fuel system idea, anyone try it?

[tempdoug]

George, in my experimental i have just a left hand dakota 24 gallon tank with a small header under the instrument panel. Fuel goes from the front tank fitting to the header to the shutoff valve to the gascolator. The back tank drain goes down past the front of the D window to a tee from the front header tank line thats off the bottom of the header to the valve. Then i ran a breather line from the left side top of the header, directly on top in the center of the tank, to the tee in the top of my fuel site gauge through the left side windshield post. To get rid of air. So far not a burp. I used clear line up the post for the breather line so if i cant see fuel in that, i would be getting real close to borrowed time. doug

 

[jk]

The Dakota tanks I installed will hold 24 per side. I checked this on rebuild. They are only placarded for 23. I have the stock gauges and have found that when the ball disapears there is still considerable gas in tanks. I have experimented with running dry to see how long I have fire and timed these events for my own usage. I did keep both my headers in. Most wrecks that I know of, it seems that the fuel into the cockpit is a result of wing separation and either the rubber fuel line ruptures or comes apart, or the aluminum tank fuel pipe breaks. This is how the gas gets to the occupants or drips on an angle to catch the hot exhaust. The other way is when you tear off the firewall mounted collator, which as every one knows is right on the lower left where the fuel line exits the the cockpit. Does anyone know of a confirmed fire due to "electrical ignition" in the wing root area?

 

[aktango58]

Mike,

I can see that I need to learn your 'Happy Dance'... even if I am stuck in a body built with self protection soft exterior!!!

I will make that call.

 

[btracy]

If you are using piper gauges they are not symmetrical. There is more glass covered on one end than the other. My dads 90 horse there is more glass covered on the lower end. When the ball quits goes out of sight, there is 3 gallons left. When I purchased 39Y I ran it down till the ball was just got to the bottom of the glass but visible only to find that that was empty. The gauges are inverted from my dads with almost all of the glass showing at the bottom. Now I look at other planes and see them installed both ways

 

[courierguy]

Courierguy,

NO fuel shutoff valve???? That doesn't sound too good to me. Emergency comes to mind, but also, how do you work on the engine?

MTV

My mistake, I do have ONE, after the header and before it goes through the firewall. Come to think of it, the last couple times (in 18 years and two different S-7's,) I had a real live emergency, though I did think to kill the master switch I never reached for the fuel cutoff. I need to put that on my pre crash check list, seriously!

 

[fobjob]

If you are worried about your header tanks rupturing, just replace them with the Cubcrafters welded aluminum headers. I did that a long time ago....

 

[Steve Pierce]

If you are worried about your header tanks rupturing, just replace them with the Cubcrafters welded aluminum headers. I did that a long time ago....

I don't think Cub Crafters makes any. I think Univair and F. Atlee Dodge make the heavy duty tanks.

Accidents, fire and fuel are strange things. I was in an accident where the airplane went straight down from 100 feet and lawndarted into the ground. the engine mount broke and went right through the 12 gallon nose tank, dumping all that fuel onto the muffler and no fire. I guess it wasn't my time.

 

[fobjob]

Well, it HAS been a while, then..... cubcrafters also resells some Atlee items, too, so it's a bit blurred in my memory... five incarnations from now, I bet I still won't remember..
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Steve, I still get the oogies when I think of your accident.....

 

[mvivion]

If you are using piper gauges they are not symmetrical. There is more glass covered on one end than the other. My dads 90 horse there is more glass covered on the lower end. When the ball quits goes out of sight, there is 3 gallons left. When I purchased 39Y I ran it down till the ball was just got to the bottom of the glass but visible only to find that that was empty. The gauges are inverted from my dads with almost all of the glass showing at the bottom. Now I look at other planes and see them installed both ways

Yes, and the CC-18 has the "short" end of the fuel sight gauges down. So, they're indicating as low as they can.

MTV

 

[Steve Pierce]

There is a top and a bottom to the stock gauges as well and I find them installed upside down sometimes.

 

[Steve Pierce]

The answer. http://www.dakotacub.com/images/fuel sight gauge - new products.pdf

 

[mike mcs repair]

I always fill and drain to find unusable, then fill and mark in 5 gallon increments...
I also always mark sight gauge quantities on the glass, and lable it in 5 gallon increments, not 1/4, 1/2 etc. since we have so many different tanks sizes now...

 

[Bugs66]

Another way to know how much fuel you have that's hard to beat a fuel flow gauge. I have mine dialed-in after a three or four refuels and now it is very precise. It matches exactly how much fuel I put in at the pump. You do need to remember to reset the gauge after every fuel up. I also have mine hooked up to my GPS and tells me how much fuel required to waypoint, gives me MPG, etc. I still cross check my sight gauges but fuel flow is great!

 

[SteveE]

Agreed Bugs,,

Mine is plus or minus a half gallon on a 36 gallon refill.. I have 2 24gal Dakotas... I love it,, especially after just about running out over Tulsa... Thats when it got installed. Turbulent air was causing my balls to jump around and I couldnt tell how much fuel was in the tanks... Evidentally not much, I had 2/10's remaining on refill.

 

[jk]

How accuarte are the new Dakota site guages verses the original Piper guages used with the 24's? Seams to me that the manufacturing process still puts the "balls" at the same elevation with respect to the guage. I know they are more robust (Dakota) guages, just curious. As Mike said about marking quantity, but I used 6 gallons as a measure, since 4 six gallon jugs tops off the Dakota tanks.

 

[sharp]

I still think Atlees plastic tubes give the best low reading for a sight glass. You have visibility to near the end. The EI flow meter is the cats meow though

Sharp

 

[mike mcs repair]

I still think Atlees plastic tubes give the best low reading for a sight glass. ...
Sharp

agreed....
it's all I use...

like my new avatar rendition of 'brain' from pinky and brain....

made from a free Iphone app i came across, called CAMWOW....

remember them?

 

[Steve Pierce]

Here is the difference in a Dakota Cub fuel gauge and an original with the fittings lined up.

 

[jk]

Thats what Im talking about, a picture is worth a thousand words or in this case about a $140 or so I think??

Thanks Steve.

 

[Amy]

Thats what Im talking about, a picture is worth a thousand words or in this case about a $140 or so I think??

Thanks Steve.

More info (and pictures) here: http://dakotacub.wordpress.com/2010/09/22/stc-showcase-high-visibility-sight-gauges/

$149 for the Dakota Cub gauge regularly, but if you're at Sun 'n' Fun we'll have some at a show discount. I even put some together! (under watchful supervision, don't worry!)

 

[Gordon Misch]

Will the Dakota gauges fit the Atlee Dodge 30 gal tanks? I'm guessing not, but can't hurt to ask??

 

[NimpoCub]

I just mounted my original gauges upside down. I don't care if I can't see the ball when the tank is full, I wanna watch it all the way down! (it works fine) I just remembered I paid $5 each for those lil' red balls! Ouch.

 

[mike mcs repair]

I just mounted my original gauges upside down. I don't care if I can't see the ball when the tank is full, I wanna watch it all the way down! (it works fine) I just remembered I paid $5 each for those lil' red balls! Ouch.

thats how we mount them also....

also take the time to fill some, drains unusable.. then refill and mark gauges acurately..... this step is usually done with the help of the owner, and they ALWAYS call back later saying they were sure glad they did it, when such and such happens and they get down to the last drops!!!

cause you sure will appreciate knowing if that fuel amount shown in gauge will make engine make noise... or not....

 

[Steve Pierce]

Dakota gauge is 4.9 oz. and the stock gauge is 3.7 oz. each.

 

[Amy]

Will the Dakota gauges fit the Atlee Dodge 30 gal tanks? I'm guessing not, but can't hurt to ask??

Yes they will 8) The fuel lines are in the same place, and the gauge doesn't know the difference between 24 and 30 gallons--half is half, just depends on the tank size what "half" means!