I now have four of these float gauges.
I found tha the greatest cause of difference in readings, from one to another, is simply the length of the wire that sticks out of the float. The wire length variation may be signficant, from one float gauge to another. So, when you change gauges, you cannot expect consistent readings between them. Dave Winters -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Hartmut Beil Sent: Monday, October 06, 2008 9:17 AM To: Ed Burkhead; 'Richard Green'; ety Subject: RE: [ercoupe-tech] Electric Fuel Pump Richard. I can understand your concern. Maybe it is good to know that I also have the bobber go only half way up the glass tube. It depends all on age and deterioration of the cork. To check how much fuel you really got when indicating "full" or half full in your eyes, just - on the ground- disconnect the hose to the gascolator and redirect into a 5 Gallon can. Then open the header tank fuel valve. You should at least be able to fill that canister. It is also a good way to measure and memorize the way the bobber looks when the gas tank is half full and empty. Hartmut _____ To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [email protected] From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Mon, 6 Oct 2008 07:41:05 -0500 Subject: RE: [ercoupe-tech] Electric Fuel Pump Rich responded directly to me and added information about his problem: > My real concern is whether my center tank is actually getting > enough fuel. I wouldn't worry if I knew it was filling properly. > I bought a new glass sight gauge for the center tank from > Skyport and an only registers 1/2 way up the sight glass. > Saw a UTube video and that Coupe had the same gauge > and it was all the way to the top. I might be missing something > of course, but that's my little fuel problem or gauge problem > at the moment. Rich, That could be a variation of the gauge, fuel pump problems, fuel flow limiter mis-sizing or a fault with the overflow return system. Let's check. It is important for the experts to know what is your plane's original model and serial number. This tells a lot about the original fuel system configuration to the experts. There have been some differences how the fuel return was configured. Please include that in your next post to the forum. Checking the overflow return system: Over-fill the nose tank up to the top then set the plane on level ground and wait five minutes for the extra to drain out. (You don't want the wing tanks to be too full when you do this.) Then, use a dip stick and measure the EXACT distance from the top of the filler ring to the fuel and let us know. Also, measure how high the top of the sight gauge is from the bottom of its travel and report that to the forum as well. Mark that sight gauge spot for later comparison when you are up flying - it often stays higher than that when you are flying. We've got a bunch of people who can tell if your fuel level is low. Fuel pump: It may be that your current engine-driven fuel pump is not pumping well and is about to fail. Was the disassembly and inspection really done at the last annual inspection? If it wasn't done, maybe it should be done. Fuel flow restrictor: I can't, off the top of my head, remember the orifice size of the fuel flow restrictor that should be in the output of the fuel pump. There's a specific size that limits the fuel flow to what can be handled by the overflow return system yet still deliver way more than the engine can use at full power. Sometime today an expert will post a message with that orifice size. Main tank clogging: Have you checked inside the main fuel tanks for gunk around the outflow fittings? (This ought to also show when you drain fuel during preflight.) It's good to "vacuum" out the tanks with a pipe and hose - start a siphon going and use the pipe/hose to vacuum up gunk from the bottom of the tanks. Fuel line clogged: I don't know how to best check this possibility. Watch for suggestions if the easier stuff above doesn't solve the problem. Ed _____ Get more out of the Web. Learn 10 hidden secrets of Windows Live. Learn Now <http://windowslive.com/connect/post/jamiethomson.spaces.live.com-Blog-cns!5 50F681DAD532637!5295.entry?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_getmore_092008>
