list-server@matronics.com [mailto:owner-rv6-list-server@matronics.com] On Behalf Of George Nielsen
Sent: Sunday, April 12, 2015 11:54 AM
Subject: RV6-List: Fuel Leak Once More from Starboard Tank
Four years ago my starboard fuel tank leaked. this resulted in the dripping of
fuel. I had the tank sealed from the outside by a company.
It is supposed to be able to withstand Avgas, Mogas and fuel which contains ethanol.
This seemed to have solved the problem. Until late last year, when I noticed
a smell of fuel in the cockpit. I sealed and tightened all the fuel lines.
but this did not help.
Today I noticed that at the lower aft starboard wing root some paint has flaked
off. I am afraid that it has begun to corrode. I was told that this was caused
by a fuel leak. At least this time one cannot see any dripping. However, I hardly
dare fill up the tank. When I filled a lot of fuel in this tank I had the
impression that the smell in the cockpit got stronger.
Does anyone know what I can do, short term or long term, to solve or at least reduce
this problem? I reckon that the simplest thing would be to drain this tank
and only fly on the port tank. If anyone knows of a replacement tank perhaps
I could remove my tank and install the replacement.
Thanks for your replies.
George Nielsen
RV-6 PH-XGN
The Hague, the Netherlands
Message 3
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| Subject: | Re: Fuel Leak Once More from Starboard Tank |
Have you removed the wing fuselage fairing and looked for leaks there. Do y
ou have aileron boots and other seals between the wings and the cockpit? Ma
ybe you can give us an idea of your configuration?Jay Pearlman
From: George Nielsen <genie@swissmail.org>
To: rv6-list@matronics.com
Sent: Sunday, April 12, 2015 10:54 AM
Subject: RV6-List: Fuel Leak Once More from Starboard Tank
Four years ago my starboard fuel tank leaked. this resulted in the
dripping of fuel. I had the tank sealed from the outside by a company.
It is supposed to be able to withstand Avgas, Mogas and fuel which
contains ethanol. This seemed to have solved the problem. Until late
last year, when I noticed a smell of fuel in the cockpit. I sealed and
tightened all the fuel lines. but this did not help.
Today I noticed that at the lower aft starboard wing root some paint has
flaked off. I am afraid that it has begun to corrode. I was told that
this was caused by a fuel leak. At least this time one cannot see any
dripping. However, I hardly dare fill up the tank. When I filled a lot
of fuel in this tank I had the impression that the smell in the cockpit
got stronger.
Does anyone know what I can do, short term or long term, to solve or at
least reduce this problem? I reckon that the simplest thing would be to
drain this tank and only fly on the port tank. If anyone knows of a
replacement tank perhaps I could remove my tank and install the replacement
.
Thanks for your replies.
George Nielsen
RV-6 PH-XGN
The Hague, the Netherlands
S -
-
=C2- =C2- =C2- =C2- =C2- -Matt Dralle, List Admin.
Message 4
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| Subject: | Re: Fuel Leak Once More from Starboard Tank |
Thank you for your reply, Jay.
Last time, which was years ago, I removed the wing fuselage fairing. But
as I had drained the fuel prior to doing so I did not see any leak. As I
discovered today the damages caused presumably by leaking fuel I did not
remove the fairing. I do not have aileron boots, just the normal rubber
seals and fairings.
My nightmare: leaking fuel may have caused damage to the structure, to
the spar or something. This did not happen last time. I was wondering if
that could happen this time.
George
On 12/04/2015 20:38, Jay Pearlman wrote:
> Have you removed the wing fuselage fairing and looked for leaks there.
> Do you have aileron boots and other seals between the wings and the
> cockpit? Maybe you can give us an idea of your configuration?
> Jay Pearlman
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> *From:* George Nielsen <genie@swissmail.org>
> *To:* rv6-list@matronics.com
> *Sent:* Sunday, April 12, 2015 10:54 AM
> *Subject:* RV6-List: Fuel Leak Once More from Starboard Tank
>
> <mailto:genie@swissmail.org>>
>
> Four years ago my starboard fuel tank leaked. this resulted in the
> dripping of fuel. I had the tank sealed from the outside by a company.
> It is supposed to be able to withstand Avgas, Mogas and fuel which
> contains ethanol. This seemed to have solved the problem. Until late
> last year, when I noticed a smell of fuel in the cockpit. I sealed and
> tightened all the fuel lines. but this did not help.
>
> Today I noticed that at the lower aft starboard wing root some paint has
> flaked off. I am afraid that it has begun to corrode. I was told that
> this was caused by a fuel leak. At least this time one cannot see any
> dripping. However, I hardly dare fill up the tank. When I filled a lot
> of fuel in this tank I had the impression that the smell in the cockpit
> got stronger.
>
> Does anyone know what I can do, short term or long term, to solve or at
> least reduce this problem? I reckon that the simplest thing would be to
> drain this tank and only fly on the port tank. If anyone knows of a
> replacement tank perhaps I could remove my tank and install the
> replacement.
>
> Thanks for your replies.
>
> George Nielsen
> RV-6 PH-XGN
> The Hague,6-List"
> target="_blank">http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?RV6-Listhttp://forums.mat
> &nbs//www.matronics.com/contribution"
> target="_blank">http://www.matronics.co=================
>
>
> *
>
>
> *
Message 5
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| Subject: | Re: Fuel Leak Once More from Starboard Tank |
Bob, thank you very much for your reply.
If you happen to have any pictures of the places or parts which you
repaired I would be grateful if you could send one or two.
George
On 12/04/2015 20:28, Schroeder, Bob (Parts Clerk) wrote:
>
> George, I too have had fuel leaks in both of my tanks. You can purchase complete
fuel tanks (at least you used to be able to) but you would probably have to
buy both. For me was able to remove the tanks and repair them. the one side
was just a gasket and the other side was leaking at the forward fuselage bracket
mount. I removed the cover and cleaned and then reprosealed all around the
bracket inside and out. it took a half to remove the tank then a couple of hours
to ascertain, clean and proseal the bracket. we used a vacuum to try to draw
proseal into any voids that may have been present. Then I waited a couple days
for the proseal to set up. Then we tested and confirmed that it was seal, another
hour to install the tank and voila, it has been holding very well in the
two years since the repair. For my money that is the route that I would go to
have a dependable tank and another couple hours of range. Just my two cents!
> Good luck,
> Bob
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-rv6-list-server@matronics.com [mailto:owner-rv6-list-server@matronics.com] On Behalf Of George Nielsen
> Sent: Sunday, April 12, 2015 11:54 AM
> To: rv6-list@matronics.com
> Subject: RV6-List: Fuel Leak Once More from Starboard Tank
>
>
> Four years ago my starboard fuel tank leaked. this resulted in the dripping of
fuel. I had the tank sealed from the outside by a company.
> It is supposed to be able to withstand Avgas, Mogas and fuel which contains ethanol.
This seemed to have solved the problem. Until late last year, when I noticed
a smell of fuel in the cockpit. I sealed and tightened all the fuel lines.
but this did not help.
>
> Today I noticed that at the lower aft starboard wing root some paint has flaked
off. I am afraid that it has begun to corrode. I was told that this was caused
by a fuel leak. At least this time one cannot see any dripping. However, I
hardly dare fill up the tank. When I filled a lot of fuel in this tank I had
the impression that the smell in the cockpit got stronger.
>
> Does anyone know what I can do, short term or long term, to solve or at least
reduce this problem? I reckon that the simplest thing would be to drain this
tank and only fly on the port tank. If anyone knows of a replacement tank perhaps
I could remove my tank and install the replacement.
>
> Thanks for your replies.
>
> George Nielsen
> RV-6 PH-XGN
> The Hague, the Netherlands
>
>
Message 6
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| Subject: | Re: Fuel Leak Once More from Starboard Tank |
George,
You can rest easy with your concerns over fuel damaging structure in the
plane; that just won't happen. Water/salt/humidity, yes, but damage from
fuel should be limited to paint and trim items (possibly fairings, if
you use ethanol laced fuel). Remember, the tank itself is aluminum and
is exposed to fuel constantly.
FWIW, I fly a -4 that was built in the early '90s, and it's had fuel
leaks several times in both tanks; some bad enough to actually drip fuel
while sitting in the hangar. There's never been any permanent damage,
except to paint. While it's 'better' to re-seal the tanks on the inside
of the tanks, sometimes better is the enemy of good enough. If the leaks
are located in areas not visible with the tank mounted and fairings in
place, they can often be fixed by careful cleaning of the external
surfaces/joints and applying the new sealant over the offending rivet
head or seam. I've done this successfully on both of my tanks. Both had
leaks at the corners where the end rib, skin, and back baffle converge,
and also around the inboard nose attach bracket (angle). By removing
every bit of the exposed sealant, cleaning and scouring the areas with
acetone/scotchbrite pads, cleaning again, and applying new sealant, I
was able to stop all the leaks. Remember, the actual pressure on the
external sealant will be incredibly small, as long as it's firmly
attached to the aluminum all the way to the pinpoint or 'knife-edge'
line of the leak(s). The existing leaks are almost certainly the result
of improper cleaning and prepping of the joint prior to applying the
sealant when the tank was built or repaired.
Charlie
On 4/12/2015 3:41 PM, George Nielsen wrote:
> Thank you for your reply, Jay.
>
> Last time, which was years ago, I removed the wing fuselage fairing.
> But as I had drained the fuel prior to doing so I did not see any
> leak. As I discovered today the damages caused presumably by leaking
> fuel I did not remove the fairing. I do not have aileron boots, just
> the normal rubber seals and fairings.
>
> My nightmare: leaking fuel may have caused damage to the structure, to
> the spar or something. This did not happen last time. I was wondering
> if that could happen this time.
>
> George
>
> On 12/04/2015 20:38, Jay Pearlman wrote:
>> Have you removed the wing fuselage fairing and looked for leaks
>> there. Do you have aileron boots and other seals between the wings
>> and the cockpit? Maybe you can give us an idea of your configuration?
>> Jay Pearlman
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> *From:* George Nielsen <genie@swissmail.org>
>> *To:* rv6-list@matronics.com
>> *Sent:* Sunday, April 12, 2015 10:54 AM
>> *Subject:* RV6-List: Fuel Leak Once More from Starboard Tank
>>
>> <mailto:genie@swissmail.org>>
>>
>> Four years ago my starboard fuel tank leaked. this resulted in the
>> dripping of fuel. I had the tank sealed from the outside by a company.
>> It is supposed to be able to withstand Avgas, Mogas and fuel which
>> contains ethanol. This seemed to have solved the problem. Until late
>> last year, when I noticed a smell of fuel in the cockpit. I sealed and
>> tightened all the fuel lines. but this did not help.
>>
>> Today I noticed that at the lower aft starboard wing root some paint has
>> flaked off. I am afraid that it has begun to corrode. I was told that
>> this was caused by a fuel leak. At least this time one cannot see any
>> dripping. However, I hardly dare fill up the tank. When I filled a lot
>> of fuel in this tank I had the impression that the smell in the cockpit
>> got stronger.
>>
>> Does anyone know what I can do, short term or long term, to solve or at
>> least reduce this problem? I reckon that the simplest thing would be to
>> drain this tank and only fly on the port tank. If anyone knows of a
>> replacement tank perhaps I could remove my tank and install the
>> replacement.
>>
>> Thanks for your replies.
>>
>> George Nielsen
>> RV-6 PH-XGN
>> The Hague,6-List"
>> target="_blank">http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?RV6-Listhttp://forums.mat
>> &nbs//www.matronics.com/contribution"
>> target="_blank">http://www.matronics.co=================
>>
Message 7
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| Subject: | Re: Fuel Leak Once More from Starboard Tank |
Charlie,
Thank you very much for your reply! At least now I can sleep well.
I asked because I had a leaking fuel tank in my car. This caused damage
to the rear A-arm which had to be replaced.
Thank you also for the instructions on how to remedy the problem with
the fuel leak.
George
On 12/04/2015 23:21, Charlie England wrote:
> George,
>
> You can rest easy with your concerns over fuel damaging structure in
> the plane; that just won't happen. Water/salt/humidity, yes, but
> damage from fuel should be limited to paint and trim items (possibly
> fairings, if you use ethanol laced fuel). Remember, the tank itself is
> aluminum and is exposed to fuel constantly.
>
> FWIW, I fly a -4 that was built in the early '90s, and it's had fuel
> leaks several times in both tanks; some bad enough to actually drip
> fuel while sitting in the hangar. There's never been any permanent
> damage, except to paint. While it's 'better' to re-seal the tanks on
> the inside of the tanks, sometimes better is the enemy of good enough.
> If the leaks are located in areas not visible with the tank mounted
> and fairings in place, they can often be fixed by careful cleaning of
> the external surfaces/joints and applying the new sealant over the
> offending rivet head or seam. I've done this successfully on both of
> my tanks. Both had leaks at the corners where the end rib, skin, and
> back baffle converge, and also around the inboard nose attach bracket
> (angle). By removing every bit of the exposed sealant, cleaning and
> scouring the areas with acetone/scotchbrite pads, cleaning again, and
> applying new sealant, I was able to stop all the leaks. Remember, the
> actual pressure on the external sealant will be incredibly small, as
> long as it's firmly attached to the aluminum all the way to the
> pinpoint or 'knife-edge' line of the leak(s). The existing leaks are
> almost certainly the result of improper cleaning and prepping of the
> joint prior to applying the sealant when the tank was built or repaired.
>
> Charlie
>
> On 4/12/2015 3:41 PM, George Nielsen wrote:
>> Thank you for your reply, Jay.
>>
>> Last time, which was years ago, I removed the wing fuselage fairing.
>> But as I had drained the fuel prior to doing so I did not see any
>> leak. As I discovered today the damages caused presumably by leaking
>> fuel I did not remove the fairing. I do not have aileron boots, just
>> the normal rubber seals and fairings.
>>
>> My nightmare: leaking fuel may have caused damage to the structure,
>> to the spar or something. This did not happen last time. I was
>> wondering if that could happen this time.
>>
>> George
>>
>> On 12/04/2015 20:38, Jay Pearlman wrote:
>>> Have you removed the wing fuselage fairing and looked for leaks
>>> there. Do you have aileron boots and other seals between the wings
>>> and the cockpit? Maybe you can give us an idea of your configuration?
>>> Jay Pearlman
>>>
>>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> *From:* George Nielsen <genie@swissmail.org>
>>> *To:* rv6-list@matronics.com
>>> *Sent:* Sunday, April 12, 2015 10:54 AM
>>> *Subject:* RV6-List: Fuel Leak Once More from Starboard Tank
>>>
>>> <mailto:genie@swissmail.org>>
>>>
>>> Four years ago my starboard fuel tank leaked. this resulted in the
>>> dripping of fuel. I had the tank sealed from the outside by a company.
>>> It is supposed to be able to withstand Avgas, Mogas and fuel which
>>> contains ethanol. This seemed to have solved the problem. Until late
>>> last year, when I noticed a smell of fuel in the cockpit. I sealed and
>>> tightened all the fuel lines. but this did not help.
>>>
>>> Today I noticed that at the lower aft starboard wing root some paint
>>> has
>>> flaked off. I am afraid that it has begun to corrode. I was told that
>>> this was caused by a fuel leak. At least this time one cannot see any
>>> dripping. However, I hardly dare fill up the tank. When I filled a lot
>>> of fuel in this tank I had the impression that the smell in the cockpit
>>> got stronger.
>>>
>>> Does anyone know what I can do, short term or long term, to solve or at
>>> least reduce this problem? I reckon that the simplest thing would be to
>>> drain this tank and only fly on the port tank. If anyone knows of a
>>> replacement tank perhaps I could remove my tank and install the
>>> replacement.
>>>
>>> Thanks for your replies.
>>>
>>> George Nielsen
>>> RV-6 PH-XGN
>>> The Hague,6-List"
>>> target="_blank">http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?RV6-Listhttp://forums.mat
>>> &nbs//www.matronics.com/contribution"
>>> target="_blank">http://www.matronics.co=================
>>>
>
> *
>
>
> *
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