Sign in to follow this  
Followers 0

Gas tank leaking

26 posts in this topic

Posted

Damn.  Went to the airport last night to go flying. Saw what looked like moisture on my wing behind my tank. No dew it was bubbled paint. The two rib bays behind the tank were full of gas. Major leak in tank. Go back over Sunday and take the wing off and bring home to repair. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Posted

Bummer..document your repair in case it happens to the rest of us... curious how that process works.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Posted

are you using ethanol contaminated gas?  Curious as to why she started leaking on you.  Keep us posted on the senario

:beerchug:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Posted

Bad fitting? Leaking sight gauge? 

I've been lucky with my tanks. I did replace the leaking mil-spec o-rings in the quick drains with some from the auto parts store. They've held for 3 years now

All I run is auto fuel, probably 10% ethanol,.... The tanks seem to hold tight.  (knock on fiberglass)

We have a guy with a Glasair nearby and he went through the leaking tank crap. no fun.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Posted

No, never ran a drop of booze gas through it. Going over to the airport tommorrow and take the wing off and bring it home. Should know what went wrong by tommorrow night. I'll take pictures and let you guys know. Talked to my friend in MPLS and he has repaired a few leaking Avid tanks. I think I will try to repair mine instead of going with the plastic insert tanks. I don't want to add another 15lbs if I don't have to.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Posted

Got my wing home today. Opened it up and this is what I found. It looks like the top trailing edge of the tank wasn't formed right. You can see how it is concaved. The fiberglass along this part is all soft. Leaking pretty bad all along it.

644_2a4d27fd3a8c94d8699913170da28b2c93c4

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Posted

One more view.

646_46c80d7d57250c63af504893b165278b8e5f

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Posted

so is the seam open just in  front of the spar?  hard to tell from this angle.  At any rate, it is just fiberglass and is easily repaired.  Just get the good epoxy that is made for gas tanks.  A little spendy, but worth it, especially if you ever have to put booze in the tank..

:beerchug: < goes in the belly not in the gas tank

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Posted

Yes, it looks like about 6" of the top seam that is bad right in front of the rear spar.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Posted

My tail ribs behind the tank have some of the varnish coming off and the glue on the ribs is dried and crumble because of the gas on them. This couldn't have happened in just a week could it? I think it has been leaking into the back of my wing for a long time.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Posted

yo Bandit, you making any headway on the repairs?  Get that bugger buttoned up and back in the air

:beerchug:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Posted

That looks like a PITA spot to repair. Can you even get sufficient access to the rear of the tank without removing it away from the rear spar? Dunno which wing you have or which side is leaking, however, I do have a brand new right-side speedwing tank sitting in the shop I'm not going to need if that can help you out.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Posted

I have the wing opened up and ready to patch. Going to cut a couple of holes above the leak and put Pro seal in, then fiber glass over the holes. Yes I think I can glass between the curve of the tank and spar.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Posted

time for a sitrep.  you gonna get this kicked in the ass and buttoned up this week?

Been hotter than blazes at the house (for us) mid to high 80's and I will be home flying in 2 days.. you can beat me to the air ifn ya get on it :lol:

:beerchug:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Posted

Just pumped the last of tho proseal in tonight. Let that cure for a couple of days. Then patch the entry holes and put gas back in to check for leaks. Next week I will hit it hard.  Sure is a lot of old loose resin inside the tank.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Posted

With all the grief everyone seems to have with their fiberglass fuel tanks, I wonder if it is possible to construct a "rubber" bladder as a tank liner, similar to the ones used in many of the larger certified planes.

I am definitely not a fan of "sloshing" a tank to try and cover-up the problem and tank replacement seems to be a huge undertaking.  The rigid plastic tank liners require you to cut the top (at least) off your tank with arguable structural effects.

Why not just cut a 6" square hole in the top for access to install a bladder and install an access panel over the opening?  Seems like a valid option to me.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Posted

turtlepac.com

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Posted

That's it.  Why not retrofit something like this?

Just thinking out loud, here...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Posted

Got the Pro Seal in last week. Let it cure over the weekend. Then patched the access holes. Put gas in it let it sit for a day. Moved the wing up and down and side to side, no sign of leaks. Reglued tank edge to rear spar. I'll let that cure, then I'll putty the tank and fiberglass the tank to around the rear spar.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Posted

woo hoo making progress.. I have been on a boat kick and have not done any of the crap to the plane I wanted to.  Next week maybe :lol:

:beerchug:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Posted

Finished my wing tonight. Going to put it back on Thursday. Sure hope it doesn't leak!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Posted

Congrats! How did you cut your fabric to minimize the recovering work once you were all done?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Posted

I cut the fabric from the root out to the outboard rib of the tank. Then six inches from the back of the tank around the trailing edge to six inches from the back of the tank on the bottom side.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Posted

Did get my plane flying again tonight. One worry though. Put a couple of quarts of gas in the wing to rinse it out. After that I drained it to see how much stuff came out of the tank. Not to many chunks. Turned the wing upside down to put the lift struts on and I had gas coming out of the jury strut fitting.

Took it over to the airport and put it back on. Put a few gallons in it and rocked, lifted and shook the wings, no leaks. Put more gas in no leaks. Even folded the wings still nothing. Then put a total of 12 gallons in. Proped the tail up to over flight level plus rocked them and lifted them again. Still no leaks. Took the inspectin cover of by the middle of the tank and reached in and felt all along the tank with still no leaks. Decided to fly. Everything went good. After I landed I rechecked it all again. I am hoping that the gas came from the tank filler neck when we tipped it upside down in the shop to put the lift struts on. I did punch two pin holes in the fabric behind the tank to see if anything will seep out in the future instead of filling the back of the wing bays with gas. After I get back from Oshkosh I will check it again.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Posted

put a couple sea plane groments in the trailing edge.

:beerchug:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!


Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.


Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this  
Followers 0