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1. 09:02 PM - Update On RV-8 Princeton Fuel Probe Installation... (Matt Dralle)
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| Subject: | Update On RV-8 Princeton Fuel Probe Installation... |
Fellow RV'rs,
I am elated to report that last week I decided to try recalibrating the Princeton
fuel level probes in my RV-8 one last time before I began the arduous task
of replacing them with resistive float senders. I started with the right tank
and drained all of the fuel out, then entered calibration mode by applying power
to the unit with the button pressed. I then pressed the button once to indicate
the "empty" set point, then added exactly 5.5 Gallons, pressed the button,
etc., etc., until I'd added 21 gallons. During the whole process, the various
LED flashing patterns correctly matched the documented sequences based on
the stage of calibration. With a full tank, I went out and flew a little over
two hours at about 10 gallons per hour. During the flight, I carefully compared
the Priceton readings with the turbine fuel flow "fuel used" indicator which
has proven to be exceptionally accurate. As expected, the Pricetons reported
"Full" for the first 6 gallons or so because of the dihedral in the wing tank
and the fact that the probe is mounted at the root. Again, as expected, abruptly
the fuel level went from 21 to 15 gallons after about 6 gallons of burn
(or there abouts - sometimes both tanks seem to drop to around 18 then back
up to 21 during this first 6 gallons). From 15 to about 2 gallons, the Priceton's
reported a fuel level within 1 gallon of the flow meter's fuel used indicator!
Yahoo. I then repeated the whole calibration procedure exactly as before
but this time on the left tank and then went out and repeated the comparison
tests above on the left tank. I am even happier to report that again the calibration
of the left fuel level tracked the fuel flow meter's used amount within
1 gallon after the initial drop from 21 to 15 gallons after 6 gallons of burn.
I flew to about 4-5 gallons remaining on the left and right sides tonight
as reported by the fuel level meters and noted that the fuel flow meter's fuel
remaining coincided with a reported remaining of 10.3 gallons. I topped off
both tan!
ks and n
oted that both tanks then reported 21 gallons as expected.
So why didn't the first and second calibration attempts take? Who knows. All
that matters at this point is that they are both working and are exceptionally
accurate in the 15-0 gallon range which is where it counts. Oh, and that I don't
have to replace the probes! Yahoo.
Best regards,
Matt Dralle
RV-8 #82880 N998RV
http://www.mattsrv8.com - Matt's RV-8 Construction Blog
http://www.youtube.com/MattsRV8 - Matt's RV-8 HDTV YouTube Channel
Status: Enjoying The Fruits of 2500 Hours of Labor!
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