Fuel Leak
Entry posted by captainglen
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To a lot of Mooney owners a fuel leak can seem quite intimidating especially to those owners who do not hold an A&P rating. I must admit that I was intimidated at first. A small amount of leak (a seep) is permitted per the Mooney service manual as long as it is not into an unvented area so top of wing or gear bay is permissable but cabin, outboard wing area or leading edge are not.
My seep was into the leading edge and over 4 months drained the left tank dry; not enough to leave a stain on the ground but enouch to stain the stain the bottom of the wing adjacent to the leading edge drain hole. This meant the leak had to be at the bottom inboard corner and the blue fuel dye stains confirmed. As it turned out the hardest part of the job was getting the tank inspection cover open without damaging the wing. Scraping the old sealant was a bit tedious but really only took a couple of hours.
Using a A-2 gave a lot of work time on a cool day and working with a brush which I had trimmed the bristles to 1/2". I sealed way beyond the leak area to make sure that no fuel could work it's way under the repair.of course I cleaned the area and roughed the surface of the factory sealant.
To close the tank I used an B-2 wich is not what I would reccomend because it is way to slow, a B-1/2 would be much better. There is an A/D to inspect the stringer and rib drains to make sure you have not clogged them before you close the tank. I allowed a whole week to cure before filling the tank for a leak check and another week before checking for leakage. I am absolutely 100% leak free for $80 worth of supplies.
For those among you who are not certified mechanics there are mechanics who are willing to work with owner assistance. I know of one on my home field who supervised a non mechanic owner in replacing an entire cylinder set (top overhaul). There isn't much room inside the tank for two pairs of hands but most mechanics would gladly defer the prep work to someone else.
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