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Fuel selector drain


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I have a 1962 m20c, maintenance manual says there’s a gascolator under the fuel tank selector, looking under I can see the drain tube, but how do you drain it? Manual says there’s a ring by selector that should be pulled to drain on each position, but there is no ring. Should I try to lift the selector itself? Thanks in advance for any info

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For the fuel selector, just push your drain probe into the small 5/16" metal tube sticking out of the bottom of the fuselage, flanking the left nosewheel door. Theres a ball in there thats held shut by a spring. You push the ball up, fuel flows out of the fuel selector and into the drain cup.

The gascolator is in the nose wheel well. The only way to reach it is lying on your back. You *WILL* get gasoline and dirt in your face, as well as grass/dirt/pebbles on the back of your shirt.

There is a good discussion we had years back that basically stated to drain the wing sumps FIRST as that's the ultimate low-point in the system. If you do the selector, you risk water running back towards the tanks. Don't forget to re-prime these with the electronic fuel pump prior to start.
 

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24 minutes ago, Raptor05121 said:

For the fuel selector, just push your drain probe into the small 5/16" metal tube sticking out of the bottom of the fuselage, flanking the left nosewheel door. Theres a ball in there thats held shut by a spring. You push the ball up, fuel flows out of the fuel selector and into the drain cup.

The gascolator is in the nose wheel well. The only way to reach it is lying on your back. You *WILL* get gasoline and dirt in your face, as well as grass/dirt/pebbles on the back of your shirt.

There is a good discussion we had years back that basically stated to drain the wing sumps FIRST as that's the ultimate low-point in the system. If you do the selector, you risk water running back towards the tanks. Don't forget to re-prime these with the electronic fuel pump prior to start.
 

Thank you, I will try the drain probe in the metal tube, I know about laying on my back for nose wheel gascolator, it’s not fun, but must be done every preflight imo

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In 65 they went with the pull ring next to the fuel selector...

Yours is a bit early.

You still get to sit on the ground under the wings to drain the wing tank sumps...

 

Getting a nice hangar floor or cardboard to keep from getting dirty will work...

 

Skipping draining the sumps is not a good method of staying clean...  :)

PP thoughts only...

Best regards,

-a-

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A small square of carpet (like samples at a carpet store) is nice to keep on your bench. Lay it down in the appropriate spot (you quickly learn exactly where that is) to put your knee on while you sump.  The dirty side stays dirty, and the clean side stays clean enough for a log time. 

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Owning a Mooney is getting used to rolling around on the ground.  But what those guys said.  Open your pilot side window and flip on your Master.  Flip on your fuel pump.  Get under the front wheel well and put your sampler into the little hole.  Get a squirt of fuel, try not to squirt it on your face.  Check fuel (anyone ever found any water?  I haven't) then turn everything back off.

You get to roll on the ground to do that.  You get to visit Mr. ground every time you go to check tire pressure or fill the tires.  You get to roll on the ground if you want to wash the fool thing.

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Steingar,

I have had pints of water show up in my C’s fuel tanks... courtesy of a combination of rain and mild steal fuel necks...

fuel neck... that thing that the fuel cap locks into... If it isn’t shiny metal, it isn’t stainless...  The stress of forming the part shows up about 40 years later... rain water and rust particles show up in the tank below...

This was in the days before MS...

Best regards,

-a-

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What, you can't kneel? I sump my tanks with one knee on the ground. Airing up the tires isn't as easy, but I have yet to lay on the ground. Cleaning the belly, as well as removing / installing it at annual requires a creeper for me and a chair for the belly panel. 

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1 hour ago, Hank said:

What, you can't kneel? I sump my tanks with one knee on the ground. Airing up the tires isn't as easy, but I have yet to lay on the ground. Cleaning the belly, as well as removing / installing it at annual requires a creeper for me and a chair for the belly panel. 

Just don't play the national anthem while doing this :P:D:D:D

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2 hours ago, carusoam said:

Steingar,

I have had pints of water show up in my C’s fuel tanks... courtesy of a combination of rain and mild steal fuel necks...

fuel neck... that thing that the fuel cap locks into... If it isn’t shiny metal, it isn’t stainless...  The stress of forming the part shows up about 40 years later... rain water and rust particles show up in the tank below...

This was in the days before MS...

Best regards,

-a-

I've been flying since 2000 in the midwest, and my first airplane was tied up outside.  I've yet to see anything at all in my fuel ever.

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Check your current plane for SS fuel necks... mild steal is a cheap alternative that comes with rust bits and water...

Check your cap O-rings for proper sealing to keep rain and dew from entering the tanks passing the caps...

 

Getting water in the tanks is as simple as having an oring failure or oring installer failure... Modern mooney challenge... :)

 

If something can go wrong, it will go wrong... (who said that? Somebody important that worked In maintenance...)

 

water has a tendency to go towards the fuel pick-up during departure... the same way a small amount of fuel in the tank goes towards the pick-up by design...

PP thoughts only...

Best regards,

-a-

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The other A&P who had carrier deck experience had the stay on the feet with them wide apart down pretty well.  Pretty sure a Yetti can't Limob to get that low.

Edited by Yetti
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21 hours ago, Hank said:

What, you can't kneel? I sump my tanks with one knee on the ground. Airing up the tires isn't as easy, but I have yet to lay on the ground. Cleaning the belly, as well as removing / installing it at annual requires a creeper for me and a chair for the belly panel. 

If my 14yo son is with me he sumps the tanks as part of pre-flight. He checks it then brings it to me to verify. No kneeling or rolling required...

I keep a pair of leather work gloves in the hat rack to keep my hands from getting black from the hose when fueling the plane. If he isn't with me I will toss one of them on the ground and put a knee on it to sump the tanks, easy enough and keeps my pants clean.

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On 6/1/2018 at 12:21 PM, steingar said:

I've been flying since 2000 in the midwest, and my first airplane was tied up outside.  I've yet to see anything at all in my fuel ever.

I've had my Mooney outside for 20 years and never found water in my tanks either. The difference in what I pay saves enough for a new paint job every 2 years although I've not needed it yet.

 

-Robert

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2 hours ago, RobertGary1 said:

I've had my Mooney outside for 20 years and never found water in my tanks either. The difference in what I pay saves enough for a new paint job every 2 years although I've not needed it yet.

 

-Robert

Yeah, but aircraft belong inside.  The elements affect a lot more than the paint, at least where I live.  You can easily distinguish aircraft that live outdoors and indoors here.

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24 minutes ago, steingar said:

Yeah, but aircraft belong inside.  The elements affect a lot more than the paint, at least where I live.  You can easily distinguish aircraft that live outdoors and indoors here.

Maybe but I can tell you it takes much more than 20 years to happen since I’ve not seen any of that in my 20  

-Robert

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In my area, they charge a minimum of $500/month for a hangar space, so it equates to almost $7,000/yr after taxes. I've had the Mooney for 8 years now, and it still waxes to a beautiful 8/10 paint wise. The interior is in good shape, I use TLC and a cockpit cover and it looks brand new. Avionics are strong, and my 8 year old Concorde battery still powers my starter even in -20C temperatures, after I warm the engine for an hour or so.

So by taking extra care and leaving the plane outside, I ended up paying $56,000 less than if I would have rented a hangar spot... I know, that's Canadian dollars, but I think it was a wise decision...
IMG_0042.thumb.JPG.fe7831aab727b2c8710f9f7019c8c5b5.JPG

This M20E lives outside at Lachute, QC airport, the photo was taken after the semi-annual Wash&Wax last April, it still looks pretty good 

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9 hours ago, steingar said:

I saw it in three.

If your Mooney went down hill in 3 years you weren’t caring for it very well. It’s not about being outside it’s about not taking care of it. SouthWest keeps all their planes outside and they look good after 3 years  

-Robert

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What year did the fuel necks become SS?

In 65 they we’re still mild steal...  

care or no care.... outside for 40+ years leads to rust. Rust leads to water penetration. 

The rusting occurs somewhat invisibly to the user... it isn’t readily obvious to a PP where the rust is occurring... until you poke your fingernail through it... :)

Getting new SS fuel necks is mildly expensive.  Installing them isn’t terribly foreign secret procedures any longer...

Anyone still have mild steal in there fuel tanks?

Best regards,

-a-

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8 hours ago, RobertGary1 said:

If your Mooney went down hill in 3 years you weren’t caring for it very well. It’s not about being outside it’s about not taking care of it. SouthWest keeps all their planes outside and they look good after 3 years  

-Robert

Wasn't a Mooney, it was my first airplane, a Cessna 150.  Paint became way way worse, avionics all got worse and I had to scrap a couple instruments.  Had flights cancelled because the local wildlife got into stuff where they shouldn't have been.  I got a hangar as soon as I could, and I'll never go back.  Just because it works for you doesn't mean it works for everyone.

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17 minutes ago, steingar said:

Wasn't a Mooney, it was my first airplane, a Cessna 150.  Paint became way way worse, avionics all got worse and I had to scrap a couple instruments.  Had flights cancelled because the local wildlife got into stuff where they shouldn't have been.  I got a hangar as soon as I could, and I'll never go back.  Just because it works for you doesn't mean it works for everyone.

Geographic location definitely plays a HUGE part on how things will last when outside, I live 18nm from the Gulf of Mexico but I keep the planes an additional 18nm inland due to the salty air. Then there is the UV here is S. Texas, we're only a few feet from the Sun which will trash you paint & interior plastics very quickly no matter how well you take care of them. Birds tend to build nests in planes outside and mice and rat damage happens more when in a hangar, rodent pee will corrode aluminum with in days. All in all a hangar offers more protection so that's where the planes live. 

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I wouldn’t own an airplane that I couldn’t keep in a hangar.  I sleep well knowing that unless a tornado or a hurricane visit our airport, my planes are safe.

Clarence

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