Lights and fuel weepage

[WISC]

Aicraft I am looking at is weeping fuel from the left tank. Skin is stained so no question there is a leak.
-I understand this isn't an uncommon issue. When does it become necessary to repair and what is a ball park estimate on cost if hiring someone to do it?
-Aircraft does not have lights, but supposedly wire is ran. I assume it would be wise to run fresh wire, what would be an estimated labor cost to install lights?
Thanks

[Kyle Boatright]

Existing wire should be fine. It holds up for decades.

How many leaks do you have and where are they located on the tank? One leaking rivet is a cheap and easy fix for one person. A leaking seam is a bigger job. Maybe 5-10 hour of labor. Multiple leaks could mean stripping and resealing a tank which is probably a $1k++ job.

As to when to reseal, the FAA has guidelines on this. Someone smarter than me will remember the specifics, but if you have dripping fuel (as opposed to weeping fuel that dries before it drips), you probably are due for a repair.

[WISC]

Here is a photo of the fuel staining, maybe this will help:
http://s1292.photobucket.com/user/wi...dasyd.jpg.html

Also there is a repair that supposedly was done during the build, I assume it is a good repair since the airplane has been flying for a while. Here is a link to get people's opinion.
http://s1292.photobucket.com/user/wi...ibf9w.jpg.html

I appreciate all the advice.

[Randle]

Originally Posted by WISC

When does it become necessary to repair and what is a ball park estimate on cost if hiring someone to do it?

For 100LL, it becomes necessary to repair once the leak grows to greater than 2 1/2", or drips or runs off of the tank surface after a 30 Minute test period. You start the test by cleaning the surface and at the end of the test, measure the size of the leak. A stain is not required to be fixed. What you currently have is what is called a Class A, Condition 1 fuel leak. There are a couple of ways to fix the leak, one Bill Repucci (N941WR) talks quite a bit about and many have found to work well is the Green Loctite Method. Do a search on here and you will find more info. Another is the the Click Bond Click Patch, it is used very widely in military and commercial ops as a "temporary" leak repair that usually becomes permanent until the next time the aircraft is scheduled for major maintenance. Another method is the pressure cup method, it is messy and takes a couple hours to do but is considered a permenant repair and is very useful in areas where access to the inside of the tank isnt easily accessible.
I wouldnt hire anyone to fix the leak, with the options above, all are very easily done on a Saturday afternoon for less than $10.

Originally Posted by WISC

-Aircraft does not have lights, but supposedly wire is ran. I assume it would be wise to run fresh wire, what would be an estimated labor cost to install lights?
Thanks

As far as the wiring, if it is ran, it depends on the lights you plan on installing. Most LED NAV/Strobe lights are 3 or 4 wire lights with minimal varying currrent draws that usually require 18 or 20 AWG wire depending on the length of wire and lights. For Landing and Taxi lights, the wiring is usually similar but depends mostly on whether you want LED, HID or old Halogens. If I were assessing your aircraft, the first thing I would do is find out what is ran if in fact it is in there, and what could be used with what you have, if there is no wiring, start by deciding what you want for lights and go from there.

[Paul K]

I am troubled by a couple of things here.

First, if the wires have been installed for future lights, that should be easy enough to figure out. Pull a wing tip, bottom covers, cabin floor, etc and look for the wires or provisions for them. If they are there, should be very easy to find. Are there switches and fuses or porvisions for these? Even if not there, not a big deal to install it in a weekend or couple of evenings.

Tanks leak! No big deal and well documented on this forum.

That patch on the elevator however is a warning sign to me. It looks temporary in nature from the photos and if so, why wasn't it redone correctly? If this were mine, I would have reskinned the elevator and rebuilt it when I had more time or arrived back home. Just my .02 worth!

Finally, I would hire a professional inspection or even better, have some experianced RV builders look this plane over. Do a really deep look. If the owner doesn't want to allow you to do that, then walk away.

[WISC]

Exactly the information I am looking for, please keep it coming.
The patch on the elevator supposedly has been there since the airplane was built in 1992 sounds like it could be an issue, thoughts??

[rleffler]

Originally Posted by WISC

Exactly the information I am looking for, please keep it coming.
The patch on the elevator supposedly has been there since the airplane was built in 1992 sounds like it could be an issue, thoughts??

Like Paul mentioned, it appears that the builder may have taken some short cuts or may have had different quality standards. The problem is that you are only currently seeing two visible issues. How many others might their be that you aren't aware of yet?

This is why the recommendation for getting a well respected builder or A&P to assist you with a pre-buy inspection. It's well worth the expense. And don't be afraid to walk away if you find something you don't like.

bob