Another red cube leak

[GeneL]

Bob, Is fuel lube the same as "Tite Seal"? I have used the medium Tite Seal and so far have not had any leaks 480 hours mostly in Florida heat. Thanks Gene

[Brantel]

Originally Posted by jthocker

Hey Brian,

I'm sorry if I offended you and I'm sure Bob didn't mean to offend anybody, but the fact is, we try to prevent others from making the same mistakes we have made. Sometimes it is a little frustrating to us, when someone offers up, "I've had good success with"...... or "this is what I did", when their plane has yet to fly, or the brakes have never been used, or the engine has never been started.
I'm slightly agitated because I'm in the middle of re-doing an RV6 panel for a guy, and I looked down at the brake pedals yesterday and guess what I saw!
So, now, not only will the panel redo include a complete re-wire of the aircraft to bring it up to standards, it looks like I'll have to re-work the brake fluid fittings too!
Again Brian, your contributions to this forum have been manifold, and I've always appreciated them!

No worries Jon or Bob. I understand. Sorry if I came across wrong.

The problem with forums is that so much of the nuances of communication are lost. Leads to a lot of misunderstandings and wrong impressions. I have to constantly remind myself of this.

I will buy you both a cold drink someday.

[Walt]

Originally Posted by GeneL

Bob, Is fuel lube the same as "Tite Seal"? I have used the medium Tite Seal and so far have not had any leaks 480 hours mostly in Florida heat. Thanks Gene

No Fuel lube/EZ turn is not the same as Tite Seal.

[douglassmt]

Per Wally at Synergy Air, I used Tite seal on all fuel, oil, and brake line connections. Not a single leak or loose connection after 180+ hours, except for the fittings on the brake master cylinders. Apparently the brake fluid I'm using dissolves the Tite seal and they started to leak after 50-60 hours. Teflon tape, carefully applied to keep off the first couple threads, fixed it - so far.

[Wayne Gillispie]

Well, after 1.1 hrs on my now dry oil cooler, the Leak Lock(hvac industry) worked. No EZ Turn existed on the four threads inside oil cooler. Heat/oil washed it away. Fittings now five threads deep.

What is EZ Turn/Fuel Lube/"Anti-Sealant" used for then guys???? I cannot imagine lubricating anything with it, so what good is it other than sticking washers before installing nuts/bolts.

I ask our local A&P what he used... Tite Seal and Teflon Tape. I will only use teflon tape on my hvac condensate drains at indoor coils or home plumbing. Never on my plane as I prefer to keep oil jets and fuel system clear.

Don't ever get tired of telling us newbie pilots/builders the best practice. If we can't handle it by now we should not be flying. When we are planning to hop in that plane, egos need to stay on the ground. Maybe there should be a 'sticky' up on vaf about this sticky stuff to warn all of us. Maybe ACS and the online tool stores should stop selling it.

[rocketbob]

Originally Posted by N427EF

I firmly believe the threads on some of the red fuel cubes are defective
in that they are not deep enough and therefore prevent a tight seal no matter what your preference for thread sealant may be.

I have found this to be true as well. I have a 1/4" NPT bottoming tap that I've used to open up the ports on the EI red cubes. I just shoved a small piece of paper towel in the opening to keep the shavings out.

[Rupester]

Before a ran-tested my engine for the first time , I found a leak at the AN fitting threads on the inlet side of the red cube. I took it out, removed all the fuel lube, goobered it with Permatex #2 and torqued it aggressively. Leak fixed. After 5 hrs of flying the bird I started to get fuel smell. Found a leak on the outlet side of the red cube ... AN fitting threads again. Did the same to that fitting. Also torqued it way harder than most Al to Al threads. Went for a flight test and still had strong fuel smell. Upon returning to the hangar, found the red cube then leaking at BOTH the inlet and the outlet. Re-did the Permatex treatment on both sides and this time torqued the An fittings beyond anything reasonable or prudent for Al. With a booster pump pressure test, I now see no leaks. Can't fly-test it until next week ... will keep my fingers crossed.
I am 100% convinced the red cube's 1/4" pipe threads are defective. These are the only fuel fittings on my entire A/C that have leaked since first engine run, and they are torqued to a ridiculous level.

[Wayne Gillispie]

You can crack the housing, so be careful. It may not crack right away either.

[douglassmt]

Originally Posted by Wayne Gillispie

Well, after 1.1 hrs on my now dry oil cooler, the Leak Lock(hvac industry) worked. No EZ Turn existed on the four threads inside oil cooler. Heat/oil washed it away. Fittings now five threads deep.

What is EZ Turn/Fuel Lube/"Anti-Sealant" used for then guys???? I cannot imagine lubricating anything with it, so what good is it other than sticking washers before installing nuts/bolts.

I ask our local A&P what he used... Tite Seal and Teflon Tape. I will only use teflon tape on my hvac condensate drains at indoor coils or home plumbing. Never on my plane as I prefer to keep oil jets and fuel system clear.

Don't ever get tired of telling us newbie pilots/builders the best practice. If we can't handle it by now we should not be flying. When we are planning to hop in that plane, egos need to stay on the ground. Maybe there should be a 'sticky' up on vaf about this sticky stuff to warn all of us. Maybe ACS and the online tool stores should stop selling it.

EZ Turn/Fuel Lube works good on p/s connections.

[380mxc]

The proper thread form should be NPTF (National Pipe Taper Fuel) on both mating parts. If you use a pipe tap it should have the designation NPTF on it.
To acheive proper thread depth tap no deeper than 5 to 7 threads remaining on the tap. or plus or minus one turn with a plug gage.