DavidP

There is no smell, even after the cabin is opened after an extended period of time, even in the warm weather we experience in Australia. I have even hauled my engineer out of the hangar to verify this in case my sense of smell was shot! Yes Will do, and thanks for the information. That's very useful!

Not sure about every time, but it would be left on the last tank used. My engineer did suggest I put it to OFF, which I tried but didn't seem to change anything.

Oh yes. As I responded in the "hangarage" post - you guys are the guru of Mooneys, that's why I posted here. I would love to spend time in the USA Mooney'ing around, your GA environment is so much more user-friendly than out here. My M20M is 1 of only 2 in the country!

Will do, really appreciate your advice and thoughts.

Thanks Mike, that's a good tip, thank you for that I'll give it a try.

Thanks for your help, I'll go through that list and hopefully it may shed some light.

I'm very happy for you I've said this from my original post I didn't come here to be lectured on the pro's and con's of hangarage, but to seek advice from the largest and most experienced Mooney population on the planet on how best to troubleshoot this issue I'm having. I am well aware of these issues and I made my decision as such. I live in Australia (YMMB). We do not live in a friendly GA environment here. As an aircraft owner you are automatically put into the "rich boys toys" category, and we are price gouged as such. I don't mind paying good money if I believe I am getting value for money. I wish he would stop following me as I make my way around the country. Otherwise thanks for your thoughts.

Yes, thanks, that's the low-res schematic I referred to in an earlier post. Hopefully Jose' might have some more detailed information that might be available for release.

118 USG. The Bravo Monroy fit did not come with a separate tank. This is the reason why I'd like more details of its installation.I also have speed brakes which alters the standard extended capacity.

I recently left the aircraft for about 4 weeks (too busy to fly) and the wing tank gauge went from 16 to 0. At these levels no fuel is visible from the filler point. These were exactly my thoughts - if it was a leak eventually it would manifest itself somewhere and become evident. As I have mentioned, no such signs can be found. This is what I would like to think as the cause. Bearing in mind the Bravo has one filler point with extended tanks. When the tank gets down to less than 20 on the wing gauge I will no longer see any fuel, so this is where a certain reliance on the gauges comes in to give some idea of what is in the tank and a dip stick therefore is of no use. The only thing that bugs me is that the loss is also reflected on the cockpit gauges which makes me think that there is no such thing as a coincidence and it surely could not be issues with both the wing gauge AND the fuel sender(s). However after having flown it today, on my return I left enough fuel to be visible at the filler point, so I will monitor this and see what happens. Thanks Jose', I know what you are saying. Unfortunately I am not hangared (too expensive). Having said that, I am pretty confident lifting the fuel is not the issue (relatively speaking we are a pretty honest mob here), although one can't rule anything out, but if this was so, the right tank remains untouched. On the subject of the extended tanks, do you have anything available that gives me precise details of the extended tank installation? Thanks for your suggestions and thoughts guys.

Hi kortopates, thanks for your thoughts. I have had the aircraft for about 5 years, and have been aware of the draining, quantity and other issues related to the extended tanks. I had the tank resealed about 3 years ago. But I have noticed that this issue has become much more noticeable of late and is not reflected in the behaviour of the right tank. The right side may drop a little, but the wing gauge on the left indicates almost empty if the aircraft has sat idle for a few weeks. It is also reflected by a drop in the cockpit gauge. If it is a leakage issue, then I am really stumped as to where it is draining to, as I have said there is absolutely no indication of leakage by sight or smell. I would expect that if it was draining to a hidden location, by the quantity involved, it would have overflowed or otherwise become noticeable to smell. At my last annual we looked at this, and my engineer applied some more sealant as a precaution. At this point it is hard to accept that the tank is leaking. However, I am a little frustrated at the lack of information regarding the extended tanks. Aside from a very low resolution schematic on the web site, I have been unable to find any information on how the tanks are installed, where they lie specifically within the wing structure, and when filling, at what point do the extended tanks begin to fill. How many drain holes are there between the tanks? I do understand that the principle is a gravity feed into the mains because of the low nose attitude in the cruise. This gives rise to my thoughts that perhaps on landing when the aircraft resume it's nose up attitude, fuel then drains back into the extended tanks. I guess I am a little fussy on this details as I am a former Captain on oil tankers, so I have something in my DNA that needs to know where fluids run to!

Thanks for your reply, carusoam

Hi All, I am seeking some advice from my learned US Mooney friends. I have a 1996 M20M fitted with Monroy tanks. Lately I have been noticing my fuel quantity indications reducing over time while the aircraft is sitting idle on the ramp. In particular, the left main tank, which a few years ago I had fully resealed. "Obvious fuel leak" you may say - only problem is that there is absolutely no indication of leakage - nothing dripping onto the pavement, only a very tiny smear around one inspection port which I doubt is the indication considering the reduction in quantity on the gauges, and zero fuel smell in the cabin. I have had my mechanic look at it several times and he cannot find any visible indication of fuel leak. Any ideas on where else to look? - I am talking about a large quantity of fuel apparently "disappearing", so if it were leaking there would be an unbearable smell associated it if it was pooling somewhere, and other clearly obvious visible indications. I am certain the fuel isn't being stolen - could it be a gauge issue? Do the wing gauge magnets become weaker over time? I have read everything I could find regarding Monroy tanks, but cannot find any detailed diagrams on how they are fitted and how the exactly operate. How much fuel must be in the mains before the Monroys start filling? Could it be fuel draining back from the mains to the Monroys after a flight? Any ideas would be well appreciated. Safe flying! David VH-TLS

Hello, New poster, first time post. I am looking at a 1996 Bravo/TLS here in Australia (S/N27-0214). Looking at the Flight Manual the "as delivered" empty weight was 2325 lbs noted as "no paint, no interior" then after addition of "TKS, Interior, Paint" became a whopping 2552 lb, reducing the useful load to 816 lb. I am curious about the interior details - I am assuming this means no avionics, panel, seating - basically an internal shell. I was hoping there maybe something that could be modified or removed to regain some useful load as I see most people seem to have useful loads of around 1000 lbs. Monroy tanks were later added but these could only be rarely used without exceeding MTOW which is such a waste Rgds David