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Mooney fuel tank oulet


rqajpa

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Can any one explain why the Mooney 20E fuel tank outlet is 2 inches above the bottom of the tank? Likewaise so is the fuel tank float with no fuel in the tank. We found that the float will not move unless there is at least three gallons of fuel in the tank. Seems like a big waste. Would like to install and extensionto the fuel outlet to lower it and use a longer arm on the Rochester float.

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Are you looking at where the fuel outlet penetrates the wall of the tank? The pickup tube goes down inside the tank and usually sits about an inch from the bottom of the tank. You usually end up with about 1/2 gallon of unusable fuel.

You can determine your unusable fuel by removing the fuel hose from the fitting on the firewall, attaching a test hose to direct the fuel into a container and use the electric fuel pump to empty the tank. Then measure how much fuel you can drain out of the sump drain. That is your unusable fuel.

Edited by N201MKTurbo
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1 hour ago, rqajpa said:

Can any one explain why the Mooney 20E fuel tank outlet is 2 inches above the bottom of the tank? Likewaise so is the fuel tank float with no fuel in the tank. We found that the float will not move unless there is at least three gallons of fuel in the tank. Seems like a big waste. Would like to install and extensionto the fuel outlet to lower it and use a longer arm on the Rochester float.

I recall my float touching bottom, with full range to the top of the tank.  The arm is often lightly bent for adjustment.  Do you have pictures of your set-up?  You sure you have the correct float assemblies?

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Wait a minute...

1) Are you looking at the outside of the tank and guessing what is going on inside the tank?

Because the description given, sounds a bit amiss...?

2) like everything else in old machines... Fuel floats need to be physically working before they can give an accurate indication of the fuel level...  all the way down, all the way up... then calibrated...

3) Get ready to test everything this plane has before flying it... including usable fuel...

4) Running out of fuel in flight is a major cause of accidents, no matter how much experience the pilot has...

Don’t allow that to happen.  :)

 

Search for pictures around here...

A Mooney Owner named Alex reworked/sealed his tanks early on in his ownership and took a lot of pictures.  The fuel pick-ups, tank drains, and vents are really interesting how they get located...

Al Mooney took great care in designing his planes... there is very little wasted useful load in the original design... carrying more than a gallon in each tank of unusable fuel just wasn’t Al’s Style...

There is some extra space in there...  pick-up, then sump, then a small area below the sump drain that is hard to reach...

If your fuel pick-up is leaving two inches of fuel in the bottom of the tank... how many gallons does that equate to? Four or five?

It is possible that looks are deceiving... get some measurements and compare to drawings... get some pics...

Check the log books to see if something has been changed in your plane’s history?

Fortunately, if somebody has made an incorrect change... It can probably be corrected to put things back the way they are supposed to be.

Private Pilot thoughts, not a mechanic.

Best regards,

-a-

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1 hour ago, rqajpa said:

Can any one explain why the Mooney 20E fuel tank outlet is 2 inches above the bottom of the tank? 

Can the OP confirm that the aircraft is N5566Q, a 65E?  I ask because this aircraft was substantially damaged in a landing incident back in 1984, and it would be interesting if the subsequent repairs included modification to the fuel system. 

As an aside, this aircraft registration expired in 2012/3 and has been deregistered.

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Roger,

Do you want to fill in a few details about your plane?

What you know about its history?  Who owned it last, who did the work on it, what work was done, that kind of thing?

A few details about yourself?  Ever own a plane before? Got a lot of experience?

Usually around here... people will post a pic of what they are looking at, then ask the question...

After a couple wild goose chases because the posts are so lacking in any proper detail, it can be hard to get people to read your next question...

It might help you get further along...

Best regards,

-a-

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