RVG8tor
Well Known Member
I would like to say thanks to who ever suggested the combustible gas detector to find leaks.
I have always and a slight fuel smell when I open the canopy after the plane has sat for a while, it was very slight and I could never find anything leaking.
Well it has seemed to get worse over the last two weeks, and I had recently cleaned my fuel filter so I checked those connections and all the other connections in the cockpit. Still no leak, so I spent the $178 for the leak detector, wow amazingly sensitive device.
I ran it over all the fittings inside and nothing stood out until I put it at the corner of the floor by the wing spar. Hmm, I thought let me actually put it in the tunnel of the center section, then it really went off. So I removed the wing root fairings expecting to find a leaking sender cover plate, but they were good. I whip out the gas detector and run it round the tanks, and on the right side, if I stuck it right in the space where the tank and spar are located it really went off. looking along the bottom of the tank attach the tell tail blue stain of 100LL, at the outboard end of the tank, actually the leak thru the seam is one bay in from the outboard end of the tank, we will see where it actually is coming from after the tank come off.
This is a quick build kit from 2007, it leaked checked fine and other than one rivet on top of the left wing with a bubble I have no other signs of leaks until now. I know if I had built my tanks I would expect them to operate for more than 7 years (only two in-service). This kind of thing really chaps me! It is one thing to screw it up and have to fix it, but to pay good money for the professionals to build it and then have this well, exasperating.
Any advice on removing a painted tank would be a great help, I am thinking there is a tool or technique to help keep the paint from chipping around the screws.
If you are in the NW and need a combustible gas detector I am you guy!
Of course I just filled up after my last flight so I have nearly full tanks. The weather is clear tomorrow so I will enjoy running the thank empty so it can be removed.
Cheers.
I have always and a slight fuel smell when I open the canopy after the plane has sat for a while, it was very slight and I could never find anything leaking.
Well it has seemed to get worse over the last two weeks, and I had recently cleaned my fuel filter so I checked those connections and all the other connections in the cockpit. Still no leak, so I spent the $178 for the leak detector, wow amazingly sensitive device.
I ran it over all the fittings inside and nothing stood out until I put it at the corner of the floor by the wing spar. Hmm, I thought let me actually put it in the tunnel of the center section, then it really went off. So I removed the wing root fairings expecting to find a leaking sender cover plate, but they were good. I whip out the gas detector and run it round the tanks, and on the right side, if I stuck it right in the space where the tank and spar are located it really went off. looking along the bottom of the tank attach the tell tail blue stain of 100LL, at the outboard end of the tank, actually the leak thru the seam is one bay in from the outboard end of the tank, we will see where it actually is coming from after the tank come off.
This is a quick build kit from 2007, it leaked checked fine and other than one rivet on top of the left wing with a bubble I have no other signs of leaks until now. I know if I had built my tanks I would expect them to operate for more than 7 years (only two in-service). This kind of thing really chaps me! It is one thing to screw it up and have to fix it, but to pay good money for the professionals to build it and then have this well, exasperating.
Any advice on removing a painted tank would be a great help, I am thinking there is a tool or technique to help keep the paint from chipping around the screws.
If you are in the NW and need a combustible gas detector I am you guy!
Of course I just filled up after my last flight so I have nearly full tanks. The weather is clear tomorrow so I will enjoy running the thank empty so it can be removed.
Cheers.