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RV-6 Questions

N

N710B

Member
I am finishing up the inspection on the RV and have just a couple questions that I'm hoping someone can answer.

1) one of the aileron rod end bearings was frozen solid and when I went to order, they said that W-618 is not a valid part number, even though it is listed in the wing drawings number 21. She talked to technical support, and they said that I needed HEIM F3414M listed on drawing 19A. It looks like this is the bellcrank side bearing. Are they the same?

2) What do the plans call for in the layout of the fuel system?(I do not have these plans yet) Current configuration is from each tank to inline automotive fuel filters before the fuel selector. then to the pump, firewall, engine driven pump and carb. I'm not very comfortable with the filters, and lack of gascolator. Thoughts?

Overall inspection went well....Just several TLC issues that obviously haven't been looked at in a while. Ready to get some serious flying in during the next few months.

Thanks in advance, Dave
 
N710B said:
I am finishing up the inspection on the RV and have just a couple questions that I'm hoping someone can answer.

1) one of the aileron rod end bearings was frozen solid and when I went to order, they said that W-618 is not a valid part number, even though it is listed in the wing drawings number 21. She talked to technical support, and they said that I needed HEIM F3414M listed on drawing 19A. It looks like this is the bellcrank side bearing. Are they the same?

2) What do the plans call for in the layout of the fuel system?(I do not have these plans yet) Current configuration is from each tank to inline automotive fuel filters before the fuel selector. then to the pump, firewall, engine driven pump and carb. I'm not very comfortable with the filters, and lack of gascolator. Thoughts?

Overall inspection went well....Just several TLC issues that obviously haven't been looked at in a while. Ready to get some serious flying in during the next few months.

Thanks in advance, Dave
Click to expand...

Question 1 is difficult to answer because there are 4 different rod end bearings for each aileron (2 on the main lateral push/pull tube and 2 on the fore/aft push/pull rod) Different parts are used on each.

Question 2..... it would depend on what filters are installed. Some automotive filters will not pass water. Once they accumulate enough water, they stop passing fuel..... not a good thing. It is not a per the plans standard installation, but some builders have chosen to go this route.
 
rod end/filter

rvbuilder2002 said:
Question 1 is difficult to answer because there are 4 different rod end bearings for each aileron (2 on the main lateral push/pull tube and 2 on the fore/aft push/pull rod) Different parts are used on each.

Question 2..... it would depend on what filters are installed. Some automotive filters will not pass water. Once they accumulate enough water, they stop passing fuel..... not a good thing. It is not a per the plans standard installation, but some builders have chosen to go this route.
Click to expand...


The rod end that I need is the one that connects to the aileron. Unfortunately I can't find the correct P/N for that one.

I plan to get a set of drawings and change the fuel system to the standard installation. One step at a time....
 
N710B said:
The rod end that I need is the one that connects to the aileron. Unfortunately I can't find the correct P/N for that one.

I plan to get a set of drawings and change the fuel system to the standard installation. One step at a time....
Click to expand...

I have no access to plans right now so I can't help, but HEIM F3414M is not correct. Correction, think it might be correct (second guessing myself) The female designation might be the first letter not the last.....
You need a female rod end and that one is male.

Call back and select to talk with someone in tech support.
 
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Pushrod parts

On my plans Dwg 19a, the bellcrank to aileron pushrod is shown as W-418. It consists of eleven parts. That's why it doesn't come up in Van's system; it's a builder made part.

Two Heim F3414M
Two AN 490-HT8P Threaded rod ends
One 1/2 inch by .035 4130 steel tube
Four AN470AD4-11 rivets
Two AN316-4 Jam nuts

This is per wing.
 
Last edited:
N710B said:
Here are 2 pictures from the plans. In the first, it shows the P/N of W-618. That number doesn't appear to be a good one. The second shows the F3414M, and 4 required so hoping that is correct. I'll give tech support a call in the AM.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/t0he2b60p9ynkzz/1.png?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/e4imde73yngddl5/2.png?dl=0

Thanks for the response
Click to expand...

The F3414M looks right and is listed as F34-14M by Spruce.

Second listing down...

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/appages/heimFMseries.php


W-618 looks like the updated number for the pushrod itself, which is labeled W-418 (the RV-4 number) on the plans.
 
N710B said:
2) What do the plans call for in the layout of the fuel system?(I do not have these plans yet) Current configuration is from each tank to inline automotive fuel filters before the fuel selector. then to the pump, firewall, engine driven pump and carb. I'm not very comfortable with the filters, and lack of gascolator. Thoughts?
Click to expand...

Many of us added the filters upstream of the selector valve years ago when the problem with fuel tank slosh came to be. By doing this, if a filter gets stopped up, one can easily switch tanks and get to destination. You DO have to be careful about what filters you use.
We also removed the gascolator because on an RV-6, it is not the lowest point of the system anyway.
Of course the decision is up to you. I don't recommend altering any fuel system unless you REALLY know what you are doing.
 
Mel said:
Many of us added the filters upstream of the selector valve years ago when the problem with fuel tank slosh came to be. By doing this, if a filter gets stopped up, one can easily switch tanks and get to destination. You DO have to be careful about what filters you use.
We also removed the gascolator because on an RV-6, it is not the lowest point of the system anyway.
Of course the decision is up to you. I don't recommend altering any fuel system unless you REALLY know what you are doing.
Click to expand...

Mel,
What filters did you install? I will admit it to the group...."My name is Mark, and I have sloshed tanks!" Currently, I have no issues with the slosh coming loose, but I know that at some time it will have to be dealt with. An added filter sounds like a great increase in safety in the interim.
Thanks!
 
I didn't know my gascolator wasn't the low spot in the system? Mine catches sediment that gets past the preflight samples, so I'm glad I have one either way.

Jim
 
Jimd said:
I didn't know my gascolator wasn't the low spot in the system? Mine catches sediment that gets past the preflight samples, so I'm glad I have one either way.
Click to expand...

As you have found Jim, it still is of value.
A gascolator will still capture a lot of water as it passes through with fuel flowing, as well as filtering all of the fuel.

Assuming pilots properly sump the tanks during preflight and remove the water that might be present there, the fwd gascolator is capable of capturing many times the amount of water that would likely be trapped in the rest of the system.
 
jetjok said:
Mel,
What filters did you install? I will admit it to the group...."My name is Mark, and I have sloshed tanks!" Currently, I have no issues with the slosh coming loose, but I know that at some time it will have to be dealt with. An added filter sounds like a great increase in safety in the interim.
Thanks!
Click to expand...

The first order danger of loose slosh is a clogged fuel pick-up within the tank (there have been incidents with this being the cause) so please don't assume that adding inline filters would make you less vulnerable to a problem.
 
A gascolator is actually a pretty good filtering device for a carb engine, though their typical location can lead to heat soaking/vapor lock situations. Gascolators have a decent mesh screen for filtering (80-100 microns, if I recall correctly) and they are fuel / water separators. Many dismiss them because they are not the lowest point in a system, but they aren't designed to work like a sump drain on a tank (passive). They are active devices. With the engine running, the gas enters the bowl/reservoir and mixes with the current gas. There is some agitation and swirling that helps the water to settle out of the gas and gravity takes it to the bottom of the bowl. The water is heavy and settles to the bottom of the bowl and remains there, where there is less movement.

Generally, if water is removed in the tank, this function is immaterial. However, if water is mixed in with the gas, the gascolator will help to remove it as it flows to the engine. The real risk, is getting topped off with gas that has water well mixed in. You may not catch it unless you wait a bit before checking the new fuel. In this scenario, paper-based fuel filters are a real problem, as mentioned above and why I stuck with the gascolator on my carb setup. The problem here, however, is that the bowl is relatively small and can't hold a lot of water.

Larry
 
rvbuilder2002 said:
The first order danger of loose slosh is a clogged fuel pick-up within the tank (there have been incidents with this being the cause) so please don't assume that adding inline filters would make you less vulnerable to a problem.
Click to expand...

Right you are! However, some of the loose slosh problems that I have seen on other RV's were very small flecks that easily passed through the fuel pick up, lodged in the gascolator screen, and in one case made it through to the carburetor. Hence my reasoning for asking Mel for a make and model of the filters that he installed.
 
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