JackinMichigan
Well Known Member
For the past 6 or 7 months I've noticed blue fuel streaks going across the fuselage coming from the left wing root. I've taken the access panel off several times and everything seems dry, except that the ledge that the access panel is screwed to is soaked in fuel. I've wrapped white rags around every fitting and port that could leak and still can't identify the source. I've also searched around the cockpit area and can't find any leakage coming from there.
It only happens while flying. I almost always keep my plane at least 80% full of fuel and nothing is leaking while sitting in the hangar, it's only after coming back from a flight that I notice this. Apart from that I can't find any other place on the plane that appears to be leaking.
The only thing I can think of is that it's leaking directly from the tank, on the back side that's up against the wing spar. The last time I took it up (yesterday) I deliberately let that tank run to below 50% capacity, figuring the next step was puling the tank, and when I landed there was very little evidence of leakage - which tells me the tank was below the level that it's leaking from.
But it doesn't leak when the plane is static, regardless of how full the tanks are. Do the tanks somehow become pressurized in flight? I'm really hoping I can track down this leak without having to pull that tank, but I'm running out of places to look.
It only happens while flying. I almost always keep my plane at least 80% full of fuel and nothing is leaking while sitting in the hangar, it's only after coming back from a flight that I notice this. Apart from that I can't find any other place on the plane that appears to be leaking.
The only thing I can think of is that it's leaking directly from the tank, on the back side that's up against the wing spar. The last time I took it up (yesterday) I deliberately let that tank run to below 50% capacity, figuring the next step was puling the tank, and when I landed there was very little evidence of leakage - which tells me the tank was below the level that it's leaking from.
But it doesn't leak when the plane is static, regardless of how full the tanks are. Do the tanks somehow become pressurized in flight? I'm really hoping I can track down this leak without having to pull that tank, but I'm running out of places to look.