>Steve, > >Skyport has a mod that removes the nose tank and replaces the two nine >gallon wing tanks with 15 gallon tanks. Whats wrong with the existing >system??
I've been hearing about that mod. It sounds pretty slick, but I think it's probably more drastic than what I wanted. Hmmm, it would be nice to get rid of the header, though. The fuel system is probably a proven system, but there are a couple of things I don't like. One is the fact that you can't shut off the crossfeed between the tanks. There have been three cases in the one month we've had the plane where I would have liked to have a valve between the tanks. The first time, on the way back from Ohio, Susan noticed a gas stain around the left tank gas gauge. On closer inspection, we found the gaskets leaking around the window. We had to drain BOTH tanks to remove the float gauge and fix the problem. Next, we bought a dipstick that requires calibration. You need to drain the tank, then add a couple of gallons of fuel while taking measurements with the dipstick and marking the readings on a graph. It's a good system but it doesn't work when gas is crossfeeding into the other tank. I could sit and wait for the tanks to stabilize, but then one tank is invariably lower than the other. Finally, While putting the cowling on getting ready for the test flight on the new cylinders yesterday, I noticed a lot of fuel staining around the quick drain on the right tank. Again, I had to drain BOTH tanks to fix the problem. There's something else...when I replaced the Mil H-6000 hoses to/from the fuel pump, fuel continued to flow from one of them in a constant stream that never stopped, even though I had both fuel valves turned off. This seems screwy; Looking at the drawings, it seems like the fuel line from the pump to the header tank has the outlet at the TOP of the header tank. Maybe it was below the level of the fuel at the time, since the tank was pretty full. But I don't like the idea of not being able to shut the gas off while in flight, in case of fire or imminent forced landing. Of course, it isn't like I could reach the valves while in-flight anyway. I also just plain don't like the mechanical fuel pump, and El-Cheapo hoses and nipples, running right past the exhaust system. I can replace the hoses and nipples with better stuff, and firesleeve, and then I'll probably feel better about it. The stuff that's on there is probably fine, I'm just funny about fuel hoses. One thing I do like about the fuel system is the header. I don't like it there, but at the same time I feel confident every time I look up and see that float gauge bobbing, assuring me that I at least have another half-hour or left. That's something most low-wing planes don't have, instead relying on mechanical pumps backed up by electrical pumps and so on. Maybe I'll learn to get along with this system after all. But it would still be nice to separate the wing tanks. Maybe I can get a field approval for a valve. ----------------------------------- Steve Dold ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) Say NO to useless over-quoting -----------------------------------
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